Winter Cheerup

Last weekend, my beloved bundled up in all his winter gear to go to the grocery store across the street.  He asked me if there was anything else I wanted besides lettuce and milk.  I glanced out at yet another gray, dreary day in a long succession of gray, dreary days and said wistfully "Orange tulips?"  He nodded sadly.

There were no tulips to be had, so he bought a big, lovely bunch of orange lilies, hoping they would do.  As they are my other favorite flowers, they would indeed do nicely.

I spent a lovely week watching the lilies go from pale buds, to glorious full blooms.  And the weather improved so much that we were able to skate outside this morning.

I did these with my new box of 36 yummy Faber-Castell watercolor pencils.  4 shades of orange!

EDM 307 - Draw something raw

I started this drawing last summer, when I brought home my latest coup from the Farmers' Market.  I loved that Market, and the highlight of my week was going there on Friday mornings and wandering through the bounty of gorgeous vegetables and fruit. But I had to break up with them.  They became less and less of a "farmers" market and more of a boutique type of market that sold trendy mustards and upscale teas.  But I stuck with them to support the local farmers.  Then they lost their lease in the center of town and moved to the far southeast corner of the city where both of the other farmers' markers also are.  The final blow (and what led to the actual breakup) was that they didn't invite a lot of the local farmers to have space there, deciding instead to go with the imported boutique type shops.  That's unforgivable and they should forfeit the right to call themselves the "Farmers' Market" since very few of the vendors are selling locally grown produce or even locally made products.  A few of the disenfranchised farmers set up a make-shift market in the parking lot of the casino, and I'll go there to support them if they are allowed to continue outside of the umbrella of the "official" market.  Sad but true.

Sparrow Cafe

These cheerful, resourceful, little sparrows hang around the bird feeder in the back yard. It's a small, enclosed space. The big birds don't come around, so the little ones have taken over. Sparrows and chickadees, mostly, with a few nuthatches. Occasionally, a family of Grey Partridge shows up.
The other day we noticed that the large white rabbit, the model for the previous post on the Year of the Rabbit, was also back there.  It was eating the corn that is too big for the little birds to eat.  Nice how they all share. The good news that the rabbit had to share was that its ears are turning from white to brown.  That means spring is just around the corner!  That's welcome news.  The sparrows were all gossipy about it.

Year of the Rabbit

Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit, which will usher in a year of peace and moderation.  It will be a chance to rest and catch up after the tumultuous Year of the Tiger.
Last year was quite a rollercoaster with lots of unrest in many areas of the world - rioting in Europe and clashes in the Middle East.  Floods, hurricanes, avalanches, and volcano eruptions proved that even the weather was in discord.
So welcome to the Rabbit.  The world could use a return to manners, civility and good taste.
I wish you all the best in this year.