Almost Spring, Creation Station, Flame, Rain & Other Updates

Well sometimes life just keeps marching on and before you know it a new month is at hand and tomorrow is February, can you believe it?

While I've been puttering around here in my craft room, my mind rambles hither and yon, and a good name finally hit me for my room.  It's the area where I create and is really my 'hub' where I do my thinking, I pray & study, and where I just do most things aside from cooking and housework.  This room is now going to be known as my Creation Station. 

Marty starts a new job on the 8th. I'm praying it goes well.  His unemployment of one month, is far better than the nine months we faced in 2013/14.  The CT scan he needed after a suspicious xray came back fine with nothing showing.  We praise God for that.

Another friend lost his sister to cancer this week.  She was the sister-in-law of the young lady I taught to quilt a couple years ago.  She had gone to Thailand and became too ill to return to the states, so he traveled there for a final visit just a few weeks ago.  I pray the Lord comforts their family.

Ornamental Pear

This week with its 80+ temperatures, revealed spring is on its way.  The neighbor has an ornamental pear that hangs over our fence and I noticed the leaves are beginning to show.

Ornamental pear and a house across the 'valley'.

It'll be blossoming before we know it.  The blossoms don't last long, and then they blow off and look a bit like fluffy snowflakes falling.  These two pictures were just taken yesterday.

Open it Flame.

This young lady was hanging out with me here in my Creation Station.  I had the door mostly closed so that the heat would stay in.  She decided it was time to leave but I didn't open the door for her.  It had just the tiniest of gaps - less than shown in the photo - so she worked on opening it.

I think I did it.

She finally pushed it open with her paw and her nose...

...and said good-bye.

Rain on my window.

A storm began blowing in last night, and this is how it was looking this morning.  Rivulets of water streaming down the Creation Station window.  Notice that same pear tree there on the left?

Bright sun, blowing wind, pelting rain.

Awhile later the sun was attempting to peak through a thin section of the clouds.  It was, at the same time still blowing very strongly and the rain was pelting the window.  That gap hung around for about 20 minutes and I had to close the blinds as it was just too bright in the room.  As I look out now, the sky is blue, fading as the sun is setting with a bank of clouds off over the hills that have a crown of pretty pink-orange on them.  Too low, and not enough for a good picture...and already gone.

Tomorrow, I'll be headed off to Costco for a few things and then meeting up for lunch with my friend Panda, hopefully also finding out when she and her other friend want to get together so that we can start on Allietare. 

Spring

Spring has arrived, and I know so much of the country is wondering 'where?' and 'when' as they are still getting snow or rain, but here, it's been nice and warm for the last several days.  Today was cooler, but still in the low 70s, and was overcast in the morning with the sun peeking out later in the day.

We've had flowers blooming for quite awhile, all of my daffodils have bloomed and faded, and now the freesia is beginning to bloom.  There may be more out there, but I haven't looked closely.

From my kitchen window I've noticed a new set of lovebirds (actually finches) are building a nest under the patio awning, and the hummingbird, or one of her offspring from the last three years, is rebuilding the nest.  I find it fascinating that it/they keep using the previous year's nest as the base for the new one.  Last year's was pretty much torn apart by inclement weather over the winter, but enough was still there to be added onto.

Spring is probably my most favorite season of all.  Fresh and green with beautiful flowers, lawns that begin to need mowing, and chattering birds galore.  These trees, I believe they are ornamental pear, I find exceptionally pretty as the young green leaves first start appearing while the clusters of white flowers are still on the tree.  Our neighbor also has one of which the branches hang over our fence, but these were taken in a parking lot where I was headed for an MRI on my neck and upper back yesterday.

ornamental pear (I think)

I'm not sure if this one is the same, it doesn't have much for leaves yet if it is.

These are some miniature daffodils, photo taken spring 2010 - I didn't get any photos of them this year.  I also had a yellow, and some purple hyacinths in bloom, but they were barely more than a handful of flowers on the stem, so no pics there either.  Now I'm waiting for the tulips, and I'd really enjoy if my irises would bloom as I see a neighbor's are, but mine don't seem to do well - I keep trying.