The Years To Remember

 Monday 3/25/24 It's the second day after the storm, and the trees are still encased in ice making for a very pretty walk yesterday. Sparkly sunrise. The deer tracks in the yard show they were visiting last night. Sparkly garden. The deer were desperate to get something to eat last night! The lake didn't freeze though. The sound track was the tinkling of ice as it was falling from the trees, cracking of branches in the woods as they finally gave way to the heavy burden. The birds were trying to find food in the places not iced over, poor things. Temperatures will rise to 50+ today, so that will be the end of the ice. Now I can peruse the garage doors in the pamphlet left by the guy putting in my new door. And distract me from worrying about the surgery this afternoon. Tuesday 3/26/24 The surgery was a bit easier this time since I knew what to expect especially since it was on the other side of my face in almost the exact same position. So eating is a challenge as I want to mini...

 Well that escalated quickly. We were supposed to end the day of mixed precipitation with an inch of snow. Instead, we got a quarter inch of ice covering every surface, then 6 - 8 inches of snow on top of that. I did not go to the concert because a state of emergency was declared in my county, and I had no intention in driving in a whiteout snowstorm, new tires or not. The temperatures for the next two days are going to be the coldest all winter, excuse me, spring. It is spring, right? The ice coating was sparkling and pretty. I guess I'll be shoveling the driveway tomorrow morning! Note my neighbors tree bent over from the weight of ice and snow in the background.  I have two in my front yard in danger of breaking under the weight as well.

 Saturday 3/23/24 This cartoon is appropriate and mirrors the situation in my garden perfectly: The first day of spring has come and gone and this is what my garden looks like this morning. The daffodils will be okay, but I'm afraid the crocus are done for. Luckily there are some groupings of crocus that have not flowered yet. Behind these daffodils is the one clump of tulips I have. They were planted 30 yrs ago and amaze me by flowering each year (when they are able to avoid the deer). I have high hopes for them this year and have sprayed them with Deer Away since they emerged. I went to the Flower and Garden Show yesterday to give my soul a lift and look at the gardens that local companies put on display. I was left underwhelmed. In years past, the displays were themed, creative and inspiring. As with most companies, they have devolved into sales pitches and left the creativity out. Nevertheless, I basked in the flowers, the ideas that presented themselves, and a bit of inspirati...

Some of the early daffodils (Peeping Tom) and crocus are happy for the early warmth.   Thursday 3/14/24 The second bike ride in as many days is in the books. Yesterday I needed to pick up some books from the library and I really hate to jump in the car for such a short trip. Instead, I found a light back pack type bag and hopped on my bike for a 10 mile round trip into town to pick up the books. Wouldn't you know they were three very heavy books so my ride home was an enhanced workout. Today I met Amyjean for a ride on the Mohawk bike path down to Cohoes and the falls. Two sunny days in the 60's has everyone out enjoying our early spring. We covered 20 miles, stopped for banana bread muffins and a photo shoot at the falls. They are not Niagara Falls, but they are impressive when raging like they were today. I think this is a mink I spied running on the hydropower works. The spring runoff is in full force. Friday 3/15/24 Today was all about getting the crown installed on my too...

3/11/24 Monday The crocus have emerged. I've been back home for 10 days, and I have been taking things very slowly to get my equilibrium back, both literally and metaphorically! I have been in low spirits as I worry about getting my tooth crowned - yet again, and my skin biopsy came back positive for basal cell carcinoma - again. So this month I am getting those taken care of - including another Moh's surgery on the 25th with a week of recovery. The only positive  aspect of that is, it is a mirror image of the last spot, so there will be some symmetry to the scars on my face.😏 My Dad's Steuben apple (I think he got it as a Corning Glass employee anniversary gift) now in a place of honor in my house. I decided to put it under more glass on a marble stand because I love my bell jar. Mom's estate is quickly getting settled and my siblings are calming down their emotions over it all. I only took a few things from the house since my mother's style was very different fro...

 All went well until day 5 when during morning yoga, a wave of vertigo hit. I immediately stopped and headed outside and made the decision not to go on the shopping trip to one of the markets. I really don't enjoy shopping anyway. I thought I was going to be okay for the next days trip to a waterfall, but during the night another vertigo episode hit which made it clear I wouldn't be going anywhere.  The lounge chair on the right was my home base. Two days trapped in this little paradise was really quite nice. I got to know Meyja a bit better, ate healthy food, and did a lot of reading. The biggest fear was getting on a plane in 2 days to fly back home while recovering from vertigo. After the group returned from the waterfall, a dinner out in town was on the agenda, and I rallied and had a nice time. Dinner in an open air restaurant, sitting next to the yoga leader, Sondra. Some of the beautiful textiles that define Oaxaca. The next day was our last full day, so we all went int...

2/21/24 Wednesday - 2/24/24 I awoke at 1am, took a shower, and set off to pick up Dale at 2am, then headed to Bradley Airport in Hartford, CT. When I got to Dale's, the house was dark with no sign of life. Now, I have known Dale for 30 years and she has never been late, in fact, she's always early for any meeting. I waited a whole ten minutes before I started to panic and think about calling the police. Instead I just called the house, as Dale's cell just went to voicemail. Dan answered and said Dale was in the shower. She was under the impression I would pick her up at 2:30, but a check of our text confirmed a 2am pickup.  The rest of the day went smoother, with on time flights, first to Dallas/Fort Worth, then on to Oaxaca, Mexico. The van was ready at the Oaxaca airport to take us to the compound we were staying in - a local politician's home, by the looks of the photo's and certificates on the walls.  Art in the house. We did a Yin yoga practice, had an opening ...