Snow Mountains

My Mom is no longer able to drive so I take her where she needs to go when she does, and I often run errands for her when she is unable to go with me. Today she was needing me to get her a few items from the grocery store. I took the camera along for the trip so you could go with me for the ride.

The red thing you see here is the top of a fire hydrant. It is nearly buried under the snow that has been piled at the side of the street by the snow plows.

This sidewalk has been cleared..... sort of.

Someone didn't get his or her car moved off the street before the plow went through.

They are going to need a shovel to get it out now.

Whoever parked on top of the snow here may end up with their back tires stuck when they try to drive out of that.

Piles of snow are at all edges of the parking lot at one of the local churches.



At many intersections, it is very difficult to see if any traffic is approaching before pulling out to turn because of the walls of snow at the corners.

At the grocery store and shopping center there are snow mountains from cleaning off the parking lot in every direction you look.










There is no one here at the Kmart Garden Shop looking to buy flowers or seeds to plant today.

On the other side of this snow mountain is a four-lane road. On the other side of that road is a Monro Muffler shop.....


and the local Wal-Mart.


Down at this end, you can just see the very corner of the Wal-Mart building.

After getting the groceries, I drive back through the neighborhoods to get to my Mom's house.

This is my Mom's house on the right---the white with brick trim.

Her sidewalk is cleared off pretty well except just at this end by the driveway where the snowplow keeps filling it up again.

A mountain of snow sits in front of my Mom's house from having her driveway plowed out.

When I arrive back home, the bottom edge of my car door scrapes against the snow piled at the side of the drive when I open it to get out of the car.

For those who are wondering, yes the icicles have returned. They were gone for just a short while, but they have returned now after this last snow fall that we had.

The sky was blue today and the sun was shining in spite of temperatures in the teens.

The icicles did sparkle in the sunlight, which was pretty.



The sun was just starting to set and there were pretty colors in the sky tonight as I took this picture looking out through my kitchen window.

Dancing and Drumming

Now here is someone who is having a good time! His name is Tom Chambers, and he is a British actor perhaps best known for his role in the BBC medical drama Holby City. Tom's interest in dance led him to recreate the sequence from the 1937 film Damsel In Distress in which Fred Astaire tap dances with a drum kit. This is a video of that recreation.

Watching this, you can just see how much fun he is having. Don't miss his dazzling, celebratory "I DID IT!" smile at the end. Wow!

Seeking Refuge

For the last month or so, this sparrow has been roosting at night on the posts which support the awning over our side porch. Sometimes he is on one side and sometimes he is on the other. He is there by the time I get home from work at night, and he is still there in the morning when my son leaves for school. He disappears during the day and then reappears again in the evening.

I feel sorry for him out there. He looks so cold. I don't know of much to do for him though. He used to fly away whenever we went in and out of that door, but lately he has just been staying put. I guess he has decided that the cold is more of a threat to him than we are. I wrote a haiku poem about him.

Seeking Refuge

Under the awning--
a huddled bird seeks refuge
from winter's cold grasp.

Music Monday---Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here (lyrics)
sung by Pink Floyd

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Mellow Yellow Monday---A Bikini-clad Banana!

It's January in Ohio which means it is cold outside where I am. However, I am daydreaming about being on a sunny beach on a tropical island. So this is my contribution to Mellow Yellow Monday for this week.

This began with a picture I took of a banana from the bowl on top of the refrigerator in my kitchen.

Here is a bit of campy music to go along with the photo above.



To see who else is participating in Mellow Yellow Mondays, click the butterfly badge below.

CRASH!!

The sun was shining on Friday which made much of the ice and snow on the roof melt, slide, and fall off to the ground below. These first four photos are of the dripping, dwindling icicles outside my kitchen windows.




A large chunk of ice that fell from the eaves lies on the ground in front of my house.

I'm glad I wasn't standing on the front porch when this big section of ice let go from the eaves and smashed onto it.
Large chunks of the broken ice landed in the flower pots where my morning glories grow.

* * * * *

CRASH!

Like triumphant cymbals
in the grand finale
of the winter symphony,
ice falls from the roof
to the ground
with a CRASH!!

And the people cheer.

Soldiers In the Snow

Gabcast! Dancing With Daisy #49 - Soldiers In the Snow



Push the play button above to hear me read this poem.



