Lots of cold and snow in the past few weeks in our part of the world, but the changing light makes it pretty clear that winter won’t be with us too much longer.
She shoots, she scores! Thank you Fern--I’m not a cat person, but love them anyway. As well as hockey, February (winter), and French fries with a splash of vinegar 🤗. How cool is Margaret Atwood? You are also a star ⭐️. Thank you for sharing this ☮️💟
Just barely winter this February, tulips are popping up all around and the real optimists like crocus and hyacinths are bloomed out in some places. It will be an interesting summer.
So true! Beautiful and wise poem from a beloved poet. Thanks for sharing this, Fern, and for your lovely picture—so wonderful to put a face to your name.
Does that capture it, or what? Except there IS longer light, and therefore the snow has more luster; and in my family there has been a cluster of birthdays and cake around the ‘skewered heart’ thanks to a penchant for private Beltane festivities in years past...
It’s 6:00am in MN, home to the Hockey Hall of Fame. I’m sipping coffee in my favorite big chair, with my giant all-black, polydactyl cat sitting in my lap reading poetry with hockey and black cat references.
Great poem Fern, even for me, a non- cat lover (living in the relatively bright light and warmth of a Florida February). But with poems like this and TC's Feline Fridays I am beginning to appreciate their importance in the lives of our friends gathered in this space. TY
Thanks so much for posting, Fern--what a fantastic Atwood poem! "February, month of despair, with a skewered heart in the centre." Wow! (But "April is the cruellest month, breeding/Lilacs out of the dead land. . .")
Thanks for all your posts Fern, and of course, as ever, thank you Heather for preserving and elucidating history. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Thank you, Professor, for the beautiful photo, a reminder that all people on our planet are part of the same environment, same world. When my Father was in Italy in WW2, he and my Mother would gaze at the moon every night, remembering that they were both looking at the same moon. And the sea that lapped the shore in Italy and in California were connected, like every one of us on the planet.
When my Mom was dying, my sister and I would often talk at about 0530. She would be driving to work and I would be just about ready to secure from my overnight shifts. We'd talk on the phone, both of us looking at either the moon or Orion.
Ally, so beautiful. Aren’t you inspired by the healing energy of our ecosystem, our world, the sun and moon and stars? Infinity. And sharing it with your sister and your mother must have been heartfilling. You remember it to this day. ❤️
Irenie & Ally, I have experienced the same “settings” only with my sister as our younger sister was leaving this world and a brother as his wife was passing. Life Is a full circle and we make that trip with various loved ones in a lifetime. It’s something most all of us have in common. Sleep well my friends. Sometimes (often) it is such a comfort to sense this bond with other readers of Professor Heather’s that we only know here. Sleep well my friends - tomorrow will bring new adventures
That sister and brother of mine and I still have our mom alive, well & sharp as a tack as she approaches 92. We are blessed. As we learn “the bigger picture of life” through the teaching of Professor HCR, we also can relate to the very personal lives of our family of friends in this group
Walking the dog for the "final final" time at night - the moon and Orion is all I can recognize in the sky. "Let's go...are we done? It's cold, Sophie. Let's go home. OK a few more sniffs. OK, we're all set. It's really cold. Home, Sophie Home!"
Yes we do. Sophie helps us "get outside ourselves". When you are counting poops, worrying because she hasn't eaten her whole breakfast or just giving her a belly rub...we are not thinking about our personal woes. We're not thinking about the horrors of the world. I think folks who take in rescue dogs have a sense of stewardship that could be different and intense.
When we met Sophie, it seemed as if she had chosen us. That she needed us. And obviously, we wanted to be needed. 10 years now. I wrote a piece about her. Maybe you have read it. But here it is if not. Yes, I am a big old sappy dog lover.
Looking up to the heavens (philosophically, not necessarily religiously nor astronomically) helps to ground us in the awesomeness of creation and to recognize our microscopic place relative to the unfathomable vastness of our universe. Humility is inevitable. So is the understanding that we all are on this planetary ride together and should take better care of our Mother Ship—and of each other!
