Sending out an S.O.S.

5/12/12 – Warm enough for the snakes to come out.

5/12/12 – Eastern Milk Snake.

5/13/12 – the eye of an Iris.

5/13/12 – my love of fungus continues.

5/13/12 – Apple Tree behind our house has seen it’s final days.

5/13/12 – sad to see it go, but it’s dead.

5/13/12 – Apple Wood is hard wood – tough work for both Scott and the chainsaw.

5/13/12 – we still have 1/3 of the tree to chop and clean up.

5/13/12 – Denali’s wet fur.

5/13/12 – almost a great close up of a Bumble Bee

5/13/12 – Asian Longhorn Beetle. I had never seen one of these before, so I quick captured it. It is an invasive species, so I informed the DEC.

5/16/12 – First Strawberries of the season. JOY!

5/19/12.

5/19/12 – Slime in the cornfield.

5/19/12 – Snail in the cornfield.

5/19/12 – Plant Foam.

5/19/12 – “Blowies” in the sun.

So I’ve been staring at this post, adding a few pictures, and not writing a thing for two weeks now.  A serious case of writer’s block.  Where is my inspiration?  My muse??  It’s not in a  pool opening or in a relaxing mineral bath at the Spa.  Not in my terrible allergies or being sick on the most beautiful day of the year so far.  Not in baking bread every day or drinks with the girls.  Not in staining a door or chopping down an apple tree… not even in my poor dog’s ear infection that antibiotics can’t seem to cure.

To all the writers out there – HELP!!!

Outtakes from a Glorious Weekend.

4/23/12.

4/23/12.

4/23/12 – ?? but the marsh/stream is covered with these flowers.

4/25/12 – Apple Blossom.

4/29/12.

4/29/12 – Scott and I spent the day chain sawing and stacking all these trees that came down in the ice storm of 12/08.

5/1/12 – Low clouds settled into the Mountains.

5/4/12 – After the rain I found mating worms again, everywhere. They keep one end in their wormholes and when they hear you coming you can hear a “snap” sound as they release and suck back down into their holes.

5/4/12.

5/5/12 – I have baked bread every day for 9 weeks (and counting).

5/5/12.

5/5/12 – even dandelions are pretty up close.

5/5/12 – with an ax and sledge hammer I split a pile of wood.

5/5/12 – feeling burly.

5/5/12 – look at the gorgeous air bubbles rising up under the surface.

7/2/11 – Me and my girlfriend Florence.

5/5/12 – an invasive wee/flower has taken over our yard.

5/5/12 – and here it is close-up.

5/5/12 – an another invasive weed/flower that I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen before.

5/5/12 – psyching myself up to sand – I have done this too many times.

5/5/12 – Today’s field find.

5/5/12 – a love for anything with wheels – giving the mower a bath BEFORE he mows – hey, you wanna look good out there…

5/5/12 – happy to have the dogs outside with me all day.

5/5/12 – very cool – a random prism.

5/5/12 – Sanding the old kitchen door.

5/5/12 – 24hrs to produce these loaves of sourdough – 11hrs of which need your attention every 1/2 hr. The results are worth it!

5/5/12 – small loaf of walnut/brown sugar/cinnamon, and the first of two, large loaves of sourdough.

5/5/12 – The Super Moon.

5/5/12 – The Flower Moon, The Hare Moon, The Joy Moon, The Merry Moon…. Lunar Beltane The Full Moon at perigee, the closest It will come to the Earth this year…..it Will be Huge and powerful. Look Up! (thanks for this info. Susie!)

5/6/12 – laying in the field.

5/6/12 – unknown scat.

5/6/12 – fungus and leaf.

5/6/12 – wet and dirty, that’s how they roll.

5/6/12 – On our way to our friend’s house for a birthday bbq.

5/6/12 – their house, demolished, board by board, preparing for a new one.

5/6/12 – a little FaceTime with their grand daughters.

A fun, productive weekend.  Highlight – my girlfriend Florence asked me to be her Maid of Honor.

Morning Walk – May 3, 2012.

Morning Walks – April 15-19, 2012.

Northern Flicker.

Northern Flicker.

I think of my Nan most mornings when I head out on my walks with my dogs.  Nan & Pomp always had dogs, and every morning it was Nan’s great pleasure to return home after her night shift as a Nurse at the Psych Ward, and walk her dogs in the pasture.  To catch the sunrise.  To breathe in the cool morning air.  To join the song and dance of the animals as they enthusiastically met each new day as if it were a gift.

Morning Walk – April 15, 2012.

For Mature Audiences Only.

Do you know what this means…

…Strawberries.

Empty Nests collected over the course of a year.

Just over two weeks into the new job and so far so great!  But there is just not enough time in a weekend to accomplish all that I want to do.  But on the wheeler, I did manage to crank out a few hours in the field picking up piles (of cut up tree limbs, branches and thorny vines), had a nice visit with my step-mom and nieces (and the rain has washed away all their beautiful chalk drawings all over our patio), I painted the outside of the kitchen door, planted a row of bulbs that my neighbors dropped off (because they are in the process of demolishing their house to make way for a new house and the bulbs would have otherwise gone to waste), I baked bread, made pulled pork, purged about 3 ft. of accumulated paperwork (boy does that feel good!) and we went out for dinner and an amazing show.*

*Strunz & Farah – This gifted guitar duo, known for their dazzling original compositions and improvisations, plays a blend of flamenco, Afro-Latin and Latin folk, Middle Eastern and jazz forms. Backed by an international ensemble of world-class musicians, their technical perfection, lighting-fast finger speed, fiery improvisations and unbelievable solos make this a must-see performance! www.troymusichall.org

Morning Walk April 8, 2012.

Went to check on the Killdeer eggs - they didn't make it.

Evening Walk – April 4, 2012.

So… I got that job.  Downside:  I am earning the same salary I made back in 1997 – woo hoo.  Upside: I really like my boss, the people, the job and the company.  I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles in a modern-day depression.

I had been out of work for the past 18 months, and I do need a job, so it feels great to finally be employed.  But it’s bittersweet, because gone are the endless days of home renovation projects, baking, photography, blogging and hanging with my boys.

I start my work day late enough that I am still able to take my [precious]  Morning Walks with the dogs, but I will once again have to figure out how to balance work with my passions.