Painting...

Somehow, spring cleaning my living room has turned into sanding and painting all the trim...

Rainy Day...

The sun tried to come out...

Butternut Squash...

I received a gift from my daughter of a basket full of butternut squash...locally grown by her husband's grandfather...and needing to be used soon. I found this recipe for Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad on Orangette a long time ago and wanted to try it out...Now I can vouch for how well all these different flavors meld together...

I really want to buy her new cookbook soon...

Clam Cakes and Chowder...

It was a cloudy, chilly, windy, day at Galilee...

...a fishing village..

...with many seafood restaurants...

...you always know the fish is fresh...

...on nice days you can sit outside...

...but today was a day to stay inside...

...with hot soup.

Feet...

My last photography class assignment was

"feet"...not my favorite subject but in the end it was fun!

...the most fun and the most difficult to take were the jumping feet shots...

..Feet in the sun shots were mostly about focusing on the right spot...

...I used some older shots I took in Florida...


...and when I didn't have a model I used what was available...

Mystery Earring ...

I have a mystery story for theme thursday regarding an earring made of the mineral gold...

I was very fortunate to have a father-in-law who worked in the jewelry business...The last years of his employment he worked for a company specialising in gold - jewelry and findings. I was spoiled because of this and never had to buy my gold hoops that I adore and feel comfortable in.

Several years ago ,after my father-in-law retired, I lost one of my favorite hoops when on a vacation...I always thought I lost it in an airport...For the first time I would have had to actually spend money on them...but my children gave me an almost identical pair for Christmas that year...

The mystery in this story occurred when I returned home from my recent Florida vacation. After emptying the suitcase I turned it upside down to shake out sand that had accompanied my sandals...there on the rug was the long lost earring...and yes I had saved its mate...Where was it for all these years? I had thoroughly searched the suitcase, including taking the lining out,and I have used the suitcase on other trips...Now if only my old lost wedding ring would show up...

Finally...

I've been waiting for these crocus to blossom...they usually bloom early because they are close to the house foundation and stay warm and protected...

It has been suggested that I move these to a place where we could see them better but I prefer having them hidden...hidden beauty that you have to search for...if you forget to look for them they will quietly pass by unobserved...until the next year...

Gulf Coast Sunsets...

Monday...

Tuesday...

Wednesday...

Thursday...

Friday...

Every sunset was a celebration...

The Hood...

"There are no signposts in the sky to show a man has passed that way
before. There are no channels marked. The flier breaks each second into new
uncharted seas."
Anne Morrow
Lindbergh

...I took these pictures in my neighborhood...looks like that plane is taking off!

On the Bike Path...

Last weekend my family walked along a local bike path...

...the path makes use of an old unused rail line... You can click here to see a map...

...it was warm and there were many walkers as well as bike riders on the trail...

Along the path is a fun mosaic...




How could I not take pictures of another wonderful use for old dishes?

...the mosaic is only a short part of the walk...

...but I took a lot of pictures there...

...including a self-portrait among the broken dishes...

I fit in well there don't I?

Vernal Equinox...

Pussy Willows

Close your eyes
and do not peek
and I'll rub Spring
across your cheek -
smooth as satin,
soft and sleek -
close your eyes
and do not peek.

Aileen Fisher

Welcome to the first day of spring...

The most interesting tidbit regarding the vernal equinox that I discovered today came from Wikipedia...Although it sounds like fun, it is too cold here for me to think of suggesting this to my sailing husband...

"In Annapolis, Maryland, USA,
boatyard employees and sailboat owners celebrate the spring equinox with the
Burning Of The Socks festival. Traditionally, the boating community wears socks
only during the winter. These are burned at the approach of warmer weather,
which brings more customers and work to the area. Officially, nobody then wears
socks until the next equinox."

The Leftover Vegetables...

In honor of Theme Thursday today's blog is all about the leftover vegetables from our St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner...

...in my opinion the best part of the dinner...

The leftover potatoes, carrots, turnips, and corned beef are chopped up and cooked with onion and garlic and red pepper flakes...
...eggs are then poached on top of the hash...

...the hash and eggs are served with leftover cabbage sliced, and sauted with a sprinkle of sugar, and salt, and lots of freshly ground pepper...