Saturday Photo: Snow Drops, or (more appropriately) des Perces neiges..

 Spring arrives next week, but the snow is receding and the first snowdrops (called perce-neige in French) have come up.  A sure sign of spring...

Saturday Photo: Sledding as the Winter Ends

Beautiful sunshine today, with temperature below freezing. Things are melting in the sun, nevertheless, and the days of sledding are numbered.  Winter is drawing to a close.

Saturday Photo: March 1, the Day the Sun Starts Shining in the Bedroom...

 Actually the photo was taken a couple of years ago, but I'm pleased to report that this March 1 also saw the first forray of the sun into our upstairs back bedroom.

By the solstice there will be several hours of sunshine in this room, but during the winter there is none. Instead, we have this Stonehenge-like moment on about the first day of the meterological spring.

Saturday Photo: The Flowers of Winter

 Outside snow still covers the ground, although the days are getting longer.  Inside that translates into several house plants taking a cue from lengthening daylight and setting forth blooms.

An anthurium that had been in a north window has taken the plunge and sent out blossoms.  Nice to see this time of year.

Saturday Photo: Sunburned Knees from Last Summer

  Summer evening at Sept Iles, sunshine and sunburned knees for the old guy.  A nice memory of a good trip, something to think about as the days begin to grow longer.

Saturday Photo: Desire Lines in the Snow

 

People don't walk in straight lines, even though sidewalks and roads may try to make them.  Uneven ground, small obstacles and even the vagaries on one's gait mean that the paths we take wobble a bit at the best of times.  When getting from here to there is the issue, this means that cutting across a patch of grass or snow will likely not be at right angles to anything.

Urbanists and architects call these paths "desire lines" since they show exaclty where we want to go.  Nowhere is that clearer than in snow that's been on the ground for a few days, giving folks a chance to make their own paths.  Pity the person who went first: given the depth of the snow it woud have bee a slog.  At the time the photo was taken though folks' desires had manifested themselves in a well-trodden track.

Saturday Photo: Baby, It's Cold Outside

 After a winter that so far has been warmer than usual, we are in the deep freeze.  Windows were frosted over this morning.  Glad I was inside and not out...