Transitioning

I guess winter and spring are both warranting our attention. According to the calendar and the weather, it is still winter. But those signs of spring are nudging us.

Case in point – our forsythia holding up to a recent snowfall. This poor little blossom is carrying all the weight of winter, but still looks refreshingly spring like.

No doubt spring is coming. The forsythia as well as lilac buds, daffodils, and all the other signs of spring are showing up despite what the calendar says and what Mother Nature dishes out.

If this little blossom can manage to survive a winter storm, then we can get through winter too. And thanks to this beautiful specimen, we already know that spring is on its way.

                                  (Photo credit to Eric Noll)

A Touch of Winter

Today we are enjoying winter. There was enough snow to cancel school. Because we needn’t worry about getting anywhere, the scenery is absolutely beautiful. (It’s a different story if you need to be out and about.)

During the heavy snowfall, all is quiet. Nary a bird, squirrel, or deer in sight. Once the snowfall lets up, the birds come out in huge numbers vying for their chance at the feeders.

But I think the squirrels are staying hunkered down for a bit. They probably don’t like rubbing their bellies on the cold, wet snow – or maybe their paws get cold! Anyway, this is a good time to break into that stash of nuts they supposedly have tucked away. Or maybe a stash of sunflower seed a certain squirrel has been helping himself to?

Even though I am longing for gardens and flowers – color – I will appreciate the beauty in today’s snow. It is nice to slow things down a bit and take in the calm and peace a snowfall offers.

Squirrels

Our yard is full of squirrels every single day. There is constant motion of these gray, furry critters. They scamper across the grass, run up trees, and jump at quite a height from one fir tree branch to another.

They help themselves to our bird feeders. After all, that is a relatively easy source of food for them. They sit atop the feeders, hang upside down from them, and do just about any type of acrobatics to get to those sunflower seeds. Mainly they pig out.

Recently we have had a troublesome squirrel who has found the stash of sunflower seeds from which we fill our feeders. Squirrels aren’t stupid. And even though our stash of seed is in a large lidded plastic bin, THE squirrel is boldly hungry enough to throw off the lid, hop inside, and help himself (or herself) to all the seed one can imagine.

Okay, so I put the lid on tighter. Now that squirrel won’t get the seed.

WRONG.

THE squirrel chews on the plastic, determined to get to the mother load. We are in the midst of a (minor) battle.

I don’t object to the squirrels eating along with the birds, but this is getting a bit destructive. We don’t even try to squirrel-proof our feeders so you’d think the little guys would be grateful…

Making It Yourself

One of my favorite quotes is this one by Susan Branch:

“You can have anything you want as long as

you can make it yourself!”

How perfectly positive that thought is. There is nothing stopping us from having what we want. Go ahead, get creative. You want something? Make it.

Easier said than done, of course.

Creating isn’t easy. It can be fun and enjoyable, but creating still takes work. It’s nice to know though that money and ability are not holding us back from our dreams. The ability to do anything comes from learning and practice. With work and perseverance we can achieve our goals.

It’s a simple thought but one that speaks volumes to me. So keep this positive thought and know that nothing holds you back. 

Looking for Spring

I went food shopping this morning and these were not only for sale, but on sale. Yay! Just when I was having about enough of red, and I love red, here comes some yellow popping into life.

Winter sort of feels that way too. I’m ready for spring. Maybe even looking for it…and here it is. Little mini yellow daffodils – narcissus. 

The yellow color alone is enough to chase away any winter blues.

Seeing these in the store tells me that spring is not far away. Some lucky folks even have these popping up in their yards. Isn’t it nice that we can enjoy them too, even if we are just driving by?

Looking around I’m starting to see other signs. Our forsythia has buds on it, but it is still early. After all, we are only halfway through winter.

That won’t stop me from looking for spring though.  

Rain, anyone?

Rain. Gray. Rain. Clouds (not the puffy white kind). Rain. Oh, and a bit of cold too. Typical Oregon winter.

I have to admit we’ve had a pretty decent winter so far. We had more sun show up in January than we usually see. That was encouraging.

But now we’re in one of those stretches where there is no sun to be found anywhere remotely near here. For days.

We wake up in the dark. The whole day is gray. Everything looks dreary.

When the sun returns though, it will be glorious. I’ll sit right where the sun is shining into the room. The warmth of it I will soak up like a sponge. Just thinking of the sun helps me shake off the cold I feel.

I know all these rainy days are necessary. Nature depends upon it, not to mention us humans. Even though something isn’t looking good for a time, there will be benefits in the future.

So when I hear tap, tap, tap, on the roof I’ll remember to be thankful for this rain. We’ll be rewarded later.  

Mark's Metal Artwork

As with anything, the more you do your craft, the more you improve. Artists are no exception.

Mark often receives orders for many hummingbirds and fish. He enjoys making them, and each one is made individually. Sometimes though, he is asked to make something he has not done before. This is always a new and exciting challenge for him. It stretches his abilities while pushing his creativity.

He is always up for the challenge. Here is the latest example of one such order. This trio of dolphin, crab, and shrimp are all new pieces, made to order for gallery on Alabama's gulf coast.

Thoughts for Valentine's Day

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, what are you thinking of?

Hearts, chocolates, roses, or simply valentine cards?

When February rolls around I automatically envision hearts. Anything and everything heart-shaped. Heart-shaped scones, cookies, cakes, all made with chocolate, of course. And red. Red valentines, red roses, red cinnamon hearts…

Something that is unique, but has both elements of red and being heart-shaped, are these handmade copper hearts. Reminiscent of declaring your love by carving on a tree, or sending a heart-shaped valentine, these will last forever.

February. A month of love, hearts, and romance.

Sunrise

For a few minutes this morning, we had a gorgeous sunrise. There’s something magical about pink in the sky.

I love catching these glimpses of beauty. While sipping my coffee, I had the privilege of seeing not only the sunrise, but a slightly-out-of-the-ordinary sunrise. It lasted maybe two minutes, this pink sky.

Sometimes we are so rushed to get things done that we don’t see nature’s gifts to us. We watch the clock, must get out the door, have the commute, worry about the day ahead. And yes, there will be more beautiful sunrises to come.

For me, just taking in those brief minutes of beauty were a reminder to appreciate the moment and the day. Here it is for you too.  

Robins

All my life I have associated robins with springtime. Having grown up in Massachusetts, once you saw a robin, you knew spring had arrived.

Not so here – in Oregon. 

This morning we have oodles of robins in our yard. It is smack in the middle of winter, yet the robins are looking for worms right now, feasting away throughout our lush green grass.

I remember the first time I spotted robins on Christmas Day one year. That was so unusual to me, but not so for this area.

What we hold to be true at one time in our lives does change over time. Whether it’s our location, our perception, or our understanding and growth, change occurs.

Robins must be somewhere in the wintertime.