More roses, bargains, snow...

Just a few random photos to brighten the day....these are from the beautiful Valentine's Day roses from my dear husband. I love taking photos of the bouquets I receive, its as if I always have a bouquet! When I need a lift I just look at the photos and cannot help but feel better! I love roses (who doesn't?) and I have to admit that I have been showered with them over the almost 8 years Mark and I have been together. As a matter of fact on our first date (5/18/01!) he brought me roses! I was so touched as on our first Valentine's Day together Mark brought me a dozen red roses and even brought rose to Ashton (who was 10 at the time!). Now this is a habit that I don't ever want to break....
Here is a photo of a BARGAIN. The original tag price is $200.00 and what a deal I got. I have wanted a trench coat for years but I am way too cheap to pay big prices. When we took Tiz to the Mall last Saturday and she was busy trying on fur coats I found two bargains for myself.
And here is my formerly $200.00 trench coat that I paid a whopping $24.97 for! But wait, there is more....
Another coat that I have wanted for years, a simple black coat for "dress-up". This was hanging on the same rack as the trench...

The photo doesn't do it justice. Besides having a great day with Tiz, Benjamin and Allison I got two fantastic deals. I found a "spring" cup for Ashton's seasonal cup collection.
I took this photo of the reflection of the trees in Wildcat Creek on Monday. We had another big snowstorm Sunday night into Monday. We were very fortunate in that we only lost our power for 12 hours. Many people here in Maine were without power until Thursday! Ashton went to Eric's so BuddyTheElf and I snuggled under the blanket on the couch and made do. I went out snowshoeing later in the day and I think it was warmer outside than in! Having no computer or television gave me no excuse but to catch up on reading, something that I should be doing alot more! However, I did miss checking all the blogs I follow. Two bluebirds appeared Monday during the snowstorm along with another bird. It amazed me that they are still here! They are not supposed to be.
One bluebird was back on the feeder on Tuesday morning. He doesn't seem to mind the snow for being a bird that normally does not winter here in the northeast. I am looking forward to hanging a couple of bluebird boxes that my uncle Ken has made for me, in the backyard this spring. We had a pair of bluebirds all summer and with the new boxes hope to add more bird families.Even though I have to admit I am a wee bit tired of the snow I have enjoyed its beauty and even peacefulness (is that a word?) as I have snowshoed in my backyard. I snowshoe every day that I can and Mark and I have snowshoed several miles of the power line and spotted different animal tracks. We have fun figuring out who the tracks belong to. We try to get out on Fridays and Saturdays on his days off and just strike out wherever...we both love the outdoors and its "our time" together. Its also taught me to just slow down and enjoy life....I have so much to be thankful for... These photos were taken in a marsh near our home. If we hadn't snowshoed along the powerline there, we would never have found these incredible works. It was like being in another world.

Tiz goes to the Mall...

This is my very special niece Elizabeth, I call her Tiz. Saturday Uncle Mark and I took her to the Mall. It was a special day just for the three of us. My own daughter was "up north". When I asked Tiz if she would like to go with us to see Ben and Allison and then to the Mall she whispered to her mom "would she be the ONLY one going?" In other words, her older sister Robyn was not coming along she hoped. Robyn is very understanding and we have had many trips over the years. When we picked Tiz up we found a "vision in pink", a pink jacket and a sundress! It was in the 30's or so but the little lady wanted to look just so...She seems to have acquired a habit similar to her cousin Ashton-sunglasses, camera and case and her Nintendo game accompanied her. She told me she got $20 from her mom and $7 from her dad, and maybe he would give her a credit card. No such luck! We went to Uniforms Express to pick out scrubs for her Mom's job. We found a top that we thought Mom would like and Tiz found coordinating pants. Then I found a Tinkerbell scrub top for her mom. Tiz was so excited and said it was perfect for her mom. She then decided that maybe she and I should be in the nursing field so we could wear cute scrubs. She was fascinated by a bright orange pair of pants and wondered if they could be worn hunting...Then on to have lunch with Ben and Allison. We all had a nice lunch (Tiz was happy to have macaroni and cheese) and then we all headed for the Mall. One could almost smell the money burning in her purse....
The highlight of the trip was to the "Build-A-Bear Workshop", http://www.build-a-bear-workshop.com/. Tiz picked out a High School Musical bear for her very own and helped "stuff" the bear and to give "Mady" a heart.

