Indy Tundra

These stems, dried and blackened by the cold, 

have leaned and turned themselves into an artful arrangement 

against the grayed background of city snow.

These past couple winters, christened "polar vortex,"

seem like a cruel joke perpetrated by the heating and salt

companies; they're the only ones making any money.

Finally, the weather seems to be making a break for it,

showing some mercy to folk as they try to stay warm and dry,

huddled against the wind that lurks between 

the buildings and comes speeding down the streets,

leaving shivers and numb toes in its wake.

. 

Divided Light

Every so often the sun filters through the slats 

that screen the interior of the Natatorium parking garage 

from public view, creating a warp and woof pattern 

at the entryway, where the sunlight 

is reflected onto the concrete.

Frosted Shadow

Even though it was fairly 

late in the morning,

the frost remained, 

following the blue shadow

across the ground, 

melting, sinking into

the dried grasses,

where the moisture would wait

for spring and, once again,

turn the world a vibrant green.

A Little Break

During the past week, there was a break 

in the frigid temperatures. 

A lot of people took the relatively 

warmer weather as an opportunity to enjoy 

the downtown sites. Visitors and 

workers in the downtown area 

often stop for lunch in the Artsgarden, 

a glass-enclosed pavilion situated above 

the intersection at Washington 

and Illinois Streets.

Pale Cold Light

At the end of the year, the pale sunlight 

broke through the cloud cover just long enough 

to shine a ray or two on Christ Church Cathedral.

 Opened in 1857, the cathedral is the oldest religious 

building in Indianapolis in continuous use.

As the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese

of Indianapolis, the structure has been a part of

the city's growth, as well as having long ago

been dwarfed by surrounding structures.

To it's credit, in a time when many religious and 

corporate organizations seemed to have 

lost their mission and morality, 

this church has remained stalwart,

 reasonable, and humane.

Late Afternoon Sun

Amid all the gray yesterday afternoon,

 I was nearly blinded by the sun's reflection 

off a nearby building. The clouds were filled 

with snow, so I must've gotten the last few 

of the rays allotted for the day.

It's a Berry Gray Day

On Thursday, the day's colors were not much different 

at dawn than they were at dusk.

The overcast was the shade of the gray cardboard
that backs pads of notepaper.
I'd gone to McDonald's for a latte, hot and sweet,
where I watched the modest folk at nearby
tables, chatting with friends and spouses over
their McGriddles and orange juice.
Outside, I saw the red berries shining out
from the pale gold grasses that border the highway.
I left to take a few pictures, wending my
way between parked cars to get to the little
grove of trees. The scarlet dance of the berries 
was the brightest color I saw all day.

Error No. 666

For days this PC monitor has been lying at the curbside, 

banished to the junk pile. Had it been wandering

the neighborhood with insufficient memory to turn around 

to find its home? By now, its screen has frozen

and its image reduced to perpetual snow.

Then again, maybe it's an NSA mole,

sent to watch the neighborhood activities.  

Thawing

Lying in a puddle of thawing snow, 

this leaf reflected just a bit of the sunlight

that washed through the barren trees.

Work in Progress

When the new Eskenazi Hospital opened last December, 

the thing that stood out was the artistic use of color 

on the main buildings' surfaces. However, that creative use 

of material did not extend to the multi-level 

parking garage, which has had a very bare-bones

appearance to it. That is, it did until this past week, when

workers began installation of a series of dark blue,

yellow, and ocher metal panels on the south side

of the building. 

Facing Michigan Street, the segments are set at

varying angles, designed to change their appearance as the

sun moves across the sky. The photos were taken

Tuesday afternoon and show the project to be about 

one half to two-thirds complete.

When done, the installation will be stunning,

especially when the sunlight gives viewers the impression 

of constant movement of the yellow wall.

Bleh

This is my cat, Taylor, grooming herself 

in the morning sun. (Bleh!) She came to me three years

ago last December, filthy, abused, and frightened.

I'd gotten my previous cats when they were kittens. 

This is the first that came to me grown,

with a history that was unknown, one that would

need to be sort of torn down to rebuild her confidence.

It was several months before she would not run 

to hide under the bed for what seemed 

like days, every time someone stomped 

their feet on the stairs in the hall.

She's not a lap cat, really, but is sitting on my lap

as I type, watching the letters for this post

appear on the screen. I think she started

this because the floors have been so cold this winter.

Generally, she will lie a few feet away, curled up 

in the window or on the floor by a bookcase.

But the winter has broken down one of

her defenses, and she is now a lap cat,

warming her toes on her human's lap. 

When A Wookie Breeds With A Bluestone Crab ...

...This is what results.

