Rainy Night

Charles Burchfield's Rainy Night

 Wind!

More wind forecast for tomorrow but tonight is a blowin' up a gale .
The pines and cedars in the woods around me are howling  and the bay is tumbling all over itself  getting itself in quite a lather as the wind whips up whitecaps and waves.
How much it seems like an early spring or late autumn night outside.
Everything glistens with rain and the  howling winds  are shaking the tops of the pines.
I enjoy noisy weather.  Thunder, the rain on roof tops and the rush of the wind can be comforting if you are inside and exhilarating if you are outside.

The painting is by Charles Burchfield , around 1930 or so. I use it often as a desktop for my computer because I like this type of art quite a lot.
There is a complete story here and you can make it whatever you wish but it evokes feeling and I enjoy that.
The picture is enlargeable if you would care to see it in more detail.
What kind of weather do you like? What about art? Does this picture tell you a story and if so, what is it about?

Sounds of Summer

 

This morning before I got up I heard a woodpecker. How in the world do they bang their beaks that fast? The rat-a-tat-tat sounds like a machine gun because it is so rapid fire.
 Anyway, it was 46 ° F and the birds were out in full force, those that remain here that is.  I thought Woodpeckers went south, but no, not all of them do. Some stay in warm

“Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes
Is the deed ever truly done
For Heaven and the future's sakes”Robt Frost

apartments in hollow trees over the winter.
 Chickadees, Blue Jays and Cardinals are around in abundance and were flitting around and singing through the morning hours and I thought of summer.
Birds are one of the sounds of summer along with outboard motors, dirt bikes, single engine planes over head, lawn mowers, baseball games......
Before bed last night I read a bit of a Spenser novel and a scene had Spenser having rhubarb pie for dessert
and I thought of my mother and summer. I was never a huge fan of rhubarb as a kid. Too stringy, too sweet/tart for my childish tastes.
The book described  a summery scene of  hot air blowing through an open window , approaching thunder squalls and  summery sandwiches.     So I went to sleep on a summer note and woke up on one as well.
Summer was filling my mind early today.
 

Mystery Footprints

Temperatures climbed to a hearty 34° F today so it is raining  off and on.
Skies are steely grey.

mystery footprints across the frozen pond

The top of the front pond is frozen and dusted with snow. In the snow are footprints of someone...and not  a very little someone but a large animal.
No.. not Bigfoot! But, something like a very big dog or a large raccoon.  The prints are degraded enough to obscure what it was.
Its usual to see bird prints as they drink from the pond and will walk on the ice. Cats, dogs, raccoon, fox, deer and chipmunks also use my ponds for water and food.
The red circle is a heater that keeps a hole clear for oxygen to enter the pond, otherwise fish  will suffocate under the ice and animals will lose a place to drink.
In summer I keep the water pristine with  UV filters.


Please remember those in New Jersey who are still.. STILL.. living in tents because of 'Sandy'.
They are enduring frigid temperatures in the low teens, snow and it is a very serious situation.
This isn't Florida my friends!  It gets frigidly cold and extremely damp here by the ocean. It cuts through the bones.
The government is no help to them at all despite the high minded talk. Those Washington folks are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. So, they seem to think others don't either. (I hate politics.. hate it)
No housing is provided for them other than communal tents without heating.
Many are young mothers with children living alone in communal situations with all manner of odd people hanging around. They are in a dangerous situation.  Please keep them in your prayers for a quick and fair solution.
It is a serious disgrace.

Annie

Snowy

 
 It's begun to snow here  late this afternoon as the end of the day begins to set in.
It is 23 F and everything is frozen over.
I ended my day with an ice cream cone which I ate while the snow began to fall around. Everyone else in the streets had coffees and teas in paper take away cups, but not this intrepid snow-girl who has been craving vanilla ice cream for days now..  Nope,  I was busy devouring a super large ice cream cone and enjoying every second of it.

 Now for a hot cup of tea.... Happy Weekend!

Annie

A Cold Day by the Bay.....

Even frigid winds do not deter seagulls. After all they have to eat and the sea is their food store.
I caught this fellow with my camera as he was gliding by.
I made a photo I took last summer into a motivational poster at Big Huge Labs, below.

The Pond in Summer

   Keep warm and happy.
It may snow here tomorrow.
We will see..........

Ice Box Weather

The falls and pond, Frozen

Snow and icy cold temperatures hit the night of the previous post.
While it is sunny and bright out today it was 15 degrees last night and only up to a balmy 18 right now and falling fast.


Winter has settled in for a bit and I settled in last night with a Spenser detective novel by Robert Parker and made a pretty good dent in it before I closed my eyes to sleep.
Today I am finishing up the last rows on the huge afghan I am making for the Famous Anonymous Kid.

A trip to Michael's or AC Moore this week will enable me to buy some bright deep pink grosgrain ribbon to weave through the crochet at the edge between the main green and the white edging and with the addition of a pretty bow in one corner, the bedspread sized afghan will be done.
Then I begin a pink and white one for her little sister.
What are you doing?

Reflections

The pond reflects the world around it. It is like a whole other world on the surface of the water.

