Bloom

This is a first for me.

My Christmas cactus filled with blooms once. Beautiful pink buds and blooms! I was sure it was a Christmas miracle. Much to my surprise, she came to life again at the end of February. I can't contain myself. Never, in all my {limited} history of growing things, has a plant flourished like this. I guess she's where she belongs!

Let me back up.

A dear friend gave me this plant in December of 2015. Miss Cactus came to me with a smile, and warmth and the comfort that comes from a simple gesture between friends. I managed to keep her alive until we moved at the end of March, 2016. I really wanted her to survive the move with me. Once in our new home, she got a pretty new pot and her own place in a sunny corner of our living room. I was delighted that, during the summer and fall months, fresh new 'leaves' of green sprouted from each 'branch' {I really should learn cactus lingo...cause I'm pretty sure leaf and branch don't apply...} Next thing you know it was Christmas, and tiny pink buds began to emerge. By mid January there were so many blooms!! As they faded, I was sad to see that bright burst of fuchsia disappear from our winter landscape. 

Back to present day...

As I sit quietly writing this post, my cactus is, once again, in FULL bloom! Mid February brought tiny new buds, and they have quickly filled the corner {and me!} with the bright joys of color and whimsy and possibility. I do believe this beautiful plant has found her home.

This {truly} is a first for me...

Two things struck me, when my dear friend Miss Cactus bloomed for the second time. The first was the thought that maybe, just maybe, I could help plants to thrive....both inside and out. I've wanted to, and taken some small steps...so I'm hoping that her growth will spur me along the path towards a green thumb. The second thing that struck me was that, like Miss Cactus, I am home. As she flourishes, I too am flourishing. As she blooms, I too bloom. As I watch her, I know that blooms need not come every season... that there are seasons of rest, and green....and fantastic seasons of bloomin' fuchsia!! I think we are both right where we belong.

Thanks, Lynn....for the friendship, and the little plant that came with me.

And thank, Miss Cactus, for giving me more than I could have ever imagined!!

Joining friends for Scene and Story and Life Through the Lens

Dazzling!

{To the tune of My Favorite Things}

Window reflections and cold days with sunshine,

Ice sickles dangling and forming a long line,

Bright colored bokeh that's glowing like bling ~

These are a few of my favorite things!

Joining

Little Things Thursday

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

and

Weekend Reflections

Storytellers...

One ballroom.

Four days.

Seventy-five women.

And, I'm guessing, about 40,000 photographs.

They travel, they giggle, they work side by side...

Mostly moms, I'm guessing.

With photos of the

moments

milestones

heartbreaks

hugs

boredom

birthdays

seasons

silliness

love

and

lessons

of family life.

They do whatever it takes to preserve memories

and tell their stories.

I visited for a day..

to see friends

and to work a bit on one of my own scrapbooks.

It has been a while since I've been to such a big gathering...

Not completely my cup of tea...

but fun was had, pages were completed

and I left inspired to have seen so many

working to pass their stories to future generations!

Linking to

Little Things

Mama Kat's

and

Weekend Reflections

All of it....

What do you see?

A frigid, tangled mess?
The warm, light of hope?

This photo reminds me that what I see so often depends on where I choose to focus.
Sometimes I see tangles.
Sometimes I see light.

This photo suggests to me that, perhaps, it's not an either/or.
Always there are tangles.
And always there is light.

When I look at this photo, I see magic.
The magic that was that moment when frigid tangle met warm light and painted
just for me
a glorious tableau....

So, perhaps, the best answer to the question,
'What do you see?'
is simply ... all of it.

I see the mess
I see the light

And I'm trying to embrace the whole tableau.

Joining Life Through the Lens

and Wednesday's Around the World

Peek-a-boo!

Little by little we have lured the squirrels up on to the patio.

First the seeds and nuts were at the edge, near the grass.

Now we put their food right up against the sliders.

And they come.

They nibble.

They peek inside...

...and sometimes, if they like the show, they even watch TV with us!

Joining Tamar

Thought for Today

"Constant kindness can accomplish much.

As the sun makes ice melt,

kindness causes misunderstanding,

mistrust and hostility

to evaporate."
Albert Schweitzer

Joining James for Weekend Reflections

Ode to a Snowy Day

wrap me in silence

blanket me in fluffy white

soothe me

leave me isolated

slow me down

shut me in

and dazzle me

bring your magic

weave your spell

and cast it over me and mine

yes

wrap me in silence

treat me to hours of nothing

please

mr snowy day

come and visit

you're welcome any time

Joining Lisa, Tamar and Kat

TGIF

That's all I've got today.

TGIF.

Seven hours, and this work week will be in my rear-view.