Entering the true prime of life when you pass 70. I didn't believe it when people told me that, but it's true. Despite the impacts of aging, something else is awakened, and for me at least, an amazement at the simple fact of life. Joy. May it be so for you, as well.
A late winter’s day is a good time to stop and reflect.
It’s been a mild winter here in western Connecticut. Even so, the old Yankee in me has assumed at least one nor’easter before spring, and we may be getting it later today; a present from Mother Nature on my 72nd birthday.
In spite of my efforts to do otherwise, I made it this far, with better health than I deserve and most of my marbles.
I shall enjoy watching the snow fall silently on the lake from my new rocking chair.
It's just cold (-5F, -21C)here in south central NH. Not a lot of snow. Happy birthday, Ralph! There's nothing like being warm and snug during a Nor' Easter. Almost sacred.
Happy Birthday, young pup! It's good to be grateful. I too, am happy to be here with as many assets as I have left. Got a new hip for Christmas. It works great! I am shopping for a new lower back. But I guess they are still in beta and N/A yet.
I spent my first 5 years in Enfield, CT. Now I am in MetroWest Boston. Last year and in 2020, I planted the first crop of snap and snow peas on March 15. Probably not this year.
Not much snow here. But yesterday was a sparkling dusting. Literally sparkling.
Everything you said, Ralph. Happy Birthday to you. As I mentioned to Paul, something unexpected happens in the 70s, if we let it. I feel as if I have recaptured a part of the amazement I had as a child, discovered life for the first time. I got seconds of joy and exploration. How fortunate I feel, as I embark on my 80s.
Happy Birthday, Ralph! It's clear and crisp at 14° F here on the coast of Maine. It's been a fairly mild winter here too. Mother Nature has kept most of the drama for this third act of winter and will leave us in a flurry. ❄️ 😁 Enjoy your day!
It is nice to see the daylight stay around longer. Although we continue to get snow and cold here in Central New York , the Robins and Redwing Blackbirds are starting to appear .
Many thanks, once again, Heather, for allowing us to spread our thoughts today.
With Buddy's exquisite photo as a backdrop, I cannot help but proclaim: Shut up and eat your borsch - without a "t"! "Kyiv chef uses food to reclaim culture."
Thank you, Lynell, I love your story. “More than a meal, it represents history, family and centuries of tradition.“ As a child I would never eat borsch. But i rediscovered it in NYC on Second Street. With a fat slice of fresh challah and way too much butter, heavenly. My grandparents, from Kiev, would have loved to share a bowl with me. The little things in life.
A spectacular photo by Buddy! Like in Fern’s reply, “pewter skies”. We are again, getting rains in California. They are a welcomed sight to us. Pleasant dreams. See ya’ tomorrow.
Heather... that is a darn good photo... it even breathes cold! But unlike y'all down here in Queensland we are just coming to the end of summer... offically autumn begins on 1 March. Can winter be far behind? If I took a photo it would be of blue skies and sandy beaches. Guess I won't bother.
Oh, Glorious natural light. Thank you Buddy and Heather.
February
BY MARGARET ATWOOD
Winter. Time to eat fat
and watch hockey. In the pewter mornings, the cat,
a black fur sausage with yellow
Houdini eyes, jumps up on the bed and tries
to get onto my head. It’s his
way of telling whether or not I’m dead.
If I’m not, he wants to be scratched; if I am
He’ll think of something. He settles
on my chest, breathing his breath
of burped-up meat and musty sofas,
purring like a washboard. Some other tomcat,
not yet a capon, has been spraying our front door,
declaring war. It’s all about sex and territory,
which are what will finish us off
in the long run. Some cat owners around here
should snip a few testicles. If we wise
hominids were sensible, we’d do that too,
or eat our young, like sharks.
But it’s love that does us in. Over and over
again, He shoots, he scores! and famine
crouches in the bedsheets, ambushing the pulsing
eiderdown, and the windchill factor hits
thirty below, and pollution pours
out of our chimneys to keep us warm.
February, month of despair,
with a skewered heart in the centre.
I think dire thoughts, and lust for French fries
with a splash of vinegar.
Cat, enough of your greedy whining
and your small pink bumhole.
