Happy New Year!

2015

It seems like such a large number. Wasn’t it just a little bit ago that we were all worried (or not, depending on our personal feelings) about Y2K? Yet here we are, well into the second decade of the millennium.

Teacup with ball of tea

Today’s tea — jasmine globe tea, composed of green tea, jasmine, and amaranth. It unfolds beautifully in the cup, and has a delicate flavor. A perfect contemplative drink for starting the year.

This is going to be a bit of a rambling post, as I’ve several things on my mind. Continue reading

Summer in the yard

It’s summer in Pennsylvania, which means it’s humid and hot — not as hot as in many parts of the country, but certainly hot enough that everything grows.

First up, we have the front bed, where the hostas are trying to take over the sidewalk. I think this fall, I’ll scrape out grass on the opposite side of the walk and split the plants. Continue reading

For your viewing pleasure

A few weeks back, I posted the video for my daughter’s favorite song. This is my son’s. Unfortunately, I can’t embed the video. WordPress app plus YouTube on iPad means to me, it looked like I was just posting a link. The wonders of technology. 😛

Singing for his supper

The eggs have hatched! And no, the chicks aren’t actually making any noise yet, but every time something disturbs the nest, one or more will open their beaks, waiting for food. I imagine they’ll actually be fuzzy and cuter next week, yes?20140523-184255-67375765.jpg

Spring in bloom

20140514-203453.jpg
The color on the dogwood looks especially vibrant on the overcast and rainy days, which means something out there isn’t gray, anyway.

(Taken last week, not today. Sorry; it’s just a hectic week.)

On volunteering

A little backstory on how this came up: last year, I read Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. I was so impressed, I followed her on Twitter, Facebook, and her blog. On Facebook, she often asks questions of the “Do you do X or Y?” or “Do you do X, and why?” variety. This week, one of her questions was about volunteering.

Continue reading