Is it Spring yet? Please? - Five on Friday

This Five on Friday - hosted by the lovely Amy over at Love Made My Home - is going to contain a little bit of a moan. Well, perhaps a big moan. I WANT SPRING! I am growing impatient. I am waiting to see something - ANYTHING - begin to grow! The weather is teasing us with glimpses of warmer weather. Then it goes right back down again and we have to pull out the long undies again. This weekend is going to be a cold one, daytime temperatures below freezing and night time getting as low as -11C (12F). Sigh.

I have been trying really hard to do my photography homework for the Year With My Camera group I'm on Facebook with, but it's pretty tough when there is no colour outside. Nothing is growing. Not one little bud. There are no flowers to look at, no leaves to do close-ups of. Even the animals are pretty scarce. It's THAT time of year.

Well, the moan is over. For this week's Five I'm going to look ahead to Spring/Summer and all the beautiful colours and fun things we'll be doing.

Flowers. Colour. Wonderful smells.

Heck, at this point I'd settle for a dandelion!

What is that? Blue sky? Sunshine? Yes please! Sunlight where I don't have to turn the light on half way through the day so I can read or craft. Our clocks in America go forward this weekend. I'll have to make sure to google what time it is next week when I ring Mum - don't always get it right ;(

Camping. Being out in the night air. Sitting in front of the fire. Watching the fireflies light up the evening sky. We've already booked a couple of camping trips - a weekend late May and a week in June where we will travel up the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and see the Porcupine Mountains. So excited.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside! Oh I do like to be beside the sea! Going to the beach and being able to sit and relax, read a nice story, breath in the fresh air and listen to children playing (as long as they aren't screaming too loudly).

And of course no trip to the seaside is complete without an ice cream with a flake. Not so much here in America, but in England - yum!

Which brings me to number five - HOLIDAYS/VACATION!! As well as our camping trips we will be visiting daughter at the beginning of May, she will be driving here in mid-July and I will be visiting Mum for six weeks at the end of July! So excited! Mum has already booked a holiday for us while I am over - we are going to St. Ives. I haven't been to Cornwall so will be lots of fun.

My lovely Mum

And my wonderful daughter and her dog, Shasta

Can't wait to see them again!

Come on Spring - where are you?

Card creation

It's my oldest sister's birthday next week so yesterday I  made her a card to pop in the post (and hope it will be there for her birthday!). I had to look at the calendar to see when Mother's Day is (in the states it is in May) but it isn't until the end of the month so I can make that card next week.

I really like how it turned out. I distress inked the background, stamped the flowers and layered with some white embossing powder. You can't see from the photo but the crazy bird is on a wobble spring that makes it bounce when you press it and its eyes wobble around.

I hope she likes it!

Desk Day - What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Middle of the week rolling around again and time to share our desks with Julia and the gang over at Stamping Ground for another WOYWW.

This one's going to be short. Here's my desk

It's a messy desk with the beginnings of a birthday card for my sister. I have to finish it today so I can get it in the post tomorrow. I did finish the tangling part of my Zentangle from last week - I didn't take a photo of it yet. I've been doing some knitting too - I'm ready to try out some new stitches with the help of a book and my friend Youtube.

Thanks for looking and the comments! I really appreciate them.

Sunday Walk

This seems to be a regular occurrence lately - another Sunday another walk. This one wasn't by the lakeshore but at one of the many beautiful state parks in Michigan. We went to this one last year with daughter and her dog, Shasta. This time it was just hubby and myself. The day was bright but still quite chilly when we started out. My foot was hurting a little - I had surgery on my ankle after spraining it a few years ago and it just hasn't been 'right' since - but didn't seem too bad. On the walk I did fine - up and down hills. Got home and OUCH! It is killing me. I am okay if I don't bend it. If I bend it pain shoots along my foot. Painful.

Anyway enough whinging. Hopefully it's just a pulled muscle or something. It doesn't hurt where I usually have the pain.

Here are a few of the photos I took today. I am wishing it was a little sunnier and that things were actually growing! I am so jealous of the photos I am seeing in places where spring is abound and everything is blooming and colourful.

There was still a little ice left around the edges of the water - not much though!

I like looking for those odd little patterns where the ice has melted as temperatures warm and then frozen again when they dip down.

This is also the place where we saw the cairns - funny little rock formations that people place a rock upon to let you know they have travelled through. We've seen them a lot up in Mackinac Island but unusual to see in the woods in rural Michigan!

