Waxing Poetic

I woke up yesterday morning to the sounds of birds gossiping about what the day is going to be like, even included the "honking" of a solitary Canadian goose flying overhead. My wind chimes were doing their thing as well. The sun was shining brightly and there was a cloudless blue sky peeking through the trees.

This morning was a repeat of yesterday, but a woodpecker added his "rata tat tat" to the mix and the trees in my backyard are displaying signs of new beginnings. Won't be long and allergy season will be upon us.

I had all sorts of descriptive words running through my brain to describe the life that is abundant outside my bedroom window, but in a senior moment when I sat down to type everything just flew away - my mind went blank. Such is my life - if I don't write things down right away they slip away into the abyss of my mind never to see the light of day.

I have been listening to the sounds of my neighborhood - kids playing, someone mowing their lawn, the guy up the street "playing" with his hot rod with no muffler - can be annoying at times - and the traffic going up and down the street.

I also sit here and contemplate all of the work that needs to be done in the yard to repair the damages caused by the blizzards of 2010. It is going to take longer than I thought to get this done because the person who takes care of my lawn had to have surgery a couple of weeks ago. He is going to have to heal before he starts all of the work. At least this is going to give me time to save up more money, but it is also going to give me longer to look at the mess. "Patience Vicki" is what I keep telling myself. Good things come to those that wait.

Looking out the window now it is hard to imagine that just a few short weeks ago we were up to our bottoms in snow and really cold temps, only to be followed by more rain than what we knew what to do with. Mother Nature knew though - things are greening up nicely and it won't be long before the grass will need to be mowed and this years crop of dandelions will be blooming away. Ah the joys of spring, summer and fall - I will enjoy they all immensely.

A Gentle Reminder

I was directed to the blog called Lifespetals Photography (see link listed at the right), which belongs to a former schoolmate of mine who is a genius when it comes to using his camera to capture life's smallest beauties and make them grand and glorious. I never knew that the desert of Arizona could produce such beauty. He also does weddings and posts a lot of pictures of his family and friends, all of which are beautifully done.

I live vicariously through his work. I can point and shoot with a small digital camera but I do not produce the quality pictures that he does. Looking at his work makes my day. It brings a quiet joy to what is sometimes a grey and colorless view of the world. It helps me to keep my faith and convinces me that the simplest things in life (i.e. spring flowers growing with wild abandon or the fact that there is beauty in even the most formidable of plants like the cactus) should not be overlooked and can be so awe inspiring. God works in mysterious ways every day and his pictures prove that each and every time I look at them.

I thank him for sharing his talents and bringing my sometimes colorless existence back into focus and letting me know that no matter how bleak things can look at times there is always beauty to be found.

A Milestone

Went to a 20th Anniversary Party for a former co-worker today. It was a very nice luncheon held at Snyders, a restaurant on Nursery Lane, just off the beltway. The food and company were excellent as per usual. This is the same place that I had my retirement party.

The honoree's name was Charles Smith III and he has been with the government for 20 years with 18 to go before he can retire. He is a super cool guy that was a big help to me when I was still working. I almost missed everything; however, because I was forgotten about. It was just by dumb luck that I found out about the party and called to give "what for" to the person planning it. I had my name added to the guest list and I was glad to be able to help him celebrate this milestone in his career. I had a chance to give him a hug and to tell him that he will be able to retire before he knows it. Time will fly by for him.

At this point in his career he is the office photographer (also does photography on the side) and an Elder in his church. He is a true Christian and lives his life as such. He has been a friend to those in need and it was an honor to attend his party and to help him celebrate his 20th.

Four days of Spring

It has been spring for the past four days (just hope that mother nature is not playing a joke on us) and I have had my windows open the entire time. The kind of weather that we have been having (sunshine, blue skies, gentle breezes and temps in the low 70s) is the kind that I could live with year round. Wishful thinking I know, but it doesn't hurt to dream, right?

I have been watching the wildlife living their lives in my back yard and have been pleasantly surprised at what I have seen. I have a rabbit, two squirrels and at least five varieties (blackbird, dove, sparrow, cardinal and robin) of birds that have been taking full advantage of the bugs and worms that proliferate my yard. I think that I am going to have to invest in a birdbath, a bird feeder or two and a squirrel feeder as well (the kind that you can put corn on the cob on and have them twirl) just so I can keep them around to watch. The cats like to sit in the window and watch them as well.

The cats are funny, their tails (only the last quarter of it) are flipping from side to side at a rapid speed and their bottoms are poised to pounce only to realize that there is a screen in between them and their prey. They are doomed to watching only, but at least their minds and instincts are kept active.

Daylight Savings Time (DST)

This is a true sign that spring is coming. I prefer DST and wish that they would keep it all of the time. But then who am I to think that this would ever happen. One problem, now my body has to adjust to the new time - I am not going to get hungry at the right times for the next week - bummer....

In addition to the time change today, there has been a giant low pressure system sitting over us for the past two days dumping rain on the entire mid-Atlantic. Just what we need - more wet stuff. I am just glad that all the snow has melted from my yard. As it is, my back yard looks like a "freakin" swamp. I am not be able to step one foot off the cement pad without sinking. I am just thankful that it was not more snow.

Between the two, my internal clock and my weather forecasters (knees for the most part) are really messing with me. It does not pay to get older believe me - just have to put up with more stuff and it takes longer for aches and pains etc. to go away.

Despite all of the above life is good. I woke up on the right side of the ground this morning - granted an hour later than what I wanted, but that is okay. I have spent time today making changes on my computer. My provider changed from McAfee to Norton (security) so I have been discovering all of the different things that Norton provides in the way of services. So much fun......