Happy little faces :-)

As January winds down and February nears
The desire for color becomes akin to a desert thirst for me

So to see 

These happy little faces

Smiling at me 

As I rounded the corner
To check out at Aldi's

Made me smile....

Unexpect Happiness

For 99 cents

(quite a deal if you ask me! lol)

Acting on my word for 2011

This winter has been remarkable. Snow in states that never see chilly weather much less snow.

For those who live in the northeast as I do it has been brutal. The snow has been endless. The gray skies more ominpresent than usual. 

Bleh.
And the heat bills. They could bring you to tears.
Or insanity.
Or both.

I've always winter-treated windows & doors. But of late it has become my personal quest to find every open space, every leaking window, every bit of 'frost' and then irradicate any 'cold connection' I've found. With dedication both DH and I have made progress. Much has been improved. Much remains. "Take that!' I whisper to each window & door (and ok, yes, with a bit of a 'bbbwwwaahhhhhh' laugh as I proceed).  Hey, it's part of the process....  lol

But as I'm working along, caulking, sealing, quasi-cursing the cold I remember. I remember the word I chose for 2011. The goal I chose for these 12 months BOKEH  ,,,,,
Stop.
Breathe.
Not only look but SEE.
Observe the outside-of-the-direct-line-of-sight beauty/good in any situation.
And these pictures along with the momentary pause & happiness capturing these images, are the outcome.

The image above and this one as the sun shown briefly and the blue of the sky reflected are the gifts 'bokeh' shared....

They say artists are inclined to notice beauty in small things. But I think the truth is that anyone who looks finds a treasure trove. 

If my campaign is successful, if the cold is kept outside and the warm inside. If the dragon-of-heat-bills is slain these images will 'ner again be seen. 

And dontcha know I'll miss their beautiful flowing delicate shapes. Another lesson. What seems (or even is) a problem at one point in time still possessed beauty. Still had merit. Or was not without merit. There is always something bright shimmering in the darkness of difficulty.  But to find it. To see it.  There, ah.... there is the challenge.  

Bokeh. 
A good word.
A good goal.
Here's to many 2011 moments not missed because of it......

Brrrrrr....

A fairly quiet day - certainly more quiet than yesterday (but we won't even go into it, lol)
There's a great deal more snow now than there was when I grabbed this image in late Fall

But (window screen aside) it does show how snow has found its way

into every corner of the world here, lol

The snow, the cold

set to the countdown

of days until Spring!

Laundry Lines In Winter

You know I love to hang laundry outside Spring/Summer/Fall. Love it love it love it.  Earthy, simple, free, eco-friendly. There is a comfort and timelessness in the sound of clotheslines full of fabrics slapping in the wind as they move, sway and fly. There is a scent to clothing and linnens that are wind whipped, sun soaked, buzzed by bees and sung to by birds that bounce can't provide in a bottle.

The weather-worn clothes pins, the hawks that circle, watching as I work (curious to see if the small white wash cloths are 'edible prey' perhaps)?  Each of these pieces and parts of line drying are momentary enjoyments, interaction with the outside world that no electric dryer can give me*

Then winter arrives. Cold - oh my gawd - colder than cold in NY!
Damp hands stick to everything!

Clothes pins freeze. Fabrics freeze dry (literally! lol) Yet still, it's an odd kind of beauty (if it's not blowing 30 mph winds)   :-)  The bees are, of course, asleep. But the birds chatter and the hawks circle still....   The wind whips each offering (tho only for as long as it takes to freeze)!

On the sunny days it's still beautiful. I don't linger in the winter, lol

And the clothes have to thaw before I fold them  :-)

                                              But the snap-freeze, the chill winter winds

leave their own unique scent on each piece dried on the winter lines

And in spite of my lack of fondness for winter

I love the clotheslines still...

*There's no substitute for an electric dryer when you need something quick or when it rains for dayssss*

Rumbly In The Tumbly

 Oh the yummy goodness...
Gone for another year (or until I break down and make more)...

Oh the sweet confection!
Every last crumb consumed! 

Woe is me, lol Not a single iced chicken or star remains (except on my hips :-)

A woman without a single remaining holiday cookie from this years tripple batch am I....
Whimper, whimper, whine....