Desperately Seeking Sunshine

The weatherman on TV says that we have had fifteen straight days with measurable rain.  Today makes sixteen.  It's so damp ... I feel as if I'm going to mildew.

In order to do what I can to make it through this till the sun returns, and to soothe those of you who are suffering along with me, I will share some recent images of sunshine.  At the very least, it will help me remember what sunshine actually looks like.

Our house faces east, so the rising sun lights our family room.

Looking the other direction, we have sunrise as seen through the windows of the family room bay.

As the sun rises, it illuminates our barn and the trees in the distance, slowly, spreading from top to bottom.

Our critters are accustomed to the sunshine patterns, and they know exactly where to nap to get the best sun.  One of the leather chairs in our family room is a favorite spot ... the following photos were all taken on the same morning, as each cat took their turn in the chair.

Dorothy

Maggie

Alice

Maggie is especially adept at seeking out and enjoying the warmth of a sunshine spot.

Morning sun on the family room rug.

Mid-day sun on a south-facing windowsill.

I often find Alice in the foyer like this.

As the day progresses, and the sun comes over the house, the dining room becomes THE place to be.  One afternoon, I walked in and saw this scene.

"They consulted counsel about it and found a loophole," said a friend when she saw this photo.

Whether it's sunny or cloudy, I often find Ruby at this window watching critters in the backyard.

Judging by the direction of her gaze, I suspect that she is watching a groundhog.

This wet, cold weather pattern MAY break over the weekend.  I hope it does ... not that I'm complaining, you understand.  All this rain has its advantages.  My garden is enjoying the grey skies and rain, and the grass ... oh my lord, you should see the grass.  It's very, VERY tall, and WAY too wet to mow.  I have roses to plant, but I need to wait to do that till the soil dries out a bit.  On the plus side, the saturated soil makes it really easy to pull weeds in my rose and perennial beds.  I have been getting out to do just that whenever it's not actively raining.  Not ideal, but I gotta do what I can to feed my need to be outside and get as much of my spring clean-up finished before rose season ... which will be here soon, whether I'm ready or not.  I'm okay with that.

Friday Photo Dump

I have some photos in my blog file on this computer that I have been holding onto, waiting to find inspiration to work them into blog posts ... inspiration has been elusive.  I just got the idea to lump them all together into one post.  No rhyme or reason, just little slices of life and images that I was fortunate to catch in the moment.

1.  Last month, I saw a link to the Sotheby's web site with the online catalog for the estate auction of the Duchess of Devonshire.  I was so impressed by the first few pages of the catalog on my iPad that I clicked over to their online store and ordered a hard copy to savor and to have forever.  The auction was on March 2.  Click HERE for a gallery of items and results.

The portrait of the Duchess on the cover of the catalog tells me that she must have been a very unique person.  Carefully staged with ancestral portraits, sculpture, formal gown, jeweled tiara ... and flopped-out sleeping dogs.  Love it!

2.  Here is an example of what water can do when it freezes.  This antique soft-fired brick (or what's left of it) is laying near the outlet for our rain gutter, so it was saturated.  Repeated cycles of winter weather freezing and thawing completely blew it apart.  This is the power of science in action.

3.  Early in the morning, I regularly run out to the front porch with my camera or phone or iPad to try to capture colorful sunrises when I see them.  This was one of the prettiest, and I was lucky that my photo captured it nicely.

4.  I snapped this photo of Ruby the other day.  I was reading, and she was in a sunshine spot at the other end of the sofa, sound asleep.

Yes, she was snoring.

5.  While Ruby was snoozing, Dorothy was behind me on her rug in the windowsill watching birds.

6.  This is my most recent awesome thrift store purchase.  Our grandson and I went to Salvation Army last week with a load of stuff to donate, and we cruised through the store to see what we could find.  At $3, this cordless electric wine opener was worth taking a chance on.  Plugged it in and charged it overnight, and found that it works perfectly!

7.  In winter, this girl's attention turns to boots.  These are my newest.  An ad for them popped up on someone's sidebar last week, and I loved them instantly.  I went to the Country Outfitter site, the boots were on sale with free shipping, saw overwhelming favorable reviews ... add to cart ... click!  They arrived yesterday, just in time to bring them along with me to this weekend's American Rose Society Colonial District Spring Meeting.  I love them even more in person, and they are really, really comfy.

