Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Cheryl Butts In: Pt. 4 - Hope SPRINGs Eternal


"Winter is not a season, it's an occupation. 
                                                    
----Sinclair Lewis


At the risk of sounding cliché, I am celebrating the (almost) arrival of spring.  


I know that you in the southern climes will begin to post your fabulous first-buds-of-spring photos very soon, and I wanted to offer up my experiences also.  So, this Sunday morning I dressed up the dog and we strolled about the neighborhood, capturing the images that sum up the wonderful phenomena that is ‘almost spring’. 

This is the flower bed that runs alongside my front sidewalk.  Isn’t it beautiful?
The grass has that brownish tone that can only be accomplished by being suffocated with the weight of snow for at least 700 days.  Maybe 800. 
This is my view as I maneuver the dog along the welcoming sidewalks:



And this is the view after locating that last piece of remaining black ice on said sidewalk:

But we found many delights, just awaiting our admiration.  The river, before the leaves block our view: 

Graffiti art:

This unit just waiting for the first actual warm (translation:  above 40°F) day to peel back its roof and take a day trip to the local wineries:

My front porch is getting a makeover next weekend, to remove the winter sentiments that were so lovingly placed there in early December, before we became Winter Zombies.

I will finally be able to put these away:
(Danni isn’t the only one with hoseable shoes. These actually need a good hosing.)


It’s not to say that during winter we are zombies every single day.   The best party I ever attended was held at an “ice fishing festival”, in a beer tent, in Michigan, in January.  
I purchased the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy in the fall to occupy us on that ‘quiet winter day’.  I did not experience a ‘quiet winter day’, those are fictional in my world.  However, we did get this built, to facilitate the absolutely necessary new semi-ginormous tv:

Fact:  most professionally built entertainment centers hold an extraordinary amount of VHS tapes, DVD’s, and CD’s. It all gets so comfy and tucked away that it is not until you build one with more visible storage options that all those forms of media must be reviewed for purging.  I can tell you with absolute honesty that a half dozen of my ‘quiet winter days’ were spent sorting through all of that to determine what got the boot.  Ex-haus-ting.
The first warm days of the year spark a natural response in pets to DROP ALL YOUR FUR, RIGHT NOW!  I will be spending a lot of time with the Dyson in the coming weeks.  Like their human counterparts, pets get cranky from their winter incarceration.   Today’s view, around the water cooler:
(That ain’t a display of tolerance.) 
It’s only a matter of weeks until I can enjoy a vision like this in my backyard:

My hat is off to Danni, my hostess, who spent most of her winter doing manual labor to make a house into a home.  Rock on, Danni & Sam (and, of course, Suzan & John in Montreal as well as Andi and Phil in Illinois).  Thanks again for letting me share.  

 
 

 
 
 
 
 

  

46 comments:

  1. Those photos look like Montreal right now Cheryl ! Great job on the entertainment center - but am LOVING that shelving unit on your veranda - how beautiful.
    " the dog " ?
    Does it have a name LOL - xoxo

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  2. I hope you have recovered from your unfortunate discover of the last bit of black ice. Here in the south we do have peeks of green shoots some blooms on trees, but the local nurseries are still warning us to keep our little green thumbs in our pockets. The weatherman promised warm and sunny today so I lined up projects to paint. (love that white piece on your porch!) as he was talking I looked out to see drizzle and 40! Cute puppy in his winter coat. Our cats have staged World War scenarios for days.

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    1. I hope drizzle and 40 turns into warm and sunny for you! And then for me! Don't you just love Cat Wars? Let's get ready to rummmbbblllllle... They rumble but don't actually hurt each other, I can live with that.

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  3. Heehee, that slip n slide photo made me laugh after I gasped - your cute pup seemed quite concerned, I hope he pulled you to your feet. Great post, Cheryl, so perfect because today is officially the last day of winter, ya know.

