Celebrating the First Signs of Spring

Ever mindful of the importance of feasting and of celebrating the end of winter, the Pine Grosbeak carefully saves the festive Mountain Ash berries until after the first thaw. 

 

Female Pine Grosbeak Daintily Savoring her Feast!

 

Male Pine Grosbeak Standing on his Feast!!

 

(Photos taken just outside the kitchen door

by Anne on February 20, 2013)

The Orchid Inspires a Contemplation of the Origins of Impressionistic Pointillism

This beautful orchid inspired me to contemplate the mystery of its unusual color composition and the interplay of light on its fragile structure.  Surely, flowers were a source of inspiration for Impressionist painters, such as Monet and Saurat.

 

 I see in the orchid a magnification of how the Impressionists used small, yet visible, brush strokes, pointillism techniques and color to emphasize changing qualities of light. 

 

An Orchid from My Valentine

 

The Amaryllis: Two Sides of Optimism

Our Red Amaryllis

For three years now, in February, our red amaryllis embodies optimism as the pistol of each magnificent flower lifts from the lower petal to greet the ever eager stamens.