It's easy to capture little moments as they happen, with a camera phone in my purse or pocket, or an iPad at arm's length most of the time.  I get the feeling that the Photo Dump, as an easy way to share, may become a regular theme around here.

Thirty Days of Mr. Rogers ... Day Six

Mr. Rogers says, "Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work, but it's worth the effort.

Our view of sunrises is limited, and it is a rare morning when I can capture images like this.  The horizon is blocked by the trees that line the east side of our road.

"Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life"

We have more of a chance to see beautiful sunsets.  There is an open view from the back of our house westward over the winery, with woods beyond in the distance.  I love to sit on evenings like this one and watch the colors develop and fade as the sun sets.

Me:  We all evolve as we get older.  I have always thought that the insides of people don't ever really change ... instead, the extraneous parts of ourselves fall away and the true essence gets distilled and grows into a more major part of what we see in our older-self personality.  If you've always been a good, positive person, that goodness becomes even stronger and the positive energy that results is infectious and magnetic.  If you tend toward being a negative, judgmental person, chances are that you have aged into a someone that is surrounded by negativity and discontent.  If this negative nature sounds like you or someone you know, I don't think the situation is hopeless.  I also believe that there is always time to make a conscious change in life, and set off onto a healthier, more positive path.

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During the month of November, I plan to share wisdom from Mr. Rogers with you each day (from the book "The World According to Mr. Rogers") ... Mr. Rogers's words accompanied by everyday images from life here at Hartwood Manor ... this place that I am blessed to call HOME.

Sunday Snapshot ... Sunshine

At the start of the day, my favorite place to sit is at the end of the bar counter between our kitchen and dining room.  It gives me a wonderful view of the rear of our property as the sun rises on the other side of the house, and the yard fills with morning light and long, dark shadows.

We are enjoying a wonderful spell of warm-but-not-too-hot weather, with bright sunshine, blue sky, and low humidity.  This is exactly what summertime in Virginia is NOT, for the most part.

Winnie enjoys the weather as much as I do.

In the spirit of honesty and full disclosure, I admit that Winnie wasn't doing a happy-in-the-sunshine roll on her back.  She had sniffed out and was rolling on a dead worm.  (what a weird dog)

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

Are You a Morning Person?

I'm a morning person ... I know this admission doesn't come as a surprise to most of you.  I like to get up early, when the house is dark and quiet, to have an hour or two all to myself.

This morning's sunrise, as seen from my front porch.

It's time that I use to sit and answer email, read blogs, surf Pinterest, snuggle with Ruby and/or the cats, and get myself centered and mentally prepped for the day ahead.  

How about you?  Do you do best in the morning, or are you a night owl?

Sunshine At Last!

I was standing here in my usual spot at the peninsula in the kitchen earlier this morning, catching up on happenings in the cyber-world while the dogs and cats were finishing their breakfast, and something wonderful happened.  After seven consecutive days of grey, wet weather, we have bright sunshine and blue sky outside! 

View from my spot at the peninsula through our dining room window, toward our barn at the back of the property.

 

 

It is windy and cold, but that's okay ... the sun is out, and I am going to need sunglasses when I go out to the store later today.  There sunshine puddles throughout the house for the cats to enjoy, and the baby roses in the greenhouse should be warm and toasty by mid-afternoon. (I'm not running the heat in there this winter, so solar heat is all it gets.)

 

Later today, if everything goes even remotely as planned, I expect to be hanging clothes in our new master bedroom walk-in closets!  (cue the happy dance!)  Finishing the outer part of the new wall, with all the doors and molding?  I'm going to make like Scarlett O'Hara on this one ... tomorrow (or whenever) is another day.

 

Through the Window

My sweet husband has the flu.  I'm doing what I can to limit my exposure to him and his germs, while making sure that he takes his medicine and gets enough to drink.  I don't want to be this disease's next victim. 

Last night was my second night sleeping on the sofa, leaving our bed to my husband and his germs ... I'm thankful that our family room sofa is really comfortable to sleep on.  When I woke up yesterday morning, the room was filled with lovely violet light.  I turned toward the window, and this is what I saw.

 

 

That's Dorothy on the left and Alice on the right, silhouetted against the sunrise, mesmerized by all the birds that were outside the window.  How lucky was it that I had my iPad at hand to capture the scene!

 

I hope my husband will feel a bit better when he wakes up this morning.  The flu is a nasty, nasty thing.