A Cure for Cabin Fever: A Morning in The Greenhouse

As another four inches of snow fell today I surrounded myself with memories of summer as I deadheaded, replanted, restored, and rejuvenated the plants in the greenhouse.
Bundling up in fleece I kept warm and content with a thermos cup of coffee , soft music playing in my ears, and the smell of dirt and scented geraniums enveloping me.
Considering the cold temperatures the plants have done fairly well. A few tender plants on the floor close to a window got some frost damage, but many have continued to bloom.

The cats love to visit me in the greenhouse and while working I kept finding them peeking out from behind plants and pots.It is hard to take in how much snow has fallen. This is the doorway of the greenhouse with Annie standing on top of the snow bank. Some of this has come off the roof, but this is deep snow.
Through the greenhouse window I observed JEJ heading off with a ladder to do more snow removal on the outbuildings as Annie runs ahead. We have about three feet of snow around out place.
I marveled at the icicles through the light of the window.

As I turned this pot back from the window I was pleasantly surprised at the lovely blossoms. This healthy scented geranium will provide great starts as we begin propagating in a few weeks.

Here Comes The Sun

Finally, after at least ten days of gray skies, the sun peaked out this afternoon. There is nothing like sunlight to illuminate a beautiful winter landscape. It gives us hope that the snow may taper off in the next week. It also helps in melting the icicles. It is much more fun to be out snapping pictures when there is a place to walk! As long as snow looks pretty I don't mind it. When it gets sloppy, slushy, gray and dirty is when I want to hibernate!

Happy Birthday Raymond Pert!

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. " ~Clara Ortega

Today has always been a special day in our family. Not only is it Raymond Pert's birthday, but he born on our Grandma West's birthday. She always said he was the best present she ever got. Even though RP and I are less than thirteen months apart in age, he was always the one who learned to do things first. He was the overachiever, I was the follower. At an early age RP took in information at lightening speed. Here he is reciting the states and capitals while I just try to keep up! Ummmm....did you say Bismarck or Boise?He was also an early reader. Mom guessed he learned to read by figuring out the words on the cereal boxes. Here we are at Grandma Woolum's on Bridgeport Avenue in Spokane. RP is giving me a lesson on sounding out the words on the ingredients list and I am trying really hard to pay attention! RP was also a whiz in the kitchen at an young age. Dad always said if you can read, you can cook! Here he is giving Mom some tips on how to eliminate peas and mayonnaise from the dish she is preparing. Again, I am just trying to keep up! Brother RP was always the problem solver in the family. Here we are back at Bridgeport Avenue. I have no idea what is already in the trunk and what is in the box, but you can tell that Thinker RP has a plan!Raymond Pert is a teacher, writer, husband, son, brother, father, actor, blogger, photographer, dog lover, book lover,movie lover, music lover, sports lover, casino lover, and friend. One of the highlights of the last year was inviting him to be our guest writer at the annual writing retreat I help organize in McCall, Idaho for the Northwest Inland Writing Project. Here he is enjoying the evening beauty of Payette Lake.

Happy Birthday Raymond Pert!! You can visit him at his blog here.

Living in the World of Ansel Adams

About a week ago I uploaded Ansel Adam's Nature Photo of the Day on my Internet homepage. I don't know if my eyes needed a rest from the razzle dazzle bright colors of Christmas, but I kept gazing at the calm nature photographs and was drawn to the detail and beauty of his black and white subjects. My surroundings have looked like an Ansel Adam's photograph the last few days. The sky is gray. The best colors to capture are black and white. In a snowbound world the eye is drawn to simple details like caps formed by snow on birdhouses or a snowflake in a screen window.

I read more about Ansel Adams today and learned that he focused his photography on the west, particularly Yosemite National Park. He was also commissioned to photograph the National Parks and Indian reservations. I really love this photo taken in Glacier Bay, Alaska. The stunning picture is taken at Lake MacDonald at Glacier National Park, a place I have been.

The famous print of a rose and driftwood at the top captures the intricate detail of the bloom opening as it contrasts with the texture of the wood. If I can get out on the road tomorrow I will take my camera and spend time capturing simple subjects in black and white.

Remember December: Z is for Zone: The Snow Zone

a view of the gazebo before JEJ shoveled the snow off the roof

As I end my alphabet posts tonight it is only fitting I write about snow. We measured two feet of the white stuff at our house today. We watched it snow most of the day, but thought we would take a little drive to see how it was outside our neighborhood. The county road had not been plowed at all. We meandered slowly toward the state highway just to see what shape that road was in. The five mile drive was beautiful, but very slow and snowy. Not too many people were traveling today. Here are some images of snow in my corner of the world on Christmas Day. Here is the county road just north of our house. The road sign is hard to see as we head back up Highway 20 toward home.This is at the bridge at Sherman Creek. The creek is hidden under the snow.Here is the snow across the road from our house that our friend plowed from our driveway.

Remember December: Y is for A Joyous Yuletide!

From Our House to Yours!