The Middle Peninsula

February 28th is a special day in our house,

so we took the day off from work 

and set off for new sights and scenes.

We traveled a short distance out of the Shire 

to Virginia's Middle Peninsula,

setting our GPS for the little town of West Point,

a place where every street has a river view.

geocaching.com

West Point is named for a man named West,

and Point because the original part of the town

was established on a small peninsula 

at the confluence of two rivers:

the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi.

The Pamunkey and Mattaponi are Native American Indian tribes.

We didn't get as far as the Pamunkey Reservation Museum,

but it is said to contain artifacts from Pocahontas 

and the reservation, the burial mound of the great Chief Powhatan.

Beautiful bright sunny day, 

friendly people,

beautiful wooded scenery

and mighty blue rivers.

A lovely way to end the month of February.

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That Spring Feeling

When I arrived at work today,

I saw another sign of spring.

Three white-tailed deer ran across the green space

behind my office building.

Suddenly the third  ran back the same way it had come

and began to hop around in a spirit of unbridled joy.

Photo: James Donner www.country-magazine.com

The wind was sharp and cold, but the day was sunny,

and I can only imagine the deer 

were responding to the whispers of emerging spring.

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And Spring Shall Come

Icy cold weather arrived here in mid-January

and rarely left.

And tonight, it is windy and cold yet again.

People begin to wonder if winter will ever loosen its grip.

I'm often one of them.

camelliaexpress.wordpress.com

But yesterday and today, I noticed a few signs of impending spring:

daffodils, some almost ready to bloom;

the muted, early blossoms on a crab apple tree;

pink camellia buds in my backyard;

imperceptibly tiny shoots on our redbud trees.

It occurs to me this is a metaphor for life:

even when things are darkest and coldest, 

unseen hands are gently pushing better days forward.

Things are improving, despite appearances.

And spring shall come . . .

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The Changing Sky

Today it sleeted and snowed--but only for about two minutes.

Even though the precipitation was of short duration,

it looked like snow all day.

As I was driving home this evening, 

 the sky changed before my eyes.

The gray froth of clouds gradually 

gave way to darker streaks against a pallid sky.

thesefleetingmoments.com

An interesting metamorphosis, but the sun looked so weak, 

barely shining through the pallor.

And all I could think was 

that this time of February is a bit depressing.

The sky is gray, the temperature is cold,

it won't rain or it won't snow or it does both

when we don't want it to.

corneliusnews.net

Except a funny thing happens on days like this.

As the sun begins to set, the blandness subsides.

Brilliant pink streaks stretch across the horizon,

shooting out from a different kind of sun.

And that's the best part of a late winter sky.

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Late Winter in Virginia

As I've walked outside these last few days,

my spirits have been buoyed by 

all the green daffodil leaves emerging from the earth.

And since this is the last week of February, 

I've allowed myself to think of winter as over.

forestgardenblog.wordpress.com

But today I saw a junco in the backyard

and that always means snow.

I checked the forecast for Tidewater

and discovered that Wednesday there is an expectation for snow.

How much remains to be seen.

en.wikipedia.org

I'm trying to be optimistic,

but I think I have to agree with comedian and writer Carl Reiner on this one.

Reiner once quipped: 

"A lot of people like snow.

I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water."

At this point in the season, Carl, I'm with you.

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A Patch of Old Snow

Today and yesterday the weather here in the Shire

has been reminiscent of spring.

Warm and lovely, sunny and bright.

And I'm glad it's been warm 

if for no other reason than the temperatures

finally reached a level of heat sufficient to melt a very stubborn patch of snow.

First fallen from January 21 through the 23rd,

reinforced by snow from February,

this little bank of snow swept itself up against our Asian jasmine

and dug in for the long haul: almost a month.

georgeruns.wordpress.com

While other snow banks and piles melted away,

our little patch of snow stayed and stayed.

It's somewhat reminiscent of Robert Frost's poem,

"A Patch of Old Snow":

There's a patch of old snow in a corner

That I should have guessed

Was a blow-away paper the rain

Had brought to rest.

