It's All About The WHIMSY!

Winter morning

IPhone Photo

There has been no snow to speak of in a winter marked by relatively mild temperatures...but this morning's sunrise brought

magical ice crystals in the Sun Room...

actual air temperature  ~ 0.  

BRRRR!

It's Thursday and I'm Thankful!

Candlelight for dinner on Sunday night as Hurricane Irene wound down.

I am thankful that the power is back on!  It's been a long week for many.  We were without for three days, many here won't have power until next week. Oh the joy of a hot shower! No pictures of that, sorry. We had to toss the entire contents of our refrigerator/freezer but have learned that our insurance will cover it!  A happy surprise.

I am thankful that the damage was not as bad as it could have been.  Many lost trees and houses were damaged however the storm surge did not cause extensive damage and no lives were lost.  We spent a day cleaning up debris but lost no major trees.  A few images of damage around the village.

Remember all those silly people who left their boats in the water? 

A few creative storm barriers on the shops in Wickford...

I am thankful for a house full of storm guests who cooked on the grill, helped wash dishes, played games and were otherwise cheerful companions!

Hiking headlamps sure came in handy!

And after the worst passed we went to check on damage..

Still a bit windy!

I am thankful that the National Guard came to direct traffic..not a single traffic light working statewide for days..

And thankful that my daughter FINALLY found a pair of rainboots!!

Awesome Hunters in pink! 

Of interest to me was I really didn't miss the landline phone, cable or internet...being unplugged, not so bad.  

I AM thankful for my IPhone which allowed me to stay in touch with family and friends but really, TV? Not!

 I notice it's hardly been on since the power returned...

Seems to be the new motto here.

   It's September 2st, only 2 more months left in Hurricane Season!

Sometimes a picture says it all....

It's been an interesting few days...

power, internet, cable and phone are finally back on..

Not too worry I have stories and life lessons to share but for the moment all is well and returning to normal...we all need a good night's sleep!

A visitor named Irene

 

Mother Nature is paying a visit ...

The village of Wickford is preparing for a storm surge of 4-8 feet

and whatever winds Irene throws at us.

 We are well provisioned and will ride it out at home...  

I wonder, will the cove look this pretty on Monday morning?  Or will it be littered with these?

silly people who are not removing their boats!

Some have taped their windows, others using plywood..

I will update on the other side!  If you too are in the path of Hurricane Irene I wish you safe passage.

Whatever will be will be....

Hurricane Irene will be a weekend guest here...

Did I mention that I live in a small coastal village in southern New England?

Stacks and stacks of water..

Watching and making preparations...

freezing in the event of a long term power outage..

candles, loads of candles...

batteries, flashlights, etc..

lanterns...

And of course the camera!

"I do hope the trees don't get tired and lay down..."

Glorious Summer

Just look at these beauties!

Glorious sunflowers in a field!  Mother Nature if you are listening I do have one request...

PLEASE!  We need some rain!  Strict water restrictions are in place here, my rain barrels are empty..a wonderful invention but not much use if there is no precipitation..

Heading out to do a rain dance..if you've any to spare send it my way.

Who left the heat on??

Pretty much sums up the day...whew!  A bit unusual for New England!

I keep reminding myself that in a few short months it will look like this!

Dog Days of Summer are here

 

The dog days of summer are here...too hot for much outdoor activity...gardening happens at dawn...

busy birds in the morning moving in to a new home..

and we cool off however we can...

some on the window sills,

the backyard doggy pool...

Stay inside and watch TV..Binx is partial to the Discovery Channel..

I'm quite happy with one of these and time in the studio painting these!

 

Happy Summertime!

Missing Winter?

As I know that some live in warmer, sunnier climates across the globe...where it is summer now, or the wild winds of winter never blow...a few scenes from the last week here in New England....grab some hot chocolate, a blanket and enjoy!

Lower Manhattan

 

Houston and Mercer in Greenwich Village, NYC

 

Front walk before the latest storm..

 

6 feet high...and growing

 

care to help dig this car out?

 

This ice sculpture is one of many..it now reaches the snow pile. Notice that the Christmas lights are still up?  The strands are now encased in 5 inches of ice.  I think they will still be there easter weekend!  There have been numerous roof collapses in the region this past week and so we will be shoveling off the porch roof this weekend.

Sounds like fun doesn't it?

44 days until SPRING..I will count each and every one of them!

Ah winter!

My morning view after another snow storm raced through New England during the night.  Quite exciting with a foot of snow, thunder snow and high winds..not much sleep here last night. 

Lots of shoveling to do today!

The view from the balcony.  The snow is so deep reaching the garden shed would be quite the workout!

The "black" hole in the photo is the location of my pond.  It has a heat coil in it to prevent freeze over for the fish and frogs.  It makes a convenient watering hole for the woodland creatures in the snow.  The tracks are from the bunnies in the neighborhood.  I do hope none fell in!