Soldiers In the Snow

Dried stalks of Autumn Joy Sedum
stand at attention
in the flower bed
like soldiers in the snow.

Wearing cold, white helmets,
with stick guns at their sides,
they are guarding tender shoots
in the frozen ground below,
keeping them safe from the war of winter.

In the spring,
new shoots, green but strong,
will push up and join their ranks.

Reinforcement troops
are on the way.

Celebrating a Friend's Good Fortune---Time To Dance!

Michelle Frost who writes the blog Crow's Feet has announced that her book, First Light, has been published!!! She has given me permission to blog about her book here. WHOO-HOO!! Congratulations to Michelle! I am so happy for her and this success. You can read about her book on a special site she has created called First Light.

Here is the cover and a synopsis of Michelle's book:

"Forbidden things." Idrith pointed out grimly, Things that could be your death warrant."

"All beauty has a price, Castellan, and with all knowledge comes responsibility. The people who deal with my contact know this well, and they know the worse price of ignoring it."

"What would that be?"

"Emptiness."

Idrith dropped his gaze at last. That one word described his whole existence, "Tell me more, please."

On the harsh militant world of Sindorus, where even colours are considered sinful, three people living very separate lives are about to have those lives change forever. As deceptions are torn away, and ancient secrets brought to light, they each must struggle to find the missing pieces to the puzzle... answers that will unlock their true destiny.

Idrith, bitter and trapped in a life he never chose, is the first to discover his own fear-filled mystery. Obsessed with finding the truth behind the lies he turns to the one person he has always tried to avoid – the mysterious pilgrim, Harmion.

Aztar’s military promotion comes with an unexpected burden. A serious problem threatens the security of the entire Northerner regime and it seems that their only hope may lie in the hands of someone he was raised to think of as his enemy and inferior. Each day they struggle together to find a solution, but at night Aztar struggles alone as the secret he’s kept hidden since childhood returns to torment him.

In a world where most women have no control over their lives Daen was allowed to grow up unrestricted and far better educated than normal. Now her father’s health is failing and the running of their family estate lies in her hands… and with it the security of everyone she loves. Knowing that desperate situations call for courageous action, Daen is about to take a step that will change all their lives forever.

Michelle's book is available to order from the Amazon link below.



Please visit Michelle at Crow's Nest or at First Light to tell her hello and congratulations.

I am so happy for Michelle that I feel like dancing. Of course, I invite all of you to join in with me. Here's a fun video of a T-Mobile commercial to get us up on our feet.

Sunrise, Sounds, and a Sign (Truly Grateful Series)

This glorious sunrise greeted me this morning.

This was my view looking out from my front door.

* * * *

The temperature finally got above freezing for a bit here yesterday. Several times throughout the day I heard, "whooooosh, CRASH, woof." The whooooosh was the sound of ice and snow sliding off the roof. The CRASH was the icicles shattering on the ground below. The woof was my little poodle dog, Max's, commentary on the first two sounds. They were welcome sounds, all.



Today, the weatherman has forecast a high of 32 degrees for us. Although yesterday and today's temperatures are predicted to be short-lived with a return to colder temperatures around 15 degrees again tomorrow, I plan on enjoying the "warmer" ones as much as I can while they are here.

Walking from my car across the parking lot and into the library where I work yesterday, I also noticed that I was able to walk the entire way across without encountering a single patch of ice or bumpy, rough packed-down snow or dirty, grey snow slush to try and maneuver over, around, or through. As employees, we are required to park our cars in the parking spaces farthest from the entrance doors at the library so that our patrons can use the spots closer to the building. Many days in the past few weeks, it seemed like an Olympic feat just to be able to walk across the parking lot without slipping and falling.

* * * * *

When I got home from work last night there was a surprise waiting for me. Cassie from the blog, In Amazing Graceland, had sent me a gift in the mail. It was this wonderful sign which is now sitting on my mantle.


The words on this sign I consider somewhat of a personal theme for me, or, at least, I try to make them be that way. Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful gift, Cassie.

* * * *

Lord, for beautiful sunrises to start my day, for the welcome sounds and sights of warmer temperatures, for a little dog to keep me company and to keep me abreast of the latest "news," and for thoughtful, generous, caring friends, let me be truly grateful.