It is speckled with grime as if

Small print overspread it,

The news of a day I've forgotten --

If I ever read it. 

At least our little patch of old snow stayed clean and white for its duration.

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Blue Skies

I never get tired of the blue sky.

                --Vincent Van Gogh

This afternoon as I was driving,

I turned onto a parkway and

was startled at how bright blue the sky was in front of me.

There was a crescent-shaped swath of white cloud 

far above the horizon.

It was dazzling.

Vincent Van Gogh  "Wheatfield with a Lark"

I love the way a blue sky can be so ordinary 

and extraordinary at the same time.

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A Record High for February

This morning was deliciously warm.

It was delightful to be outside without a coat or even a sweater.

Unfortunately, circumstances forced me inside most of the day,

so my pleasant feeling was limited to those few moments

when I was getting in or out of the car or moving from one building to another.

Just when I was done for the day and could really enjoy the weather,

 a thunderstorm blew in and sent the record high of 79 degrees

plummeting back to February levels.

Sigh.

www.rgbstock.com

Before I set out into the chill,

I stood in the window with some other people 

and watched the rain and wind 

flatten some hardy yellow pansies.

"That's life," we consoled each other.

But secretly, I was happy that winter had been held at bay

for a little while.

It's very reassuring.

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The Daffodil

The daffodil is our doorside queen;

she pushes upward the sword already,

to spot with sunshine the early green.

                     --William Cullen Bryant

Our weather turned a little warmer this week,

still cool, but not cold.

But warm enough for us to shed our coats 

and feel the hope of spring.

http://musingsofthesixties.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html

And then Tuesday I saw a robin and some dandelions in bloom.

Spring seemed closer,

but I still didn't want to commit any optimism to the prospect just yet.

caroleknits.net

But then today, I noticed the shoots of daffodils

rising tender and green from a mat of brown leaves and pine needles.

Perhaps we can start to think spring after all.

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Signs of Spring

Robin's here in coat of brown,

And scarlet breast-knot gay.

         --William Allingham

spirit-animals.com

Today was again warm and sunny,

and right on cue, a robin appeared

in the backyard.

Since robins sometimes winter here,

I didn't want to make a rush to judgment

about spring's early arrival.

en.wikipedia.org

Yet, later when I was walking,

I was surprised to see yellow dandelions 

popping up in the grass.

And I really started to think 

we may be finally coming out from winter's shadow.

And it seems Emily Dickinson felt the same way:

The dandelion's pallid tube

Astonishes the grass

And winter instantly becomes

An infinite alas.

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Camellias and Snowdrops

A flower hidden ... does not become less beautiful ... .

                                                    --Tsunyota Kohe't

Ordinarily this time of year, 

I would look out the breakfast room window 

and see deep rose-pink camellia blossoms.

www.avirginiashire.blogspot.com

And if I were to look out the dining room window,

I would see a cluster of pure white snowdrops

basking in the sun.

www.avirginiashire.blogspot.com

But this year, after weeks of unusually cold weather

and freezing temperatures,

there are no camellia blossoms and no snowdrops.

Even the evergreen leaves are dark, almost black, and hanging down. 

It all looks a little forlorn.

And despite today's warm sunshine and temperatures in the 50s,

my winter flowers remain hidden.

My only consolation is 

that this will make the arrival of spring

that much sweeter.

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Afternoon in February

Afternoon in February 

"The day is ending,
The night is descending;
The marsh is frozen,
The river dead.

Through clouds like ashes
The red sun flashes
On village windows
That glimmer red."

--  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

hecatedemeter.wordpress.com

In the Northern Hemisphere, 

February has been described in uncomplimentary terms 

for centuries.

For some, February is a restless and inhospitable month.

The cold, the snow, the being cooped up inside longer than we want to be

all coalesce into cabin fever.

Others find February merely a bland and unremarkable bridge 

between the sympathies of January and the promises of March.

But in cold February,

the sun is more appreciated 

when it breaks through the heavy gray clouds

and sends them on their way.