Then "Mady" was placed in her new "mom's" arms to make sure the bear felt "just right", then a charming pledge to repeat before giving "Mady" her heart.

Then off to give the bear a bath and blow its fur dry. I believe the adults enjoyed watching the process as much as Tiz did taking good care of her bear. And the choices of outfits! There was something for every bear- dresses, shorts and tops, shoes, boots, eyeglasses, Red Sox uniforms, military uniforms, pacifiers, bathrobes, sleepwear, socks, wigs and even bear underwear. "Mady" would soon be wearing a silver skirt, blue top and black high heels that her "mom" chose for her. But the icing on the cake was the miniature cellphone that Tiz purchased for "Mady".Then Ben helped Elizabeth register "Mady" before checking out."Mady" was carefully placed in a "cub condo" so Tiz could take her home. Allison helped Tiz dress Mady in her fancy outfit while I finally purchased a new cellphone. Then off to JCPenney where I enjoyed watching Elizabeth looking at the rainbow of colored Prom gowns. It will only be a matter of a few more years before she will be eagerly looking for the perfect Prom gown herself.
What fun Tiz had trying on this faux fur coat and vest! I heard "Auntie, look" and turned around to this! Soon we left for home with a stop at McDonald's for a Happy Meal for our shopper. I know Uncle Mark and I had a wonderful day with Ben and Allison and our little shopper.

Nature shots

I have been playing around with my camera, trying different settings. I am basically happy with the "auto" setting and probably should try different ones. The pink of this rose was gorgeous. I can always enjoy the photos of my Valentine roses for a long time to come.

I was fascinated by the outline of an oak leaf in the ice and snow. Mother Nature is amazing. I find now that I have become an avid snowshoer and enjoy the winter weather that I notice so many unique things around me and look forward to a new surprise each day. I am fortunate to have a land trust preserve next door, a tidal stream running through my backyard and a huge marsh in the backyard. Of course next spring when the black flies and mosquitoes appear.....

I can't help but smile when I look at this shot of two of our neighborhood ducks. They were just waddling along on top of a skim coat of ice on the creek, seemingly not to have a care in the world.

Some of our daily visitors this winter in Wildcat Creek. We see them almost every day. They appear early in the morning, gliding in under the bridge and spend most of the day near our house and go back out under the bridge in the afternoon to the river.

On Saturday (Valentine's Day) Mark and I were snowshoeing and I came upon this leaf near the trail. I couldn't help but think it looked like a valentine from Mother Nature! There has been "a party going on" in the woods! I was amazed by all the scattered pine cone "remains" under this big tree. The squirrels have certainly been partying up a storm. Here is my latest visitor, the bluebird! This was taken yesterday from my kitchen window. My aunt Jean has informed me that the pair that visited yesterday were males. I am wondering if their companions are going to join them soon. This fellow is probably is probably one of the two bluebirds that have been visiting our yard since 2/1. Aunt Jean mentioned that maybe the females are getting the nests ready. This shot shows the birds sitting companionly together on a wire. They are so pretty,especially in the sunshine.

An Ashton update -two weeks after...

