Day Eighty One 2013

Squirrel in motion. He was racing toward something, probably the weekend, like everybody else on a Friday. Happy T G I F !

Day Eighty 2013

35 degrees at lunch time today. Welcome, first full day of Spring!

I’m trying some new recipes. Made Black Bean Soup in the Crockpot after lunch. I got to use things like lime and cilantro and cumin and ground cloves and balsamic vinegar, all in the same dish, a departure for me, especially the cumin. I made this unholy mess in my kitchen and for all my effort was rewarded with a most pleasing aroma wafting through my house.

This Black Bean Soup was great for a cold night, especially since it set our taste buds on fire. Didn’t expect it to be inferno hot, but Neil and I both agreed it was the most unusual tasting soup we’d ever experienced and it was quite good. Some sour cream on top helped take the bite off, and Fritos were good with it, too. And since there were leftovers, we’ll most likely be having it for lunch tomorrow.

Ah, Spring! It’s 36 degrees which called for a fire in the wood stove. There’s snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Like I said, ‘Mother Nature’ doesn’t care what the calendar says where the weather is concerned. Not one bit.

Day Seventy Nine 2013

Happy spring, y’all! [it snowed this afternoon]

Day Seventy Eight 2013

Come, gentle Spring! ethereal Mildness! come.
~ James Thomson








And all about, the softening air
Of new-born sweetness tells,
And the ungathered Mayflowers wear
The tint of ocean shells.
The old, assuring miracle:
is fresh as heretofore:
And earth takes up its parable of life from death once more.
~ Whittier

[We’re in the final hours of winter. Finally. Spring begins with the vernal equinox at 7:02 A.M. (EDT) on March 20, 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere. Today was a beautiful sunny blue sky spring like day, this last day of winter. But we all know ‘Mother Nature’ doesn’t pay much attention to dates on the calendar when it comes to the weather. So, for what it’s worth, goodbye winter!]

Day Seventy Seven 2013

"March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street.
She washes and cleans with pounding rains,
Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.
She shakes the grime from carpet green
Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,
She ushers gentle springtime in."
~ Susan Reiner, Spring Cleaning