Icicles On My Eyelashes

Holy Moley, I must have sleepwalked to Alaska, but with some hot tea, I should be OK.

 

 

The heat is cranked up, the fireplace is on, the space heater in the office is set to high, and I am still cold.  I just might forgo walking outside to the mailbox today  The bills will have to wait. 

 

The temperature is saying 11 degrees F.  I am thinking back now to the days gone by, last winter, as a matter of fact, when the average temperature was 50.  The global warming was so kind to us then.

 

It is less than two months till spring so I will spend today wrapped in two layers of clothes and eating calorie laden foods (I need some comfort) and peruse all the gardening catalogs that I have received in the past few weeks. 

 

In six months, I will complain about the heat.

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

Snap Out of It

Need some bright sun, but I am doing OK.



Do you ever wonder if people who live in all-year-round, warm, sunny areas suffer the winter blues? For us in the colder regions, it may start about two weeks after the holidays, when everything and all its color is put away, and you know that the days ahead will probably be grey and dreary.  Now I don't mind the rain because I know that I will need this for my spring planting.  The snow is beautiful for a day or two and the skiers and children love it.  A winter wonderland adds to the economy and there is fun involved.   What gets me down are the nothing days, the cloudy, cold days, the ones that tell you to go back to bed.  They drain you of energy and leave you empty.  Although they are hard  on the mind, they probably do some good for the body by allowing us to rest.  It is a part of life for many species. Too much rest, though, can get tiring and unless you do something to bring excitement and people into your life,  you can be left on the side of your bed having a pity party with yourself.  I have been through that and once went into the large hole of depression that I did not think I could escape.  It was so deep and so bad that once I was well and whole again, I promised myself I would never go there again.  It was almost 20 years ago and sad times have come, but depression is another animal and if I can help it, that will never be a part of me again.The book has been closed on that episode of my life and I have moved forward to much greener pastures.

Yes, these days in January can get me down but not out.  I fight every day not to give into its gloom. I do not listen to the horrible news of the day and ignore the people who enjoy negativity. Some days will be good, and others not as good, but none will be bad as long as I am still kicking.

I am baking this afternoon.  Sugar always makes me happy.

The Fog Comes On

Getting ready for the holidays, and I am doing OK

As I no longer go to work on a daily basis and time has lost its importance, I have, on occasion, woken up and am not sure what day it is. I look for clues and if hubby is not there, it means he went to work (big smile, big smile!). So now I am down to one of five or one of two and that is good enough for me.

Where, oh where, did that mind go that used to figure out complex programs and mathematical equations. I was that person who managed a small company and a large family and now I cringe when my grandchildren want me to play Angry Birds on their iPod. I used to be that person who jumped out of bed and quickly got her day going at 5:30 AM. Now as I slowly slide off the side of the mattress and onto the floor, my main purpose is to look for my glasses. Finding them within three minutes is sort of like getting a hole in one for me.

Monday, Schmonday, what does it matter now. It has taken me a while but I have learned to embrace a less stressful environment. Unless hubby is around, time is mine to do with what I want. I have a volunteer job that I love, love, love and gives me great satisfaction and joy.  I also now have time to spend with my grandchildren that I did not have before and I am making memories. I have replaced the stress and restraints I had by now doing things I choose. My early enthusiasm about doing chores that I had put off for years has waned. Purging the basement of unnecessary collections has not been accomplished although I do make attempts at it every now and then (the emphasis on "then). I have decided to focus on small victories rather than big burdensome tasks. Best of all, what I have found is that in this phase in life I do less complaining and am grateful for so much more.

So when I woke up this week and saw the thick fog, I did not worry about being out on the road trying to see through the mist. What I noticed was how beautiful it looked. There was silence and sweet peace in the scene.


The Fog
by the wonderful Carl Sandburg


The fog comes





















on little cat feet
























It sits looking
Over harbor and city (and suburbia)





















On silent haunches








































And then moves on




And so have I. 







 

Let There Be Light

"Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself." 
 Desiderius Erasmus

The lights are back on in downtown New York.


"Normal" will not return for a longer time for many who were in the path of Sandy, but meanwhile the media is taking time from their constant annoying political spin to tell the stories of  the selflessness of so many who braved the dangers to help a neighbor, be it a stranger or a friend. 

People from all over have lent a hand in any way they can.  It does the spirit good to know that we truly do live in a wonderful world.  The lights seem to be a little brighter because of the the kindness of the human heart.

And BTW, I am doing OK.

Rude Awakening

Brrr, but I am doing OK.

I jumped slowly limped out of bed this morning to the feeling of a cold, cold floor.  What the....!  Wasn't it 90 degrees about a week or so ago?  I put on my woolly socks, flipped on the switch to the fireplace, wrapped myself up in a blanket and contemplated what was ahead.

The future
 

Too soon, too soon!

October Surprise

I never expected this, but the weather has been crazy this year.  I am doing OK

Look what the Nor'easter blew in.

At 9 am

At 11 am

At 11:30 am

At 11:45 am

At 12 pm

At 2 pm

At 3:30, sitting by the fire, listening to the sleet and snow on the roof.

At 4 pm

At 4:05, my beautiful Bradford Pear trees down

At 5 pm, making plans to follow the geese down south

At 6 pm, it is still snowing and sleeting.  What happened to Autumn?

The Sun WIll Come Out Tomorrow - They Say

Constantly  raining  but I'm doing OK, although my hair isn't.

Throw me a line.

Rain

                                    by Robert Louis Stevenson                                  

The rain is falling all around, It falls on field and tree, It rains on the umbrellas here, And on the ships at sea. Splash "Splash," said a raindrop As it fell upon my hat; "Splash" said another as it trickled down my back. "You are very rude," I said As I looked up to the sky; Then another raindrop splashed Right into my eye. Rain, Rain Go Away By Mother Goose Rain, Rain, go away, Come again some other day, Little Johnny wants to play Rain, rain, go to Spain Never show your face again. It's Raining, It's Pouring It's raining, it's pouring, The old man is snoring. He went to bed with a broken head, And couldn't get up in the morning. Not exactly highbrow poetry, but my brain is waterlogged. Two months of drenching rain on the north-east coast.  We are floating away.  Looking for someone with ship-building skills.  

From My Window

Water, water, everywhere, but I am doing OK

The Gods are not being kind.
This year has been an extreme, extreme.    It seemed like it rained most of  the spring, early and mid-summer were like the Sahara desert with record breaking heat and sun, and August brought us back to constant humidity and storms.  I think I spent more time in my house trying to avoid the adverse conditions rather than being outside enjoying, what used to be, the best part of the year.  I know we in the mid-Atlantic states have not been the only ones being affected by these awful weather patterns.  I have heard the word "disaster"  used on an almost daily basis on the world news these past few months.

I am sitting on my comfy chair looking outside as sheets of rain explode on the road.   Flash flooding is happening all around us, and most rivers and streams have overflowed.  More percipitation is expected in the next week. The ground is so saturated with the rainfall from Irene and the these last storms, that the water has no place to go.  Possible tornadoes were reported in the states south of us, so I would imagine that we will hear some word of these happening here also.  I don't want to think about it; I am already exhausted from it all. 

So, like my cat, I go from window to window looking out as life is going on.  My trees are still standing, the flowers are colorful and, my oh my, the grass is so green.  They are telling us there are new storms in the Atlantic and hurricane season has another month to go - just what I wanted to hear.

I am wondering what the weather is like on the moon these days.  I really ned to get out of here!