Potomac Tragedy

 

A pall hangs over

Our collective consciousness

Tragedy Énorme.

Snow Blobs

This was the reason I ventured down to Brown Brook to get some photos - the trees had dropped blobs of stark white snow onto a dark ice cover.

I thought it looked quite special, and different from most wintry scenes, and then the bonus sunset happened!

We were expecting a bit of snow soon, so I thought I'd better capture these isolated snow blobs on ice before they were covered over in a uniform of white.

Weirdly, the static form of the ice captures and implies movement.

Sky Afire

I was treated to a magnificent sunset when I traipsed out of my warm home to take a few snow pics. Lucky me! Without aiming to, I captured a fiery sunset. The glow on the ice below created a captivating watercolor!

Leaf Scars

Leaf scars (from where the petioles - leafstalks - were attached) of American Beech - Fagus grandifolia - creates an uneven edge to its twigs.

It can make them look as if they have a zig-zag form, and yes, that's probably because the leaves are attached and arranged alternately along the stem.

It makes the twig look like a finger with many knuckles - a little detail so easily missed.

Pine Shadows

These tiny pines trying to grow in the spaces between boards on my stairs create awesome shadows in the winter sun - almost like they're wanna-be palm trees!

They look so much more imposing and interesting as a shadow!

A New Leaf

I recently attempted something very different with crochet, to spice things up a bit after the monotony of a woolly blanket. This is my very first outcome following a pattern that was described as a feather.

It looks a lot more like a leaf to me, and I see some refinements are needed if I'm to try this again. I used a mercerized cotton thread, size 10 with a  3.5mm hook (called a 4 in the U.S.), so very tiny for chunky hands like mine. It might make a nice bookmark, methinks.

Sadness Pervades

Lichen Salad

This close up photo of a lichen looks like a salad with quite a variety of ingredients and textures.

Wow! How beautiful and exquisite are the details up close - magnificent!

Suspended Abstraction

I enjoyed looking down over our snowy pergola through the ice covered windows

It created the illusion of being suspended in space

Cartilage Lichen

Lichens! Such unique life forms, created by a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and algae. They aren't harmful to the tree or other substrate they're found on.

I believe this delicate little one I found before the snow fell might be a cartilage or strap lichen. It's very thin and thread-like. I wanted to get a better picture, but now the ground is covered in snow, and I don't think I'll be able to dig around to find the right leaf it was lying on. Plus, it's bitingly cold, too cold for a sub-tropical native, to be outside right now!

Old Man Winter

I found old man winter slumped on his Adirondack chair after a snowstorm. It's bitterly cold (21°F, so -6°C), with gusty 11mph winds - I don't see him getting up from this any time soon.

 

Evil Tendencies Cancel

Evil Tendencies Cancel by Robert Frost (1936)

Will the blight end the chestnut?                        Will Trump destroy the U.S.?

The farmers rather guess not.                     His base thinks not, is my guess.

It keeps smouldering at the roots                He keeps appealing to their fears

And sending up new shoots                                And starting up new smears

Till another parasite                                            Till a new and fresh insight

Shall come to end the blight.                            Shall come to end this blight.

Frost recognized the cyclical nature of things; for me, I can only hope there is something different (better) in store for us after the 4 years following Jan 20, 2025 ... that will "end the blight."

On this, MLK's remembrance day, I shall focus on his hopeful words:

 "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope" 

Bloggable Dessert

I'm told that this dessert was not only delectable, but also bloggable, so here is a photo of the scrumptious dessert that had both of our mouths watering, and assessing whether there was any dish that could beat this.

(Key) Lime pie, made from Market Basket's bag of priced-to-sell, aging limes in a bag - .99c for 11 of them!

Some of the skins were browning and discolored, but that is all that was wrong - superficially imperfect, but perfectly delicious!

Ailurophilia

Are you an ailurophile?

Do these exquisite creatures melt your heart, and make you go all gooey? 

Do you have intense admiration for their skills and cunning?

You may possibly already identify as an ailurophile, or a felinophile ... or maybe you've been called an ailurophiliac? Some people are called "felinetroverts" ... I think I know a few of these personally.

If you fear them, you would be said to have ailurophobia.

Exposé

Bare trees reveal otherwise hidden enclaves. Look at how obvious this squirrel drey is in the harshness of winter, a shelter I can see from my bedroom window each morning.

It's a round nest of leaves, moss and twigs that squirrels usually build in the forks of trees, but the mass is usually hidden by the canopy. Bird nests would typically be built at the outer edges of the branches. This one is pretty high, as you can see from the ground level photo below:

Suddenly, their sleeping quarters are very conspicuous ...

Snow Lines

 What fun to investigate linear patterns in the snow:

41

 We celebrated this number this week, a team effort

We paired it with a beef rump roast, crumbed artichokes, Hasselback potatoes, roasted mushrooms, and cheesy broccoli, served with an au jus enriched with sour cream. Key lime pie and David Bowie rounded out the evening.

Disposable Thoughts

This musing is a double entendre in my mind - is it about my thoughts being disposable? Or is it thoughts about disposables? Or is it both?

What does the word disposable mean to you? Something to throw away, right? Defined as "an article designed to be thrown away after use." Something easily tossed, and forgotten, often after a single use ...

Disposables save us the hassle of having to wash things before using them again. They're easily discarded because we have no connection to them, and therefore we use way more of them than we would if we were washing and reusing them, be it rags, gloves, cups, etc. 

But where do disposables go when they're thrown away, out of sight? They transfer from being OUR minor hassle to the planet's insurmountable problem. When they're out of sight, we don't think about them any longer, but all this so-called 'disposable' waste is accumulating in our landfills. Disposable only means we toss it, not that it goes away or vaporizes.

Everything's got to BE somewhere, it consists of matter, of materials, so when we dispose of it, it doesn't disappear.

Disposable - what a conveniently deceptive word for things of convenience ... 

Let's be more conscious of using so-called 'disposables' in 2025

On Drywalling

Whilst holding up a sheet of drywall during our kitchen renovations in  Orange, MA

we decided to have a bit of fun with it and turned it into a piece of playful performance art called "Drywall Contemplation"

I really loved the pattern our Crocs made as we walked over the sheets of drywall - our powdered footprints created an almost fernlike pattern.

Lovely!

Ice Luminary

What a gorgeous and delightful luminary a friend made for me - totally natural, an ice sphere that is a perfect candle holder in this frigid weather.

Using a small tea light candle generates a beautiful glow without causing much melt. Isn't it amazing?

I'm so inspired by this ice structure - awesome and perfect for winter evenings.

The Adorables

 These two adorable kitties' time with us is coming to an end next month. 

It's impossible not to love them despite the 'troubles' they cause. They have slotted into our routines to make themselves a part of our daily lives, and follow us as we perform regular activities, insisting on being a part of everything. We love it!

 

It's going to be SO hard and empty without them, but that's exactly why their owners want them back. Fluffalo manages to look sweet and appealing no matter the situation, while Peep seems to convey a haughty disdain and scorn that is so endearing!

What adorable cuties 💗

Spectacular Sunset

What a spectacular array of colors we were treated to during the return of an Arctic blast - nature redeeming itself!

It certainly was a worthwhile (quick) trip outside.

In Search of Green

I think I'm hankering after spring already! After so many bleak snow pictures, I need some color in my life ...