Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

running - restoration in progress

Although it was drizzling and the temperature was cool, my run this morning was wonderful. I should preface this by noting that I just started running about a month ago, after get this - a 15 year hiatus! There were lots of reasons why I stopped running, but there are even more reasons why I started again. I'm not fast, and I try not to even think about my mile time. Instead, I think about my surroundings and the changing of the seasons that has happened right before my eyes, and find that these thoughts have been incredibly helpful in clearing my mind. Today I ran just about 6 miles, which for someone who never saw herself running "for fun" again is pretty amazing. Here are a few photos I snapped while out on my run this morning. 

how I feel when I run
a mighty oak - I love this tree
post-run and oh so happy!

Monday, November 21, 2016

winter weather is here!

There's no doubt that I'm a warm weather person, but I call Milwaukee home, and sooner or later cold weather always arrives. And arrived it did this weekend! It's cold again today, but it's a gorgeous, bright-blue sky kind of day. I'm determined not to let winter get the better of me this year. I went for my run this morning, and yes it was cold, but it was incredibly beautiful along the lakeshore. 
golden sunshine along
Lake Michigan

winter is here!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

sedum - through the seasons

In my garden, I have lots of sedum. One of the reason I like this hardy plant so much, is that it provides visual interest all year long, even in these winter months. Depending on the time of year, sedum takes on different colors and characteristics, making it such a nice addition to a garden space. 
sedum, in early summer - still mostly green 
a close-up of a sedum's many pink flowers -
bees love these blooms!
and now in winter, the snow-capped
sedum give a wintertime garden a little
visual interest

Saturday, March 3, 2012

inspired - weleda's wild rose oil

This winter I've been using Weleda's Wild Rose Body Oil, and I absolutely love this product! It doesn't leave my skin greasy, and seems to actually cure my dry, winter skin. But, without a doubt the best part of this body oil is the unbelievable rose fragrance, which isn't overpowering at all but instead, the relaxing rose scent is so calming and pleasant. Weleda perfectly captured the scent of roses in this product. Every time I breathe it in, I'm inspired by its lovely fragrance, and I feel as if I'm standing within a rose garden.
Weleda's Wild Rose Oil -
the bottle looks practically pharmaceutical,
however the scent is anything but!
I wish you could smell the lovely fragrance!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

on a beautiful winter day

The value of getting outside and doing something active in the winter really can't be understated. We had a gorgeous - though brisk - weekend, and my husband and I found some time for a little cross country skiing. It was great to get some sunshine, breathe in lots of fresh air, and enjoy the beautiful winter scenery. I'm definitely a warm-weather person, but a picturesque winter day really is quite lovely too! Don't you think it's important to make the most of a nice winter day?
ready for a little cross country skiing?

Thursday, January 26, 2012

a winter's walk

With nearby parks, beautiful old homes, and proximity to so many things, I feel incredibly fortunate to call my neighborhood home. On a recent sunny day, I went for a nice long walk and captured a few images of some of what I love about this locale here in Madison.
a beautiful winter scene at a nearby park
heady hydrangeas, even in the winter,
are quite lovely
birds of a feather...
not sure what kind of birds these are, but
they were awfully chatty when I approached them
to pass by 
a sign-post in a neighbors yard
walking back home through a park -
I love the arch of the oak trees here!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

a calm beauty

This first month of the year is usually full of snowy days, but so far we haven't had any flurries at all. Perhaps the snow is on its way. I find the whiteness of freshly fallen snow to be quite stunning. Here are some photos that remind me of winter. To me, they present a type of calm beauty.




Wednesday, January 4, 2012

nothing but blue skies

My drive back home to Madison late this afternoon was blissfully beautiful, which made the drive so very pleasant. The sky was a gorgeous blue, with puffy clouds from horizon to horizon dancing across the blue canvas. As the sun began to set the sky changed so much, so quickly. By the time the sun had set, I had to capture just one more photo because even as the sun was gone, the sky was still blue.  
early in my drive
a few hours later
nearing home
The entire time I was driving, I had the old tune, "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin in my head. I only knew a few of the lyrics, so I looked them up when I got home. They are simple and so lovely. Here they are:

I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on

ps. In case you were wondering, I always pull over and stop my car when I take photos from the road. :-)

Monday, January 2, 2012

Impressionist winter scenes

It has been a remarkably snowless winter here in Madison, which has made travel and getting around town easy, but to be honest, I'm ready for snow! Winter, to me, just doesn't seem like winter without a good coating of snow to blanket all of the brownness that the cold weather brings about. Plus there's an understated beauty that comes about on a quiet snowy day. 

