lizziebelle

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Life has been pretty uneventful lately, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Especially in winter. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel; the willows are turning that yellowish color, and all the winter merchandise has gone on clearance in the stores. Hey, I bought a pair of $70 boots for $30, I know how to work the sales. All those years in retail haven't entirely gone to waste.

That handsome fella above is Izzie, my friends' cat. I was kitty sitting earlier this month, and as he and his sister were starved for attention, I got followed everywhere. Even to the bathroom. Silly beasts.

I'm making tentative plans for a possible trip to California. I have never been there, and an old friend extended an invitation to stay with him in L.A. last time he was visiting. And I know a couple of folks from here who live there, too. So I'll investigate fares, check with my friend for possible dates, and hope for the best. My niece, and my bro & sis-in-law, all visited there last year, and it's one of those places (like New York or D.C.) that I've seen on TV and in movies all my life. I have a list of places I want to see. If you've been, what were your favorite places?

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: the salt mines
Crossposts: https://lizziebelle.livejournal.com/899209.html

We've reached that part of winter when I am officially sick & tired of it, but spring is far too long in the future so the light at the end of the tunnel seems like a pinprick. Add to that the forecast for at least a foot of snow this weekend, and I'm pretty much done. I'm really hoping they're wrong, and we get much less. I'm getting too old to shovel all that by myself.

I haven't been out taking many pictures, either. It's been too cold, and I just haven't felt like it. Which makes me feel guilty, because I should be making art. It makes me feel better.

I got to kitty-sit my favorite felines when my friends went on a trip to Peru last month. I got a few good shots of them, like this one of Izzie enjoying the sunshine. He's such a photogenic cat.

This one of our local greasy spoon caught my eye when I went to the library last week. I would like to have gotten a wider shot, but that would've involved standing in the middle of the rotary at rush hour, so I had to settle for this. I love that neon.

I did make it over to Danforth Falls on New Year's Day, which was a pretty mild one. All the rain we've had in the past few weeks made for lovely rushing water cascading over the falls. Love those negative ions! It felt good to just stand there and listen to the water. I dragged a friend along with me, and she was glad I got her out of the house. It was a nice way to start off the year.

So I'm hanging in there, trying not to give in to all the negativity around me. Some days are hard, but on the whole I'm doing OK.

How are you holding up?

Current Mood: blah
Current Location: the salt mines
Crossposts: https://lizziebelle.livejournal.com/899028.html

Since you saw me here last, Autumn has come and gone. It was another disappointing year for fall color; this year it was too much rain, while last year it was too little. I did get to see an owl, though.

Earlier this month, I spent a weekend in NYC. I didn't realize when I booked it that it was Marathon weekend, and Central Park was full of people. Thousands of people. But I wanted to scout out a couple locations I had seen on Doctor Who, like the Bow Bridge and the Bethesda Fountain.

I didn't see any Weeping Angels, and I still haven't found the big rock Amy and The Doctor were sitting on while reading. Next time!

Two of my cousins and I went to the Harry Potter/History of Magic exhibit at the New York Historical Society. It's the same one that was in London last year. That was fun, but they didn't allow photographs. Boo, hiss. That's two Harry Potter exhibits I've seen in New York, and I couldn't get pix of either.

The following week, I got to see "Hamilton" in Boston with Leenah. That was fantastic! Totally lives up to the hype. I hadn't seen a show in I don't know how long.

Winter has come early to New England. We've already had snow, and yesterday it didn't get out of the 'teens. But at least we're not on fire, like California! I've been so worried for my friends there. Even if they're not in the path of the flames, the air quality has been awful. Anyone who still denies Climate Change is only fooling themselves.

I'm spending this long weekend catching up on reading, and the shows I have saved on my DVR. Hopefully it will be mild enough in the next couple of days to spend some quality time outside, too. Avoiding malls and shopping centers if at all possible. The small amount of holiday shopping I do will be with local merchants. I'd rather spend my money there than with giant corporations.

Still loving my car. Her name turned out to be "Daisy." She made it through her first snow with flying colors.

Went to the doctor (routine visit) and I'm back on antidepressants again. Hopefully I won't retreat into myself for the dark part of the year this time. Winter is always difficult for me. Cold and darkness are not my friends. It would be nice to be able to enjoy things this winter.

What good things have you enjoyed lately?

Crossposts: https://lizziebelle.livejournal.com/898716.html

We didn't quite get the 12+" that were forecast, but we still got a respectable amount of snow today. Hard to tell with all the blowing and drifting, but it looked like at least 8". I know they got more out in the western part of the state (see

asakiyume's latest post). It took me a good hour to shovel off the deck, stairs, and around my car. :::oof:::

At least I didn't have to drive in it. My employers let everyone work from home today. I've never done that before. It was a little strange doing my job in my living room, but it was so nice not to worry about driving in the snow or missing a day of work. We use Slack (a chat app), and it was fun reading everyone's updates throughout the day. I especially enjoyed peoples' lazy pet photos that they posted.

