Cardigans and Springtime

For my fiftieth post, I would like to recognize two things that I love: cardigan sweaters and springtime.  They are not incompatible, for on a brisk spring day a cardigan is the perfect companion to keep you warm when you need to be warm and offer ventilation when you need to cool off.  This duck has just checked the mailbox, or perhaps is on his or her way to check the mailbox.  The tulips and daffodils are in bloom, and cheery cumulus clouds float overhead.  The grass is green (you will have to imagine) and the sky is blue, and all is right with the world.  The duck has a pipe, since pipes go wonderfully well with cardigans, though this is a bubble pipe in lieu of a real one, out of concern for health and longevity. And here is a link to a fine poem about springtime by Gerard Manley Hopkins.  If the link stops working, just search for his name and "spring" and it should turn up.  Here's to the beauty in the world, and the fresh newness of spring!

Lying on the Ground Gazing at the Sky

Yesterday was one of the first totally gorgeous days of the year around here.  It was warm in the sun, clear, and breezy.  While a really great dog ran back and forth, taking breaks from carrying her tennis ball to lick my face, I lay in the outfield of an empty baseball park staring into the sky.  I realized how long it had been since I had lain on the ground.  I love the difference in perspective when my head is right on the grass, and everything looks monumental and far-away.  The exigencies of the world seem, um . . . less exigent.  It is a very "grounding" experience.  Ha!