Month: January 2022

Frozen Art

| Flower Roberts

I have spent the evening under an electric blanket, because I spent the afternoon on ice.

I have always thought ice was beautiful. Ice sculptures are especially fascinating to me.

I briefly watched an artist carving a giant block of ice to demonstrate this skill.

Many of this year’s Blowing Rock Winter Fest displays were molded ice shapes with business logos embedded. This is a new type of ice art.

There were also true pieces of sculptured ice which had 3-D shapes and varied textures.

It was a wonderful way to get out of the winter funk.

Flow in Snow

Pearl’s Nest

| Flower Roberts

My friend Pearl has been busy all afternoon refurbishing her nest.

I have watched her carry sticks up the tree and add them to her home.

Pearl is in there on the right side. Only her tail is visible.

Does she sense another snow is on its way?

We shall see.

Flow

A Mouse, a Chipmunk and a Bird Met Under a Bush

| Flower Roberts

There are tiny tracks everywhere after a fine dusting of snow.

This snow is so light and fine it moves like powdered sugar.

A white dusting is perfect for tiny tracks that would not show up in big snows.

My favorite spot for tiny tracks is under bushes. That’s where the small and skittish roam.

I usually carry a penny for scale, but did not have one in my bathrobe.

I know these three were probably not under the bush at the same time, but I like thinking about three tiny creatures hanging out under a bush telling about how they pass their time when it is cold.

So I imagine a little bird with the young chipmunk meeting a mouse for a chat.

Thankfully there are no cat tracks around.

Flow

The Cat on the Hill

| Flower Roberts

The birds told me it was around. They did not like its quiet presence. It was hunched up at the top of the bank where there seems to be a little path for small animals. It was watching and waiting. At first I thought it was a big, dirty rock of white quartz.

The next day it was back near the same spot, sunning and preening. I was out pacing in the cold. I thought about how relaxed it seemed, not ferocious and wild. Maybe it is a wandering visitor instead of a feral intruder. How does one tell?

This morning I started out my front door to look for it. It slithered away from the warm wall of the carport and disappeared into the woods up the hill. I hope it is not here to eat my chipmunk friends.

No, I will not be feeding nor adopting the cat on the hill. I have my rules about wild things. I have other rules for feral things.

I will only be watching the cat on the hill.

FLOW

Clouds in the Water

| Flower Roberts

The conditions must be perfect for this to happen. The water must be calm, the sky bright, the sun at the perfect angle.

I woke up to this scene this morning. I went out on my path across the deck in my pajamas. I almost fell, but I had to capture this miracle.

Water + Light + Air

Life is better when everything is a miracle!

Flow

Snow Tales

| Flower Roberts

Somebody came by during the snow. I did not see them, but they left a trail.

The snow tells who has been here and where they went.

All I have to do is read the snow tales.

My squirrel friend Pearl came by my office as usual.

A bird walked along the railing.

Several of my little friends spent time in the bunny yard because we left the gate open.

The entire back yard was the site of a herd party. Were they frolicking in the moonlight?

Mr. Flower has made several trips to the wood pile.

He also shoveled a path so I could walk to the railing in my house shoes. He is very handy.

Flow and snow

White Rose of Winter

| Flower Roberts

I am grateful for the winter blooms of ‘White by the Gate’, Camellia japonica.

If it were not for the nip in the air I would swear it was spring by looking at it in full bloom.

This steadfast bloomer is striking with its dark green, glossy leaves and pure white, double blooms.

Could it be any more beautiful?

White by the Gate Camellia japonica

I love this lovely “rose of winter.”

Flower

Looking For Lucky Buddha

| Flower Roberts

I had a new idea for my bottle tree.

The bottles would all be green for the holidays, like a glass Christmas tree.

The bottles would be little Buddhas, upside down.

It would be lighted to brighten the night.

I came up short on the number of Lucky Buddha bottles. The tree was incomplete.

We searched for six-packs of Lucky Buddha in every store we visited.

I guess they were stuck on a ship in the Pacific, in one of those shipping containers.

I have been searching for other lost things since Christmas…lost ornaments and a special Wendell-August dish with snowflake designs.

As I searched, I discovered a heavy bag of glass bottles. Yes, they were Lucky Buddhas.

Lucky Buddha Tree

The tree is finally completed for 2022. We need all the luck we can get.

HAPPY 2022. Be gone 2021.

FLOW