happy valentine’s day

my husband of 32 years, steve, crashed through thigh-high snow to snip these stems for me. best valentine’s day present ever.

cattails in february (typha)

dithering times

the deep freeze of january and february allows for very little variation in the environment. as our temps begin to dither right around freezing, interesting and beautiful natural events return: frosts. fogs, and icicles  to name a few.  it’s not much, but after two months of total and complete dormancy, it’s enough.

frosted winter leaves

a squadron of damselflies

those of you who follow me on social media know that i have a flat file with drawers of nature collections i have amassed over the 10 years of doing STILL. 99% of what i photograph goes back outside once i have made my photo. but every once in a while, i hold onto the perfect rock, feather, pinecone, acorn, seedpod, leaf…or, in this case damselfly. i’m so glad i did.

damselflies

on softness

we could all use a little more softness, don’t you agree?  i have deleted my news app from my phone for a few months. i need fewer things that jangle my nerves. i need soft music, soft friends, and soft conversation. i need soft blankets, soft clothes, soft caresses, and kind words. there will plenty of time for making lists, setting goals, being my best self,  and upping the ante on productivity. for the rest of february, all i want is softness.

winter tall grass

…more winter reds

still picking up on the winter reds out there. once you start to see it, you can’t look away. maybe i am just internalizing all the valentines day messaging.

february crabapples