Tag: Life in General

Today, It Really Feels Like Spring

~ Kathryn ~ 3 Comments

 

20140417-130416.jpgWhile today isn’t our first day of sunny, warm temperatures or even the first appearance of spring color, something about the quality of the light, the chipper bird activity (robins are really going at it–watch out earthworms!) and a slight chill to the breeze, makes this feel like an honest-to-goodness, midwestern spring day.

I especially like this time of year; very “early days” spring, when Scilla carpets the just-turned green grass with a lovely complimentary blue and the faintest hint of yellow dots the forsythia bushes, but most trees and shrubs still cling to the brown tinges of winter. Something big is coming.

20140417-133517.jpg

 

It’s hard to believe just two days ago the backyard looked like this, and I was scraping ice off the fountain.

Advertisement

Happy New Year!

~ Kathryn ~ 1 Comment

New Year's Eve Fonetik Scrabl

Happy New Year All!

Are there any old-time regulars still popping in to this blog? Because if so, I’m sure they’ve wondered where the heck I’ve been. Things were definitely busy for me in 2012, as evidenced by the severe decline in the number of posts I made to this blog. I’ve been focusing on getting my photography business off the ground, which took up a lot of my time last year. (And I’ll be honest, Facebook has been to blame as well.) I made the jump to WordPress last year and then jumped into an abyss. I hope to do better in 2013. I’ve a few photo projects up my sleeve that may help with more regular posting.

I have photos and travel adventures from 2012 to catch up on–my road trip to Virginia and recent quest in Kentucky, visiting distilleries and doughnut shops.  And already, I have three book reviews to kick off this year of reading.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a New Year’s resolution to rekindle regular blogging without my fiddling with the blog design. Some slight tweaks to an existing WP format and I’m very happy with this cleaner, wider new look.

The photo above is the result of our traditional New Year’s Eve Phonetic Scrabble game; no correct words allowed, just spell ’em as you say ’em. It’s harder than it looks and loads of fun.

We’ve finally got some honest to goodness freaking cold winter weather, perfect for my annual New Year’s Day walk by the lake. The sun was out, the wind was down, and the late afternoon winter light was beautiful. Later, hours after sundown, the moon rose over Lake Michigan, looking large and gorgeously orange. A good omen for the year to come.

Lake Michigan Wishes You a Happy New Year.

Saturday 3 p.m.: Sewing Backdrops

~ Kathryn ~ 1 Comment

Saturday 3 p.m.: Making backdrops

Sadly, I’ve fallen quite behind on my Saturday photo project. I’m trying to kickstart it back up again and will see if I can post directly to the blog from my phone, which is how I take most of my “Saturday 3 pm” photos. Otherwise, I fear it will just become a Facebook post and will be lost to the ether. Part of the reason I started recording what I was doing every Saturday at 3 p.m. was that it served as a kind of journal, a snapshot moment in time.

Last Saturday I spent part of the day knocking things off my never-ending To Do List. Here I’d finished sewing the edges of some burlap I’m using for backgrounds to shoot items I’m posting to my etsy shop. Man, nothing brings back memories of childhood like the smell of burlap!

Forget March, We’ve Skipped April and Headed Right Into May

~ Kathryn ~ 1 Comment

The unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having this winter is rolling right into spring and things are budding, blooming, and leafing out very much ahead of schedule. These last two days have been downright hot and humid, which makes me think we’re in for a wicked summer.

In the meantime, it’s nice to see the first color of the season.

Happy New Year!

~ Kathryn ~ 3 Comments

Tapping the first growler of 2012
Well, hello there stranger! Remember me?

Yeah, long time no post. My new year’s resolution is to update the blog once every two months. (Joke.) Sad to say, that would be an improvement as of late. Can you believe that at one point, not that long ago, I was able to post to this blog ONCE A DAY FOR A YEAR?!

The new year seems as good a time as any to turn the trend and take up the blog again. Lord knows I’ve got a lot of catching up to do; book reviews to post and my photos and travel journal from France for starters.

I was in Kentucky over Christmas (more on that later as well) and stopped at one of my favorite places for beer, The Beer Trappe in Lexington. Resisted the urge to buy one of everything and instead limited myself to a mixed six-pack and a growler of Unibraue Trois Pistoles. We cracked open the growler today in honor of 2012 and I’m enjoying it with friends. It’s a dark, peppery, malty brew and I really like it. I would definitely get it again. There you go, my first recommendation of the new year.

Well, happy new year to all who (used to) regularly visit here. I wish you and yours a happy and healthy year filled with simple pleasures and great adventures.

Cheers!

Spotty Feet

~ Kathryn ~ 1 Comment

Over 200 days into my Feet First project and I'm still amazed that there are days when I completely forget to snap a shot of my feet. This past week was terrible; I missed a shot every other day.

Feet First | 250

Sunday, 15 May

Feet First | 250

Babysittin'.

 

Feet First | 252

Tuesday, 17 May

Feet First | 252

Lincoln Logs were never my thing. It took me ten minutes to construct this "station house" only to have JD destroy it in 1.5 seconds.

 

Feet First | 254

Thursday, 19 May

Feet First | 254

One of my favorite front yards in town. All prairie grasses and flowering ground cover. I walk by it every chance I get to see how it's changed from week to week.

 

Feet First | 256

Saturday, 21 May

Feet First | 256

I tried a new Belgian beer. I'd never had anything from the Chimay brand, which I gather is still made in small batches by Trappist monks. I quite liked this one, it had just the right bitterness level for me. And I loved the pop of the cork that started off the bottle.

Back So Soon?

~ Kathryn ~ Leave a comment

Feet First | 118

Monday, 3 January

Feet First | 118

I made an unscheduled visit to the plastic surgeon Monday. (I'm not due to see her again until May.) Just checking on a stitch that didn't seem to be healing right. Everything is good.

In other news, the car was in the shop and India seems to be following her brother Scooter down the path to the great feline beyond. I wasn't feeling too bully for 2011 at the beginning of the week.

Happy New Year!

~ Kathryn ~ 1 Comment

Lake Michigan, 1-1-11

While I’m as glad as anybody to see the page turn on a new calendar year, I have to say 2010 wasn’t a terrible year. There was a surprising amount of good that surmounted the bad and I look back on 2010 as an essentially positive year.

That being said, I am looking forward to a decidedly less medically-centric new year. 🙂

My very best wishes to you all for a happy and healthy 2011 with a special thank you to that handful of you who regularly visit 2Things. Extra special thanks to those of you who take the time to drop a comment now and then. I appreciate it more than you know.

Cheers!