An Awesome Day

Wow. A gorgeous Spring morning just got better and better as the sun moved across the sky. An hour and a half of home yoga with sun streaming thru the east window got me warmed up.
A cleaning crew came and got this house cleaner than its been in 12 years in 2 hours ! Why have I resisted for so long ?

I spent some time in the basement getting the slab roller unearthed and the kiln spiffed up...someone is coming by to have a look at it tomorrow and possibly buy it. I am happy to move on. I feel the pull of printmaking again. So simple and direct. And watercolors. And just drawing. Why have I strayed ?

I sat out in the new flower bed ( new as of 2010 ) and pulled a few weeds and just absorbed being in the garden. Had not done that in months and months. A big garden spider ( some fort of wolf spider ) emerged from a hole, its legs looking exactly like teeny tiny threads of incredibly fragile twigs.
Wild violets are blooming. Spring Beauties are blooming. May Apples are up, but not blooming yet. Cutleaf Toothwort and Service Berry ( Shadbush ) are in full feather though. The Spicebush doesnt seem to be putting on quite the show as last year , when they lit up a section of the woods on Rickard road with their tiny yellow flowers. Back in our garden, the Moonbeam and American dream coreopsis are emerging, as are the Echinacea and the Rudbeckia Maxima. The Peonies are up a good twelve inches now. Daffodils are extra bright this year it seems !

I went for a walk and saw a Brown Creeper for the first time in several years. I finally saw a Field Sparrow this season! I'd been hearing them, but could not lay eyes on them !

When i got home I steamed up some bok choy to go with my leftover zuke/kalamata olive fritatta and some mac n cheeze. Yum yum. A smallish chunk of banana cake rounded it all off. And a few Dandies marshmallows.

Yesterday was cool and rainy most of the day, perfect apparently, for the rubbery looking orange fungus pictured here.

I think the neighbor's Chimney Swifts may be back...I'll have to check again tomorrow.

My 55th B-Day and a Move

Today I turned 55. Double nickel as my hubby would say :)
Big changes happening. We are moving from Northern Virginia ( Lovettsville ) to Boulder, Colorado, for at least a few years. We will rent out our house here, and just rent in Boulder. My brother Scot and his wife and family all live in Colorado. My mother and another brother lives in AZ, and yet another brother and his family lives in Southern California. We are excited about the change, but it's also a little intimidating ....starting a new life in another town. I love our neighbors here. I will really miss the everyday rhythms of the seasons on this spot of the planet, but Colorado will have it's own.
The birding will be very different. But the geology will be awesome !
Just wanted to "check in " and start blogging again...I miss it.
Two books arrived in the mail today, for my birthday...the new Crossley ID Guide, and Zen Birding. The Crossley Guide is the next step in the evolution of bird guides...the author and photographer has combined many positions and proximity shots of birds and even placed them in typical scenery, all on one page, along with a map for each bird. Fantastic ! It weighs in at 3lbs. 13oz, so we won't be taking in the field, but it will be great in the car or back at the house, cabin or cottage. Sally, Laureen and I will give it a workout while up in Point Pelee, Canada, next month !