This June was extremely rainy. As they say in Seattle, at least it’s green. I’m looking forward to the return of sunshine and hopefully a glorious July. The birds look pretty against the gray. The goldfinches are brilliant. At the bogs, the redwinged blackbirds flash against the gray backdrop, and the great blue heron blends in. The occasional Baltimore Oriole attracts my eye. Swallows and swifts swoop! Hawks are high up. Summer is here, despite sunshine’s reticence. I’m looking forward to New Bedford Summerfest on the Fourth of July!  Let’s hope the sun goddess prevails!

Many animal stories in the headlines today… Rachel Alexandra wins the Preakness! An orangutan is in love with a hound dog.
My dog, Shadow, enjoys herding the cats around the house.

April 2009 already!  HOW CAN THIS BE?  Last year’s blog gives way

to new technologies like Facebook and Twitter. Happy Spring!

Summer flew by, with many lovely beach days to savor.  I swam laps at Sandy Beach and read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.  I received an advance reader’s copy at MLA in May and realized it was going to be popular. 

Every day is taxing to some degree, agree? I’m working on enjoying life’s little moments as they come. No worries! The illusion of no worries anyway. Spring has sprung. Forsythia, daffodils, a hint of pink as the PJM rhodies start to bloom. Soon we’ll morph into May with its lovely flamingo pink quince flowers, azaleas, bleeding heart, big rhododendrons, and my beloved tulips. The best bedding tulips are a bright, triumphant scarlet, but I love the shell pink colors, the queen of the night’s almost black shade of purple, and the flamboyant parrot tulip, straight out of a Dutch still life. The birds make their colorful transition into spring as well. The goldfinches at the feeder are a brighter yellow, mimicking the forsythia beyond. The house finches grow rosier. The red-winged blackbirds sing in the bogland, and the great blue herons are mating again, making their daily pass over the lake near my home! Here is a photo of my son when he was nearly one year old. This year he graduates from High School. (“and the a seasons, they go round and round” Joni Mitchell.)

Here they are, the boys of spring, wishing for another bird to happen by at the birdfeeder!

April is National Poetry Month. I’m looking for a new way to celebrate since I’m not running Teen Poetry Night at Bridgewater anymore…. I’ll appear at another library, looking for a lost haiku….

A late March tea party is in store today. I’ll add pictures when I can.

It seems like winter is hangin’ on. Crocuses and snowdrops are up, and the daffodils show promise, but the wind is cold. Enjoy spring’s gradual arrival any way you can!

Here is Carol Noonan’s lovely rendition of Danny Boy. See Stone Mountain’s Web site for the whole story. This was my Dad’s favorite song, dedicated to his Dad, Daniel F. Murphy, whose Irish wake was held in the aunties’ living room overlooking Nantasket Beach. It was the first one I ever attended at the tender age of 13. To Murph, and all the salty corned beef he made in honor of Grampa Dan, who rented out beach chairs at the beach all summer and was some kinda rogue, charmer or crook the rest of the year.