random reflections

Five in Five on the 5th: Sunlight and Shadows

After a long string of gray, snowy days, we've been blessed with several days of bright sunshine. When I went downstairs to read early yesterday morning, I found wonderful shadows cast by the rising sun and decided I'd run about taking photos of some of them. Here are five of my favorites:

This pretty flower sits on the coffee table just in front of my reading chair. The sunlight on it was what prompted me to see what else I could find.

I purchased this wire frame two years ago, hoping it would corral our Christmas cards. It does that very well, but we like it enough that we never take it down. It holds valentines, birthday cards and occasionally, photos. I love how the sun showed up as bright yellow on the wall.

This is the view from our front hall window looking down the street. The bell tower of the former Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School was highlighted by the sun.

In our bedroom, we have three windows that look to the south. The sun made a blurry shadowy pattern on the wall.

And, back where I began, the sun shining on the bookcases in the living room.

And for fun, a snowy contrast to the above photos:

Looking out the same hall window at the snow the morning after one of three days of snow. At this angle you can't see the bell tower, but you can see thedeer tracks coming from the backyard headed toward the street.

A view from the kitchen window. You can see by the snow piled on the glider and the bird feeder how much snow we'd had.

Tracy hung lights on the railing around the patio. We liked them so much we left them on, and they really look pretty at night when the railing is snow-covered.

I'm not sure Sandie is hosting the 5 photos in 5 minutes this year, but it's an activity I enjoy so I think I'll keep it up regardless. 

 

 

Five in Five: Twinkling Lights

As is often the case, I'm a few days late with my Five in Five post---five photos in five minutes (to be taken on the 5th.) Early Monday morning I was trying to think about what I might do for this meme, hosted by Sandi each month, when I looked up and saw the twinkling lights in our living room. Then I realized we'd added some new twinkling lights this year, and it took less than five minutes to hop up and take these photos with my iPhone. We've had little white lights on our tree for many years now, and purchased the lights for the mantle in Indiana several years ago.

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The lights around our kitchen window were added just last year. We never took them down, but rarely turned them on after the holiday. Now we turn them on every morning and again at dinner time.

We've had a little artificial tree on our patio table for several years as well, and for the last two years some lights on the lower fence. This year Tracy added white lights to our new wrought iron railing around the patio. Once we had them all lit, he decided that the white lights on the tree needed to be changed to colored ones. Even though they can't be seen by more than a couple neighbors, we can see them from the kitchen, the dining room, and from one window in the living room.

The outside lights have been around for a few years, and we've had the wreath (one of three) for probably twenty years. The bows have been changed a few times, though. The small trees on the porch have been replaces at least once. One year, one of them disappeared overnight. So strange. 

The twinkling lights add a festive feel to the house which is more needed this year than any before. COVID is taking its toll here, and we're more house-bound than we've been since early spring. That's not likely to change. If predictions hold true we're in for several more months of serious infection before the vaccine will be available widely enough to make a difference. If only the necessary precautions had not become so politicized in the United States, we might find ourselves in a better situation. Here most people seems to wear masks, but I think they're a little less conscientious about social distancing. The big difference seems to be the increase in family gatherings (even before the Thanksgiving holiday) and indoor dining. I do miss going out with friends, but I'm happy to cook at home.

Thanks to Sandi for hosting this most months this year. I always enjoy the challenge.

October 5 in 5: Taughannock Falls

Well, I missed the link up for Sandi's meme this month, and I have no one but myself to blame. But I wanted to share the fall photos taken on Friday at Taughannock Falls just outside Ithaca. It was a gorgeous (actually hot) day, and we knew it would be the last one for awhile, if not until next spring sometime. One advantage of being retired is the ability to take a road trip on a week day.

Our first stop was Taughannock Falls just north of Ithaca, New York. Our local meteorologist commented that the leaves had past peak in the Finger Lakes, so we were pleasantly surprised to find some beautiful color. The first five photos represent my 5 in 5 for the month, but since I've missed the link up, I'll add a few more photos from our road trip at the end.