I can attest to this: 

There is nothing more enjoyable

than taking an afternoon nap 

stretched out under the blanket of a February sun.

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Still Waters

The earth has  music for those who listen.

                 --George Santayana

Happy Birthday to us!

Today the Still Waters: Notes from a Virginia Shire blog

turns two years old.

www.avirginiashire.blogspot.com

I started the Still Waters blog because I wanted to 

provide readers a moment of tranquility, a respite if you will, 

from the pressures and busy-ness of daily life.

Still Waters blog strives to connect to the rhythms of the seasons

and the day-to-day changes taking place in nature as it unfolds 

imperceptibly around us.

Photo by Liz Larson ndsu.edu

And as part of that unfolding,

I also write about how we mark the passage of time

through holiday celebrations and customs that have often been handed down 

over hundreds and hundreds of years.

And there's no place better to do that than from this Virginia Shire.

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February Sunshine

Yesterday, the gray skies disappeared,

cast aside by rays of warm sunshine.

February sunshine.

As Williams Cullen Bryant once wrote:

The February sunshine

steeps your boughs and tints the buds

and swells the leaves within.

www.flickr.com Photo by to.wi

Of course, today the gray rain returned
 along with another blanket of winter's chill.

But it's good to stop and remember 

that even as the snow falls

and the winter wind swirls around us,

that somewhere we can't see,

spring is stirring.

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St. Valentine's Day 2014

What could be better on Valentine's Day

than beautiful fresh flowers?

I love all kinds of flowers, but roses are special.

I love yellow ones for sentimental reasons:

1ms.net

and white ones because they are so pure and delicate:

modeoflife.org

 and pink ones because they are joyful and fun:

listofbirthstones.com

And even orange ones for a little spice and brightness:

knotforlife.com

Of course, roses on Valentine's are often passionately red:

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Cookies for Valentine's Day

I could say I never met a cookie I didn't like,

but as long as there are raisins and candied fruit lurking in cupboards,

 I won't be making such a sweeping statement.

But I do love cookies.

I don't think anyone can be completely sad 

as long as there are cookies nearby.

So for Valentine's Day--let's talk cookies!

Aren't these the most creative cookies ever? 

These are from sugardotcookies.blogspot.com:

These have an intricate  and delicate design:

by Bernice at http://www.flickr.com/photos/smurfesque/5439147075/

These look warm and comfy:

Photo by Lain Bagwell, via listplanit.com

These are very sophisticated:

butterfloureggs.com

I'd have to say if I had a choice between Valentine's Day chocolates and cookies,

it would be an easy decision to make.

I'd look at the cookies and say just one thing:

Be mine.

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Valentine's Day Food Ideas

I once saw a cooking program 

that showed how to make palm trees out of carrots and green peppers,

and little penguins out of hard-boiled eggs and black olives.

It's silly, but I like the creativity.

So I browsed the Internet for creative food ideas for Valentine's Day

and found some cute things.

This first photo is of apples and watermelon cut into tiny heart shapes.

For some reason, skewers elevate the ordinary,

and people love them.

Aren't these cute?

www.allergy-shmallergy.com

Heart shaped pizza with heart-shaped toppings:

www.bforbel.com

Isn't this creative? A red apple and a green one

trade little heart cut outs:

9bytz.com

And more fun with food:

grape tomatoes cut on the diagonal and then joined together in a heart shape:

homedecoratingideasphotos.blogspot.com

I think I'm officially in love.

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Candy for Valentine's Day

It's hard to imagine St. Valentine's Day without chocolates,

but there are other candies equally emblematic of this holiday.

For example, where would we be without our "conversation hearts"?

Conversation hearts are those chalky little pastel hearts

with pre-printed messages:  "Be mine," "True Love," and "Hug Me"

all come to  mind.

The web site bhg.com tells us that the conversation hearts 

we're familiar with date back to 1902, 

manufactured by the NECCO Candy Company.

An earlier version dates back to the 1860s,

so they've been around a very, very long time.

www.oldtimecandy.com

But nowadays, non--chocolate candies come in a wider variety of shapes and sizes.

