In the Neighborhood

Summer Preview

Peace.

Crimes Against Nature

Yesterday early morning we were awoken by a fleet of trucks and tractors surrounding our house. Turns out our new(ish) neighbors were having their old driveway scooped up. Oh how the girls and I hoped they were at least going to give part of it over to green, if not all of it to flowers and such.

Alas. By the end of the hot hot day there was a newer blacker hotter driveway in place of the old one with the yellow tape marking the crime scene.







Peace.

Snow Town

Even though lots of folks around the country are having record snow years, ours has been a bit flaky. Last night, things got a little more to our liking, a little more snowflaky.

The girls and their friends from across the street took advantage of the sticky stuff to get to work. They asked me if they could use our big wheelbarrow to bring some fallen snowmen parts from across the street. I said no. A little later, I hear from inside the house, their voices asking the older neighbor if he had a wheelbarrow they could borrow. He said yes!

A sweet winter scene in the neighborhood. More of this, please.






Peace.

A Brad and a Bear

Brad Kessler, author

Goat Song

Tuesday night, my friend, Brad, gave a reading for his new book, Goat Song, A Seasonal Life, A Short History of Herding, and the Art of Making Cheese, at The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley. He made the idea of herding goats sound very appealing. Of course, I have been longing to move to Vermont since I first camped at Merck Forest twenty years ago. After turning most of my yard into garden this year, I have been imagining what I could do with a real piece of land. I look forward to reading Brad's book, where he explores the historical and literary evolution of the relationship between humans and goats.

In our town, Wednesday morning, we had a little peek at the relationship between humans and bears. As I was drawing the day's self portrait, I looked out the window of my studio and saw a small bear sauntering down the street, passed my flowers. I grabbed my camera, but by the time I got outside, the bear had crossed to the neighbor's house, then further down the street.

trying to get in the garbage shed

a bear's profile

heading across the street

Other People's Kittens

Yes, the girls really want kittens. No, I'm not ready. Luckily, the neighbors recently got kittens, so the girls have gone over everyday after school this week to play with them. This weekend, while the neighbors are away, it's the girls' job to take care of the kitties...

The wild one takes a moment to pose for the camera.

The shy one hides beneath a chair.

What's this? Dog bowl or cat bed?

Hmm... Just the right size.

Do you think two cats could fit?

Hey! Make room for me!

What?

Extra points if you can guess which one the 8yo likes and which one the 6yo likes.

Other People's Cats

I was outside hanging laundry when I heard the familiar meow of the neighbor's cat, Tony. It didn't take long in his tenure here to figure out that I am the one in the neighborhood with spare keys. When my neighbors are at work, Tony comes to my door and meows to be let in. I tell him I'll go get the spare keys and he can meet me across the street. He runs across and waits at the door and I come over and let him in.

The thing that made it odd this morning was that his owner was out in the yard, so I didn't pay any attention to his cries. I finished hanging the laundry and went inside. A few minutes later, the girls shouted, "Tony is on the roof!"





I managed to run into the house, grab the camera, and get this shot just before he figured out how to reach up and crawl in the open window he'd crawled out of. His owner informed me that he was being quarantined because he had caught a bat a few days earlier, and since they had tossed the bat out in their shock, Tony isn't allowed outside for a while.

Eye Candy

"No man with a good car needs to be justified!"

Down in the Flood

A Garden's Bones

Today was the day! Gorgeous Spring weather and a delivery of compost!

Time to take a look at the main garden and decide where the paths should go...

Now to dig in...

Doesn't it look beautiful!!

And now to take a look at the back garden and decide where paths should go...

Beautiful!

We got the peas in on the right side. And a bean tower will go where the girls are standing. The pine trunk in front of the compost bin is where one of the new peach trees will go.

And yes, my neighbor strolled by to see what all the action was about, and when I told him all the plans he said, "Michelle Obama would be proud." To which I of course replied, "And I'm proud of her, too, so it works out!"


Happy Spring!

Before

I haven't felt much like posting the past few days. I'll just put these photographs up as 'before' pictures. We'll be walking down this afternoon to see if things are flooded. We're all safe here, so the flood is just adventure, but we'll be thinking of folks in North Dakota.



Peace.

Blue America

We are already stumbling, when we'd hoped to be soaring.

Peace.

Blue (and Green) in the Neighborhood

It was getting dark at the end of tonight's walk through the neighborhood. The girls had figured out a fancy skip-step and were halfway down the block, when I heard someone walking behind me. I turned to see this woman walking her dog. Of course I had to ask her if I could take her picture when I saw her blue hair!






The green twinkly lights behind her belong to my ever-decorating nextdoor neighbors. They are sort of like our town's version of the Empire State Building.








picture of the empire state building found here.

Shadows from the Archives

I had been thinking of this shadow theme only in terms of winter light, but after seeing m.heart's hammock photograph yesterday, I took a look at some of my photographs from other seasons. Since I may not get the chance to take some photographs today, I'm glad a found some gems.

I really do love all the seasons. Yes, I love winter. I love snow, and hats & gloves, and snuggling, and hot drinks. I even love shoveling. Not to mention skiing, hiking, ice skating, fort building...

This winter has decided to throw a big challenge to my love at me. My poorly built house has been no match for the super chill we've had here this year. My bathroom pipes have frozen several times and burst twice. Even though I left the taps open last night, I woke to a frozen faucet this morning. I've got the space heater going in the hole in the ground as I type this and I'm hoping the pipes thaw without bursting.

So while I'm waiting for this...

ah... hot and cold running water...

I thought I'd go through the shadowy archives and show you some of these...

the 6 year old at 2

the first ride without training wheels

long autumn shadows in the woods

perfect for building fairy houses

magic everywhere

My knowledge of contemporary photographers drops precipitously somewhere in the early 90s. That said, this last photograph reminds me of Tina Barney in the way that the moment caught on camera suggests a narrative filled with drama.

afternoon light

Yay! Yay! Yay! While I was editing this post, the pipes thawed without bursting and water flowed! Thank you gods and goddesses of plumbing! Now if I can just get the tub drain and the washing machine to unfreeze so that the water from the girls' bath Monday will flow out and I can take a shower, and so that I can do some laundry... Well, let's not get greedy here! Instead, let's take the camera and go for a walk!


Shadows and light.



Peace.

It Must Be Spring

Girls and Galimotos

Update: And the boys have them, too...

Full Moon

The beauty that rose on Sunday evening.

A comic that I clipped from the paper years ago.
Thank you, Gary Larson.
(click photo to enlarge)

I'll follow the sun

Early morning sun trying to get into the neighbors attic.

As far as I know, my neighbors only use their attic for storage. Their very large house is in the morning sun's path, and often my first glimpse of light when I put up the curtain is this fire in their attic. This picture doesn't do it justice, but I have no upstairs windows facing that direction. I imagine an artist and model up there taking advantage of the chiaroscuro!

I moved these globes to a safe spot while I was organizing the girls' room yesterday.
The sunlight found them here.

I love all the seasons. Yes, winter, too. I love snow and snow activities. It is true, though, that in winter I seek the sun as often as I seek shade in summer. Maybe more, because sunlight in winter, and its play upon snow, is so beautiful.

This tree, so lovely bare in winter, is also our shade in summer.

The sun is shining this morning. I hope it's warm enough to thaw the frozen bathroom tap. This is the one thing that has been hard about this winter for me, trying to keep this hole in the ground heated.

At least I got some new copper bling...

Peace.