We decided to leave well alone and not put a stone on this one! It was so delicately balanced.

I liked this little heart-shaped cut out in the trunk of a tree. Can you imagine a little door here to a house where a magical woodland creature might live?

A beautiful walk but the only things I saw growing was this fungus and (?) not quite sure what the other is!

Thanks for coming along on our walk!

Books - decluttering

I love books. All kinds of books. Hardback, paperback, mystery, romance, fantasy, non-fiction. There aren't many genres of books that I don't like. The problem is that I have too many books. I have a kindle - more than one - loaded with hundreds of books (freebies and low cost mostly) but I can't seem to bring myself to stop collecting physical books. There is nothing I like more than poking around a used bookshop to find a particular bargain to transport me into a different world. I would much rather spend the time in a bookshop than shopping for anything else. When I'm feeling a little down books seem to be the things I turn towards.

Unfortunately I don't live in a stately mansion with too many rooms so I can't devote a whole room to being a library. I do have books everywhere - bookshelves up and downstairs, beside my chair, in my bag and even in the storage cubes supposed to be storing other things. My hubby is a dear about it. He never complains that I'm bringing too many home or that I have too many.

I have too many. Sigh. Can't believe I said that. Giving up books is like giving up a good friend. There are some I won't give up, those I return to time after time, but I have decided to give up some.

Today I have sorted two boxes to be donated to the library bookshop. They raise money for different programs at the library that helped my son through a particularly difficult time when he was a teen.

I can't be the only one who finds it tough to sort things out. What do you find most difficult to sort through and give up?

Superstitions - Five on Friday

Joining up with Five on Friday over at Amy's Love Made My Home soon to be hosted by the wonderful Tricky and Carly over at FAST - Family Attempting to Survive the Times.

The last couple of days I've been thinking about little sayings, rhymes, phrases and tales that Mum used to share when I was younger and things we still natter about when we do get together. I'll never have enough of hearing her stories about her childhood. Anyway, this week I thought I'd share five superstitions that she's shared - some passed down from her Mum. I find them really fascinating. Superstitions have such great history and though most of us don't believe them we still find ourselves following them 'just in case'. I find myself having trouble walking under a ladder even though I logically know nothing bad will happen - but still.

If you spill salt you have to throw some over your left shoulder. My kids always laugh when I do this. A part of me does too! I was told the devil or evil lurks on your left so it has to be your left shoulder and salt wards off the evil.

Don't put new shoes on the table! I wasn't ever sure why I was just told not to do it. Apparently it means someone in your family might die. Some people say this goes back to when new shoes were generally put on the dead who were laid out OR that typically in the North shoes on the table were a way to announce the death of a family member.

You can't cut your nails on a Sunday! Why not, Mum? You'll have bad luck all week. Grrr...what about that hangnail or broken nail? Apparently there's a whole rhyme about this too. I think this is something like the one Mum told me - her mother told her.

Cut them on Monday, you cut them for health;
Cut them on Tuesday, you cut them for wealth;
Cut them on Wednesday, you cut them for news;
Cut them on Thursday, a pair of new shoes;
Cut them on Friday, you cut them for sorrow;
Cut them on Saturday, you 'll see your true-love to-morrow;
Cut them on Sunday, and you will have ill fortune all through the week.

No passing on the stairs! Another one that makes my kids laugh as I always go back down if they are coming down. Not to mention it is a bit of a squish. It looks like this one goes back to being able to defend oneself and sword usage. Sort of silly in today's world but it still feels a bit strange. Anyone else?

Black cats. Yes, I know this isn't a black cat but I don't have a picture of one so I thought I'd share a pic of my cat Shadow. Anyway I was always told that a black cat crossing your path was good luck. It was only when I got to the states that I heard it was considered bad luck here! I'd rather go with the good luck.

Isn't it strange how we hold onto these superstitions? Even though we don't really believe them we still follow some of them. I think it's good to talk about them, pass on the myths and histories so they aren't forgotten. So many thing seem to be forgotten - nursery rhymes and fairy tales and the history behind them. I find it all so fascinating.

What superstitions were passed on to you? Do you still follow them? I'd be interested to know!

March 1st already?! WOYWW rolling around again

It's March already! Spring - here I come (hopefully). It's also Wednesday again so time to join with Julia and the gang over at Stamping Ground for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday?

Here's my desk

It's as I left it Tuesday night after working on some stuff yesterday. I finally pulled out some of the (many) photos I have and worked on pages. I really need to do something with them and it was one of the goals I had this year.