This is Ashton's newest footwear...a boot. Her left foot is in a stylin' BearPaw boot and her right is in ah...a...hmm...stylin' gray hard plastic boot? On Wednesday she had her first check-up after her surgery 12 days before. Everything was good, the incision is healing nicely and the swelling is going down. The splint is gone and she had to be fitted into an air-cast boot. This is to be worn for the next five weeks. She can remove it to take a shower and to sleep. The shower seems to run non-stop since she has been allowed to take one! She had to continue with crutches until she became accustomed to the boot and then down to one crutch and then she can just "walk". She has been able to put weight on it over the past few days and today is hobbling around crutch-free! She is off to "Build-A-Bear workshop" today with Eric (its school vacation week here) and that will be a test of endurance for sure! I have never known Ashton to pass up a shopping trip, today may be a more painful one but she wants to give it a try. Hey this is the girl who went to Wal-Mart the morning before her surgery...Here is a shot of what she has done to dress up her boot.Eric, her boyfriend, has been great with all of the extra carrying of bags, purse, etc., etc. that one's social life includes carrying. He never says a word but helps her get from point A to point B, always with a smile. Thanks Eric! Ashton was so excited to receive this beautiful bouquet of roses for Valentine's Day from Eric. I don't believe I ever received any flowers at all when I was 17!

Happy Valentine's Day

We are so fortunate to live in a small community that has a town Common complete with a bandstand. The "Common" as its called by the locals, has craft fairs throughout the summer and fall, a Farmers Market on Thursdays in the summer, a Fourth of July celebration and chicken barbeque, as well as the lighting of trees around the Common at Christmas. Santa arrives in style on a fire truck on a Sunday night to light the trees for the holiday season and parents and children wait patiently in the cold night air to share their Christmas wishes with Santa. I have spent several very cold nights standing in line with my children over the years. During the summer there are band concerts and people choose a good spot to sit and picnic long before the scheduled time to start. One of my favorite sights on the Common is when volunteers from the schools and town gather to hang hand-made cloth hearts from the trees ringing the Common. This sight is such a welcome one, especially after what is a seemingly long, gray, and cold winter. The volunteers come out in the cold to brighten the residents lives. I always have to smile the first time I come into town and see the hearts dancing in the wind. Thank you to all the volunteers who made the hearts, the students and residents who take the time no matter the weather to make sure the hearts are hung from the branches. They return in a month or so to carefully remove all the hearts and store them for another year. A special thanks to my niece Robyn for her part in this year's decorating.

Cousins

Ashton's Senior year is flying by so quickly. I have spent alot of time going through boxes of photos-you know, the ones you promise to get into albums.... Now here Ashton is, 17 years old and the baby book still isn't finished, the photos aren't placed in the pink, girly albums I picked out for her and each photo that I have looked at brings back so many memories. It is such a time of joy for her, she is going to graduate in June, go to her first choice college and study to become a registered nurse, on her way to fulfill her dreams. I am happy for her but seem to have a lot of sadness mixed in with my joy. Perhaps alot of it is because she is the last to leave the nest, maybe because we are so close and maybe because so much of my life has been intertwined with hers. I do have moments when college can't come quick enough but there are moments of dread as well. I guess I will have to find my own way when she leaves for college.
The above photo is such a sweet one of Ashton and her cousin Robyn. They are three years apart in age but have always been very close and do alot together. Age makes no difference to these two girls.

This photo was taken at Story Land in NH. We spent a wonderful day there when Robyn was around 6 and Ashton 9. They don't pose this way for photos, they are always hugging each other.

I believe Ashton was about 8 years old here and Robyn 5. I believe this was the Christmas the two girls set up a "sales table" in the hallway during our annual family Christmas Eve get-together. They were "selling" odds and ends. I believe one could buy rocks (Robyn collected them) and other oddities for a few cents each. I remember they both hit everybody up over and over and soon had plans for a shopping trip forming in their heads.

They have had many adventures together, camping, shopping, overnights, and more shopping. Ashton and I even took Robyn to her first movie and Robyn scared me when she slipped down through the seat (one of the fold-up seats)and I was afraid I would have to call the Fire Department to come extricate her. We used to pack picnic lunches and go to Murray Hill to sit in the shade and have our lunches and then explore the shoreline.

Even though Ashton will be leaving high school in June, Robyn has three more years to go. I hope that Robyn and I can continue to have our adventures, even though Ashton will be in college, and maybe we could add Tiz to our trio. What a wonderful bond these girls have and I hope they have many, many more adventures, and growing to do together.