moss

instigate, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I found some fabulous moss out in the woods today.







There was some great lichen, too.

daffodil heaven

centered, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I couldn't decide which daffodil pic to post, so I'm going to post a bunch of them. They're just so lovely. :)

long

long, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

The setting sun gilds the tops of the trees near the rose garden in Stanley Park last Thursday. Soon, the bare dirt will be full of flowers, and the brown patches of grass will be green again. If the sun ever comes out for more than five minutes! ;)

long

long, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I went for a walk along the bike path in Northampton & Hadley with a friend today, and I loved the shapes and shadows made by the bridge over the river. It was a nice day for a walk, and there were lots of people taking advantage of the lovely weather.

shy

shy, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

This shy daffodil was the first to blossom in its little patch in Stanley Park the other day. Hopefully, more sunshine tomorrow will coax its siblings out to play.

guidance

guidance, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

This was the path between the frog pond and the peepers pond, yesterday evening at Stanley Park. The setting sun cast lovely, long shadows across the leaves from last fall.

Today, it's raining like cats and dogs. Such is life in New England!

soothe

soothe, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I found these lovely snowdrops down at Stanley Park this evening, within hearing distance of a pond full of peepers. It was a perfect spring evening. :)

more flowers

ta da!, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

These are the first daffodils I've seen in bloom. I found these on Court Street yesterday.

Down at Stanley Park, the forsythia is just starting to bloom.



I also found these teeny, tiny little flowers.



For scale, I took a pic of them with my finger. They're really tiny!

out like a lamb

fancy, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

The last day of March was a delightful one. I finally found blooming crocus here in Westfield! This one was brightening up Chestnut Street. Spring is here for real, at last.

bright

bright, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

This past Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m., I turned out all the lights in my apartment, along with millions of others, for Earth Hour. I had meant to post something ahead of time, but a busy day got away from me and I didn't get around to it.

My turning off my lights for an hour didn't make much of an impact, but millions of people around the world together might have. It's a simple thing to turn off lights (and televisions, and computers) that aren't being used, yet so many of us don't do it often enough. This simple gesture reminds us not to be quite so wasteful. The world looks softer by candlelight. Plus, it gave me an excuse to use this lovely oil lamp. :)

recent

recent, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

No, the roses aren't blooming yet... these were laid on a gravestone at Pine Hill Cemetery, left in remembrance of a loved one.

When I go, I'd rather have flowers planted over me that can be enjoyed year after year. Cut flowers are lovely, but fleeting.

like shells

like shells, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I found this interesting fungus at Heritage Park that looks like shells. It's an amazingly lovely day out today, and I was lucky to be able to get outside for a little while at lunch. Just counting down the minutes now until I can get back out there.

bursting

bursting, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

These coppery evergreen needles (isn't that a contradiction?) were found at Stanley Park on March 17. It looked like a new planting, so hopefully this little tree will survive. I love the color, despite the fact that they should probably be green.

another old cemetery

Mary Ellis, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I visited an old cemetery in Medfield, MA yesterday. Medfield is southwest of Boston, and the cemetery dates back to colonial times. I'd driven by it many times and was glad to get the chance to explore it.















I found a flag plaque from the Revolutionary war!



A very cool place, just full of history. I love those old slate headstones.

cheery

cheery, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I finally found some crocuses! I had to go all the way to Medway to find these lovelies. I have yet to see any here in Westfield.

Still, spring is here, and things are blooming in Massachusetts!

Spring at last!

crocuses, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Happy Spring/Vernal Equinox! Today the night and day are equal length, and spring has officially arrived here in the northern hemisphere.

I have yet to see any crocus blooming this year. These are from a couple of years ago, April 9th '07, at Grandmothers' Garden. I keep thinking they should be blooming by now, but perhaps that's just my impatience, since these were not abloom until April. When it comes to spring, I'm worse than a kid at Christmas. *g*

More plaques

Vietnam plaque, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I went back to the cemetery yesterday after work, and the ground had dried out enough for me to wander around looking at more of these plaques on the flags. I found Korea and Vietnam, and assorted other associations.











Also: the daffodils are getting taller!



Today is the last day of winter. Good riddance!

first one!

first one!, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I saw my first dandelion of the year over at Heritage Park in East Longmeadow today!

Only two days until Spring!

batch

batch, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I found the home of stacked chairs today over at Stanley Park. I like the colors, shapes, and patterns.

theme

theme, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

The ice has melted even from the smaller tributaries now, out in the wildlife sanctuary by Stanley Park.

Out on the paths, I was passed a couple of times by two guys on motorbikes. I took this pic when one stopped to ask me if this was a walking path, which it is. I was a bit annoyed, especially since the bikes were so loud.



They then went off on another path, and I was able to enjoy the peace of the woods again.