We didn't spend a lot of time in Ithaca, stopping just for a few minutes at another state park, Buttermilk Falls. Not a good time for photos here since the sun was behind the falls.

After a stop to buy some pastries at the Ithaca Bakery, we drove up the east side of Cayuga Lake to Aurora for lunch. The Fargo Inn had closed their patio, so we got take-out and found a much better place to eat---the village park right on the lake.

The Inns of Aurora created a 3 mile nature trail this summer, so after lunch we hiked a portion of it. The beginning of the trail makes it appear like a pretty easy walk, so I was surprised to find it really was a hike, not a walk. 

The hike begins just on the other side of the road that runs along the lake. There's a bit of elevation to reach this pretty overlook.

Later on we came to an overlook built for good views of the lake.

I didn't take a lot of photos of the trail, but this one gives you a feel for the open spaces.

Saturday the temperatures were nearly 40 degrees colder, and it was no warmer today. Getting out was definitely the right thing to do.

 

Five in Five: August

When we moved into our house 35 years ago, the patio was surrounded by an evergreen hedge. It provided some privacy, but more importantly it protected folks from falling off the edge of the patio. That might not seem particularly important except our house is built on a hill and our lower yard is a long stairway away. Children and unsteady adults might step off the edge and then tumble some distance before stopping,

This year the hedge finally had seen the end of its time. The last several years it's been less and less attractive, and this year it had become an eyesore. Matt, our landscape artist son, could not come up with any plantings he thought would provide the needed protection and thrive in our very shady back yard. So we took some of our travel money that had been saved for the two big (aborted) trips this year, and had a wrought iron railing installed. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what I'd think of it, but I love it. Here's a photo (not part of the 5 photos in 5 minutes for Sandie's monthly meme) taken after the bushes were removed.

This fall the area you see to the left of the first steps will need to be landscaped, We're planning to move a large group of  peonies to a sunnier spot in the yard and redo this area. Following are the five photos taken early in the morning showing the new railing,

Here you can see our lower yard. The little shed is ours and our property line goes back to the tree on the far left.

Moving to the right from the previous photo, you see one of two gates installed. This one takes you to a series of stone steps down to the lower yard. Our next major expense is to have the stairs and the stone walls on both sides rebuilt. We had
hoped to have that done last year, but we are still looking for a qualified mason to do the work.

To the left of the first photo is the second gate which leads to the lower patio which Tracy completed two years ago.
You can see the fire pit covered up in front of our two red Adirondack chairs.

Another view of the shade gardens and the second gate.

And finally, the view toward our neighbor's home, and a peek at the fence Tracy is building along the property line. It replaces six or seven straggly arborvitae that had foliage only on the top. We have a lot more light on the east side of the house since they've been removed. The other advantage (we hope) is that it will keep the deer from crossing through the backyards. It's a work in progress. Eventually all the posts will be evened out and we'll add solar lights to the tops of them. We've just added several lovely solar lights in the shade garden and on the patio and they add a lot of ambiance at night.

I was afraid that the railing would make us feel closed in, but it actually has had the reverse effect. It feels more open--we can see through the railings, but couldn't see through the bushes! In addition the furniture can be set against the railing so there's actually more room on the patio.

Joining in with Sandie for her monthly meme, 5 in 5.

 

 

Five in Five: July Edition

I'm late this month in joining Sandie in her 5 in 5 minutes meme. Seems that travel knocked my schedule out of whack! Yesterday, however, I was in our front yard admiring our hydrangeas, and took 5 minutes to walk around and photograph some of them. They're blooming later than usual this summer, but are also more prolific than they've been. We have seven in our front yard, several in the back yard and around the patio, and one new one that somehow we planted in my cutting garden. It's one of my favorite, and I cut the two blossoms and brought them inside before I decide on this theme for 5 in 5. But although inside it, too, was taken in the 5 minute time limit. We'll start with that one.

I absolutely love the color of this one. We're doing some major renovations around our patio, and next year I'll move this one up there---hopefully with a few others.

