Musings

To catch up since yesterday’s post was terribly early, weather issues arose, and we changed our plans to scoot a day early from the Midwest ahead of the…(pause)…pending…(pause)…snowpocalypse.

Thankfully, KW, GG, and Mouse could change plans and accommodate us, and we joined them for a too-short evening of high spirits and excellent lasagna. Thanks so much!

All too early, we tore ourselves away and headed off into the darkness, (of course) with our night-person at the wheel (yawn).

Today, we arose to brilliant sunshine sparkling across fresh (almost but not quite new) snow, belying the weather system to the west and moving east.

Once again, we turned our collective (personal plus vehicular) noses southward and motored toward the Ohio River.

The Guru suggested a diversion to visit the infamous Golden Lamb Inn, Ohio’s oldest hotel and Ohio’s longest still-operating business. We found it terribly quiet, which meant we could check out all but one of the guest rooms, as well as all the dining rooms, and the pub. I found the light streaming in the windows dramatic, and difficult to photograph in keep-moving snapshot mode.

As you can tell from this trundle bed. Photographed through glass. Which didn’t help.

We made another detour mid-day in Cincinnati, but perhaps the Guru will write about that. I enjoyed it immensely. Short version: the television business is continuing its revolution, and I’m very glad that some excellent people are able to stay in place and wisely guide its ethics, aesthetics, and community involvement.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Scurrying in advance

Sunrise across the snowy fields…with a crescent moon, or a moon in just a fingernail.

Yesterday I saw two Vs of Canada geese, so there must be enough food somewhere that they decided to stay, or perhaps just not to go.

Posted at 8:13 AM | 1 Comment »

I couldn’t stand to miss the blossoms unfurling to their full-open position, so I managed to wrangle the amaryllis over many winter miles so I could keep watching its progress.

So, now with the snow deep outside (or not so deep, depending on your personal gauge of these things), I continue to monitor its progress.

Even morning to nightfall, I see the change.

So, this is a late-day snap, and I now think there will be four trumpet-blooms, or at least that’s all I see now.

Should I feel guilty that I have no bees to send to the blooms?

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Buds burgeon, with white accents

Afghanistan experiences snowy days, so perhaps this isn’t totally out of place, but these ladies are in traditional party garb from that country, against a backdrop of fresh snow. Love, love, love the mirror appliques.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Best party clothing

Every once in a while you can be on the fast road, and the circumstances deliver something special. This is the pass by Jellico, and the storm that came through here yesterday, leaving the trees looking fresh-flocked.

Posted at 10:22 PM | 1 Comment »

We’re in the first of the two most fascinating phases of winter bulb-forcing—when the bud is changing, even by the hour, I’m so glad I planted it! The second fun, fascinating phase is when the bloom is open and the poor plant is doing its best to attract insect helpers—otherwise known as botanical frustration….

You may recall that I planted this “amaryllis” bulb in mid-December.

As to the title, no card-play here tonight….

Posted at 7:55 PM | Comments Off on Opening bud

Here’s a road for when you want to leave sea level behind*—fast.

Tràpani‘s waterfront to Èrici, the hilltop town: about 7.5 miles. And Erice is at about 2450 feet.

Whew! Makes my ears pop just thinking about it (almost!)!!

* The trick is you have to journey to northwest Sicily to do it!

Posted at 6:29 PM | 4 Comments »

Sometimes I ask myself that when I feel like I was busy all day—like today.

Sometimes it’s when I feel like I never got going.

Maybe it’s just that my biorhythms were super-low today or something….

The connection of this topic to this photo? Ah, it’s the all-directions aspect of the yucca (I think it’s yucca) leaves…but perhaps that’s too vague….

Posted at 6:04 PM | 2 Comments »

Tucked away on a rock, I found this bronze sculpture over in the ABG. A cloud-layer made the sky dull, so my eyes looked down more than up, or I think I would have walked right by. I’m still not clear if it’s a frog or a toad*.

Some Southerners dodge this problem by calling this type of amphibian a toad-frog. There’s some wisdom to not fussing about taxonomic fine points.

More than anything, I think it resembles a dinosaur!

* Another Spanish lesson: rana o sapo = a frog or a toad.

Posted at 6:43 PM | 2 Comments »

All-day meeting today—which was not-so-good because it was a nice day outside the fine windows (quite visible), and which was good because we got lots accomplished and it had to be done.

I saw these at TJs yest, but didn’t snag them, knowing I would take them to the meeting, and the package would be disruptively rustley (probably not a word), and I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands from burrowing into it.

Posted at 10:22 PM | 2 Comments »