I Know You Can, I Know You Can....

I am packing, whoop whoop on my way to Charleston, SC tomorrow to drink in the beautiful surroundings.  My sweetie and I took a vacation there back in the 80's and somehow I don't think a lot will have changed.  The South, especially the Charleston area is so proud of their heritage that they maintain, not tear down and rebuild like so many areas do.  We Americans do have a habit of getting rid of the old, sometimes before it's time, and building something bigger and in some eyes better.  We don't restore like England and many parts of Europe do.  I know it must be terribly expensive to restore, which is probably why glass and steel have replaced stone, wood, and granite. I am off to enjoy some of our American heritage and hopefully capture some southern springtime beauty.

So today I am happy that the suitcases are filling up with springtime clothing, not boots and wooly mittens and hats,  And speaking of suitcases....before I went on my trip to Phoenix in January I purchased some new luggage. The old stuff was heavy and awkward, I upgraded to lighter and with those 360 degree turnaround wheels, it was heaven on wheels, really.  So in this case, it was a good thing to get rid of the old and go with the new.

And speaking of new, my little mums are still looking as new as they did yesterday.  Linking to Sarah Carletti's Macro Monday even tho this isn't truly macro it's close enough...!!

Ho hum, we are predicted for snow tonight and tomorrow morning, putting Spring on hold, once again.  I feel like one of those hampsters in cages running on the wheel that never goes anywhere, just keep seeing the same things over and over again.  But as I filled the bird feeder today for the last time until I return, I spotted a little feather on the ground.  I picked it up, brought it into the house and set up a little springtime vignette.  Now the bird's nest is one that the cardinals nested in last year that I recovered after they fled the nest, the eggs are leftover Easter candy from last year that resemble eggs, heh, I am all for making the most of what you have on hand and since the birds are not quite nesting yet, it's the best I got.....but the feather is fresh from the front yard.

Sadly I have to set up my own Spring vignette for Spring to be present here.  But I know it will come, like the little Engine that could, I know you can, I know you can.....

"Every man is rich or poor in proportion between his desires and his enjoyments."  ~ Samuel Johnson

Have a great week, everyone!!  Probably won't be around much until I return from Charleston.

Until next time....

 

A Little Bit of Spring

Yesterday we had spring here in Chicagoland.  The sun was shining, the birds chirped, the temps almost reached 70 degrees.  It was glorious.  I grabbed my camera just to see if I could capture little signs that once again Spring has returned, but as you can see, it is slow, really really slow in arriving.

There are just the tiniest buds on the quince bushes, teeny tiny swellings on the rose bushes, day lilies have popped thru and are showing their green blades and the tulips have emerged, no blooms, but green leaves.  Sigh....I have a feeling we may skip Spring this year and go straight into Summer which is not a rare occurence around here.  The forecast is for rain and in the 50's for the rest of the week.  But rain or no rain I am buying pansies for the front porch.  I want color, oh where or where is the color??!!

And with Spring the critters arrive....well, not really this particular bunny (took this in Arizona) but definitely cousins of his.  Love this one's big ears and the chunk missing on the right ear.

Since my lovely vacation to Arizona I have been neglect in educating us with our "words to sound smart"....I have chosen the word diaspora as this week's word.  It originally was used to described Jews living outside Israel and later expanded its meaning to describe any body of people scattered outside of their homeland.  I do believe that all the residents that live in the Sun Lakes, AZ community are definitely diaspora....not a single one is a native of Arizona....they all came from different places, usually from colder climates searching for the warmth of the sun.  How about you, are you a diaspora? living outside or beyond your original home?  I guess I could classify myself as such since my roots are in Texas but now I have lived so long in the Midwest (30+ years) that if I moved from here I would be another diaspora.

Linking to Macro Monday....

                                     

Well, gotta go finish those taxes...yeah I dragged my feet (you know procrastinated) until now I am down to literally the last minute.  Have a great week everyone.

"Like yourself.  You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and appreciation." ~ Buddha

Until next time.....

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Far, Far Horizon

It's Monday and again it is cloudy and cold with Spring on the far, very far horizon.  As I slid down the icy driveway this morning to retrieve the newspaper I could hear the birds chirping and I swear they were saying, "where oh where oh where is the warmth."  But as I poured my morning cup of coffee I thought of last year with our unseasonably warm early spring...the flowers began to make their way out from the frozen depths in the gardens, the trees sprouted their buds, the flowering bushes began to pop in profusion, spring clothes emerged from closets to make an appearance, the college kids could be seen in shorts & t-shirts, we were happy that Spring had arrived with Winter just a memory and then....the dreaded late cold snap, the killing frost.

So eventho my hope for warmer weather and plenty of sunshine is ever present, my wish this year is to let the cold hang around for as long as it needs to, but when it goes, it stays gone. Spring don't tease us with a false start, don't let those buds began to flower until you decide to stay around permanently.

I will remain content with store-bought Spring until you make your grand entrance....

Retrieved another barn from my travels to NC for Tricia's Barn Charm...this one was located in the horse country around Lexington, KY...looks pretty shabby and not sure if it is still in use, but there were some barn animals on the property.

Linking to Macro Monday, Barn Charm and Tamar & Gina's Project 52....

The word for the day to add to your brilliant vocabulary is wane...which means to decrease or become smaller.  I am really hoping that Winter is on the wane.  We usually associate this word with the moon, but I'm using it today in another context....that's what happens when you become brilliant. (!)

Until next time....