Thinking of Australia or New Zealand

The day is cold and dark and gray
and I would hide myself away
somewhere warm and bright
and filled with sun

I am thinking of places where the sun is shining - where it is warm and this everlasting gray has turned to green and become filled with blossoms.
Oh I love the seasons - I even enjoy the snow
but this GRAY, Gray, gray
Did I say gray was one of my favorite colors?
Guess I did.

Yet cold winds blow
the air is filled
with falling ice and snow
and I am longing for the sun...

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

The vine still clings to the moldering wall,

But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,

But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast

And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.

~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from "The Rainy Day"

In the midst of all this drizzle - there are bright spots arriving. Goldfinches, Pine Siskins and the Redpolls. Perhaps I can wait for another time to go to Australia or New Zealand.

Common Redpoll

Things That Keep Me Occupied

The Puppy???!!!
Well ----- this is a long story — You know how it is.... I looked up and saw these beautiful brown eyes looking at me.... The tail was wagging, he licked my hand ---- well you can guess the rest - he joined us on January second and has not yet been with us a month but he has become a integral part of our lives and has changed our home as much as the arrival of any new baby.

"When the Man waked up he said,
'What is Wild Dog doing here?'
And the Woman said,
'His name is not Wild Dog any more,
but the First Friend,
because he will be our friend
for always and always and always.'" - Rudyard Kipling

I began to think the poor little doggie would be called Puppy for the rest of its life - we simply couldn’t choose a name that we thought really fit. Our family, grand children and friends all made suggestions from Blackie to POTUS from Bandit to Mr. Darcy. We made a long list, looked up origins and meanings and after a week of searching we found a name for the puppy. His name is Kody. \k(o)-dy\ is pronounced KOH-dee. The origin of the name a bit more difficult because there are two possible sources In the Gaelic it means helper or guide and in English it means helper or assistant.

One of the first essentials, after getting him to a vet for a health exam and shots, we recognized that we needed HELP. We tried to educate ourselves - bought "Pomeranians for Dummies", which is actually very helpful. We tried to learn about clicker training; read some material by Ian Dunbar, the founder of "Puppy Kindergarten" What distress - he told us we should have been planning for this puppy long before he arrived in our home - we should have taken classes so we were prepared to be good parents and trainers. Somewhat like our experience when we had our own children - we had no idea of the nearly insurmountable mountain of ignorance we had to overcome. Never-the-less here we are with a puppy. Now!!!!

It seemed urgent to find a skilled, patient and knowledgeable puppy trainer.
I called a couple of places listed in the phone book - After going through the list, I recognized that I am the problem - if I were not so ignorant I would not have bought a puppy where we did - (Well, we bought him at a Pet Feed Store... Quite frankly, I probably would never have gone looking for a puppy if I hadn’t kept seeing such beautiful and cute puppies every time I went into the Feed Store. ) I should have selected him weeks and weeks earlier, I would never .... I should.... I shouldn’t ... Why didn’t?...Well, we didn’t. So...here we are.

By this time - I am ready to let the puppy have the run of the house and lock myself in my closet.

A kind acquaintance suggested the name of a wonderful trainer - but we discovered she is about an hour and a half away. She kindly gave us a lead to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)

We finally found a wonderful trainer. Barry McDonald, a retired English teacher is rescuing us from a life of poop and pee.... He is competent and gentle with Kody and the rest of us also. I think he may have more difficulty training us than Kody :)

Barry has only been coming for three weeks. Kody knows his name, he will sit on command, down on command and stand on command. He loves to play a version of fetch with three balls (which keeps us busier than it does Kody) and actually usually pees and poops in the proper place Hurrah!!!

My dog
"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is just my dog." - Gene Hill

Holiday Thoughts

"You give but little when you give of your possessions.

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."

--- Kahlil Gibran

Thanks to each of you who have given so much to me this past year!
Happy Holidays!

Music to bring you smiles this season

Seven Random Things Meme

Reflection Basha Kill Marsh, NY early December

I've been tagged by Cate, whose blog Beyond the Fields We Know is one of the first places I go each morning.

I shall join the game. The rules are as follows :

link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
share 7 random or weird things about yourself.
tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


(1) During the early 1960's I began making dolls - the hobby grew and grew until many years ago (In what seems like another world) I taught dollmaking and had a studio. During those long ago days I made dolls from 1" tall to 5' tall. Now I like making dolls but the thing I enjoy most is making period clothing and accessories for the dolls.

