Posted in Uncategorized, tagged blossoms, cambridge, photographs, providence, spring on May 21, 2018| 9 Comments »
Spring sunshine and blooms provide opportunities to take the kinds of photographs I like best. Here I share blossoms that I believe are quince, things I saw in the woods (baby oak leaves in mud, foam flowers, ferns, Sessile Bellwort, and a garter snake), murals in Cambridge, Mass., and a random indoor shot from the past month.
The carpet of cherry petals was shot in Providence.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged baskets, flowers, may day, ring doorbell, spring on May 1, 2018| 4 Comments »
Photo: Bryn Mawr College
Students dance around the May pole as part of an ancient spring tradition. A local men’s college used to try to steal May poles in the dead of night. One year a May pole ended up in a swimming pool.
As important as International Workers Day is, please don’t forget about the ancient May Day, the one that welcomes spring with flower baskets deposited at doors and with dances that weave ribbons around a May pole. It’s sweet and fun.
My children used to leave little bouquets of violets and daffodils and tulips on neighbors’ doorsteps. A babysitter showed us how to make baskets using wallpaper from discontinued sample books and a stapler. The kids would ring a neighbor’s bell, then run and hide. If anyone asked us later whether we knew anything about the nice flowers they found outside their door, we always said we had no idea what they were talking about. Which made it pretty obvious, actually.
I remember Mrs. Pulhamous saying to me, “Oh, I’m going to be so sad when your children grow up!”
Recently, I was sorting through files and was reminded that when Suzanne was in Girl Scouts, we made baskets for retirement home residents and received very sweet thank-you notes. I still think the Girl Scouts would be a good organization to carry on the tradition.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 10 things, cold, month of march, spring, winter on March 10, 2018| 14 Comments »
March 8, 2018, New England. Beaten-down dogwood blocks the back steps.
After the blogger behind Jnana’s Red Barn posted 10 things he liked about March, I thought, “Wow! What a challenge!” New Englanders often find it hard to think of even one good thing about March. Winter hangs on and hangs on and hangs on, the snow no longer seems magical, and activities get canceled that you thought for sure you would be able to do in March.
Could I possibly think of 10 good things? I knew it would be good for me to try.
1. Daylight. I definitely like having more daylight.
But although I thought about Jnana’s challenge for days, daylight was the only thing I could think of that I liked about March.
Should I mention how quiet it is at Suzanne and Erik’s house when they take the family off for March vacation? (I stay at the house when I volunteer in Rhode Island.) It’s much more entertaining when the grandchildren are there, but quiet can be nice once in a while, and I’ll never get to 10 if I don’t include this.
2. A quiet house.
A couple items are comparative — that is, they start to happen a lot more in March.
3. More walks in the woods.
4. More sightings of neighbors.
Once I got this far, I began to think it might be possible to get to 10.
5. The first spring flowers.
6. Four young cousins playing at my husband’s birthday.
7. Decorating Easter eggs.
8. John and Suzanne planning their two families’ New Shoreham summer.
9. Irish music by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.
10. Return of the redwing blackbirds.
Yaay! I’m feeling more positive already. How about you? Can you find 10 things you like about March?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged fungus, lichen, new england, photos, spring, woods on April 16, 2017| 2 Comments »
As spring belatedly decided to show up in our neck of the woods, a Hollywood movie crew turned the town into a Christmas set, building a crèche in front of a picturesque church, decorating store windows with candy canes, snowmen, and plastic poinsettias — and spreading fake snow on lawns that had barely recovered from an April 1 blizzard. It was a little weird. One friend said she looked up from washing dishes at her kitchen window and saw what looked like a gigantic spaceship hovering over the trees. It was the boom for the cameraman.
In more seasonal news, spring flowers began to poke out. Woodland walks were taken. Mushrooms and lichens were admired.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged ee cummings, in just spring, new england, photos, poem, spring, winter on March 8, 2017| 11 Comments »
It is not really spring yet although a weird February tried to fool us with several warm days before handing us back to single-digit temperatures.
There is a period in New England when the weather teeters back and forth between winter and spring — and inevitably brings to mind the e.e. cummings poem “[In Just-].” It’s a happy poem reminding one that as long as there are springs, there will always be excited children running outdoors to play, hollering back at someone in the house, “I don’t need a coat — it’s hot!”
in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it’s
spring
when the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing
from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it’s
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged big belly, choir, chorus, dust bin, garbage, littering, Maria Gardfjell, postaday, solar, spring, sweden, trash, trash compactor, uppsala, valborg, Walpurgis, waste choir on August 16, 2016| 2 Comments »
Photo: Big Belly
Foot-pedal version of Big Belly for those who are squeamish about handles. (That would be me.)
