You've Got Bad Case of Love-Your Heart is Going Through Misery

My Heart is filled with Misery. Ah, yes, Mr. King sing it out. When you miss someone or somebody, it hurts. It does not matter if it is a breakup or a lose of a love one, it still hurts. Some days it does not hurt, and other days start with a deep hurt. Gone, gone, gone.
I try to be shrug off this feeling. It just gets worse if you hold it in. Pop that ballon filled with hurts and pains. Let it go. Bur, it is not ready to go. I am not ready to let it go. I just want to hold onto the memories just a little bit longer.
So thank you Mr. King and company. There is no one else in the world wide that I would rather be with tonight.

Picture of my Japanese Case with its wooden comb, mirror and Kleenex case - a gift from a wonderful lady.

It was fun when it was fun! What's done is done! I'll survive.

Love Is In The Air

Pink Neon Bliss Sign

Love serenade with guitar on Newburyport Boardwalk

 As I sit at my desk, a yellow shafted flicker is drilling our chimney cap as a sign of love for any female flickers who might be passing by.

Our deck still has snow on it, but, I can see a large section of wood..so we are moving in the right direction.

We used to have mating woodcocks in the field across the street. Woodcocks are an odd bird. When we first moved into our house years ago, we kept hearing a peeping sound. It took us awhile to figure that that was no bug, but, a woodcock. When the male is ready in the spring, he finds a good wide open field. Without hesitate at dusk, he flies high into the sky, and starts spiraling in large circles down toward the field. He also is making chirping, clicking, and love notes to the females as he returns to his original spot in the field.

We no longer have woodcocks. I do miss their love tumbles. The whippoorwills that called are also gone. Our habitat has changed over the last almost 26 years at our house.

But it finally spring; and I am still in love with my love 'cause love is in the air.

Stopping Time for a Few Seconds a Day

Floating Penguins and Friends, Newburyport, MA by Michael Updike (ducks by Mother Nature)

Old Carnival Act of High Jumping into a small Pool of Water at the Topsfield Fair Ground

I almost always have a camera close at hand. I never knows when my eye will catch a good picture. The shots are fast. Click, click and the visions pop into my camera's screen.

Heavy equipment in Portsmouth, NH

I get a real thrill when reviewing a wonderful shot. To me it is liking stopping time for a second.

That is real power. It makes me feel like my hero, Wonder Woman. But, that is another story for another day.

Thoughts on the Great Blizzard of '78 and the Winter of 2015

My mother and my Cat Esmeralda Blizzard of 78

My Dad with his shovel Blizzard of 78

In 1978, I had just returned back in Massachusetts from California. I had a fabulous 2 years in Garberville which is located in Northern California. There were two type of people in Garberville: lumber jacks and hippies. These two groups did not get along. I lived in many different homes in Garberville.  I lived in a two story trailer, a gorgeous modern home with picture windows overlooking a stream, a tent in a camp ground by the Wild El River, and alone with my cat in a small rustic camper on 40 acres of land. The majority of homes had not electricity. Life was very simple. Some family members said that I left California because of the lack of electricity. The true reason was that all my married women friends had more dates than I had.

I spent my first two months back east in Vermont studying weaver with master weaver and Scottish folk singer, Norman Kennedy. It was a quiet and very productive time. I carded sheep's wool, spun yarn, dyed yarn, and wove two blankets. My only regret of being in Vermont was that I missed the Great Blizzard of '78. Vermont got some snow from the storm but, Vermont never shuts down.

I heard everyone's stories from the Great Blizzard of '78 and felt left out. I like stories and this was a major New England event which I  sadly missed. Even my cat had the blizzard experience. My folks had baby sat for her while I was in Vermont.

So we move up to the great storms & blizzards of this year 2015. I now have stories to tell my grandchildren if I ever had children. The winds, the snow, the ice dams, and the grey white skies.
Blizzards are not fun. For the last 37 years, I felt I missed out.  But now I have lived through historic snow storms in January & February and I sincerely think that great blizzards are highly over rated. Believe me when I say, the next time that I hear that we will be getting record snow; I will be on a plane and find myself on a nice sandy beach in Virgin Gorda. Please just forward my mail.

Two Words That Changed My Life

One of our garden walkways is exposed through the mighty snow.

Looking across the driveway to side yard.


I had always had a reading & comprehension problems since 1st grade. 

In 10th grade I asked my  English Teacher, Mr. Reynold, a question. How could improve my reading skills? He said that  I must start to read everything in front of me.  He added if you see a bottle of ketchup, read it,place mat,-read it , cereal boxes, phone books....read everything.  I trusted this young, hip teacher. So, I took his advise and over time I  became an avid reader.  Thank you Mr. Reynolds. So I owe a lot to Mr. Reynolds, aka, jolly green giant because he used green magic markers to correct our papers. I can still see his large handwritten note in green spread across the entire page of one of my papers.What a gift he had. I asked him how to solve a ten year problem, and he changed my world in two words - read everything.

Winter Hump Day

Driving up Newman Road towards Old Town Hill

Today, the sun is shinning. It is a very warm 33 degrees outside. Wednesday's temperature  may jump to 40 degrees. Blue skies shine down on me.

We have not had any snow in over a week. There has been no shoveling, no plows, or Arctic blasting winds. Our snow drifts, mountains, and luge  run driveway are all melting. I am ecstatic. Spring will be visiting us soon, I can see the end of the winter tunnel. This day has all the feel of a hump day.

Tonight, we spring ahead our clocks.

I put on my snow shoes today. I climbed Mt. Glenn in the back yard and followed an animal track. We are certain it was a raccoon. The suet feeder was on the snow and in the snow were paw marks.  All our New England stone walls are  hidden under the snow. I walked over the invisible  stone wall and  around the large wooded land trust that is our next door neighbor.  There were a few animal tracks but, no sign of deer. Years past, I have followed a small deer path into the woods until it opened into a large deer highway with many deer visitors. The deer must be in deep trouble this winter. The deer that survive into spring will be very thin and tired. 

Thoughts on Snow

Lincoln, NH Ice Palace 2015

When the snow fall starts to hit the ground, I enter a magical world. 

Mother Nature is a wise, designing deity. She gives us a snowflake design which lasts only minutes and it is  never to be duplicated.  Each flake is unique unto itself. 

I love the  quietness of the season. When I walk in the snow,  the only sounds I usually hear are my boots crunching in the snow. Birds and animal are very quiet during this season. I know they have been around by following and deciphering their tracks in the woods.

The winter cold will take your breath away. In subzero weather, the hairs inside your nose freeze together. Nothing can wake up your senses like a walk in the subzero New England winter. Although the winter can be a shock to my system, I love winter. Oh, I complain about the getting stuck in side due to the weather conditions, but, there is nothing I love more than fresh snow falling onto me.