Sleep tight

good fight herbs, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Do you have insomnia? (I do!) Good Fight Herbs, at the Millerton Farmers Market, has some lovely options for you!

Eagle

bald eagle, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I've been scanning the hills for eagles all winter and finally spotted a pair today. The sun was just going down behind this hill and was so strong I could barely look towards the trees, let alone compose a decent shot -- I just closed my eyes and went click click click, hoping to get one. Hence the blur .. if I have time I'll go back in the morning - with a tripod!

The place to be today

february market, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The Millerton Farmer's Market was hopping this morning - click through to Flickr if you want to make your mouth water.

An extra post for today

dandelion girl, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Party just to give a taste of spring, which is in the air today (right now there's even a bit of sunshine!) and in part to share a new discovery in the world of photography - Photoshop actions. People use these shortcuts in post-processing to get various interesting effects - vintage, gritty, faded, etc - there are hundreds of them out there for free download and hundreds more that can be bought. For me, the goal in trying them is to learn more Photoshop skills - in figuring out how they were written I can expand my own knowledge of the many powerful tools available in Photoshop. This was a sweet picture right out of the camera, but it's got all kinds of filters and textures added now ... kind of nice!

Late Winter Thaw

spring thaw, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It was warm yesterday, and will be warmer today - somewhere there are probably snowdrops struggling to reach the light. It's amazing that the drifts and piles just sort of evaporate. I was picturing epic floods as all this snow melted, and while there are puddles and muddy patches (which then freeze into super slick ice patches at night) the snow is slowly just disappearing.

jaunty snow hat

jaunty snow hat, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The snow is eroding everywhere, leaving some unpleasant sights like yesterday's dirty snow bank, but this one is rather sweet - a shrub with a cute little chapeau of snow!

Not everything is beautiful...

dirty snow, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I guess what has happened is that, over the winter, we had snow, which got covered with a layer of dirt, then more snow, then more dirt, and on and on. Now that the snow is melting, it's as if the frosting between layers of a cake disappeared, leaving only the cake, or in this case, the layers of dirt. On my back porch where I feed the birds, the whole history of the winter is now revealed - the plates I put out in December, the suet feeders from January, the orange slices, the tens of thousands of sunflower seed hulls - all were covered up by successive layers of snow, and now all are revealed -- it's an ugly sight indeed.

Snow casualty

collapsed barn, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This old barn, which I've photographed quite a few times, collapsed a few days ago under the weight of all the snow and ice.

It's supposed to be over 40 degrees today, and past 50 by the weekend - while I won't break out the shorts just yet, it's a welcome break!

In Flight

in flight, originally uploaded by jahansell.

The Ski jumps went off this weekend, and the new jump that SWSA has built is spectacular. I haven't been there in a few years, but the crowds definitely seemed bigger! I wonder if the public will be able to come see the junior olympics? There's not much space there and I imagine it will be pretty full of athletes, families, press, etc!

standing around waiting for spring

standing around waiting for spring, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It's starting to warm up....right? So why was today so friggin' cold?

Local Radio takes a hit

goodbye qqq, originally uploaded by jahansell.

We still have one local station, the wonderful new WHDD. But two voices are better than one, and as much as I love public radio (it's what I listen to 90% of the time), I don't think we need more sources of Car Talk and All Things Considered - we need diversity.

WKZE no longer pays much attention to this area; heaven knows WAMC doesn't. Will WSHU care what happens in Sharon, or Canaan, or Millerton? Time will tell. And, what will happen to this building?

Farewell WQQQ

I stopped by the WQQQ studio in Lakeville yesterday to say farewell and thank you to Joe, Marie and the gang. They've been an important voice in public radio over the years, helping get the word out about everything from food drives to propane leaks to lost dogs. Joe's inimitable radio voice will be missed along with his endless commitment to serving the community!

winter house

winter house, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Almost like a dog with droopy ears, isn't it?

Pink sunset

pink sunset, originally uploaded by jahansell.

We always look towards the setting sun for the beautiful sunset but last night, looking away from it was worthwhile too - the sun had just dipped below the horizon on Indian Lake and the sky glowed soft pink on the mountain.

snow mountain

snow mountain, originally uploaded by jahansell.

This is just ridiculous. It's easily 8 feet tall. It won't be gone til August. And as it melts, my entire yard will be underwater.

dog tracks

dog tracks, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Some of us stayed holed up indoors for the last two days, avoiding the snow and ice - both of which were a lot milder than predicted! We got maybe 7 inches total snow, not the 18 they scared us with, and the ice storm never really happened.

However there are certain people that can't stay inside - the plow drivers, postal workers, the grocery store and gas station owners, and of course the dog walkers - they must go out no matter what the weather. I caught up to this pair and noted how well-furred the dog was - when I observed she must love the snow, her owner demurred - tolerates, he said, not love or even like!

World's Biggest Icicle

biggest icicle, originally uploaded by jahansell.

At the Sharon Post Office, it goes from the roofline all the way to the ground.