Joining James for Weekend Reflections

Because {January}

Because he built this wood shed with his own two hands.
Because, when I look at all this wood, I'm reminded I have a home. Of my own. With a fireplace.
Because we pretend we live in the woods.
Because of the early morning light and all of the snow kissed branches. 
Because I'm grateful that we get to fully experience all of the seasons in New England.

As I look back through all my December photos, there are many joy-filled shots. It was our first Christmas in our new home, so the tree and decoration photos are {cough cough} numerous! But this simple shot is the one that speaks to my heart. Not with a shout. But with a whisper. A whisper that says... all is well.


Linking to Scene & Story, The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Life Through the Lens

Less is More.

Less....
            stuff
and less....
            television

The best thing about moving into a new house in 2016 you ask? Purging. Only packing and moving that which we considered essential. The worst thing, you ask? Settling. Adding. Decorating. Now, we are not excessive people. Or pack rats. Or clutter-lovers. But the reality is that creating 'home' in the house you've chosen necessitates one or two or two-hundred trips to home depot. And, it might just be true that the television (which, I confess, I just love to watch!) is in my favorite room of this new house. So 2016, while lovely in so very many ways, also included more shopping and television than is good for my soul. Especially the shopping - really NOT something I enjoy!!

Therefore, my 'phrase' for 2017 is simple.
LESS IS MORE.
This happens to be one of my father's favorite quotes - Architect Mies van der Rohe used these words to describe/define his design style, and they are words that, for me, carry a simple wisdom and provide much food for thought. As I get to know myself better, I realize that there are certain things that, unlike shopping and television, are VERY good for my soul! So, this year I would like to choose MORE of those soul-strengthening activities.

More walking ~ and movement of all kinds
More water ~ to drink...and to eat (you know, those water-filled veggies that are so delightful!)
More words ~ reading them and writing them
More work ~ excellence at the office... And doing what it takes to launch that pesky website I keep talking about
More wishes ~ cards...of the snail mail variety. I really want to send more encouragement out into the world!

So, that's my 2017...summed up in three little words.
And expanded upon in {hopefully} not too many extra words.
Because, after all...
Less
Is
More.

Joining Tamar, Kat and James

After the Storm

....one thought crystallizes like an icy blast,

I'm never going back,

the past is in the past.

{Frozen}

Farewell 2016!!

Joining James

Even Though

Christmas came quietly.

More quietly than, perhaps, ever before.

The puppy and I had a lazy morning

waiting for our humans to join us.

There was sunshine.

And warm blankets.

There were sappy movies and coffee sipped

from my special mug.

Christmas came quietly.

Merry was made.

No doubt about it.

My humans did gather for feasting and such.

Fondue sizzled.

Chocolate drizzled.

And new memories were chiseled.

Etched forever into our family stone.

Oh yes, merry was made.

Even now...even though Christmas has left the house,

the spirit of warmth, love, fun, generosity and gratitude remain.

Even though family has scattered,

even though Christmas has left the house,

we hold onto the merry.

We hold on to Christmas in our hearts.

Joining Tamar and Kat

Postal Reflections

One of my favorite things about this season is...

SNAIL MAIL!!!

So what if there are long lines at the post office.

So what if we never use stamps except in December.

So what if folks say it's out-dated.

If you ask me,

it's one of the best of the many holiday traditions!

Chatting with fellow gift-mailers and card-senders in that post office line...

Looking at the smiles that arrive in my mail box from near and far...

Well, those two things sure do help to take 

the chill right out of our frosty, winter air...

and the stress out of this crazy season!

Joining Tamar, Kat and James

Light

"In the midst of darkness,

light persists."

Mahatma Gandhi

All the sparkly,

decorative

candles, strands and bulbs

that fill this season

are, to me, a gentle reminder

to have faith

in the persistence of the

light.

Joining Tamar 

O Christmas Tree...

 O Christmas tree,

Your branches green delight us!

13 houses in 32 years.

This,

our 14th and

{perhaps}

final house

truly becomes our home

at Christmas time.

Wherever we've journeyed in our years together,

I've always felt that our physical space

became our own

once it was decorated

for Christmas.

This year is no exception.

{and I'm giddy with Christmas joy!}

I knew from the moment I first saw this place

that this would be the corner

which would hold our tree.

What I didn't know

when imagining this sight,

is that reflection magic

would turn my one tree to three!

Joining James

Tales From Our Tree

My babies are grown.
Grown and out on their own.

My tree used to be full of ornaments collected throughout their childhood,
but when they flew away, their ornaments left the nest with them.

And I was left to re-imagine our Christmas tree.
I tried different themes....
Nothing quite fit.
Until last year.

It seemed only fitting that our tree should tell the story of us.
Where we've lived and traveled.
And how our little family has grown.

The first thing I did was begin to collect 'around the world' ornaments.
Then, I went back through our Christmas photos and found some of my favorites to add to the tree!
This first set is a series of pictures of Brian reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to our kids.
The series begins in 1987 and doesn't end until 2004!

