Marching Into April (Finally!)

I can't say I'm sorry to flip my calendar to April. In "The Waste Land," T.S. Eliot wrote that  April is the cruelest month. But March -- at least this March -- has definitely been the weirdest.

An Odd Easter This Year!

This coming weekend is  Easter -- March 31. I'm not a fan of early Easter. I wish they'd just pick one date in mid-to-late April and stick with it! But, I don't set the calendar so you go with what you've got.

I have a lot of Easter memories -- some good, some less so. This year will be a little different because the grands are in Florida for the holiday so no annual egg hunt. 

Art Is Medicine

"Art is a medicine that I must take and, my goodness, I feel better, lighter, alive, energised and I've started humming again!"  -- Lucia Leyfield, Wild Ink

I subscribe to an art newsletter from the delightful Lucia Leyfield, who offers online classes and work-alongs. In a recent issue she posted the quote above and boy, did that resonate. 

From my art journal, a good 10 or more  years ago.

November Life -- A Concert, Antique Finds and Fun with Little Boys!

Is anyone else a little freaked out that we are well into November? Less than two months till Christmas? There was a time when I was more or less done with Christmas shopping by the first of November. This year I haven't even started. 

Postcards From the Lake: The Place That Owns Me

The end of season walk is quieter, more contemplative, than those during the heat of summer. In the summer, many others are encountered and conversations -- some brief, some less so -- are not uncommon. The October walk, especially on a weekday, finds that one is often alone.

 

Time Is Flying. I'm Not.

Well, we can't say we aren't well into September, only a few days from "official" fall. Time is flying and I'm -- not!

I did get a very few fall things in the house. Here's a peek. I'll start to bring up Halloween the first week of October unless we are able to go to the lake that week, in which case I'll probably bring a few things up before I go.

Postcards From the Lake: The Down Elevator

Recently, in the New York Times, Melissa Kirsch shared some thoughts on the end of summer saying "We're in the down elevator." She referred to how summer was "visibly diminishing with each earlier sunset." And, she spoke about how it is good to be home -- or is it? 

Spring: Art, Big Birds, Little Birds, Lilacs, Art, Books and Royals

I went to a wonderful estate sale last month -- but it was also a sad one. The resident of the home was the dad of a high school friend of mine, former neighbor, church friend and friend of my parents. Although it was a different home than the ones they lived in when we were kids, my memory bank flashed back to the Christmases at their home and Lisa's wedding reception in the back yard. 

I wanted a remembrance of Rex -- something Christmas, of course. And I did get a small angel and small nutcracker (and a big elf!) What I didn't expect to find was a treasure trove of books -- the kinds of books I love to read. Biographies, history, and travel. (And I came home with a few!). But the real treasure was this.

It's Our Turn

It's our turn.

Thanks to those of you who checked in on email, Facebook and otherwise to see if Rick and I were OK after the tragic shooting at Michigan State University. We are. We live about two miles from campus and about two miles from where the shooter killed himself after his campus rampage. We heard (and Rick saw) police cars and helicopters. And we were up very late, trying to wrap our heads around what happened.

Photo: Mike Mihalus

Keeping It Real

I share these moments of angst in the spirit of keeping it real. Because I have a feeling I'm not the only person going through some sort of pre-holiday frustration and I feel your pain. I've heard it all: "Don't do so much." Duh. But maybe you've experienced some of this and even if you are way more together than me (in real life, not what-I-see-on-your-blog life) I also have a couple of fun video links you might enjoy if nothing else! 

And yes, sprinkled with a tree or two throughout -- just to show you that I am making progress!

I Would Like to Thank the Academy...

How many speeches do you hear at awards time that begin with "I would like to thank the Academy...," followed by a long list of people and usually ending with "and of course, my dear family..."

Well, at this season of giving thanks I thought it was time for a little list of my own. And it does NOT begin with the Academy! (But guess who it will end with!)

So this year I would like to thank....

Greens, Goofs and a Great Vet!

I had my official start to the holiday season over the weekend. My friend Jan and I took our annual visit to the Northville, Michigan greens market. This year they moved it back to the center of this charming little Hallmark Town. The market was in the street and it worked rather well -- but I still miss the town square with its Santa cottage. 

The Snow Has Arrived

My world is a pretty quiet one this week and that's a good thing. I've been laying low, doing "homely" things, reading (after shelving three books because I couldn't get into them!), and beginning to plot out the upcoming holiday season. This was a motivator!

My Take

I've been listening to and reading a lot of news lately, especially as we lead up to the midterm elections in the U.S. And I've also heard a lot of complaining, too -- about the costs of food, gas and more. And I'm getting tired of it. (Even though I've said a few of those things myself.) But, as many of us are filling out absentee ballots, participating in early voting or planning a trip to the polls,  today I'm going off the grid and taking a diversion from my usual day-to-day topics and offer some food for thought.

Because it's not all about us. It's about something much bigger.

Postcards from the Lake: A Birthday, Some Art and Summer Life

Summertime and the living is easy. So they say, at any rate, but this summer seemed decidedly odd. There is a hint of instability, melancholy and uneasiness in the air, a sharp contrast to the blue skies, puffy clouds and stunning sunsets. 

Middlemarch - Morning Reflectons

The sun was so bright, the weather forecast so positive, that I couldn't resist stepping out the front door early in the morning to smell an early bit of spring. The daffodil shoots are tall enough now that I can see them from the kitchen window, bravely peeking from the dirt and the mulch, hoping it is safe enough to continue to shoot taller, without the possible enemies of snow, ice or squirrels to deter their growth.

Two Years Later

Shortly after what I view as world lockdown began, March 11, 2020 (the date would no doubt vary from place to place and person to person), I began what I called "The Covid Journal." Thinking, like so many, that this change in our lifestyles would be short-lived, I chose a rather small journal I had bought two years before at Sennelier in Paris. I would record thoughts from this time in words and watercolor. It would all end neatly, when Covid and masks were a thing of the past. Not necessarily a happy ending, but an ending.

So Much Good

Life is so topsy turvy, isn't it? So, when you get a good week, you celebrate it.

Pretending It's Spring

Rick just left after watching the finale of "Derek" (Netflix) and part of "The Darkest Hour" (a timely film to see during these challenging times). Freshly fallen snow was on the ground as he started home. It's March.

Calendar art by Kate McNenly

Winter Life

By the time we get to the middle of February, winter gets old. Pretty, but old.

Calendar by Kate McNenly

I've been enjoying my newest neighborhood critter, Bunny FooFoo. Well, probably he won't stay Bunny FooFoo for long -- he seems far too masculine for that!