Dormant seed pods, and other cool things.

Here's a seed pod in its' "latent" phase.

I will always love all things botanical, as today I give special "thanks" to my mom for being there with me, at home in her gardens, speaking their names to me in Latin or French whenever I wanted, (because she wrote her Master's dissertation in French way back in the early 60s, as one of the few women at her university to major in science), and for my deep, abiding love of all plant life. I think Springtime is so exciting, while we wait for life that was once dormant to burst back into riotous life. I know can't wait to see the show. Here we go again!

Up close and personal with nature!

Two seed pods are better than one!

A different view reveals a nautilus shape. Cool!

Can't wait for the "big show" to start! Gotta love Springtime.

P.S. - For a special bonus round of "good clean fun", try reading the photo captions aloud to yourself in a strong "New Yawk mutha's" type of accent. 
I dare you to not laugh while you do it!

Dark Shadows

Shadow cast across pavement.

The time has come for our annual trip around the sun, happening by increments each and every day. Shadows stretch, grow, and lengthen to longer heights; the sun sets earlier and faster. We wake up to gradually lowering temps, and we rotate our closet by exchanging space for summer clothes to winter ones. 

Why fight the laws of nature and its' choral of universal music? Time to get out your sweaters, play in the fallen leaves, and drink some hot chocolate with deliciously melting marshmallows. Just go with the flow. You really don't have much of a choice.

Shadowy outline on driveway.

Spring Snow

Overnight accumulation in the morning. Surprise!

Nature runs a bit wild on the coasts: there's hurricanes, blizzards, and sometimes extremes between warm and cold on the exact same day. We had snow at night recently, which means we woke up to it glinting off cars and sparkling in the sunlight atop freshly budding flowers, like the daffodils and forsythia; a rare but beautiful sight. 

Walking to work one April morning....in the snow.

The noonday sun burns it away quickly in the Springtime, but it leaves you with the uneasy feeling that anything can happen to you at any time, and that's the truth about reality. It's a good reminder for us about what it means to be human, and that means we are still (and always), subject to the laws of nature (despite our progress), laws that operate on a time frame that often comes in conflict with ours. There's a lesson here to be learned somewhere, but I'm sure you'll figure it out.

No? OK. For you "slower students" out there, it's this: 
you can't win in a war against Mother Nature.