Off my face! You’re the life principle,
more or less, so get going
on a little optimism around here.
Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring.
Margaret Atwood, “February” from Morning in the Burned House. Copyright © 1995 by Margaret Atwood. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
She shoots, she scores! Thank you Fern--I’m not a cat person, but love them anyway. As well as hockey, February (winter), and French fries with a splash of vinegar 🤗. How cool is Margaret Atwood? You are also a star ⭐️. Thank you for sharing this ☮️💟
Just barely winter this February, tulips are popping up all around and the real optimists like crocus and hyacinths are bloomed out in some places. It will be an interesting summer.
“It’s all about sex and territory,
which are what will finish us off
in the long run.”
So true! Beautiful and wise poem from a beloved poet. Thanks for sharing this, Fern, and for your lovely picture—so wonderful to put a face to your name.
Salud to you!
Rose, you brought a blush to that face. Thank you.
Thank YOU, Fern, for always shining your sunshine on this community. Like Linda said earlier, you are a star! 😊
Does that capture it, or what? Except there IS longer light, and therefore the snow has more luster; and in my family there has been a cluster of birthdays and cake around the ‘skewered heart’ thanks to a penchant for private Beltane festivities in years past...
Fern, we’re on the same wavelength: what better way to tell a story, than Poetry!
HA! Loved this, Fern!
Seriously love this! Thank you Fern. ¨It´s all about sex and territory¨ ¨ If we wise
hominids were sensible, we’d do that too, or eat our young, like sharks ¨ And oh yes, Ït´s love that does us in.¨ I purr
Love this poem Fern. Thanks for sharing.
I think I will print and frame this for my home. Thank you Margaret Atwood.... and Fern for sharing.
What a morning of riches! First Buddy’s magnificent photo and now this Margaret Atwood gem. Thank you Heather and Fern. You help me survive.
It’s 6:00am in MN, home to the Hockey Hall of Fame. I’m sipping coffee in my favorite big chair, with my giant all-black, polydactyl cat sitting in my lap reading poetry with hockey and black cat references.
Life is good. Thanks Fern.
Always wondered why my black cat wants to sleep on my head???
Thank You Fern! And Margaret Atwood!
...and the sun has picked up the pace of its welcome march North along the eastern horizon.
"February, month of despair,
with a skewered heart in the centre."
Great poem Fern, even for me, a non- cat lover (living in the relatively bright light and warmth of a Florida February). But with poems like this and TC's Feline Fridays I am beginning to appreciate their importance in the lives of our friends gathered in this space. TY
Love it, Fern. Thank you.
Very cool!
Thanks so much for posting, Fern--what a fantastic Atwood poem! "February, month of despair, with a skewered heart in the centre." Wow! (But "April is the cruellest month, breeding/Lilacs out of the dead land. . .")
Thanks for all your posts Fern, and of course, as ever, thank you Heather for preserving and elucidating history. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Thank you, Professor, for the beautiful photo, a reminder that all people on our planet are part of the same environment, same world. When my Father was in Italy in WW2, he and my Mother would gaze at the moon every night, remembering that they were both looking at the same moon. And the sea that lapped the shore in Italy and in California were connected, like every one of us on the planet.
Motto
In the dark times, will there also be singing?
Yes, there will be singing.
About the dark times.
Bertolt Brecht
Rest well.
When my Mom was dying, my sister and I would often talk at about 0530. She would be driving to work and I would be just about ready to secure from my overnight shifts. We'd talk on the phone, both of us looking at either the moon or Orion.
Ally, so beautiful. Aren’t you inspired by the healing energy of our ecosystem, our world, the sun and moon and stars? Infinity. And sharing it with your sister and your mother must have been heartfilling. You remember it to this day. ❤️
Irenie & Ally, I have experienced the same “settings” only with my sister as our younger sister was leaving this world and a brother as his wife was passing. Life Is a full circle and we make that trip with various loved ones in a lifetime. It’s something most all of us have in common. Sleep well my friends. Sometimes (often) it is such a comfort to sense this bond with other readers of Professor Heather’s that we only know here. Sleep well my friends - tomorrow will bring new adventures
Pat, your beautiful words bring me to tears. Happy tears. To be human is to love and be loved. If we are lucky. So much in life, depends…
That sister and brother of mine and I still have our mom alive, well & sharp as a tack as she approaches 92. We are blessed. As we learn “the bigger picture of life” through the teaching of Professor HCR, we also can relate to the very personal lives of our family of friends in this group
The Red Wheelbarrow
William Carlos Williams - 1883-1963
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
Copyright © 1962 by William Carlos Williams. Used with permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.