These two sweet photos were snapped right around Christmas time of their first year...
Sigh.
Were they ever this small??

I had several ornaments made from favorite Christmas card photos...
Such fond memories connected to each of these shots!

I'm very lucky to have a good friend who runs a wonderful local photography store ~ he worked with me to create these precious ornaments... I have to say that I loved them more this year as I pulled them out of the wrapping to hang them for a second time!

{If you are local to the Boston area look up Fred at Apex Photo HERE}

So, my babies may be grown. And they may have flown.
But my tree,
once full of their childhood ornaments,
is now chock full of our family memories.

And that makes me one happy mama.

Joining Tamar and Kat

Black & White Wednesday ~ A Fond Farewell

To all of my friends

and fellow bloggers

who have joined in with me on Wednesdays...

the time has come for me to say good-bye to this link up.

2017 holds the promise of some dreams coming true,

so my time here

and what I give to this space will change.

I have enjoyed creating, sharing and

~most especially viewing~

so many black and white photos over the years.

I'm sure many more will show up here as subject and time allow.

So,

from my

"house in the snowy woods"

to yours

~wherever in the world you might be~

I say thanks for stopping by

and joining in!

Here's to many more years of blogging and telling our stories...

whatever they might be.

For one last time
PLEASE
link up!

Puddle-icious

On a twilight walk through Harvard Yard,

it was the puddles that caught my eye.

We wandered for quite a while

and I was determined to find a puddle that reflected

one of the iconic bell towers that define the city-scape along the Charles River.

One of the things I love the most about puddle reflections

is that they make me feel like I can touch the sky...

they bring far away elements of architecture and nature

right to my fingertips!

And the layers.

What floats on the surface, and what lies beneath

are intertwined and create such a lovely tableau!

Joining Tamar, Kat and James

Giving ~ Days 28 & 29

This Monday morning finds me wallowing a bit in a blurry exhaustion. I have played more and cooked more and eaten more and slept less in the last few days than I'm used to. I have feasted with family, listened to cousins giggle into the wee hours of the night and decked the proverbial halls... so much goodness. And, yet, this morning I was smacked with a wave of sadness. Not sadness, exactly...more like anguish. A very dramatic word, I know. The definition of the word? "Severe mental or physical pain or suffering" ... seems too strong. I looked up the origin of the word: it's roots are Latin and combine two words, one meaning tightness and one meaning narrow. That feels just right. A tightening of the heart and the pathway to the emotional release I'd like is just too darn narrow. Thus the wallowing. Thus the blurry exhaustion.

Over the long weekend, we took our out-of-towners on a tour of our beloved Fenway Park. It's a place full of history and memories and possibility. I love being inside the ballpark - no matter the time of year or the occasion. I had to laugh this morning when I was looking through the photos I took and I came across this shot...the focus is on the fence behind the green monster seats that are high above the outfield... Focusing on the fence left the iconic Citgo sign blurred in the background ~ and for some reason I just thought...THIS! This is how I feel today!!

Tuesday morning finds me ... still exhausted, still blurry-eyed. But feeling less fenced in. Sharing my feelings, accepting a few warm hugs and getting back to the journal have eased that *anguished* feeling. There's still a tightness in my heart and a blur of thoughts and feelings running through me, but there isn't that 'stuck-no-way-out' feeling. Instead, I'm longing to walk through - process - and learn from whatever this wave of emotion is bringing to the surface.

From the journal:

Give away; The temptation to dismiss. To diminish. To take my feelings and make them less than - less important than, less crucial than...less meaningful or substantial than someone else's feelings. I give away my go-to habit of swallowing, stuffing and discarding....

Give access: Today I want to learn from walking through. I want to acknowledge and accept what is surfacing. 

Give thanks: Ah-ha moments. Today I am giving thanks for those paradigm shifting moments that may seem isolated, but that add up to real and lasting change. Yes, today I am giving thanks for the power and process that is change.  

Joining Tamar and Lisa

Giving ~ Days 24 & 25

Generations.

Family.

Grandpa.

We are the east coast contingent of my husband's family.

This Thanksgiving, we have some members of the {much larger} west coast contingent visiting.

This is just one of the many special moments we've shared.

Just a kid out splitting wood,

and grandpa watching the kid.

He might have been the one to teach said kid how to use an ax.

Family is safe.

Family is fun.

This family plays and stays together.

Mostly,

I believe family teaches us.

For better or worse,

in thousands of practical and intangible ways,

Family teaches us.

And with this gang, learning brings blessing upon blessing.

Joining Kat, Tamar and James

From my journal:

Giving thanks....nothing but gratitude in my heart this morning. I am full, full, full...and ready for some adventures and memory making with our family.