I also pulled out some Zentangle yesterday. It's been ages since I've done any. I have been really inspired by Shoshi's lovely wooded Zentangle (can't find specific page) that she did. I'm really not that experienced at it so I thought I'd better start doing some again. It is quite fun and relaxing.

I've been taking lots of photos for the A Year With My Camera course I'm taking. I am really learning lots! Went for a lovely walk Sunday (previous two posts) and took lots of pics.

It's dull and rainy here today so I'll be off visiting desks and (hopefully) getting another photo page done!

Ugh. Got a case of the blues today. Sad for some reason. Don't have a lot of energy. Might have something to do with the fact that it's dreary and rainy. I did get up in my craft room and do a little crafting. Cheered me up a bit.

Today I'm sharing some photos from Sunday. These are from the lighthouse at St. Joseph in Michigan. It's a little lake town about 45minutes away from us. My son moved there about a year and a half ago when he got a job at the newspaper. Not a lot to do in the town. It's definitely an area that's a little more lively in the summer. We decided to stop there to see the lighthouse.

There was still some ice around.

Walked beneath the supports you see as the water on one side was quite choppy and was coming up over the path.

Quite a view from beneath the icicles.

This post looks like it's wrapped in plastic but it's actually covered in ice.

This one draped in ice mixed with sand.

 The top photo is of the light behind the lighthouse. The water was quite choppy. I couldn't look at it for long. It made my stomach churn and I felt quite sea sick! There are no barriers between the walkway and the water, just a drop. I clung onto hubby's hand and didn't let go! I felt quite brave walking along there. I made sure I kept closer to the other side where the water was a lot calmer!

Sunday Walk - Warren Dunes State Park

Another dry, sunny but chilly Sunday morning so we pottered off on another walk. We took a drive about an hour away to Warren Dunes State Park for a walk along the beach. Luckily I had bundled up in my long undies - they were needed! The wind was quite brisk. There weren't many people out and about.

I took photos with my camera - practising what I've learned - and with my phone. The one above is from my phone. It 'created' a panoramic view which I thought was quite nice.

The seagulls were out in force. Luckily these ones aren't the vicious kind. I almost got my sandwich pinched out of my hands last summer on my trip to England! These were a lot calmer - scared of people as they tended to fly away as soon as I got close.

Still some ice around though not as much as there was the last time we were there. 

You can see where it had chipped away at the sand.

A big piece of wood uncovered - made me giggle.

Look at those waves!

All in all a beautiful, yet chilly walk. From there we drove down to another lighthouse - I'll share those photos tomorrow. 

Big Sable Point Lighthouse - Five on Friday

Joining up with Amy over at Love Made my Home for another Five on Friday. Sounds like changes are ahead! Looking forward to continuing participation over at F.A.S.T blog - Family Attempting to Survive the Times - great blog, always interesting to see what they are up to.

Now onto my Five on Friday. It's been unseasonably warm here in Michigan - so  much so that there were actually people out in shorts last week. It really wasn't THAT warm, but when you've had well below freezing temperatures and no sunshine mostly since November it seems really warm. Let me tell you, there were lots of really white legs about! Anyway, because it was so nice out we took a trip to one of my favourite lighthouses - Big Sable Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan near Ludington.

The lighthouse was built in 1867. There was a growing lumber industry in the area and a number of shipwrecks on the lake. In 1855 there were twelve shipwrecks!

The tower is 112 feet high - it is one of the few Michigan lighthouses with a tower over 100 feet. It's quite a climb to the top as we did it last summer. It isn't open in the winter months. In the summer volunteers stay at the lighthouse and conduct tours.

There have been 15 lighthouse keepers - the first being in 1869 and the last in 1968.

It was the last Michigan Lighthouse to get electricity and plumbing in the late 1940s.

This is the current fog signal. An older fog signal fell into the lake due to erosion in 1943. Erosion around the area is still a concern.

It's quite a walk to the lighthouse (1.8 miles from the carpark) and all the time I was imagining what an isolated place it must have been back in the 1800s. I can imagine being out there in the middle of winter with the snow, ice and cold winds blasting against the lighthouse. It looked so beautiful the day we went, but I can imagine it is quite daunting in the a snow storm.

 They put wooden barriers to try to cut down on the sand drifting as it is surrounded by dunes.

They don't always work! This is the sign as it was the day we went.

This is from last summer.

I hope you've enjoyed the little tour!