snow

it's getting late for me in my day, being the early to bed gal that i am, and i wanted to quickly send this off while the feelings are still vivid.

snow.  i love it. always have.  i don't do snow sports at all.  i drive in it, long distances.  i take public transportation in it.  i walk in it.  i shovel it.  it's been in my life every year i have lived here in the midwest.  people love, love, love to complain about the snow.  i truly don't understand it as i have experienced all the same shit around it that they have, and yet i choose to look at it differently.  the same goes for any weather that isn't exactly perfect, though i have no idea what that would look like.  keep in mind that snow is crucial to every midwest farmer as is rain.  the winter frosts and snow fall kill the pests that can otherwise wreak havoc on crops if winter stays to warm, but most folks forget that.  snow fall also replenishes the great lakes that supply our every day, every minute water and without enough snow, we have low lakes come spring which can cause challenges.  so snow is very necessary here in the midwest. period.

i simply love the beauty of it.  i love how silent the neighborhood is when the storm is tapering off, be it evening or morning.  i love the mornings especially in the snow because no one wants to go out except me, the beyond committed runners and the bigger of the brave dogs.  though the small ones don't like to be shown up, so they muster themselves to get out and strut their stuff.

snow is a gift for the mind and the eyes, if you slow yourself down enough to look at it.  it covers all the ugly gray and bleak of winter here in a vibrant, porcelain white blanket.  it creates artistic outlines of all that is hibernating and helps them rest even further until it's the right time to wake up.  it makes one quiet immediately because you are in awe of its splendor and elegance as it has landed in the most perfect way upon everything.  it stops your thoughts and allows you to be so ever present in each step you make through the depth of whatever has fallen.

so this past week we have had a good amount of snow that i have been praying to the universe to bring.  everyone i know gets very frustrated with me when i tell them that i have asked for this to come.  oh well.  i am filled with glee, joy, smiles and peace when it comes and keeps coming!

this morning, i woke to another 4 inches or so that had landed and i decided it was time for a walk to the lake while it was quiet since i didn't get to that a few days ago when about 8 inches landed and i spend 2 hours shoveling.  i decided to capture some images of the beauty.  enjoy, take a walk in the snow and be well.

the neighborhood streets

historic evanston home

the yellow was beautiful against the snow

beach front of the lake

beachfront of the lake & sailboat docking

frozen lake michigan

swings waiting for a warm bottom to fill them 

the fortress longing to be climbed upon

the lonely bench waiting for a passerby to pause

the architecture of the landscape

trees showing their stunning structure

the hardy hydrangea serving as a hideout 

for any tiny winged bird

a vision of beauty

yes it has been quite some time & even i have felt the absence.  well, most who know me, understand life's hand in mine these past months and the road it turned me upon.  only good things come to me in my life, i believe strongly, and i also believe that i will end up more prosperous and abundant than even before.  so, i move forward.

and with the beautiful snow that has transformed our city, for which i am most grateful & excited about, i thought it would be a good time to recall visions of beauty over the last months that i didn't get a chance to share.

flowers.  truly one of mother nature's most spectacular gifts to us, or at least to me.  i cannot get enough of them - ever!  i am always in awe of each one i linger over, trying to decide what this week's pick of the farmers market will make it into my home.  of course i only bring home what's being shared at the market, from the first week to the very end, which makes it so very wonderful to see the transition of the seasons through flowers.  

there is one farmer in particular i speak of, eddy gast, who is truly one of the most gifted farmers i know - on every level.  chicken, pork, eggs, succulents, fruit (oh my, the most delicious peaches and plums by far!), vegetables, plants AND flowers.  you do not want to get in a argument with him about anything but in particular about flowers.  he knows all the heirlooms from the old world, as he refers to his homeland (though he was born here), and he can tell you when a plant or flower has been messed with in its dna.  and he doesn't have a problem doing so.  i adore him to the core, and i ask him a zillion questions each week just to soak up his knowledge and pass it along to anyone who will listen.  not many do.

so i have a long sampling here of what beauty came along this past year all the way through christmas.  the only ones i didn't snapshot were my paper whites, which performed in the weirdest way i have ever seen.  not photo worthy this year. 
enjoy & be well.

lilies are the biggies in late spring to come out & stargazers

are just spectacular.  not to mention their scent which is a sweet, 

mid note, sugary & airy as it disperses 

sunflowers, zinnias, dahlias, marigolds, snapdragons & other delights 

provide a cornucopia of texture and color that just keeps performing 

gladiolas have also made their presence known for some weeks 

come june.  they are just stunning to look at as their 

blossoms open further & further to reveal the detail of 

their breed.  the subtle fine lines of color in the throats, to the

feathery ruffles, to the tie dyed spattering.  every color so 

different from the next and so beautiful.

i pause here for a note on the tuberose, one of the 

most exotic smelling flowers on the planet.  yes of course 

gardenia & jasmine are out of this world.  

but tuberose is to me simply the most alluring, intoxicating

and divine aroma that crosses my olfactory senses.

i cannot get my nose close enough to the blossom to 

devour its orgasmic & mesmerizing drug it releases only at night.

i stand there for what feels like an eternity taking the deepest

inhales i can to ingest as much as i can.

then i give gratitude when i am done to be able to not only 

smell but to be in the same space as this splendor.

yes, hairy balls they are called to make you laugh

but their genus name is Gomphocarpus Physocarpus and 

balloon plant for monarchs is a nice name for them.

it's really the dahlias that take center stage as they

have been standing out through the heat of summer, and 

are trying to catch your eye with their stunning

array of petals.  some are like a watercolor painting and 

some have such depth & darkness that they seem 

endless.  they are a finicky cut flower for sure.

cocks comb (celosia cristata) make their grand entrance

in fall with their velvet ripples and curves. this is another

flower that i stare at for such long periods as i am 

in awe of its design, its texture, its most annoying seeds

that land every where in your house once they 

start to dry out.  and i am not joking.  the stems of the 

flower are also what i find rather interesting as they 

have these tiny little leaves that sprout all the way 

up this incredibly tough textured and wide brace 

for the heavy head.  truly beautiful.

the season winds down to late hydrangeas and the cocks 

combs above.  the hydrangea heads that i get from 

another favorite farmer of mine, sally - of stover's farms, 

are beyond gigantic and fall's abundant stunner for me.

the blossom heads dry to rusty pinks, pale blushes, sassy sky 

blue and softest of white with chartreuse edges. 

they don't need much in their mix, as they hold 

their own just fine in the vase.

last, but most certainly not least.  my collection of

amaryllis' i plant each holiday season.  i always pick

different each year with one or two regulars - temptation 

(the second photo) being one of them.  these

blossoms amaze me without fail every time.  they are

also another flower that i stare at for long periods 

of time to honor their beauty and subtlety. i always 

receive in return 2-3 stems with 5-6 ginormous blossoms

on each one.  what a show it is among all the holiday splendor 

in our house.  i wouldn't live without them during 

december and january.  they make the holidays 

all the more spectacular.