Virginia A. Spiegel

Waiting

We had a little blizzard this weekend with freezing rain first.  I am fooled every year by those mid-March days of sun and sixty degrees.  

So out I go, cut down my ornamental grasses, whack down the perennial stems with all the seeds finally eaten by the birds, uncover gloriously green tips of daffodils and tulips, and, generally, go Spring crazy.  

Above is the frozen berry of a viburnum.  The birds wait for several freeze and thaw cycles to sweeten the berries and then the cedar waxwings fly in and clean them off all in one day.

Don’t forget TOMORROW is the deadline to submit your jpegs for Collage Mania. 

I submitted this photo to be considered for the perpetual 365 Pictures daily prompt on Creativity Portal and today is my featured day.  The purpose of 365 Pictures is to provide an intentional focus on one new image/prompt pair per day to inspire your creativity, in whatever form that may be. I can support that.

I know that all I have to do is look at this photo and I am somewhere else, beginning a journey of discovery.

I also wanted to share today the mind-boggling success of the Fifth and Final Invitational Reverse Auction of Fabulous Fiberarts. Just eight fiber artworks raised $6250 in three days for the American Cancer Society:

Gerrie Congdon raised $300.  Patron:  The Brummett FiberArt Collection
Marjorie DeQuincy raised $800. Patron: The Fent Art Quilt Collection
Rayna Gillman raised $1600.  Patron: Teri D. Springer
Linda Teddlie Minton raised $1800  Patron and Gold Donor:  A Friend of FFAC
Susie Monday raised $350 Patron:  Mary Ann Littlejohn
Judy Coates Perez raised $450  Patron and Gold Donor: Michele Hardman.
Leandra Spangler raised $200  Patron:  Mary Wise
Roxane Stoner raised $750.  Patron: Christine Bell

I also want to thank two hardworking and talented artists:  Natalya Aikens and Carol Larson. I was unable to find the perfect patrons for their donated artwork, but salute them both as p.r. goddesses and generous souls. 

I hope you will visit the website and blogs of all the donating artists who gave so freely of their time and talent.

A sincere and heartfelt thanks to the generous artists and their patrons as well as the many Friends of FFAC who supported and encouraged this effort. Onward to Collage Mania!
 

Effervescence

Nature is always the best pattern maker.  How could I resist the tightly packed red berries of sumac, backed by the effervescent dot, dot of some kind of little flower seedheads?  I took this photo about two weeks ago.  Since then we have had tons of snow, watched most of the snow melt, been covered in ice, and now we expect more snow. 

I will have to try this shot again against the white. Won’t that be something?

Blue Sky

Even when it’s just grasses at the prairie reserve, there is always something to photograph.  

Remember that I stepped on my last little camera AFTER it survived the Boundary Waters?  I looked at a lot of little cameras, but ended up buying another Coolpix.  It has very good close-up capabilities, fits in a plastic bag nicely for the Boundary Waters, and not so expensive that I would be afraid to take it with me everywhere.

Imperfect

It’s so easy this time of year to focus on all the heart-stopping beauty of the trees changing colors, but I like this imperfect look of these hickory leaves.  From a distance my big hickory trees are a waterfall of gold, but up close the effects of the wear-and-tear of the summer are clearly seen. 

Haiku count since July 14: 415

Of course, there’s a new post in The Garbage Day Project.

And, lastly, I’m a Twitter-er.  If you want news as it happens, visit my Twitter (just writing it makes me laugh) page  here.