Kale anyone?

So what all can you dye with? Can you use kale?

There's still kale in the garden, my mom says.

Well, I don't really know, I answer.

Let's find out.

Frost - December 1

I've fallen in love with frost.

Once again, my parents' back deck

was a sparkly playground 

for me 

and my camera.

The frost on our back deck in Connecticut

never looks like this. 

Or is it just that I never noticed?

 I'll definitely look closer once I return home.

Until then, let me know if you tire of frost.

Frost

It 

was

frosty

this

morning.

Prickly pear cactus

Arriving at my parents' house on Tuesday, this prickly pear cactus caught my eye.

It began in the neighbor's yard and decided to befriend the couple next door.

Aptly named, for there are the tiniest, most slender needles everywhere it seems.

The reddish purple pear or fig of this particular cactus had me hovering - wondering

and sorting through the what ifs flitting through my mind.

I decided to start with the easiest what if. Prickly pear cactus on khadi paper.

As I'll be here for a few weeks, various art supplies were brought along...including my crock pot and several pristine white t-shirts from Dharma which are just waiting to be added to a dye pot. Can you guess what I plan to do later today?

Uncertainty

I like to think of myself as someone who, for the most part, is open to what life throws my way. And, hopefully, as someone who manages to move through life in a quiet, yet graceful way.

That said, it must be admitted that I detest uncertainty...especially where family is concerned. But then again, who doesn't? 

I'm going to be away for a few weeks to help family. No, not in Scotland...although there is Scottish heritage in my blood along with Irish and who knows what else. Rather, I'll be in Tennessee and very near lakes and mountains. Posting here will be...well...I'm really not sure what it will be. Just wanted to let you know.

Tuesday morning

Sometimes

in the quiet

of the morning

before 

the house awakens

magic

 happens.

Snowflakes anyone?

Yep. They're happy.

Time to catch the train

Before heading over to 30th Street Station to catch the train back to Connecticut, I wandered over to Reading Terminal Market to see if a little something could be found to take home to my urchins.  

This mosaic sculpture was at the corner. 

I've passed it and photographed it many times...

 and never tire of doing so.

As I ventured through the comparatively empty market - normally open at 8 am, Reading Terminal opens at 10 am Sundays. If you visit on Sunday, you'll find that the Pennsylvania Dutch vendors, who offer some of the best food, are closed -

the neon signs

that populate the ceiling

kept catching my eye 

and demanding

to be photographed.  

And then there was a moment of stillness, of subtle light, of quiet hope.