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The Winter That Will Not End
Flowers and groundhog aside, just to make a point, the cold brought some white along with it. My corner of the south saw lots of freezing rain, a bit of sleet and snow and now a frozen fog. I see beauty. Then I see the bent and broken tree parts on the growing list of cleanup chores.
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First Flowers of Spring on the Mountain
Well, it wouldn't be nascent spring without the classic floral photos. These pretty things bring me great joy when they startle me with their color on a cold, leafless day. Always a surprise is this wild pink azalea, huddled among some trees beyond the house.
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This just in.... Reduced Fat Milk Bad
I caught the gist of this on the TV news this evening. It appears that "...when you drink any kind of reduced-fat milk thinking that it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidized cholesterol, which contributes to the process of heart disease...." Here's the whole story ( Read more... ) -
Staring down spring
Baseball great Roger Hornsby was asked once what he did all winter during the off-season. "I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." That's me. Staring out the window at the drizzle that is slowly freezing on trees and fences. Sometimes the local birds stare in the windows at me. It's their way of telling me to toss some ( Read more... ) -
Safe and tasty tick control
Ouch! My first tick of the season. A good-sized deer tick, probably got on me yesterday evening as I cleaned up some of the winter's broken tree bits between the fence and the road. You don't even know the tick is there until the first painful itch when it's well embedded. So, naturally, she's far enough around my back so I can't get at her ( Read more... ) -
It's a Jungle Out There....
One of the highlights of my life: Finally saw the final two episodes of Monk tonight. It's great to have closure but at the price of everything changing. I mean, he stopped using wipes! I will stop right there in case I might unleash spoilers. Ah well, Monk is still my happy place, much as Northern Exposure once was. Am I hooked on dramedy? -
A Very Nice 6 Seconds. How was Yours?
Wow, I really enjoyed those added 6 seconds of daylight today. Still, that wind was fierce. The chickens spent most of the day in the coop, admiring the light through their windows. Kitty dog did less pestering for walkies, although when the weather is foul she gets restless, like a two-year-old on a rainy day. Dogs live so much in the moment. In ( Read more... ) -
Celebrate! But Don't Lay an Egg.
I've always loved Winter Solstice because daylight lengthens thereafter. At first, it is only a few seconds difference, then a few minutes daily by the end of January. Chickens sense the tiny changes in light. Many begin their annual lay within the week. I've wondered if humans sense it, too, not that we would lay an egg on Dec. 28, but maybe there ( Read more... ) -
Last day on earth
I wouldn't mind the end of the world as we know it. I want a better one.
Although that Mayan calendar thingy probably means nothing, it's fun to think about. Well, yawn, see you tomorrow. Or not. -
The Ghosts Among Us
When we talk about another person, we create an entirely new individual. We weave this new personality out of impressions, guesses, opinions, wishful thinking, inaccurate memories, some past act, misheard remarks, misunderstood gestures, incomplete thoughts, self-serving interpretations, grudges, envy, even lies, but mostly all the things we don’t ( Read more... )