(2) Adobe Photoshop CS2 has been installed on my computer. It sits here intimidating me. Even though I really want to learn to use the program and I open it regularly - I find that I do not really speak Photoshop CS yet.

(3) I have Porphyria. Even my doctor asks “What is that?”

(4) It is a heartfelt desire to take a close up picture of a Puffin – Now I must admit that just one probably wouldn’t meet my dreams or expectations but I do want to have a chance to click away until I am too cold or tired to keep clicking.

(5) One of my favorite spots to visit is Glacier Waterton Lakes Peace Park On the Canada/US Border. The last time we were there we were treated to views of a mama bear and her cub playing in the lake, Sandhill Cranes, and to top off the day a mountain lion hunting at sunset

(6) When sitting here during the gray winter days I frequently daydream about going on a long canoe trip. Preferably someplace where there are not a lot of mosquitoes.

(7) For many years I have collected Fashion Plates - Like Godey or Peterson’s but the ones I enjoy most are “La Saison”, “Journal des Demoiselles”, “La Mode”, “Victoria,” or “The World of Fashion”. Regularly I receive small flat packages for birthdays or other special occasions. Oh the joy and anticipation - these packages frequently contain some of my most treasured gifts


Lené at Counting Petals
Laura at Somewhere in New Jersey
Maureen at Raven’s Nest
Harmony at Harmony in Line
Mary at Wanting to be Here
Jessie at Diary of a Self-Portrait
z-silverlight at Over the Fence

Upon Waking

Awaking this morning I looked out my window to discover the view had changed during the night.

“Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.”

~Bill Morgan, Jr.

Brown? Gray?

The sun managed to peek through the gray for a few moments. Just long enough to signal the beginning of the day with a soft golden glow which set off the now barren branches of a tall oak and put a sparkle to the frost on a tall pine. Then the clouds drew a curtain over the sky and the day turned gray.

Once again I have been reading Hal Borland and he suggests these autumnal days are brown. Perhaps where he lived but here they are frost-bleached gray. The seed heads of the goldenrod are gray, the tall sedge are a silvered beige, the milkweed pod gray and white, the meadow grass, remaining leaves and even the rocks are coated with gray frost which has no sparkle since the sun is imprisoned behind the clouds.

We had errands to do but escaped for a short time to drive northward along the Delaware River looking for the last glories of Autumn, before the predicted rain and snow showers of tomorrow send the last of the leaves cascading from the trees to the ground.
We found some color still blazing along the river’s edge, the ground is covered with a deep carpet of colorful leaves. Still beautiful, a few remaining scarlet and gold maples and a steadfast red oak stand watch over a bleached meadow;

Hidden deep under the leaves of an ancient apple tree we find small green apples.

American Bittersweet vines trail from a large red oak, A late warbler flits through the trees, his elusive call tantalizing but leaving us disappointed when we are unable to locate his hidden perch.

It's mornings like this;
The stingy sun trying to hold back
Even the warmth of its reflection
Flashing coldly In the lake.
When November leaves drop in sudden gusts,
Like a red and yellow flock of birds
Swooping at once to ground.
Or even nights:
When winds reach wet hands
To take you spinning with random paper
Down back street gutters, under straining bridges
To clogged rivers.
It's this:
The time of year, along with spring,
When poets must take care
Not to sing the same old songs
Stolen from tribal memory.
- Thomas R. Drinkard

Shortly after we arrived home the sun went behind the hills a misty rain began. We hear the drops splatter as they fall through the leaves and the sighing of the wind as it moves through the trees. Winter is on its way.

Thinking of Autumn

“Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue” — John MuirWhen I think of autumn - I think in terms of gold, bronze, wine, crimson, flame, yellow - fallen leaves of course, sunflowers, goldenrod, pumpkins and squashes. Of brilliant deciduous trees showcased against the deep shades of the pines, hemlocks and other evergreens.

Weather service people were warning that a frost was on the way and I want to preserve these memories through the winter days when I will have only the evergreens and the white snow outside my window. I took my camera out to capture the colors of autumn.

Upon viewing my photos I discover, among the gold and scarlet, deep purples and brilliant white; the bell like blossoms of the autumn clematis, the elegant peacock orchid, the tall stately monkshood. The Peacock Orchid brought splendor to mid-autumn reaching four to five feet tall with dozens of blossoms but the monks hood has provided the true splendor of the season. A clump nearly hidden behind the pines has grown to eight feet in height. A single stalk may have more than twenty blossoms and the clump itself has so many blooms we do not even try to count them.

Within just a few hours time, the frost has come - but I have memories.