I took this photo last year after a snow storm. You can see a bit of snow on the right.
No snow yet here but temperatures are due to fall dramatically the weatherman tells us.

Happy Week's End

Robert Addison, realist 

I grew up in a neighborhood like this in a narrow Victorian house that sat alone on a hill in the corner of an "L" shaped street. From its windows and front porch you could see the neighborhood looking much like this in two directions.

I would love to paint this way. I am practicing!
Have a wonderful weekend.



Annie

A Murder at Pemberley What Would Austen Think?

Did you enjoy Pride and Prejudice? Then you may well enjoy Death Comes to Pemberley by mystery writer P D James.
 P D James is a contemporary mystery writer who uses her knowledge of the law and criminal investigation to create a murder mystery for the characters of Pride and Prejudice.
If you like Jane Austen, I don't think you will be disappointed with this book.
I opened the book and read it cover to cover in two nights. It was very good and I do hope more like this are will make an appearance.
I found a hard cover copy at the grocery store in a bin for $4.00 and was very happy that I bought it.


Are you reading anything?  What do you enjoy reading?
Do you curl up in a favorite chair or in bed... coffee? Cup of tea? Cookies?  

The Famous Anonymous Kid

One of the most difficult things to do is to manage to photograph the Famous Anonymous Kid---hence the name!
 We have a standing date after dark on Saturday night to watch Victorious together.
We have a little dinner together. It is a special and great time. When I tried to take the photo of her, she pulled her hood up and tightened it. Well its an interesting picture if nothing else and to me she's gorgeous no matter what she does.

Friday's Hat and Coat

I am taking the easy road and doing the same meme that Toni did.  which, are accurate. And I actually  do own a faux fur cap and I do wear a Navy Peacoat in winter.

You Are a Pea Coat

You are drawn to the classics. You love a look that's a little old fashioned. When you shop for clothes, you're quite sensible. You want styles and brands that are built to last. You are a bit of a preppy. You act like you come from old money, even if you don't. You are well mannered and subtle. You stay away from flashy things and flashy people.

What Kind of Coat Are You?

You Are a Fur Hat

You are high class, sophisticated, and even a bit eccentric. You use fashion to convey wealth and class - even if you're putting on a bit of an act. You're the type of person to wear a thousand dollar watch with jeans or a fur hat on the subway. Let's hope for the sake of the animals that you opt for synthetic fur!

What Winter Hat Are You?

Have a happy weekend.   

Mid Week Doings

 I had installed a snowing script on the page but it seems that you have to point at the header to make it begin to fall. The cursor also directs the way the snow begins to blow as well. But I wanted a wintery look to the blog but I didn't want it to be a big deal to make it work.

Windows had to be reinstalled with a rescue disk and I am still not sure if this computer will make it but, time will tell. Some programs were lost along the way.

Outside the weather is seasonal but for those still living in shelters here in NJ its not so nice at all.
Many are being scammed by insurance companies as well. Homes damaged by wind are being declared to have been destroyed by water and therefore not covered by the home owners insurance. Rather than getting the price of a new home, they are receiving a few thousand dollars and, in other words, the house is a total loss.  Even those with flood insurance, which is costly, are not getting what they need to rebuild.
It is an on going disaster for those who lost so much already. Please keep them in mind.
Families are living in tents in some places and the weather in winter in NJ is cold and damp. It is the dampness that is the worst.
People have developed severe coughs from mold and mildew also and while money being given to NY/NJ seems like a lot, it isnt half what is needed.  Seaside Heights boardwalk alone is over $13BILLION dollars... and that does not include the neighborhoods and town around that famous boardwalk.

But today is a bit sunny and warmer.. 41 F right now, so -perhaps better for those living outside. I hope anyway.
Whatever you are doing today, I hope it is a sunny day no matter what the weather.

Birthday Girl

Today is the baby's birthday though she is a baby no more and a big pre-schooler now!  
She is a real girly girl who loves all things pink and 'princessy'!
When she is sloppy or misbehaves you only need tell her, "this is not princess like behavior" and it makes a big impression on her.  She wants very much to be a princess and loves the Disney princess characters.

It has been difficult to sit long enough to post and I have a computer that is going bye bye gradually so I have not been posting as much as usual. But I miss going around and reading everyone else's blogs. That is something I enjoy far too much and miss when I cannot do it. That's what I will be doing today.

Outside the sky is bluer than blue, the air is icy cold and the sun is bright and yellow.

 Inside I have a lovely new bar chair that enables me to cook a bit easier and sit at my counters to do things. Makes things slightly easier though does not solve the problem completely. Its amazing how much you need to stand to do things properly and when you cannot stand up for more than a half minute you see how much of a handicap it can be.  I need a wheelchair outside of the house now as my spine is not doing very well.

My kitchen smells like lavender now since I cleaned the counters.
Do you  have a favorite smell you enjoy in cleaning products?  I buy the Method cleaners and I love the cucumber and pink grapefruit. I also like the lavender scent in Pine Sol  I use .  Today I see that Meyers offers an Iowa Pine scented dish soap but its being discontinued as it was only for the holidays.
Their bluebell scent intrigues me.

Hope your day is wonderful.