Very cleverly disguised as dried thistles,

they remain hidden in fields and gardens while their

parents go about their respective businesses -

crawling up on beaches to be eaten or, more sadly,

signing autographs at Star Wars conventions.

Another Gem

Last week, I went to the Indiana State Library to do 

a bit of research. While I've been there before, 

I've never been beyond the contemporary addition. 

Attractive on the outside, its limestone exterior does contrast 

with that of the original building, but not so much 

that it's offensive to the eye.

The contrast between the interiors of each section 

is what I found most startling. The older building is

a homage to books, learning, and history,

with frescoes on the ceilings, murals, and stained glass.

It is ironic really, given that the state politicians at the

Capitol Building, are doing their damnedest to tear down 

the public education system in favor 

of corporate run schools. Already, the names of artists,

inventors, and writers incised in the library's walls

are mere afterthoughts; the state preaches the need for

an educated workforce, but instead seeks to create

a population of menials, an underpaid workforce that

will end up fighting over resources.

The light fixtures look like sheaves of corn,

taking reference from a Native American shown in

one of the stained glass windows, holding stalks of corn. 

Whether he is the base of the picture, 

holding up the images of the states founders,

or being trampled into submission by

William Henry Harrison and General 

"Mad Anthony" Wayne is a matter of viewpoint.

There are murals at each side of the main entrance 

to the old building, which leads one to 

the BEST PART - the card catalog! Yay!

There they were, rows and rows

of stacked, tiny drawers, mounted along

the long wall. A place of honor.

The picture below shows only about a third

of the drawers in this hall.

I used a smaller catalog in another

department of the library. The habits learned

in childhood quickly returned and I was

able to use the system almost intuitively.

I loved the feel of the little file cards.

They were almost velvety to hand and it was 

as though I was greeting old friends.

Island of Mercy: Eskenazi in the Night

See that little pole in the lower right corner 

of the bottom picture? Just beneath the wedge of pink? 

That's where I was standing when I took the top picture, 

another view of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Health Center.
The structure is a series of rectangular boxes,
stacked and connected to form an E without a crossbar.
The lighted section is the outpatient care section, while
the emergency department forms another white box 
to the north of this one. More enclosed than the others, 
it is clearly marked in bright red letters, 
EMERGENCY, that can be seen for miles.
The letters are as large as the ones identifying
the hospital and its benefactors,
so people who want help will make no mistake
in locating the care they need.

Where the Ice Was ...

The daylight shone gold through the leaf on this bush, 

one that last week was covered in ice from melting snow and sleet. 

Since then, there's been another snowfall and the temperatures 

rose just enough to reduce the snow to gray slush.

Textured Tuesday: Icy Grass

The time spent outdoors on Monday, my eyes felt as though 

they'd retreated into their sockets. I walked quickly as I could through 

the cold air, darting from one warm spot to another.

My camera was in my pocket, and remained there because

my focus had turned inward, away from the cold,

to search for a spot out of the wind to wait for the bus,

a corner in the coffee shop where I could read in peace,

and remain warm. The best place I found Monday evening

was in the swimming pool, with a hot shower afterward.

I left my books in my bag during that time.

Icy Leaf? Leafy Icicle? Whatever ...

I saw this bit of frozen light near the grocery 

where I'd gone to buy some milk and cat food.

The little display was near to the ground,

where the snow melt from the roof's eaves 

dripped onto the grasses and bushes below.

City Trees

The sun and blue sky put in a brief appearance this afternoon.

It was a pleasure to look up to see blue reflected from the glass carapace of

the AT&T building in the background of the trees, giving the

illusion of a fair morning in downtown Indy.

Earlier, I passed the park in Speedway, where the grove

of trees forms a pattern of variegated stripes

in the cold morning air.

A Piece of Sun

A year ago today, I wandered through nearby fields 

where I found flowers blooming in 

defiance of the calendar. I posted them 

now because I am in need of a bit of sunlight,

a bright happy patch onto which I can

hang my longing for a happier scene,

one that does not seem to have wrapped

us in a cold, itchy blanket.

The sunlight had even brought out the colors in this thorn tree;

the pale light honing the thorns to a sharper edge,

shiny black against their blue stems, with dark blood red

shadows warning of their dangers.

Condensation

As I walked past the Indianapolis Power & Light Company office yesterday, 

I stopped dead in my tracks, I imagine much like the cold air did 

when it came into contact with the windows at the main entrance.

With the mirrors of an art installation reflecting colors, the condensation

added its own interpretive streaks, distorting and spreading the color.

The bottom image I turned on its side because the orbs

and streaks remind me of a sci-fi imaging of the planets' suns

orbiting in a haze of heat and gases. 

A question: IP&L is forever advising its customers of steps 

they can take to lower their utility bills. Why haven't they replaced the

obviously inefficient windows with the double-paned variety?