Those Swedes! What will they think of next?
Are you familiar with the Big Belly solar-powered trash compactors sprouting up in public places? Well, in Uppsala, Sweden, the trash compactors have been taught to sing.
From a company post on Youtube: “Bigbelly International Partner, EWF, introduced an innovative and inspiring campaign to raise awareness of the Bigbelly Smart Waste & Recycling system in the metropolitan city of Uppsala, Sweden – home to one of the largest deployments in the world.
“The Uppsala ‘Waste Choir’ had their first performance during the Valborg celebrations on April 30th. Valborg is an annual holiday to welcome spring in Sweden. …
“The beautifully wrapped Bigbellys – each as a unique character and voice in the choir – stood together in front of 60,000+ visitors to the city and sang traditional Swedish songs in celebration of spring! …
“As noted in a press release regarding the campaign: ‘Citizens and visitors could for the first time listen to a garbage choir during the famous celebration of Walpurgis in the University City of Uppsala. The choir consists of 20 so called smart dust bins run by solar energy. Uppsala and Sweden are known for their many choirs.
“Maria Gardfjell (MP), chairman of the responsible municipal board had the honor of introducing the choir and informing the audience about other commitments to diminish littering.
“Fundamentally, it is an issue of changing attitudes and to encourage all of us to put our litter where it belongs, in a dust bin. … Since Uppsala introduced smart dust bins in 2013, the visible litter in the City Park and other main parks has decreased by 20 percent. The work environment for the sanitary workers has improved and the usage of plastic bags has decreased by 80 percent.”
Read the press release in full, here. And listen to the singing trash cans here:
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged flowers, gaspee, independence, martin luther king, morris dance, mother's day, photo, photography, postaday, rhode island, shadows, spring on May 8, 2016| 4 Comments »
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers! This mother is indulging her interest in photography today (the simple kind: pointing and shooting with a phone). So here are a few recent pictures and explanations for the less obvious.
For example: I went out for a walk one evening and was surprised to encounter Morris Dancers on the steps of the library. They seemed to be practicing, not performing. Where would Morris dancers be performing in late April, after Patriots Day? That was a mystery. Another mystery to me was how young men and boys get drawn into performing Morris Dance. I’m sure it’s good exercise, but …
I include shots of a clay bird’s shadow on my wall and hedge shadows on a sidewalk. The fence with the stage coach and other old timey images painted along the railings is in Providence — easy to overlook when walking past.
Providence plaques and memorials. The one of Martin Luther King Jr. is on a bridge with a view of Water Place. The monument to an event Rhode Island celebrates as the real first engagement of the American Revolution — the colonists’ clash with Brits on the HMS Gaspee — is partly obscured by bushes.
Little old Rhode Island gets no respect. It was also the first colony to sign on for independence, May 4, 1776. Who knew?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged massachusetts, new england, outdoors, photo, photograph, pictures, postaday, rhode island, spring on May 19, 2015| 2 Comments »
It rained hard at noon, but the stalwarts opening booths for the first farmers market of the season hung on and before long the weather cleared, and it was sunny and warm.
Today I’m posting some recent outdoor photos from Massachusetts and Rhode Island and thinking particularly how seed pods, the smell of lilacs, and small landscapers make me happy.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged afford, correction, developing, eyes, glasses, global, mercy corps, Peter Eliassen, postaday, poverty, security, seth heller, spring, thatcher cook, vision, visionspring on April 22, 2015| 2 Comments »
At Global Envision, Seth Heller blogged about an organization that provides inexpensive eyeglasses to poor people in the developing world.
“We often take clear vision for granted,” writes Heller, “but Peter Eliassen knows that eyeglasses can be the difference between financial security and poverty for many in the developing world. As the chief operating officer of VisionSpring, Eliassen travels the globe making reasonably priced eyewear available for people who cannot otherwise afford them. …
“VisionSpring estimates more than 703 million people around the world need eyeglasses. Without vision correction, people are unable to secure employment during their prime working years, and supporting a family becomes almost impossible. …
“VisionSpring’s eyeglasses are priced around $4 and typically boost the wearer’s wage by an average of $108 per year – a significant amount in many developing nations. …
“However, a worker’s clear vision can be life-changing to many people outside their family. …
“The correlation between good public health and economic growth in developing nations is strong. If developing nations can reduce unemployment by solving ongoing public health problems such as impaired vision, the socioeconomic benefits can improve the lives of a nation’s entire population.” More here.