These little red, white, and pink candy hearts would be so cute in a glass dish:

Google Images

These Valentine's Day lollipops are fun, too. 

If you click on the link, there is a recipe for making these at home:

http://www.studiodiy.com/2013/02/08/diy-heart-lollipops/

This next one is an innovative way 

to salvage the tiny candy canes leftover

after Christmas. Click on the link for this recipe too:

http://prytulka.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/candy-cane-chocolate-lollipops-for-valentines-daysave-your-candy-canes/

And let's not forget red hots:

www.creativecynchronicity.com

and jelly beans:

www.amazon.com

To paraphrase Shakespeare: All sweets for the sweets!

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St. Valentine's Day and Chocolates

Somewhere deep within the folds of our memories, everyone can recall 

the first heart-shaped box of Valentine's Day chocolates received.

I never gave the history of Valentine's Day and chocolate much attention

because really, my enthusiasm for a box of chocolates 

normally outweighed any interest in why they were a fitting symbol for the holiday.

realsimple.com

But today, with the chances of my receiving a heart-shaped box of chocolates

 this Friday coming up pretty slim,

I did start to wonder why we give chocolates for St. Valentine's Day.

www.oldshopstuff.com

Thanks to History.com, we have the connection.

It seems that in the mid-19th century in Victorian England, 

when everyone was snapping up lace-covered,

love bird laden, cherub and flower bedecked paper valentines,

Richard Cadbury was fashioning delicious chocolate candies.

And he reasoned, why not put those chocolate candies

in pretty heart-shaped boxes for those who wanted to give more than a card.

And so he did. He made the first heart-shaped, decorated box

filled with chocolate.

This frilly, now-empty box was recently sold on ebay:

So this year, if  you've been holding back from giving

chocolates for Valentine's Day, you might want to give in.

And for old time's sake,

make sure they're inside a heart-shaped box.

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Vintage Valentine's Day Cards

Not so long ago,

 Valentine's Day couldn't be properly celebrated

without the exchange of paper valentines, 

each decorated with shiny red hearts, cherubs, paper lace

or sweet verses.

But even those valentines seem slick and commercial when 

compared to the elaborate artistry of Victorian Valentine's Day cards.

Here are a few I like best:

(all images are from Google Images)

This one has it all: a touch of lace, birds, hearts, and flowers:

Not just cherubs, but seraphim and cherubim:

And more little angels:

Plump, apple-cheeked children are a recurring theme:

The flowers in this one are particularly beautiful. 

Peonies are frequently depicted, as are roses and violets,

probably because of their sweet perfumes:

A sweet way to tell someone you're thinking of them.

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St. Valentine's Day Crafts

I have been working on a special Valentine's Day craft

for a few days now,

and it is taking me much longer than I expected.

I plan to mail them out to my family,

but  the finished product may not  arrive before the 14th.

Next year, I will need to find something that doesn't take so long to dry.

 I was looking at some Valentine's Day crafts online,

and found some that look like they would be fun to make.

I thought this garland of paper hearts was really pretty.

They look like they would be easy. 

All you'd need is a drop of glue and some strips of colored paper.

I especially like the "print" hearts in the center:

diyinspired.com

Here are two other versions using nylon line and string:

http://babyology.com.au/miscellaneous/made-with-love-your-guide-to-valentines-day-diy.html

Not to be outdone, Martha Stewart brings us 

paper Valentine's Day baskets filled with candy.

All these need are folded card stock and ribbon.

marthastewart.com

How about painted wine corks?

Photo My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

via Mother Nature Network at 

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/stories/5-diy-valentines-day-crafts

These bookmarks have got to be one of the cutest things I've seen.

All you need are purloined paint sample cards, ribbon, and a heart-shaped punch:

bookriot.com

I love the creativity and resourcefulness of all of these.

If  you travel through the internet, there are hundreds more.

Something for everyone.

And with Valentine's Day six days away,

there's still time to wow your family and friends.

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