gifts from sally

sally was our house and dog-sitter while we were in southern france. we met her on instagram. she came from seattle to babysit our puggle jack for five months while we indulged ourselves in southern france. we didn’t really know sally other than her online persona prior to our departure, and i can’t really say that “i know” sally, even now. but what i can say about sally, is that whomever or whatever she is, she left a trail of posititvity behind her here in the twin cities that is absolutely remarkable.  everyone, i mean everyone, who met her was moved by her thoughtfulness and generosity….anyway, one of the many thoughtful things sally did before she left here, was to leave me with several still blog specimens that she had gathered during her daily dog walks. i am guessing she had no idea of knowing exactly how useful they would be during the re-entry transition. and in way, that it is a  perfect example of sally’s genius.

dried gingko leaves

coming to rest

we have been home from france for just over a week, but i feel as if today was the first day we actually came to rest. exiting our life is the more difficult of the two tasks, but re-entering it still holds challenges. five months of mail and the inevitable unpaid pill or two (or three) that i wasn’t able to foresee back in august. clothes for my adult sized son who steps back into his sophomore year on Monday and refuses to stop growing. funny things. a reminder that our well water pressure is weak. the sound of a blowing furnace at night, instead of an almost silent boiler. blue light, instead of yellow. the forgotten joy of vehicle seat heaters. i’m getting used to all of them. tonight there is a fire, and a fresh dusting of snow, and candles, and a dog under the blanket on the couch, and at least a temporary kind of stillness. it’s nice to be back.

wood duck feather

circles within circles

i asked a geologist friend once if he when what makes my beloved striped beach rocks. he replied with “gneiss is nice isn’t it?” i actually considered geology (for a nanosecond) as a major in college. his bad dad joke reassures me that i probably didn’t miss my calling…

beach rock with white circle (gneiss)

blush

this collection of rocks looked so much more pink when i gathered them on the beach in france. maybe it’s this blue northern light throwing the color off. or maybe it was because they were still moist when i gathered them. in any case, i love the shapes and patterns, even under my blue minnesota sky.

mediterranean beach rocks

sète. france

winter fruits

revisiting a subject i shot last year this time and liked so much i thought i would try a new take. i’m happy to revisit the fruit, but am not interested in revisiting the process of peeling them, which was like trying to peel the label off a bottle when there is too much glue.

peeled oranges, lemon, lime, tangerine, and grapefruit