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    1. One morning I went to walk the dog, hit the front steps fully horizontal, and then laid there expecting full paralysis. I stood up and realized that I had actually performed a chiropractic technique on myself with that action, and felt fabulous. But I can't always hope for that result...

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  4. Loved this post. Too funny! If it makes you feel any better...we had a terrible winter here in Georgia. But bad for us is snow one week, 70 degrees the next, ice storm the next, 70's the next. It is starting to look like Spring though. The peach trees are in full bloom!

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    1. The vision of blooming peach trees will be my moment of Zen this morning!

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  5. OK... I'm so desperate for spring here that I even envy your brown grass. How sad is that! That said the giant snowbanks that line our roads are now a lovely shade of brown as a light rain has washed away the light white stuff. I really need to see a crocus or a daffofil... and often do by this time, but this year they're still buried under too much hard and heavy snow. Spring is certainly going to be late this year.. and not fashionably. Our kitties are getting a little impatient too. I think the birds outside at the feeders are mocking them.

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    1. Tuula, don't ya just love the heaped piles of grey muck that the snowbanks become? A friend has a gentleman coming to visit from Australia this year, he first mentioned March. I said "No! Not March!" (as if it was my decision). He is not coming in October instead. *deep sigh*

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  6. I must say Cheryl your pictures of spring are quite depressing in a good sort of way. Although I do love the pic of the river before the leaves. We had a fabulous view of the Potomac River during the winter at our old home and this reminds me so much of that. We still have lots of snow on the ground from a storm that came through a couple of days ago but I got my fix today at Walmart of all places when I saw the pretty pansies they have for sale. I guess we are all a bit depressed from all the cold and severe weather. we've had. Your words are inspiring to at least think spring! Thanks for your uplifting post, animals included!

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  7. We haven't had a winter at all, it's been very strange, I still have flowering geraniums and an arum lily that hasn't died back since last summer. I would have happily swapped all the rain and fierce winds for a little bit of snow, but don't envy you such a long cold winter, or the chance of black ice.
    I love your new shelving unit for the tv with the storage baskets, and your gorgeous porch. In the UK the houses rarely have large porches or wrap around verandas, I'm always envious of them.

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    1. I find it very interesting to compare weather patterns, it's nice that we can do that so easily via this type of forum. Pat that little geranium on the head and tell it 'Good job, nice to see you'.

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  8. Being from the Chicago area, I must say that right now, seeing brown is golden. I'll look at brown for the next month, or two with no argument. I hope you recovered from your black ice experience. That is one of the down falls of brown rather than snow piles. Of course, lots of snow piles means lots of indoor projects, like your tv storage unit, what a handy piece! It fits in nicely with your style, and who couldn't love all the stowable little sections.

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    1. Thanks, Amy. I've been aching to get to Chicago - it was one of the things I thought I would do this winter. I need a museum and IKEA fix!

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  9. 'Looks like a wonderful walk! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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    1. It really was, Marci. I actually walked downtown as well to photograph spring scenes in the window displays. Being the photographer I am, I just got a lot of photos of glass with parked car reflections. Not very attractive.

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  10. Bubba has a crush on Soda? That cracked me up. I hope you see Spring soon! We are waiting for the pollen explosion- any minute our world will turn to yellow. Pine and oak pollen are the devil. We have had a few 80 degree days already so the grass is greening up and the trees are sprouting tiny leaves. I hope the summer isn't as brutal as winter was!

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    1. When I sit down to my computer Bubba wants to be on my lap. He will pay attention to anything on the screen until I point out Soda in Suzan's posts. He's out of luck though. He doesn't have a passport.

      Ah yes, the pollen. Or the sticky green pods that drop from the neighbor's worlds-largest-cottonwood!

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  11. Those of us in southern climes? Are supposed to get more winter weather next week.

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    1. Kirby, I witnessed the dreaded squiggly blue line on the weatherman's map last night. Go away, squiggly blue line!

