Katie likes snow. (click on photos for more fun filled details.)
Run Katie run!
A lot.
After all she’s a Sheltie and her breed comes from a rugged island in the far north.
So much snow, so little time.
Yesterday we played a little in the snow. She was really more interested in hunting the elusive chipmunk than playing Frisbee. I threw it once and she ran to catch it but then deposited it far away from me.
Subtle isn’t she.
Sitting for Mama’s stupid camera.
Lake Michigan shivers.
Last weekend I drove 4 hours ‘up north’ to visit friends and see some really beautiful snow near my favorite lake. Every time I go to Northport I feel the tug of life in the north, the extraordinary beauty there, the sense of community. I am always sad to leave.
This weekend a bit of the northern beauty, the snow, came to me.
Backyard snow.
Today as I wake to blue skies and snow clad trees I have to say there is some extraordinary beauty right here. I know. I say that all the time. But it’s true. No matter where you are there’s something beautiful to be found.
The deck waiting for summer.
Not to say that I don’t still feel that pull of Northport. Cause I do.
But home is pretty nice too.
Home again.
Katie here. I bet when Mama put up that “Wordless Wednesday – pretty” post you were expecting to see me! But I’ve got to tell you, ever since Mama went on that adventure last weekend (without me!!) she’s been way too busy. She’s too busy to play. She’s too busy to take me on a walk. She goes away every day and stays away so long I’m afraid that she’s off on another adventure but she says she’s just at work.
Well. All that ignoring me is just not acceptable. No it is not. So tonight I told her off!
Pay attention Mama!
Now that I have that off my chest I’m going to take a nap. It’s exhausting to worry about where my Mama is all the time.
I’m getting sleepy….
I need to rest up. Because tomorrow I’m going to make her nuts. It’s the least I can do.
Meanwhile, here’s a picture of beautiful me. I know that’s what you really wanted to see.
At my park. Where I never get to go lately.
Sometimes when we have days and days of snow and the sky seems dreary and spring seems far away it helps to find some color. Anywhere. Here’s some color I found way up north this past weekend. (Remember to click on the photos to see more detail.)
Pretty in pink
I think in this part of the country people go out of their way to make sure there’s a little color around all winter.
Fish flying v.s. fly fishing
Sometimes there’s color that you don’t even understand. That’s OK.
Never used by Superman
Sometimes color just makes you smile. That’s good too.
Yum! Gelato!
So if you’re feeling a little worn down by winter look around. Maybe something pretty will catch your eye. Maybe it will make you smile.
You’re one day closer to spring!
Birds waiting for the light.
Following in friend’s path.
I spent the weekend ‘up north’ in Michigan, visiting a friend up at the tip of Michigan’s little finger.
It was a wonderful weekend full of good talk and good food and lots of snow.
Chasing the snow front.
Snow is a good thing when you get to play in it rather than try to commute in it.
Peaceful.
Sure is pretty too.
Snowy orchard.
Enough now….maybe more later. I’m settling back into my real life.
Climbing the mountain of real life.
Sigh.
Good memories.
Wait! I know it’s Wordless Wednesday…but I have words I want to say. And you know I never quite know what day it is anyway. So let me tell you about community band rehearsal last night. Thanks to Ricky’s Mom I practiced at least 30 minutes every day this past week. Even when I didn’t want to. Some days it was an hour because I just got caught up in the music. Well. Only a couple times did it go beyond 30 minutes. But still.
Just a moment. A certain sheltie who will remain anonymous seems to need my attention….
There’s something OUT THERE Mama!
What? Be quiet??? Really?
Pouting.
ZZZZ z z z..z…z…
…so anyway…I was telling you about last night. We’re a community band and we use a public school to get together every Tuesday night and practice. We have a concert in a few weeks and the music is difficult. So when I woke up to the news the public schools were closed due to icy back roads I just knew the director who is a public school band director would get us in the closed building. I was right and she did, and more than that the school superintendent sent a custodian to open the building for us. We are so grateful to have the support of the school administration.
We had a wonderful rehearsal. Everyone showed up! And you could tell people spent some time on the music since last week; things fell together and there were some nice sounds. Some not so nice as well, but we have 3 more rehearsals so we can pound those out.
So thanks Ricky’s Mom! For making me accountable to practice every single night. I need to do that this week too, but I’m heading out of town this weekend. That means I need to spend time with the music tonight and Thursday night for sure.
OK Katie. Let’s go check out the scary rain before I head off to work. Silly girl.
It’s noisy Mama!
I thought you might like to see a local farmer’s field. Really. It’s the prettiest field, with a gentle set of hills and a fringe of trees. I look at it each time I drive by, and it’s a little different every day. So a year or so ago I decided to stop and photograph it once during each season. Click on the photos to see the detail…and enjoy the seasons in Michigan.
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
I was driving home from doggie school this morning when suddenly I missed my Mom so much. I don’t know what triggered it; maybe I saw something that unconsciously reminded me of her, or perhaps I heard something on the radio. I just don’t know. Do you ever have moments like that out of the blue?
Mom died almost nine years ago and in the beginning I had “Mom moments” like this all the time and just about anywhere I went. Seemed like everything reminded me of her whether I was at the grocery store or in the back yard. You could catch me crying at the oddest things and in the strangest places. As the years passed those overwhelming moments came less frequently and were less painful. Mostly now I remember things about her that make me smile.
Sometimes it seems Mom gets lost in all the stuff we do for truck safety which centers around Dad and the crash that took him from us. That work keeps Dad near the front of our minds as we work capital hill or write about truck issues from home. We’re always describing the crash and Dad and why change is so important. We don’t have a similar cause for what took Mom but her loss is just as keenly felt.
I remember a couple of years after they both died while having a bad moment I thought I’d just call Mom and ask how long it took her to recover from Grandma’s death, sort of ask for a road map for parental grief. It seemed like a good idea and made me feel better to think about talking to her. For a moment. Until I remembered again that the time to ask those kinds of questions was gone.
Today, years after she left, I am surprised at the intensity of my Mom moment. I didn’t mind when it descended on me during the drive, it felt strangely nice and rather familiar to be back in the throes of grief, as if I were giving her due, her share of attention, making sure she is still included in my life. We’re planning our next trip to Washington, so Dad is right there as usual and maybe this was a reaction to dredging up those memories again. Or maybe it was just a random thing totally unrelated.
Or maybe, sometimes, a girl just misses her Mom.
Car on the wall.
Scott has challenged us to show what winter means to us. Since I live in Michigan I suppose you are expecting snowy photos. But we don’t always have snow where I live near Detroit. Maybe you expect to see wide expanses of frozen lake. But our lakes don’t always freeze either. So what does happen each year at the height of winter here? Well, the North American International Auto Show happens in January, here in Detroit, every single year. Even in the bad years the show went on. but you can tell the auto industry is on its way back by the size of the show this year. (Click on the photos to see the detail.)
Especially beautiful were some of the concept cars…
Concept cars stretch our imagination.
…and the extraordinarily expensive cars…
This Bentley was only $135,000.
…and today’s version of muscle cars.
Life size hot wheel car.
So many cars, so many choices. It’s hard to choose! How about one of each?!
