Rain

Rain drops are rare

 here in this place where the sun always shines.

It is a joyful experience to get outside and splash in the small puddles and take photos. I love the symmetry of these drops on this leaf.

I listen carefully for the sound of rainfall. It is a novelty here and yet endless rainy days in Maine can get old quickly. The children here seem more anxious and wild on rainy days. Maine children are that way when it is sunny. This bi-coastal life I live makes me appreciate rain when I get it on the West Coast and sun when I get it on the East Coast. I am becoming adaptable. I am learning to enjoy what comes-taking each gift with thankfulness. Sparkly drops on a green leaf. One of life's simple pleasures. 

Details

The yellow sprigs of forsythia splayed against the vermilion wall make a statement in the corner of the room. It is a little attention-getter that calls me over and says, "Hello! Rest your eyes here at the end of your busy day." 
It is one of those little details that I notice when I go into any room. For the past few weeks, this arrangement has greeted me whenever I walk into our temporary home.
At my real home, there is a forsythia bush in the front yard buried under a blanket of snow waiting for Spring to bring it to life. So, at the moment these branches will greet me and remind me just how good life can be. 

......."it's all in the details"!  

Be Careful What you Wish For!

Ah, life!
Just when you think you have it all figured out,
something moves, shifts, and changes
right before your eyes!
Ah, life!
Secret wishes come true often in strange ways!

So, be careful what you wish for!

Willow Thoughts

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way.  Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all.  But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself."-  William Blake, 1799, The Letters  

This is the time of year that I start to really miss my willow tree. It is huge and hovers over my house and back yard like a giant sleepy monster. It moans on a windy day and the branches bend low to the ground. A giant something lives high in the hollowed out space between the trunk and an ancient branch. I saw it once in the dusky shadows as it lumbered up the trunk and settled itself in for the night. I haven't seen it come back down. Maybe it lives there still.
The bark is many shades of grey and has deep grooves that shield insect villages. The leaves can be annoying when they drop all over the grass, but the vines they float on dance so gracefully in the wind that I don"t mind all that extra raking. There is a huge hole in the top of this 300 year old tree that came when a freak summer hail storm took away a large branch. It lets in blue or grey sky like a skylight.
A large rope circles its waist like a fisherman's belt and stretches over to a younger maple. Together the trees hold the freshly washed clothes and dry them efficiently in the wind.
I will be back soon to say hello, and then as I prepare myself to say goodbye to it when the house goes on the market this Spring. The willow will be missed more than the house -like the passing of an old friend.
  

Love-ly

Something eternal. I guess Van Gogh was thinking of love itself, not how it is perceived by humans. We use the word love so loosely these days, that the definition has gotten all muddled up. People love pizza and sports teams and the color purple. Songs are written mostly about love either mourning its loss or praising its wonderful-ness. Nobody really knows how to define love but we all want it in our lives. We want to be loved, be IN love, and to give love. What is the essence of love anyway?  This something eternal that moves us to do such crazy things? This essence that fills us up and motivates us? 
I am no expert on love, but I like Valentine's day because we get to tell the people in our lives that we love them. I love the unexpected surprises that come with this day. I love the sweet things the children I teach say to me and to their friends.
 What a great idea this holiday is!

Plan Change

“The best laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft a-gley;
 And leave us naught but grief and pain For promised joy”-Robert Burns

I really love when I make plans and they get changed on me. Especially when whatever I had planned is not nearly as wonderful as the new thing. Today I am thankful that my plan to sit around and sort papers and do laundry got changed to a spa pedicure and a hotel suite vacation. I am not the kind of girl who gets pedicures on a regular basis. It is a treat reserved usually for very special occasions. And it is very rare that I have a vacation. But, surprises happen  just when you need them most. So, I will embrace this lovely turn of events and get some rest, and recharge my tired batteries and spend the day thankfully.

"What day is it,?" asked Pooh. "It's today," squeaked Piglet. "My favorite day," said Pooh.”

February

 

       "The day is ending,
                                   The night is descending;
                                                         The marsh is frozen,
                                                                               The river dead.

      Through clouds like ashes
                                  The red sun flashes
                                                         On village windows
                                                                                 That glimmer red."
-  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Afternoon in February