Rainy Days and Mondays

Rainy Day Mondays, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

It is raining and cold again. Last night it actually hailed here. It was so bad that we ran outside to check the cars for damage! It sounded like rocks were being thrown at our windows.  The plants have really taken a beating too from all the rain.  It is so ironic that a few years back we were struggling with drought conditions and now we have had so much snow and rain in the last six months.



This morning I woke up with "Rainy Days and Mondays" by the Carpenters on my mind. The only problem was that I couldn't remember the tune. Thanks to You Tube, I got the full video version.



Then I thought of Karen Carpenter and what a beautiful voice she had. It was so pure and perfect.

Puddle Ducking

More Puddle Ducking, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"Jemima Puddle-duck became quite desperate. She determined to make a nest
right away from the farm.

She set off on a fine spring afternoon along the cart-road that leads over
the hill.

She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet.

When she reached the top of the hill, she saw a wood in the distance.

She thought that it looked a safe quiet spot."

Beatrix Potter, "THE TALE OF JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK"

We have had a cool spring and everyone, people and animals have been enjoying the beautiful weather. Last week, I spotted these little ducks crossing the road as I headed back in to Still Pond after a long day's work. I pulled over and grabbed for my camera. I wanted to get them crossing the street but I wasn't fast enough.

By the time I had my camera ready the threesome had crossed a big puddle and were heading off into the field toward the forest.  They really looked like they were off on some big adventure.

When I looked at the images I had captured, I was reminded of Beatrix Potter and the wonderful personalities of all of her characters.  Jemima Puddle-duck came to mind.  I was so glad that I took the time to stop so that I could capture these images.  This is why I always have my camera with me - even on my days commuting to and from work.  You never know when the opportunity will present itself and you will have the perfect photo opt in front of you!

T O A D

T O A D, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"The world has held great Heroes,
As history books have showed;
But never a name to go down to fame
Compared with that of Toad!"
- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, Ch. 10

As I was taking a stroll in my side garden, this little guy surprised me as he hopped amid the new plants.  He looked a little grumpy at first, but patiently posed for this little photo shoot.  He even turned towards me at one point so that I could get a better view!

He reminded me of "Toad" in The Wind in the Willows.  Kenneth Grahame wrote:  "It's never the wrong time to call on Toad. Early or late he's always the same fellow. Always good-tempered, always glad to see you, always sorry when you go!"

A Light Exists in Spring

the hint of spring, originally uploaded by poketypatch.


A Light exists in Spring
Not present on the Year
At any other period --
When March is scarcely here

A Color stands abroad
On Solitary Fields
That Science cannot overtake
But Human Nature feels.

It waits upon the Lawn,
It shows the furthest Tree
Upon the furthest Slope you know
It almost speaks to you.

Then as Horizons step
Or Noons report away
Without the Formula of sound
It passes and we stay --

A quality of loss
Affecting our Content
As Trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a Sacrament.


~Emily Dickinson

we grow partially

we grow partially, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

"We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations."
— Anaïs Nin

v i o l a

v i o l a, originally uploaded by poketypatch.

~ Welcome spring ~ 

These little flowers are growing in mass all over our yard - in light blue, white and dark purple. I love it just before the first mowing when our field turns lavender with hundreds of these little clumps.

"Viola (most commonly pronounced /vaɪ.ˈoʊ.lə/ in US English and /ˈviː.ə.lə/ in UK English[1]) is a genus of flowering plants in the violet family Violaceae, with around 400–500 species distributed around the world. Most species are found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, however viola species (commonly called violets, pansies or heartsease) are also found in widely divergent areas such as Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes in South America."

"Most Viola species are tiny perennial plants, some are annual plants, and a few are small shrubs. A number of species are grown for their ornamental flowers in borders and rock gardens; the garden pansy in particular is an extensively used spring and autumn/winter bedding and pot plant. Viola and violetta are terms used by gardeners and generally in horticulture for neat, small-flowered hybrid plants intermediate in size between pansies and violets."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_(plant)

All I ever needed to know in life, I learned from the Easter Bunny...

All I ever needed to know in life, I learned from the Easter Bunny..., originally uploaded by poketypatch.

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
There’s no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
Keep your paws off other people’s jellybeans.
Good things come in small sugar-coated packages.
The grass is always greener in someone else’s basket.
An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare.
To show your true colors – you have to come out of your shell.
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.
Author Unknown


Happy Easter!