31 May, 2013

138/365 Memories


Laughter shared by friends

Refreshes the heart, losing

No sweetness through time.

30 May, 2013

137/365 Evening


How sweetly sunshine

And birdsong follow rain as

Day melts into dusk.

29 May, 2013

136/365


Dreary skies threaten

Rain while thunder mumbles and

Loiters overhead.

28 May, 2013

135/365 Focus


Chattering voices

Recede as thought takes form to

Demand attention.

27 May, 2013

Is there anything that compares to that
first shower when you return from a road trip?
 

 
I want to give Naphtali
the chance to show off the new place
so there won't be any more pictures
and I will only say that they
have a charming house in what seems
like a friendly neighborhood.
 
I arrived on 2nd Street Friday morning
 and found things well in hand.
 
Thanks to the help of Mr. Rogers
and his family
(dear friends from way back)
soooo much was already done,
and the work that was left
was finished with good-humored camaraderie.
Hard to believe, but by suppertime,
she was done with 2nd Street.
 
We enjoyed the perfect window
of perfect weather
in a week characterized by rain
 and more rain.
 
Everyone worked
and worked well together.
 
When I left, this afternoon,
all the boxes had been
 emptied,
distributed to friends who are moving,
or
broken down and recycled.
 
Sure, there will be some fine-tuning
but they live there.
It doesn't have the feeling of a new place.
It feels like their home.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

134/365 Homeward


The day lengthens as

The soft call of home echoes

From the leaden road.

26 May, 2013

133/365 Travel


Familiar pleasures

Beckon the road-weary to

Turn again homeward.

25 May, 2013

132/365 Friendship


No time nor distance

Can separate those hearts bound

By truth and in deed.

24 May, 2013

131/365 Classic Spring Day


The cool, cloudy skies

Of morning give way to the

Warmth of afternoon sun.

23 May, 2013

Thursday evening

We are enjoying a true spring for the first time
in several years.
 
The weather has been unpredictable.
Last night I pulled out an extra blanket.
Started today with a jacket and ended in shorts.
 
The chorus tonight has been songbirds and
lawn mowers.
 
Blossoming trees have been vibrant.
Gardens are beginning to show promise.
 
Tomorrow, I'm heading to Minneapolis
for Naphtali's move.
Tim will come up on Saturday.
She has plans for us!
 
It's been a busy week
with painting and shuttling small loads to
the new place.
Tomorrow it's a truck and a crew
and we'll be sleeping at the new house.
Can't wait!!

130/365 The River


Fast-flowing water,

High within its banks, shimmers

Brightly in the sun.

22 May, 2013

129/365 Making Plans


Ideas tumble

Creating energy and
Anticipation

21 May, 2013

128/365 Evening Stroll


Night air, laden with

The scent of impending rain,

Holds no refreshment.

20 May, 2013

127/365 Syncopation

Thunder amidst the
Patter of raindrops creates
 Fresh springtime rhythms.


Sunday Recap

It was an interesting day.
 
I'll admit that my Sundays start on the late side.
If I can get away with it.
Yesterday saw me up bright and early to help
 Tim with the fence.
 

That's what it looked like as of 11:00
when it was time to get ready to go to work.
Home again at 4:00.
Dogs, yard work, laundry,
helped build 2 more garden boxes,
then it was time to grill and switch gears
for the evening.
 
Storm warnings had been posted so Tim moved the
rest of the fencing around to make room
for both vehicles in the garage.
 
He grilled.
I made salads.
We had just finished when the skies opened.
There were no warning sprinkles.
It simply started to pour rain.
A few minutes of small hail stones.
And wind.
 
We laughed at the close timing.
Our power went out a few minutes later for maybe
a 1/2 hour.
It wasn't too much longer that it went out again
until this morning.
Close to 12 hours.
 
Here are some pictures taken along our
nearby walking trail.
 
There were a lot of branches
- of all sizes -
throughout the neighborhood.
Not all belonged to old trees
- like the one above -
as evidenced by the following picture:

 
This one made me especially sad.
It looks like it exploded:

 
This is the view to the right
- one picture just couldn't catch it all-
There is probably more than one tree here
though it was hard to tell where they
started and stopped.
 
This morning my favorite birdsongs
were replaced by the whine of chainsaws.
 
We lost a few small branches.
Everyone's yard was full of debris.
The houses were peppered with debris as well.
 
 like I said,
an interesting day. 


19 May, 2013

126/365 Ominous


Storm clouds build, boiling

And bumping across the sky

All through the long day.

18 May, 2013

Saturday evening

It's been a long day.
 
I had wondered recently
how Proton would do with the new fence?
Not to worry -
he simply ignores it when the need arises.
 
To be fair, it has taken him almost a week,
but he did jump it today - twice.
Sailed right over it.
Apparently the dogs on the other side were too appealing
and he had to chase up and down
barking with them.

So we added what seemed like
a substantial barricade
using a trellis and the grilling table.

 
(Sorry about the fuzziness)
And he went over that about a 1/2 hour later.
We heard the grill rattle so we know he went over it.
Tim is already formulating plan B.

We put in several hours when I came home from work
building a privacy fence at the back of the yard
so the dogs didn't have our full attention.
Charlie waited in the shade watching us.
Proton watched us, waiting for his opportunity.

My wisteria is blooming.
 
 
I have a few things to finish before I can call it a wrap...
 

125/365 Dusk


Shadows deepen then

Lose their form, blending into

Approaching night.

