The natural world is, today, in its monochromatic phase. A squirrel leaps from snowdrift to the crab apple. It's the only place where you'll see color right now (not in the squirrel who is, predictably, gray, but in the bits of fruit still clinging to the tree -- faded remnants of another day, another season).
Never mind. It's all inconsequential. We were to have more snow, we didn't have more snow, we may get a half an inch of wintry mix, or not -- these are the details of a day that matter if you can't rid yourself of a preoccupation with the dragginess of this winter. Me, all I can see is the string of sunny days down the pike (starting soon!). Everything else is just a wait, made tolerable in the way that airport waits are made tolerable by images of what lies ahead.
Breakfast is fine. Ed isn't going to give me an easy shot, though again, it hardly matters when there are copious bunches of daffodils and ever-exploding orchids in the frame.
You would think I'd be dragged down, too, by the small amount of sleep I logged in last night. Sometime midway through the night it struck me that the bright days ahead will be a lot more fun for Snowdrop if she has a jacket that isn't as huge, or as confining as a snowsuit for our outdoor adventures. There I was, a 3 a.m. shopping for my granddaughter. Successfully! (I hope.) Next week will reveal whether she appreciates my efforts on her behalf.
In fact, I'm not dragged down at all. I am cloyingly chipper and happy, all the more so because little Snowdrop is dropped off at the farmhouse for her Tuesday visit.
(cheek to cheek with mousie)
The little one cycles through a lot of terrain today! Play with mousie, play with moosie, play with grandma's camera, sleep, squirm, eat and then another round! Consider her day in this whirligig of photos (some on a self-timer, which makes for its own interesting game!):
(her "I'm not a newborn anymore" face)
(let's go wild with Minnesota moosie!)
(grandma, you are not moosie!)
(grandma, could you hold me?)
(okay, I'm happy again)
(very happy.)
(and very tired)
She leaves. I turn off the music that she enjoys so much. Suddenly the farmhouse is quiet. Too quiet.
Never mind. It's all inconsequential. We were to have more snow, we didn't have more snow, we may get a half an inch of wintry mix, or not -- these are the details of a day that matter if you can't rid yourself of a preoccupation with the dragginess of this winter. Me, all I can see is the string of sunny days down the pike (starting soon!). Everything else is just a wait, made tolerable in the way that airport waits are made tolerable by images of what lies ahead.
Breakfast is fine. Ed isn't going to give me an easy shot, though again, it hardly matters when there are copious bunches of daffodils and ever-exploding orchids in the frame.
You would think I'd be dragged down, too, by the small amount of sleep I logged in last night. Sometime midway through the night it struck me that the bright days ahead will be a lot more fun for Snowdrop if she has a jacket that isn't as huge, or as confining as a snowsuit for our outdoor adventures. There I was, a 3 a.m. shopping for my granddaughter. Successfully! (I hope.) Next week will reveal whether she appreciates my efforts on her behalf.
In fact, I'm not dragged down at all. I am cloyingly chipper and happy, all the more so because little Snowdrop is dropped off at the farmhouse for her Tuesday visit.
(cheek to cheek with mousie)
The little one cycles through a lot of terrain today! Play with mousie, play with moosie, play with grandma's camera, sleep, squirm, eat and then another round! Consider her day in this whirligig of photos (some on a self-timer, which makes for its own interesting game!):
(her "I'm not a newborn anymore" face)
(let's go wild with Minnesota moosie!)
(grandma, you are not moosie!)
(grandma, could you hold me?)
(okay, I'm happy again)
(very happy.)
(and very tired)
She leaves. I turn off the music that she enjoys so much. Suddenly the farmhouse is quiet. Too quiet.
Those bits of dried fruit are wonderful for color this time of year. Even better, I find myself thinking they're more than just faded remnants of a past season. They're the sustenance of seasons to come. When robins begin showing up those will be some of their favorite foods, which will keep them going while pickings are still slim during the fickle early Spring times. And the seeds, maybe more trees will sprout to feed more birds some time in the future.
ReplyDeleteYes, we get droves of robins because of them. One tiny downside: I spend HOURS picking hundreds of new sprouts from the garden all summer long!
DeleteSo THAT's why we have tons of robins around here now-a-days! The crabapple tree? Thanks for that tidbit... I did not know that! xox
DeleteOh how I love seeing all these photos of Snowdrop! But that last photo, when she is just passed out, asleep, may be my favorite -- I well remember the days when my babies would go from awake to asleep as if someone had flipped a switch. It's a gift, that ability to sleep! She is such a joy! Thank you for sharing her with us. :)
ReplyDeleteGood description: a flipped switch. Though, there is a bit of squirming that takes place before the light goes off!
DeleteYour beautiful posts filled with love, joy and your grandchild bring a smile of pleasure to my face. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, dande. There is a lot of good stuff in this world -- I'm so lucky to be in the thick of it right now.
DeleteDande, you said it perfectly, must have read my mind!
DeleteA beautiful post of your Tuesday with snowdrop...a weekly series maybe??
ReplyDeleteAhhh, travel interrupts! It always does. Snowdrop has a disappearing, travelin' grandma. Though you know, I think on balance, that's a good thing.
DeleteThe last photo of you and Snowdrop... the complete trust babies have. So complete. It's a beautiful thing to see.
ReplyDeleteAnd sad to think that someday someone or something will snatch it away. I wish the world could be as perfect as that photo of you and Snowdrop. Love.
Funny, I was just thinking those same thoughts this week. Not that the photo is perfect, but that babies come with the most beautiful set of emotions. They respond to kindness with kindness. They trust you and ask only that you trust them to be the best they can be. How is it that over the years, we mess with it all and create the chaos that we have on this planet today?
DeleteSigh...
But, love.