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  12. Umm my southern climate has just hit autumn ans our grass is brown and dead from the heat, but I would give anything to see snow at my place :) not forever like you guys but a day would be nice.

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  13. I was checking to see if any of my bulbs are brave enough to peek out yesterday...in the one little spot the snow has melted. And I found about a 1/4 inch of a crocus standing tall...guess our first day of spring isn't that springy since we had a bit more snow this morning and it's colder again. I've been hearing the robins chirping, poor souls...there is no way they can be digging for bugs or worms. Hope you didn't hurt yourself when you slipped on the ice. At least your little dog was there to rescue you.
    Debbie :)

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    1. Go crocus! Go crocus! It's your first day! It's your first day!

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  14. Just when I thought we were going to enjoy some melting, Mr. Winter had to show his frosty white butt again. You must be getting excited to get outside to your garden. Your cat looks like he is gonna have the other ones head if he takes one more step....lol. So did you enjoy Lord of The Rings on your ginormous TV? Such a good trilogy!

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    1. I'm still waiting to watch LOTR, waiting for that great day when I have nothing else to do so I can really enjoy it. Evidently I need to schedule a day like that in advance! The bigger tv will definitely be a bonus.

      I am truly excited to get in the garden. Can't wait til the plant nurseries open up!

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  15. It hasn't snowed here yet in England. Spring is definately on its way here, we've had a nice sunny week.

    Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.

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    1. Thanks, Andrew! I am stopping by your site later to read more, loved Sane and Abel, Yet Banished!

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  16. BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Okay, I wasn't Muttly...I was laughing louder than him! I have to say I loved your "black ice" view. It's always funnier when it happens to someone else. "Drop your fur," and "around the water cooler."

    Genius.

    (and thanks for the shout-out!) =D

    -andi

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    1. Still waiting for a cordless Dyson! Or for someone to invent a machine that vacuums the pets directly.

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  17. I admire anyone who survived this winter in the mid and east part of our country. You all deserve a medal of honor. I loved your water cooler scene. Very appropriate.

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    1. Thanks, good idea. I shall award myself a medal. Made out of chocolate.

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  18. I hope it warms up soon and you can hop into that jeep for some wine tasting. Probably not a good time to tell you we have already taken our convertible out and it was hot. :) I'll be complaining this summer though...we need water!
    Karen

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    1. It is a good time to tell me that. I need to live vicariously through other people's weather right now!

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  19. Noooooo, you didn't really fall did you??

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    1. What's that line?.... something like: Nowadays when I fall, I look around to see what else I can do while I'm down there. Cracks me up.

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  20. I nice hopeful post! We are also in an almost spring phase in Toronto, with snow and ice still on the ground. I'll celebrate the day I can finally throw out my salt encrusted boot mat!

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    1. Won't that be wonderful? Everything is salt encrusted! Looks like we had a run-in with the Dead Sea.

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  21. It's still cold here! Snow flurries tomorrow! I hope it doesn't kill the pretty buds that have already started. This has been a memorable winter for sure!

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    1. We got snow last night. But it was one of those "just ignore it" type snowfalls.

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  22. Cheryl I long for spring to come and stay, for color to enter the dreary days and for sunshine to warm my soul. I love your porch. The number plaque is a great idea.

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  23. Chery almost all of our snow was gone then we had a blizzard yesterday. But only for 4-5 hours and it's not too bad today. I hear it's going to be 45 on Friday. I think I'll break out the flip flops. I put away my long coat that I wear to the gym over my shorts. But it was 26 on Saturday and I looked like an idiot going to the gym in shorts. Not to mention the pasty white legs that look like plucked chicken skin....

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    1. Anyone who goes to the gym regularly deserves enough respect that if they want to go in a complete chicken suit then that should be ok. But I hear ya on the white pasty leg thing. Good heavens, mine need some attention.

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