17 May, 2013

124/365 Siesta


Soft shadows and cool

Breezes invite the weary

To linger at rest.

16 May, 2013

Thursday

My computer time has become
 less-than-predictably-reliable.
Walking the dog (dogs for another week)
and watering flowers
-activities to be finished before the day's heat settles-
 now claim the first blush of  morning.
 
google images
 
Evenings are simply too lovely to
spend at a keyboard...
 
 


123/365 Evening in May


The hammock’s rhythm

Stirs fragrant air while fading

Light signals day’s end.

15 May, 2013

122/365 Afternoon Nap


Sprawling lazily

Across the floor, yawning dogs
Rest contentedly.

14 May, 2013

Tuesday Morning

This is such a heady time of year.
 
A treat for the senses.
 
A day like this makes you forget
 the long months of snow,
 reminds you that this is a good place to be. 
 
 
Colors
 - seemingly absent yesterday -
surround me today.
The back yard is scented with
lilac and lily of the valley.
Pear and crab apple trees
 are in full blossom.
The wisteria
is ready to join them.
And the birds! 
 
Such a day!
 
 


121/365 Spring Morning

Sweet scents and sweet songs
Fill the air as blossoms join
Birds to welcome Spring.


13 May, 2013

120/365 Windy Day


Whence come the wild winds?

 Both grass and tree bow before
Such relentless strength.

12 May, 2013

I'm listening to the birds singing.
I can't tell you how entrancing the songbirds
 around our neighborhood have been.
 
With apologies to Mr. Wilson, I could burst into song like
Marion-the-librarian
wondering why they've never before
made such an impression -
but we'll skip that...
 
I do have to wonder, though, how such
tiny creatures produce such volume.
 
Naphtali and Aidan left for home earlier this afternoon.
Tomorrow is a big day for them.
Papers will be signed,
keys exchanged,
and the opportunity to craft their life anew
begins.
 
It's been one year. 
This same weekend last year
a different set of papers were signed
and we helped them move.
Amazing.
 
We'll go up at the end of the month
to help as we can
- and return Proton to his rightful place-
but most of it should be done.
The next couple weeks Naphtali will be 
painting,
planning,
and making small hauls
from where they are
to where they will be.
 
Can't wait!
 
 
 
 
 

119/365 A Good Day


Dirt-smudged faces beam

With pride and laughter as shared

Work becomes pleasure.

11 May, 2013

Saturday Morning

Naphtali, Aidan and Proton arrived
last night.  They made good time.
Tradition says they sleep in on Saturday morning.
But I'm not sure how/why they ended up on the couch together.
 
Tim had Proton out for a walk earlier.
 
We'll head out shortly for graduation festivities.
We have plenty of sunshine but
a very cool wind is blowing.
 


118/365 This Morning


Is anything so

Lovely as the face of a

Child immersed in sleep?

10 May, 2013

117/365 Friday


Warm sunlight slowly

Succeeds the morn’s grey mists to
Ripen with the day

09 May, 2013

116/365 Wee Hours


Thunder and lightning
Jolt dreams beyond reach as rain
Croons softly of sleep.

08 May, 2013

115/365 Slipping Away


Time eludes our grasp

Like water flowing to meet

The wild, endless sea.

07 May, 2013

114/365 Flowers


Bright blooms entice the

Senses shifting and winking

In dappled sunlight.

Gated Community


 
Busy days ahead with
company
family events and
major projects on-going
in the house and yard.
 
 We've added some fencing

to make a section of the yard

 
dog-free.
 
Any plants that fail to thrive will fail
for reasons unrelated to dogs being dogs.
 
It's worked well for Charlie
but Proton will be here next week
and that will be the real test.
 
Naphtali and Aidan will come down Friday.
A graduation reception
and Mother's Day visits will fill the weekend.
They'll head home, Sunday, 
- with Tim's pick-up -
leaving Proton with us until Memorial Day.
 
Why?
Because they'll be moving!
 
Papers will be signed on Monday!
Painting
packing
hauling
will take up the next couple weeks
and Proton can skip that part of the process.
 
 
We're all excited to see this transitional
period end.
For so many reasons it will be good to see them
in their own home.
 
 
 
 
 

06 May, 2013

113/365 The Cardinal


Swift scarlet flight and

Ringing treetop arias

Proclaim “Tis my realm!”

05 May, 2013

112/365 Relief


Soft breezes hint at

Change as thinning clouds skim past

Ending their grey siege.

04 May, 2013

111/365 Wellness


Chicken soup reminds

The weary heart to savor

Kind ministrations.

03 May, 2013

110/365 Nightfall


Tonight, no sunset;

Grey skies simply deepen to

Black, marking day’s end.

02 May, 2013

Peer Pressure

We have always
always
always
waited until Mother's Day
to do anything with bedding plants.
 
This past weekend our neighbor and her adorable
preschool daughter
had filled their big, red wagon
with all sorts of flowers
and made their way around the yard
planting and
laughing and
oohing and ahhing
and having so much fun together
that I went and bought
some plants on Monday.
And Tuesday.
And they looked great.
On Wednesday.
 
Last night when I came home from work
I noticed those same neighbors had been busy
covering their handiwork with sheets
so I tromped around in the dark spreading
 a few sheets of my own.
 
It has been snowing all day.
 
All day.
 
All day!
 


 
 


109/365 May Snow


Plump robin redbreast

Bright against fresh snow shares my

Cold befuddlement.

01 May, 2013

108/365 Progress


Planning comes in waves

As options solidify

And excitement grows.