When Matt redesigned the landscaping in our front yard a few years ago, he planted this hydrangea tree. It starts out pure white, and you can see it changing to pink in this photo.

Also in the front yard are six hydrangeas that don't grow quite as tall as many of the others. They are just beginning to bloom, and usually produce blooms in pinks, purples, and blues.

For the last several years we've only had 1-3 blooms on this hydrangea which is just outside our dining room door. These make a wonderful bouquet,
and I have a pitcher full of them inside.

This hydrangea is behind the previous one, and is probably close to 5 ft. tall.

These are my favorite summer flowers because they bloom all summer, make wonderful bouquets, and some of them dry beautifully as well. For the last two winters, I've had a vase or two filled with the dried hydrangeas from our front yard. 

Five in Five on the 5th: Peonies in the Park

Today is June 5th, and time for Sandie's monthly challenge, 5 in5,  to take five photos in five minutes. With that challenge in mind, I took a series of photos in Highland Park of the gorgeous peonies. Although we live just a short walk from the park, our peonies are just budded. Sadly, there aren't a lot of buds on our peonies again this year despite applying some fertilizer twice this spring. Not a problem for the peonies in the park which are just gorgeous.

And finally, my favorite.

And as always, thanks to Sandie for hosting this meme which has sent me off with my camera every month for several years now.

 

Five in Five: May Blooms in the Greenhouse

I ought to stop complaining about our weather, but really----it has snowed the last two days and more is expected tomorrow. At least it's not accumulating here, as it is both south and north of us. Yesterday we drove to the Finger Lakes to pick up our spring allotment of wine from Boundary Breaks where we belong to the wine club. Afterwards we walked 2 miles on the Seneca-Cayuga Canal Trail --- yes, it was snowing. The highlight of the walk was spotting a blue bird which neither of us have ever seen despite the fact that it is New York's state bird. Our next stop was Horning's Nursery and Garden Center in Penn Yan. I'm not sure why garden centers are considered essential services, but I'm glad they are. Everyone is very careful to maintain appropriate social distancing, and it's now required that you wear a mask wherever you go in New York state. I decided it was a great place to get my 5 in 5 photos for Sandie's monthly meme. so here are the bright, beautiful colors we're waiting for:

This nursery is run by an Amish family and their plants are always very healthy, well-cared for, and reasonable. We bought one of the large hanging pots of red geraniums found in this greenhouse. As well as two of these pretty geraniums and some vinca vine for a pot on our patio.

Although we didn't buy any this trip, here are my favorites---Martha Washington geraniums. They'll probably go in the cart in a few weeks when we return just before Memorial Day when it will finally be safe to plant annuals.

We had already gotten in the car when I remembered I wanted to take photos for this blog post, so these definitely fit into the requirements for the meme: five photos in five minutes!

5 in 5 and Watercolor Challenge

Today's the 5th of April, and time for Sandie's meme 5 in 5---5 photos in 5 minutes. Sandie shared some of her projects during this time of isolation, and I thought I'd do a bit of the same. I shared a little on my last blog post, but today I'm focusing on coloring projects I'm working on. I lined up a bunch of projects and snapped away.

Improving my coloring skills with watercolors and Copic markers is always on my list. This increased time at home has given me ample opportunity to watch videos, pull out supplies and practice. Tracy gifted me with two Sandy Allnock classes for Christmas. I finished the videos for the colored pencil class in February, and continue to practice, but have moved on now to the Copic Jumpstart class. The first lessons focus on color theory as did the colored pencil class, but I created a new color wheel with Copics this week, and made notes on the essentials of color theory to add to a notebook I started a year or so ago. Sandy also suggested we make color wheels with a set of darker markers which I think I'll try this week.

I also updated my pages with a few markers I've purchased in the last six months or so.

Last month I focused on watercolors, and I haven't abandoned that effort at all. When a good sale arrived via my inbox a week ago, I decided to splurge and purchased a new set of watercolor markers. I spent one afternoon swatching out the 60 colors. It took a lot longer than I expected, but I learned a lot more than I expected as well. It was interesting to see how the colors blend out, some more easily than others, and to see in some markers a range of tones.