It's been a weird winter. Pretty mild, by New England standards, but February is always the worst month, weather-wise. Yesterday, it was in the high forties after starting out coated in ice. Quite the rollercoaster. It's true what they say about the weather here: if you don't like it, just wait five minutes.

When the weather gets like this, it feels like spring is a million years away. Especially after getting a tease of it, like we did this week. It doesn't help that I see pictures of snowdrops and daffodils from friends in warmer climes. It's not that I hate winter; I just wish it didn't last so long.

Winter doesn't officially begin for another couple of weeks, but it's already here. The trees are bare, the grass is turning brown, the dry reeds along the river whisper in their dry voices that it's fallow time. The days are short, and still getting shorter. Even the relatively mild days we've been having give way to long, frosty nights.

I'm thankful for nice days, especially on the weekend, when I can get outside and enjoy the woods and the river. Who knows how many days like this we will have before spring?

The male cardinal finally deigned to show himself and allow me to take his portrait. I wonder if it's the same one that woke me with his warbling at 4:30 in the morning last summer...

I'm becoming cautiously optimistic that this arctic winter will eventually end. It actually got above freezing a couple of times this past week, melting some of the ice & snow buildup. I finally got it all off the deck. I even went for a walk a couple of times, although I didn't go too far because we also had some sub-zero temps and there is a lot of ice. I don't fancy slipping and falling on it. No broken bones for me, thank you very much. And I don't want to jinx it, but it's been over a week since we've had more than a couple inches of snow. My back, arms, and shoulders are thankful.

I can't wait to get back out in the woods.

Snow, blah blah, cold, blah blah, cabin fever... here, look at this lovely cardinal hanging out in my hedge!

I've been watching the birds flit about in the shrubbery out back this morning, and I managed to catch a couple with my camera. Here is a dark-eyed junco, ID'd with the Merlin app on my iphone.

I highly recommend the app; it was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and is really easy to use. You choose the size of the bird, major colors, and where you are, and it presents you with several birds it could be. It's worked perfectly for me every time I've tried it. It's probably US only, though.

It's so nice to see the sunshine today. Too bad it's not warm enough to melt some of the tons of snow we have. We've gotten more than 70" in the past 30 days. I'm 68" tall. For you Europeans, that's 173cm. Yeah. It's getting downright dangerous to make a left-hand turn these days, with snowbanks more than ten feet high on the corners.

At least it's pretty.

I've been posting flower pictures over on Tumblr for the past couple of days, because my world is covered in white stuff. I thought I'd spread the wealth a bit over here, too. Enjoy!

I miss walking in the green woods. I'm tired of being cold, tired of shoveling snow, tired of slipping & sliding on the sidewalk. I have reached Winter Fatigue. If I won the lottery today, the first thing I'd buy is a plane ticket to someplace warm.

I don't even want to think about Monday's forecast. The snow is already up to the fourth step. We're running out of places to put it all.

I'm also tired of being grumpy. Spring cannot come soon enough for me.

Tell me something good?

The total snowfall in my town, according to NOAA, was 36". We hit the jackpot. Nearby Worcester set a record for most snow from a single storm. It took me over an hour to dig out my car today.

That huge hump on the right was my car before I cleared it off.

I was saving the deck for tomorrow, because I was just done after the car, but my landlord just shoveled it off for me, bless him.

This is one of those times when I wish I had a bathtub. Must settle for a hot shower instead. And Advil.

ETA: Here is the car after I cleared her off:

We got a bit of snow overnight. It's hard to tell how much, because it's blowing & drifting, but there's well over a foot so far, and still coming down. I am so not looking forward to digging out. The state is pretty much closed down; I hear we're not even getting mail delivery today.

I hope those of you in the path of this storm are safe & warm, and those of you who are not, count your blessings!

It's been relatively mild all week, and yesterday was bright & sunny so I went for a nice long walk over at the Assabet Wildlife Refuge.

It was a perfect day for walking in the woods. This time I stuck to the forest trails, and found all sorts of interesting lichens, mosses, and fungi.

( Into the woods... )
I'm kinda hoping this will be a mild winter. We had two nasty ones in a row; we're due for a good one.

winter geese, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I've spent most of the weekend indoors, as it's suddenly winter here. Today it didn't get much above 20 degrees, with a wicked wind that sounded very cold. I did get out for a bit yesterday, walking down to the river where the geese floated serenely, unaware of what was coming.

It actually snowed a little bit overnight, just a dusting which got mostly blown away during the day.

I spent much of yesterday parked in front of the telly, watching Doctor Who. I loved the 50th Anniversary special, which I won't spoil for those of you who haven't seen it yet. I was clapping and grinning from ear to ear at the end. I'm going to see it in 3D at the theatre tomorrow night with a couple of friends, and I can't wait to see their reactions!