Since there's no snow for me to enjoy in person, I put together a few photos of winter scenery paintings. I took these last time I was at the Art Institute of Chicago - about a month ago - and am glad I have these to admire on another snowless winter day!
Rabbit Warren at Pontoise
by Camille Pissarro - 1879 
Sandvika, Norway
by Claude Monet, 1895
Stack of Wheat, Snow Effect
by Claude Monet, 1890/1891
Don't you think the Impressionists capture the myriad of winter colors better than just about anything? How many shades of white are there in Monet's haystack scene?

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

what are you dreaming of?

On this grey winter day, I'm dreaming of walking through a lush green garden.
a walk through many shades
of deep greens in a beautiful garden

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

a beautiful blue backdrop

A cloudless, deep-blue sky makes the perfect visual backdrop for the many shapes and forms of a winter (yet snowless) winter landscape. With the sun shining brightly, all of the textures and lines are illuminated in a most beautiful way. What would you name the color of the sky in these photos?  




Monday, December 26, 2011

classic color combinations: blue & green

What better way to see perfect color combinations than in nature? I brought my camera and a new lens on a walk today in the nearby University of Wisconsin Arboretum and snapped a few photos of  evergreens and the most gorgeous blue sky. There's no snow on the ground here, and it feels unseasonally mild outdoors, but despite this unusual weather, it was still a beautiful winter day. 




Thursday, December 22, 2011

the winter solstice

In the northern hemisphere, today is the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year - marking the beginning of longer days and shorter nights. Here's to days with more light!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

light and reflections

Simply colored tea-lights brighten up and add so much warmth to a dark winter evening.

Friday, December 16, 2011

flowerful friday

Lovely flowers from my wonderful husband brighten up our entry-way with both color and fragrance. When I unwrapped them, opening up the florist paper, it was like summertime wafted through the air! Such a nice wintertime diversion!
creamy whites, shades of blues,
bright pinks and of course, greens
a sweetly scented rose
frilly pink & beautiful
so very summery!
gorgeous petals and textures
Happy Friday!

Friday, December 9, 2011

flowerful friday

Mr. Jack Frost came to visit us last night and did he ever coat the garden in a beautiful grey blanket. There are no flowers from the garden to photograph, but luckily for me I have lots of photos of flowers in full bloom from warmer days. Here are 3 I think are particularly nice for a cold winter day. Isn't green just the perfect background color for just about any floral hue?  
almost like jewels
a violety-blue
 canary yellow
Happy Friday!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

hello, snow!

I drove to Minneapolis today and there was a clear line, like a line of demarcation. South of this east-west line it looked like a crisp late fall day. And then suddenly, north of this line, winter was in full force. We haven't had but a dusting of snow in Madison so I was quite surprised to see a winter wonderland just an hour and half north. The trees were coated in a beautiful white. It's the type of snow that clings onto every branch regardless of size or shape. And despite my being on a rather busy interstate the scenery lent such a quietness to the surroundings. The stunning scenary made it so I just had to stop the car to take a few photos.
entering the wonderland of winter

rather like icing, don't you think?

Monday, February 28, 2011

a proverbial truth

I live somewhere where there are 4 seasons. I enjoy what winter, spring, summer and fall have to offer. But, around this time each year, I start getting antsy. I'm ready for the snow to melt, the temperature to rise, and the calendar to move on to what's next in store so that winter clothes can be packed away and I can feel the warmth of sun once again. Recently, I stumbled across a proverb that I am quite fond of and find apropo for this time of year and the mood I'm feeling.

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.

Of course this is obvious - spring always follows winter - but don't you sometimes think that when we find ourselves stuck in a seemingly never-ending winter, we lose sight of the warmer days to come? On this last day of February, I'm taking comfort in this proverb's truth.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

a winter wonderland

A walk through the woods provides for a most needed outdoor escape. Fine, powdery snow could be seen coating everything in sight. This is the type of snow that isn't wet, isn't heavy but rather light and airy and able to, with strong winds, create almost sand dune-like mounds. Here are a few of the photos I snapped - I think the black and white images accentuate the stark-white, newly fallen snow and showcase this delightful winter wonderland!
handsome conifers coated with new snow
doesn't this tree have a
charming bend?
a magnolia gives all passersby a sign of hope