No Topless, No “Smooking”

Although February is the shortest month, it feels like it’s never going to end when you’re not a big fan of winter. And now there’s another special weather statement for a storm on Monday. Yippee!

All of this frigid weather we’ve endured lately has me dreaming of summer beaches, sunny climes, and tropical getaways.

I took this photo of swimming pool rules on our resort in the Dominican Republic last spring. My man and I got a kick out of the “No Topless” symbol. Wouldn’t you agree it’s just a tad provocative titillating?

No need to warn me about the rule of “no smooking” either!

This is my contribution to Kammie’s Oddball Challenge.
Odd Ball Photos are those great photos that you take which really don’t seem to fit into a common category. We’ve all taken them and like them, because we just can’t hit delete and get rid of them. If you have any of those type of photos, this challenge is for you. – Kammie

While it is February

Perry’s Point – jenniferkellandperry.com

While it is February, one can taste the full joys of anticipation. Spring stands at the gate with her finger on the latch. ~ Patience Strong

Winifred Emma May (1907 – 1990) was a poet from the United Kingdom, best known for her work under the pen name Patience Strong. Her poems were usually short, simple and imbued with sentimentality, the beauty of nature and inner strength. – Wikipedia

When I found the above quote to accompany today’s photo, I couldn’t help but smile at the author’s pen name. “Patience Strong” is what some of us need to get through the cold and icy month of February. 🙂

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Endless Chill

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The urge to go outside is intense.
Everything is aglitter, you say, but you see my nose press against the window and the fog of my breath on the cool glass.
You acquiesce. When I step into the wintry air, I wait for a whisper of a moment, then gingerly, silently, push on.

059 (1024x752)Since my last outdoor foray, our familiar garden by the sea has transformed into an alien, frozen world, gilded with ice. Each bramble and bush laminated in a thick, crystalline coat, every amber blade dressed in its stiff raiment of frost. With a watchful step, I venture out on the crust of snow.

060 (1024x784)Nothing wiggles in the undergrowth. That is the weird thing. No voles to hunt. No shrews to track. No grass birds to chase. Somewhere, they hide, somewhere, they abide, sequestered away. A vague memory surfaces of another time when the earth, with all its movement and life, lay frozen. Will they return as before?

061 (1024x611)The wind gusts, my whiskers twitch. You did warn I wouldn’t like it.
My home is filled with warm comforts, flush with love and water and treats and a full bowl of food.
I wonder why I am here in this bleak and boreal netherworld.
057 (1024x527)My paws, by this time, are numbed by the pitiless cold.
Each tender little pad glows bright pink, like frozen raspberries.
064 (1024x782)The bliss and warm embrace of my domestic nest beckons. Despite my feral, tigerish airs, I am not a wild beast.
I have no need to brave the savage bite of winter.
I have had my fill of this endless chill and plod home, eyes on your face, gaze questioning:
Is spring only a rosy dream?

 Weekly Photo Challenge: The Rule of Thirds
Writing Form: Prose Poetry 

Calm Before the Storm

When you get a beautiful sunny day around here in the middle of February, it’s almost impossible to resist the urge to get outside and enjoy it. And especially so, when the forecast is telling you that it is the calm before yet another winter storm.

Yes, the winds are going to whip up again tonight, and we’ll have to be content with more cocooning. But yesterday my husband and I enjoyed a walk on the branch road, on perhaps the most brilliant winter day we’ve had this year.

Here is a sampling of some photos from our walk.

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View from our back deck
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Lots of ice in the Tickle
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View of Perry’s Point from the branch road
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That’s our house (light one with the matching shed)

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His nibs (just kidding 😉 )
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Some of the sparse evergreens in our immediate area

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Another little “droke”
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Back on the Point

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Plenty of “batty catters” (Newfoundland term for ice and snow formed on shoreline rocks)
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l love the calm of the blue sky and ocean

How about where you live? Are you enjoying your February weather?

Cold and Dreary February? Nahh… Part Two (Indoors)

As my last blog entry noted, I wanted to share with you the joys of my indoor life this past month (see related article below).  There were four activities that have made February a pleasure for me this winter, and they all took place in the coziness of our home.

1.  Cooking and baking Comfort Food.  And, of course, eating it!
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Aahhh…the domestic bliss I feel when I bake a batch of homemade bread on a cold winter day… the delicious aroma, the shiny plump loaves all lined up as they cool.  Without a doubt it is my favourite comfort food.  Using whole wheat flour makes it nutritious as well.

A perennial favourite among many foodies is good old macaroni and cheese.  Nothing says Comfort like my mom’s recipe.  The cheesy, bubbly goodness, with buttered crumb topping, that heavenly smell…are we hungry yet?

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Just last night I made a hearty pot of beef stew, sure to warm you right down to your toes.  The wholesome ingredients, the rich gravy;  and what goes great with a big steaming bowl?  That’s right, more HOMEMADE BREAD.  Forget it, low carb diet, you will have to wait til spring.

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2.  Watching Movies

Paul and I usually take part in what we call a Movie Blitz this time of year.  In a race before Oscar night, we have watched seven of the nine movies nominated for Best Picture.  And what a delightful cross-section this year!  There were plenty of handsome actors to choose from:  George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jean Dujardin, to name a few.  Be still, my romantic heart.

There was even a movie to satisfy my girlhood love of thoroughbreds:  War Horse.  If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s an old-fashioned sweeping epic style of picture, done in a way Spielberg is famous for.

 

3.  Book Club

Reading has been a passion of mine all my life.  I’m talking about having to read every word on a cereal box if nothing else is handy.  Our little book discussion group had a slow start, but we now have more members.  The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill was our first selection (an excellent read), and now we are in the process of selecting the next one.  For those who don’t know, the local library has actual book club kits that include many choices of wonderful books, both old classics and the latest bestsellers.  If there is anyone out there in a book club, I would love it if you could drop me a line and share your experience.

4.  Planning a Tropical Getaway

Anticipating a trip south is one of the best ways I know to cure the winter blahs.  Make it two trips and you’re guaranteed that cure.  The first one will be in three weeks for just the two of us, then another toward the end of April, where we get to spend time with friends and family.  Always fun to have a reason to take out your summer duds in February!

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As for the rest of you living in the northern hemisphere, what has kept you warm this month?

Cold and Dreary February? Nahh… Part One (Outdoors)

I have never professed to be a winter-loving person.   I don’t ski, skate or snowmobile, and here in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the winter can drag on longer than many of us like.

But it isn’t all bad.  I do like to go outdoors on the sunny days for walks, or just to take some pictures of things that catch my fanciful eye.  Last week I snapped a few shots of the glittering aftermath of a sleet storm.  It is also satisfying to find signs of wildlife…and finding wildlife itself.

(For better viewing, click on the first photo to start the gallery)

But then, as pretty as all this is, my heart is looking forward.  It waits patiently, yet eagerly for summer.

Coming soon:  Cold and Dreary February?  Nahh… Part Two  (Indoors)