The story came to me by way of the Christian Science Monitor‘s Change Agent listserv.
Photo: Thatcher Cook/Mercy Corps
Eyeglasses from VisionSpring.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged boston, fort point, photos, postaday, snowdrops, spring on April 1, 2015| 2 Comments »
It’s April 1st, and I have been looking for spring. There was a nice little surprise in my front yard — snowdrops next to the snow (still not melted). But when I went looking for spring in Fort Point at lunch, there were no flowers or even leaf buds. I’m happy with the blue sky, anyway, and the angle of light. Here are a few photos.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged birds, blithewold, bristol, concord, dawn, dogwood, flowers, lilac, photo, photography, postaday, R.I., spring, walking on May 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »
These photos are mostly from walks in Concord, although one is from Blithewold in Bristol, R.I. I’d like to develop my eye for good shots in winter, but there are so many more reasons to take pictures in spring! I especially love old, blasted trees with delicate, young flowers. I include one, a dogwood. The lilac in the graveyard is another tree that doesn’t know it’s not as hale and hearty as ever.
On Nashawtuc, a hundred different bird calls replaced the sounds of traffic.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bryn mawr college, celebration, dancing, flowers, holiday, may day, maypole, postaday, spring on May 1, 2014| 2 Comments »
Photo: Bryn Mawr College
Happy May Day, the old-fashioned kind that involves surprise flowers and dancing around the May Pole.
This year’s came in like a lion, with icy rain, and is going out like a lamb. Spring can’t be stopped now.
Here are a few photos of the season.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged boston, concord, earth day, greenway, lichen picture, Life Is Good, marathon, parade, postaday, spring, weeping cherry on April 22, 2014| 6 Comments »
It may get colder, but there’s no turning back now. It’s spring for sure.
Here is a greening-up roof garden maintained by a brilliant landscaper at work. The tree in the foreground is my second favorite of his twisty trees. The first favorite is behind glass, and when I try to snap it, I just get a picture of Suzanne’s Mom taking a picture.
In other photos: The wind was causing a cow balloon to pull against its tether. A bumblebee was one of 20 in my neighbor’s weeping cherry. See it at the top of the picture.
Orange jackets from yesterday’s happy Boston Marathon were lined up for a city tour. And in the Rose Kennedy Greenway, several organizations, including the Coast Guard and Life is good were volunteering for clean-up duty as part of Earth Day.
And speaking of Earth Day, you can enjoy a genuine earthy-crunchy Earth Day celebration in Concord on Saturday. The parade is always a hoot. Check out details here.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged brandeis, bridging the gap, jermaine hamilton, photo, play, postaday, production, spring, theater, university on April 12, 2014| 2 Comments »
A lovely, warm day for walking, grandkids, and friends.
Here are a few photos, including one of director-playwright Jermaine Hamilton with cast members at Brandeis University.
I was so happy I managed to get to Jermaine’s senior-thesis play about inequality of U.S. high schools, Bridging the Gap. What a challenge to make it work for both his social sciences major and his theater minor! A great bunch of natural actors and Jermaine’s lighting and sound collaborators pushed it over the finish line, and judging from the audience comments in the talk-back, the issues that the play presented struck chords.
Jermaine has a teaching job lined up for next year, after graduation. The school is lucky to have him.
Jermaine, standing, joins his cast for a talk-back with the audience. The other pictures are walking-around shots.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged environment, flowers, gardens, grass seed, mass challenge, mass innovation nights, microsoft nerd, mister smarty plants, pearl's, planting, postaday, spring on May 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The big thermometer on the garage may have said 40 degrees when I woke up this morning, but I’m still thinking spring.
My husband has planted an array of annuals and perennials, and both kids are seeding lawns.
Since I am rather a fan of Mass Challenge winners and I also had a heartfelt testimonial from Mimsey, I encouraged both families to try a 2010 Mass Challenge winner, Pearl’s Premium grass seed.
Mimsey said that she had thrown Pearl’s into a wooded area next to her house, expecting nothing. Before she knew it, a lovely velvety carpet had grown there. Sounded to me like the beans Jack’s mother threw away that led to Jack’s adventures at the top of a beanstalk.
And speaking of plants, the plant identification site Mister Smarty Plants, a big supporter of this blog, needs my support tonight. So if you would like to help him get recognition at a Mass Innovation Night on June 10, vote for him here. It took me a while to figure out the voting. You have to vote for four entries in the event and make a comment. But you don’t have to give your name. Thanks!
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