What Happened to Spring?

Spring! Oh Spring! Why hast thou departed?


It is nearly April and it is 36 degrees Fahrenheit at noon.  Sheese. It snowed the other morning and has been below freezing several nights.  This is Kentucky!  We should be well on our way to spring weather. The only good thing is I didn't have time to start my plants.  In this weather the seeds wouldn't sprout anyway.

Even though it is cold I went in search of some more signs of spring.

Funny that I've worked here for a long time and never followed the budding trees until I got a camera. 

The one above is still wearing his jacket.  Smart Bud.

I cannot remember what flower will emerge so I'm as curious as you.  I don't know what kind of tree it is either.  I think its all closed up just waiting for some warm weather. 

It is so cold and miserable the squirrels are hiding.  Brrrrrrrrr!

Relish and Our Little Buddy

I've been working too hard so I am taking a longer break for lunch than usual.  I was so happy last night when I dashed out in my front yard and picked an onion that had volunteered itself these past 2 warm weeks.  This was his destiny:

See his little green tail (chopped beyond recognition) perched atop the tomato and cucumber?  He was delicious too!

I love some relish with my beans.  In case you are wondering it was a simple salad of chopped tomato, cucumber, jalapeno and green onion.  I added some black pepper, salt and a couple of shakes of vinegar.  Oh, and of course, I had cornbread.

After I was full I went outside to see how the little bud was doing.  He has lots of company now.

That is him in the foreground, but first remember what he looked like in the freezing cold?

Now take a look!

Lunchtime Art #2

Anyone that knows me knows that I spend a lot of time at the office.  I am fortunate that there are not rules here and I can make it a second home.  I am not a decorator, nor am I an artist in the traditional sense but I do like to decorate my area with random objects that I consider art.  These can be rocks or plants people have given me or stuffed toys.  For many years I kept a buddha on top of my monitor because I just wanted to have him there.  No other reason.  But after ten years and the arrival of two new monitors I gave him a new home on my table/desk.

This is his replacement.  A closer look......

I was at a store one day when I noticed a coin-operated-toy-giving-quarter-taking-machine.  I couldn't see anything at all in there I would not mind owning for 50 cents so I went to my vehicle and robbed my coin stash, popped the coins in and gave it a good hard twist.  This little guy popped out.  I'm not sure who was more amused, me or the cashier who was watching.

I love his roundness and his eager little black eyes.

He sat here at the edge of my monitor for a couple of weeks but today when I started writing this I moved him.

I think he likes symmetry better.  Or maybe that is just because its on my mind right now.  I don't get many visitors over here in my area and so far nobody has even noticed him sitting up there.  I don't notice him that often.  But when I look up from my work this is what I see....

I don't understand why calling someone a pig is an insult (aside from the fact they can be messy but most animals are).  My little pig is cute.  He brightens my day  and I would be willing to bet I'm the only one in the office that has a toy pig.  And I display him proudly and hope that whenever someone notices him they will smile.

Have a great day!  I hope you find some joy in something simple today!

Lunchtime Art #1 Post Script

Here is the last black and white photo.

I ran out of time at lunch or I could have let in some more light and that would have helped.  But check this out!  Here is the same photo after it has been processed in Aperture by a friend (who is teaching me All Things Photography).

Pretty cool huh?  I am going to have to learn how to do this!

Lunchtime Art #1

I found this at lunch today.  I saw it outside the window.

I thought they would make some interesting pictures so I placed them haphazardly and started snapping away.

These are the seed pods from the dreaded southern sweet gum tree.  Those gnarly little fingers stick like velcro to the grass and leaves in your yard.  They are spiny hateful little reminders of the gummy resin that dripped from the tree in the spring and summer.   You know the gunk that you couldn't scrub off your shiny just-washed car.

In black and white they aren't as foreboding.  They look well, dead.  Or maybe like something you brush off your shirt when you come inside.  Magnified 100 times that is.

From this angle they look almost likeable.  The little  Sweet Gum family.  That's the old man on the right with his walking stick. Baby Gum is being trampled by Brother Gum so he can get in the picture.

If you are interested in more about this tree click the link. 

gum tree