Yes, of course, Poets at heart. Mim and William Carlos
Williams.
Walking the dog for the "final final" time at night - the moon and Orion is all I can recognize in the sky. "Let's go...are we done? It's cold, Sophie. Let's go home. OK a few more sniffs. OK, we're all set. It's really cold. Home, Sophie Home!"
LOL🥶
Bill, to walk with your friend is a gift. You need each other. Home, Sophie. Guided by the moon.
Yes we do. Sophie helps us "get outside ourselves". When you are counting poops, worrying because she hasn't eaten her whole breakfast or just giving her a belly rub...we are not thinking about our personal woes. We're not thinking about the horrors of the world. I think folks who take in rescue dogs have a sense of stewardship that could be different and intense.
When we met Sophie, it seemed as if she had chosen us. That she needed us. And obviously, we wanted to be needed. 10 years now. I wrote a piece about her. Maybe you have read it. But here it is if not. Yes, I am a big old sappy dog lover.
https://billalstrom.substack.com/p/chosen
Looking up to the heavens (philosophically, not necessarily religiously nor astronomically) helps to ground us in the awesomeness of creation and to recognize our microscopic place relative to the unfathomable vastness of our universe. Humility is inevitable. So is the understanding that we all are on this planetary ride together and should take better care of our Mother Ship—and of each other!
Rose, so beautiful and so true.
“So is the understanding that we all are on this planetary ride together and should take better care of our Mother Ship—and of each other!”
Thank you, Irenie!
Celebrated my 70th BD today, so please feel free to rest along with me!
Happy Birthday, Young 'un!
🥁🎺🎇🎉🎹🎷
Celebrating after a good rest. 🎶 Happy Birthday, Paul St. Maur! 🎶
Happy Birthday, Paul. Keep working for Peace and Justice.
Entering the true prime of life when you pass 70. I didn't believe it when people told me that, but it's true. Despite the impacts of aging, something else is awakened, and for me at least, an amazement at the simple fact of life. Joy. May it be so for you, as well.
I like finding that true freedom to be yourself without offending others.
Ah, youth! Congratulations and keep on celebrating, Paul.
Happy Birthday!
🎶Happy Birthday, Paul St. Maur!🎵
🎶Happy Birthday, to you!🎵
Always good to have the accompanying music...morning, Rowshan!
Morning, Lynell! And such a beautiful morning it is in 19 degree VT -- the sun is shinning on the white landscape!
19 degrees? Ooh, brrr. Hurry spring!
😂😂😂
Happy birthday, youngster.
Happy Birthday Paul!
Happy Birthday Paul.
Happy Birthday Paul and enjoy! ❤️!
With Gratitude
A late winter’s day is a good time to stop and reflect.
It’s been a mild winter here in western Connecticut. Even so, the old Yankee in me has assumed at least one nor’easter before spring, and we may be getting it later today; a present from Mother Nature on my 72nd birthday.
In spite of my efforts to do otherwise, I made it this far, with better health than I deserve and most of my marbles.
I shall enjoy watching the snow fall silently on the lake from my new rocking chair.
With gratitude.
It's just cold (-5F, -21C)here in south central NH. Not a lot of snow. Happy birthday, Ralph! There's nothing like being warm and snug during a Nor' Easter. Almost sacred.
Happy Birthday, young pup! It's good to be grateful. I too, am happy to be here with as many assets as I have left. Got a new hip for Christmas. It works great! I am shopping for a new lower back. But I guess they are still in beta and N/A yet.
I spent my first 5 years in Enfield, CT. Now I am in MetroWest Boston. Last year and in 2020, I planted the first crop of snap and snow peas on March 15. Probably not this year.
