whimsy

These frogs have solar-powered eyeballs!!! They are living on the lawn of my new tutee~when I told her that I liked her frogs, she came rushing outside because she thought I saw some live ones and she wanted to see them too!

First daffodils of the season~making me wish I could be driving up to Bob/Ellen's farmhouse to see the yard of blooms.

Are these snowdrops? They're teeny-tiny. 

Squinty McSquint

The SUNSHINE has returned, after what feels like weeks of droopy grey drizzle.

I was surprised to find my name on a classroom door when I arrived on campus yesterday. I am only teaching a four-week term. Made feel jazzed~I don't remember what author said that they always thrilled to find their name in print~even if it was only in the phone book.

oh yes, sometimes that light does surprise

Just heard from a former student (one I didn't know super well)~she's spending her senior year of college living in Lithuania because I showed a documentary (The Singing Revolution~because I sang with an Estonian choir conductor while in grad school and he got me tuned into their country) in a small school on Bainbridge Island several years ago.

Reminds me of the quote about how we never stand so tall as when we're standing on the shoulders of others.  Feeling so humbled/proud/inspired.

out/about

A cool chandelier made out of silver spoons.

A scrumptious little pastry. 

Breakfast with my brother this week at his new east coast office which is around the corner from this office.

I reallllly need to learn how to do make-up like this.

harbinger?

A freakish day of 80 degrees and slight sunburn.

happy halloumi

It was a gorgeous day of 70+ degrees, so I wandered around Embassy Row while waiting for my cousin. I'd not walked around that area yet and it was stunning.

I wanted to attend the Around the World event last year, but was on dorm duty. I am SO going this year! Food, music, and dancing from around the world all on one street? Sounds like just my kind of outing.

We had dinner at the bookstore cafe~sitting outside and nibbling on vegetable/risotto tots and the salty goodness of toasted halluomi cheese. 

Three hours of chatting and the excellent food did my soul all kinds of good!

smitten with spices

Back to Penzey's for a couple of gifts to give and came away with gifts from them to me. 

I cannot say enough good about this company.

homemade love

This Valintines card for Ant Lorie will be saved forever!

flux

Had a lovely long hike on Saturday and spent some happy moments listening to this creek.

Cosy afternoon. 

And then, some of the largest snowflakes I've seen started drifting down.

I really do love snow~as long as I'm not having to commute in it.

Change is afoot. Again. My housemate is getting married and buying a home with her man, so I'm back to the house/job hunting cycle again.

attention paying

'The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.' 

~Julia Cameron

Some times,

Love isn't about candy and flowers~

it can be the taciturn cousin who changes brake pads on a drizzling afternoon.

SO grateful to have safe braking abilities again.

artistry

I feel lucky that the Aveda Institute where I get my hairs done is just a block away from the National Portrait Gallery and that I was able to go and see the Obama portraits that were unveiled last weekend. 

Whatever the opinion on style/artistry, there was a reverence and joyful tears in most of the people standing in the queues to see the portraits. 

Another new exhibit~I never did figure out what the sentence was saying as it scrolled around the tube. 

My favorite sculpture here~La Chandelle. (The painting makes me laugh as it looks like a cartoon character looking at the candle/window.)

Some fun graffiti for Valentines.

I never knew this! 

Dignity personified.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

Happy Year of the Dog!!

We’re Building the Ship as We Sail It
~Kay Ryan

The first fear being drowning,
the ship’s first shape was a raft,
which was hard to unflatten after that didn’t happen.
It’s awkward to have to do one’s planning in the early years –-
so hard to hide later:
sleekening the hull, making things more gracious.

Another week of staying afloat. While I do love the ocean, would like to spend some time on solid ground for awhile.

meanwhile, on the left coast

Shamrocks are blooming. 

As are the violet's transplanted from Willamina (the Dunston grandparent acerage.) 

Nephews and feline enjoy their Valentine cards. 

And the family patriarch celebrates 79 cycles around the sun!

buying my own roses

in the form of some lovely rose water. What did you do for yourself/others today? 

and speaking of that succulent life

I finally took down my Christmas tree in time for Mardi Gras! Go ahead and roll those eyes~but I just saw a LIVE tree being carried out to the trash heap this afternoon. 

Since my space looks so stark and bare, I got a cute pot of plants at Trader's on the way home. 

Saw this fort on my walk and it brought back memories of roaming the woods/creeks in my happy childhood.