Yesterday I spent some time watercoloring the Wild Rose Stem from Memory Box. It was my best effort so far in no-line watercoloring. It was all done with just three Karin Markers and a watercolor brush to draw out the colors. 

Here's another look at it. I'm taking this opportunity to share this at the CAS Watercolor Challenge which currently is "Spring Flowers."

I hope you're finding time to destress with a comforting hobby. Crafting is the one thing that is able to take my mind off all the terrible news, and understandable fears we all have.

Five in Five & the OLW March Editions

Today's the fifth of March, and for once, I am ready with my Five in Five photos for Sandie's meme. The task is to take as many photos as you can (or want) in five minutes and post just five of them. Knowing I needed to publish my intentions for March, I thought I'd photograph some of what I've been working on while we're visiting Sarah. My creative intention this month is to spend some time exploring watercolors. One way I'm doing it, is with this book:

I've purchased other books on watercolors, but this is the best one, by far! I've read and reread some of the introductory pages, and just started some of the exercises. Here's one of the first:

The author recommends buying a set of student grade watercolors, but I've owned some Daniel Smith, professional grade watercolors for a long time. The next exercise requires some mixing, and it will probably take me some time to figure out the "recipes" for the specific colors we're going to need for later lessons. The smaller palette in this photo was a recent purchase the bottom six wells were prefilled with colors I didn't own, and I filled the top three with new colors I'd recently bought.

I discovered this lovely brush and pen holder on a calligraphy blog I follow, and it's perfect for traveling.

After playing around yesterday, and throwing out quite a few experiments that didn't pan out, I had an urge to paint something that could eventually become a card. This lovely hydrangea by Gina K fit the bill.

I"m also watching some Altenew videos in watercolor classes I've subscribed to and never finished. So there's the five in five and the major intention for March.

In addition, I'll be trying to finish one book from my unread shelves. I'm in the midst of Lenten devotional reading (Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion Through Ten Objects and The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross) as well as reading two library books, so I'll be grateful to get just one book off the unread shelf. And because I enjoyed the photo-a-day project last month, I'm planning to continue that as well. 

5 in 5: February

Much to my surprise (and dismay) I totally missed Sandie's 5 in 5 meme in January. And, to be truthful, when her post popped up in Feedly yesterday, I was surprised to realize it was already the fifth of February. Not to worry, though, she kindly gives us until the 25th to post five photos taken in five minutes. Although the month has barely begun, I'm already struggling to keep my intention of a photo every day. Thank goodness we have some lovely flowering house plants! But I was determined to get five photos today, and stepped out onto the patio to see what I could find. About three inches of new snow fell last night, and although it warmed up enough today to rain part of the afternoon, there's still snow on the ground. According to the meteorologist, we can count on up to another foot of snow by this time tomorrow night! I'm not a fan. But here's what I found in my five minutes on the patio.

Right off, I saw the deer tracks going across the patio. If you look closely you'll see the deer walked to the right of the fire pit and off to the right. Sunday night when we pulled out of the driveway, four deer (one with a large rack) were walking out of our yard into our neighbor's yard. We live in a pretty urban area, and many people are surprised to hear we regularly have deer and fox in the neighborhood.

Normally, this pretty ornament would be sitting among some plants and flowers. Today there's a totally white background.

The chairs for the patio table never made it to the shed in the fall. Our first heavy snow was early in November and the leaves hadn't even fallen off the linden tree. Everything got off schedule.

The bird house Tracy purchased as a decoration has actually housed a few birds over the years. It's going to need to be straightened up come spring.

And finally, the metal bird on the new fence. By tomorrow, it will likely be totally obscured.

I gave some thought to waiting until next weekend when the George Eastman House will open the Dutch Collection exhibit. The mansion will be filled with beautiful spring flowers, but I've used that in the past for the February 5 in 5, and frankly, these photos are the reality here in February, not the Dutch bulbs.