It's going to be a short workweek; we have three days off for Thanksgiving, which will be nice. But the pressure will be on for Monday and Tuesday to make sales, because it'll be the end of the selling month for us. Cross your fingers for me! I need all the luck I can get.

witch hazel, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Even though it feels like winter has been endless, I saw signs today that it will end. Melting snow, green things poking out of the ground, and these witch hazel blossoms brightening up the park. I took a nice long walk today, and it felt good to be moving. This winter had made me a slug, with the sidewalks and paths covered in snow and ice much of the time. Maybe by next weekend, I'll be able to get out into the woods! That would make me very happy.

stunning, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I was hoping the weather forecast for yesterday would be wrong. Well, it was, but in the other direction. Instead of 12+ inches, we got 20+ inches of snow. Heavy, wet snow.

I had to dig my way down the stairs and out of the driveway in the morning, and back up the stairs when I got home. I had to clean off the car twice, because it snowed all morning and into the afternoon. The roads were still in lousy shape into last night.

At least I had a good day at work. They bought us breakfast at the café, and got pizza for lunch. And I had a sale from a customer I'd been working on for a while. So it was worth digging out for. Around 3:30, my boss came back and said everyone else had left, so we could go home if we wanted to. You didn't have to ask me twice!

Our awesome handyman cleared the driveway with the snowblower. I made him hot chocolate when he finished.

We were rewarded with a spectacular sunset at the end of the day. And it's supposed to be in the forties and fifties for a few days, so much of this will melt. Equinox is just a couple of weeks away. Spring will get here eventually. And the sun is out. So things could be worse.

But still. Enough with the snow!

( Too much. )

Friday night, I went to see Heart at the Hanover Theater in Worcester. The show was fantastic; they did all my favorites, including Keep My Love Alive, These Dreams, Magic Man, Crazy on You and lots more. And of course they did a Led Zeppelin song, Black Dog. B and I went to a nice Tapas restaurant before the show and had sangria and yummy food. We both enjoyed the show immensely. I heart Heart!

I have loved them since I was 15, and I heard Magic Man for the first time. I love it when women rock! They still have it, in spades. One of the best shows I have ever seen.

Yesterday, I just couldn't get warm, so I went back to bed and slept for a few more hours. I guess the week finally caught up with me. At least I didn't get sick after going to New York like I did the last two times I went. I just had a day of feeling yucky. Today I am much better; I actually made it out this morning to do laundry and some grocery shopping.

I am really tired of being cold. I've reached the part of winter when I've had it. My hands and lips are dry as parchment. Someday, I hope to be well-off enough to go someplace warm for January and February. :::brrrr:::

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

Current Mood: cold

Captured, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

It was (relatively) warm today, and the light was gorgeous, so I took a walk along the river. I didn't see another human the whole way, but I did see (and hear) lots of birds, including a robin. I have read that some robins stay over the winter, so it didn't make me too hopeful of an early spring, but it was nice to see a symbol of spring in th snowy woods. I don't think we'll be lucky enough to have as mild a winter as we had last year. I think we've already had more snow than we did all last winter.

climbing, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

No matter what the calendar says; as is usual in New England, the seasons arrive when they get here. It's cold, therefore it is winter.

At least we had a nice, sunny weekend. I took a walk down to Grandmothers' Garden today, where everything is crispy and dormant. You can see more on my photo blog.

They finally had the movie "Hereafter" at the library, which I watched last night. It was not quite what I was expecting, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I liked that it was about the characters and their journeys, and not about the special effects or even the subject matter. Its pacing was a bit strange, and it was difficult to see how the various storylines would intersect, but overall I think it worked. I had forgotten that it was directed by Clint Eastwood; I liked that he said (in the extras) that decisions about the film were made to serve the story. He's a storyteller. That's what films should be about: story, and characters. :)

piling up, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

This fence is about hip-high on me. Which means the snow is thigh-high (and I am fairly tall). With several more inches expected tomorrow.

Eek.

I got word that the office is closed tomorrow. Thank goodness! Not that I was planning to go in, but I'm relieved that no one else will have to, either. This next storm is also supposed to be icy.

I went out for a walk today, because I may not be able to tomorrow. ( familiar sights )

I was chatting with the fellow above who was snowblowing the sidewalk. He's as sick of this as you might imagine.

I'm so glad I got out into the woods this past weekend! It might be a while before I'm able to do that again. More snow is expected Saturday. Which means I'll most likely not be going to Imbolc.

Oh, and a blessed Imbolc to all of you who celebrate! We're halfway to Spring. Six weeks until the Equinox. I don't suppose we can hope for another early spring this year...

I hope you all are safe and warm!

Current Mood: *really* tired of winter
Current Location: the snow cave

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lizziebelle

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May 2019

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