January 4, 2026

If January comes, can Spring be far behind?  Well, unfortunately, Yes.  But there are things that we can watch to make the wait seem more bearable.  Here is the Waxed Amaryllis that Cousin Joan gave us for Chanukah, and, next, this weekend.  Didn't that seem fast?

It's sort of hard to see a progression to Spring these days.  Here is one view of the pond on January 1.  The little heater is keeping an airhole open in case there is still that one fish down there.   (Obviously, we can't see much under that ice.)  But we can still see footprints of someone who is able to sneak up to the water to get a drink even in these dark days.  I'm guessing that the footprints are those of one of our squirrels, either an Eastern Gray Squirrel or an American Red Squirrel.  Too bad I can't tell from one photo what the relative size of the prints is.   (The Red Squirrel is much smaller than the Gray.)  

The prints could of course be those of one of my neighbor's cats who does go outside sometimes (though I'm doubting it most of these frigid days!)  To change the subject, we have been seeing a Wolf Moon.  At least we would have been seeing it if we were up at that hour. Apparently, the word "Wolf" in "Wolf Moon" has nothing to do with Wolves.  Just a name!    

People keep having babies, and I try to keep up with them by making baby toys.  Here are some more little guys.  It is really quite a lot of fun making little creatures using fabric with markings that seem to suggest little arms and legs and eyes.  

It has been quite quite cold out there.  I participated Saturday in a group of citizens standing around outside the Post Office expressing our views on local and national topics, but discovered that I don't really have the right outerwear for these frigid days.  Have to do something about this!

There haven't been so many little creatures indoors lately.  Here is an Eastern Boxelder Bug who braved the indoors.  Second is a late-fall picture of what I've finally found is called "False Shamrock" (Oxalis triangularis).  It got a start from a gift from Kathleen Seidl and managed to make itself at home on the ground out back!

Here is a fractal-like display on the Pond.

Here is a scene from one of the last times we had a break in the snow.  It seems the Pulmonaria are getting ready for Spring.

I hope you weren't fooled by the summery dress of the workman in the months-old photo above.  He is gone for the nonce.  It is now still snowy and very very cold!  The fellow in the next picture is a Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum).   I don't know where they get these names!   The picture was taken in May 2025, but I'm posting the creature now since I just found his/her name.    The picture on the right was taken of some of my art at a show at the Albion Art Gallery a few weeks ago.  I do love to make movable and pop-up objects!

Best of all, I love to talk to people about how to make complex-looking things very simply.   I hope you can drop by sometime to visit!  I am planning to start growing seeds for some plants for the spring and summer.  You can help!  Thanks for visiting the blog.

Hope for Spring SOON!   Love, Martha