Not much snow here. But yesterday was a sparkling dusting. Literally sparkling.
Please let me know Bill when you find that new lower back. I would certainly put in my order.
Happy Birthday, Ralph!
Happy Birthday!
Everything you said, Ralph. Happy Birthday to you. As I mentioned to Paul, something unexpected happens in the 70s, if we let it. I feel as if I have recaptured a part of the amazement I had as a child, discovered life for the first time. I got seconds of joy and exploration. How fortunate I feel, as I embark on my 80s.
Happy Birthday, Ralph. You are so fabulous!
Cheers!
🗽
Happy Birthday Ralph. Enjoy that new rocking chair. Such an excellent gift.
Happy, happy birthday, Ralph! Another young 'un! Celebrate in style.
Happy Birthday, Ralph! It's clear and crisp at 14° F here on the coast of Maine. It's been a fairly mild winter here too. Mother Nature has kept most of the drama for this third act of winter and will leave us in a flurry. ❄️ 😁 Enjoy your day!
Happy Birthday Ralph!
Happy Birthday Ralph! Didn’t know how many of us have celebrated February birthdays? 🤗 Enjoy your day ❤️!
Beautiful photo. Rest well
My sentiments exactly. Oh, and thank you Dr R for all you relay to us. It’s got to get heavy at times so rest and recover please.
Beautiful photo! May the golden light shine on you and Buddy. Thank you! 💙💛
Thank you for all you do Heather.
It is nice to see the daylight stay around longer. Although we continue to get snow and cold here in Central New York , the Robins and Redwing Blackbirds are starting to appear .
A sure sign of Spring to come.
Be safe. Be well.
Many thanks, once again, Heather, for allowing us to spread our thoughts today.
With Buddy's exquisite photo as a backdrop, I cannot help but proclaim: Shut up and eat your borsch - without a "t"! "Kyiv chef uses food to reclaim culture."
https://apnews.com/article/soviet-union-food-and-drink-ec0bd5ce731fe28cf4b35479c0eec911?
Thank you, Lynell, I love your story. “More than a meal, it represents history, family and centuries of tradition.“ As a child I would never eat borsch. But i rediscovered it in NYC on Second Street. With a fat slice of fresh challah and way too much butter, heavenly. My grandparents, from Kiev, would have loved to share a bowl with me. The little things in life.
So glad this story resonated with you, Irenie. I just want to remember that his cookbook will be released in the States this fall. Yum!
Love this Lynell! Thank You! Sharing with my chef son (hoping for some authentic borsch in my future!). Long Live Ukraine.
Lucky you, MaryPat, to have a chef in the family! Nothing wrong with good eating along with promoting Ukraine's culinary culture.
Mmmmmmm!
Now, I’d like to find a recipe for borsch!!
LOL, Jennie...me, too!
Buddy does get it right! The light charging towards spring is magical!
Completely grateful for every post which is either the last thing or the first thing I read each day.
Thank you for your very hard work, for your generosity of spirit, for your dedication. Always wishing you good rest. You deserve it.
A spectacular photo by Buddy! Like in Fern’s reply, “pewter skies”. We are again, getting rains in California. They are a welcomed sight to us. Pleasant dreams. See ya’ tomorrow.
Yes, Marlene . Here in California rain and snow are so gladly welcomed. Hope the lakes and reservoirs fill up. It’s been a long drought.
Heather... that is a darn good photo... it even breathes cold! But unlike y'all down here in Queensland we are just coming to the end of summer... offically autumn begins on 1 March. Can winter be far behind? If I took a photo it would be of blue skies and sandy beaches. Guess I won't bother.
G'Day, Bill!
Bonza Bill!
Rest well, you’re likely to need it. It appears MTG is calling the shots with the Speaker and is full of senseless ideas.
Thanks for the reminder that light changes as we get closer to the sun. Not seeing too much of it here on the Pacific Coast!
You’re right Lou, not seeing much light but seeing lots of white here in Oregon
Thank you for all you do!
Lovely photo -- Mother Nature continues to show us beauty!
Wishing you a restorative rest.