Dangly Seed Thingys

This is, to me, an odd hedge. It's tall and has curious 
seed thingys that don't seem to flower, turn brown in winter, 

then make this lovely raw ochre color in spring.

 Here the sunlight had hit them just right, making them 
look a little like jewelry, hanging 
in rows of pale golden ropes.

I just learned this hedge may be what's called a hazel catkin.
Slw, March 20, 2012

I Lichen You

I'm used to seeing lichen resembling faded green milk paint. 

This stuff is new to me and looks like little mollusks, 

with edges of feather-like gills.

I'm trying to throw off some lichen of my own,

the remains of hurt feelings from rejection.

While the lichen is not harmful to the tree, and adds character,

 I'm not so sure it has the same effect for a woman.

I did change the lock on the door

and am looking for a brand new key.

Textured Tuesday: Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely in Speedway

By rights, the photo above should be displayed on the vertical, 

but when I saw how the stripes moved, I couldn't resist 

letting the vibrant color have its way. It reminded me of

artist Bridget Riley's Op Art paintings, which undulate 

and vibrate continuously. I first became acquainted with them in college,

as I did Victor Vasarely's patterns of circles and ellipses.

Sometimes my little walks turn into an unwitting art gallery, displaying

the works of  a surprising number of contemporary artists.

I saw Riley in the window of a clothing store, while the Vasarely

showed up in the circular grid of a shopping cart 

at a party supply store.

The Moon in My Front Yard ... and a Blue-Eyed Goose

And the moon even has mares, oops, maria on it.

I'm so damn proud of myself. I walk and walk and walk

and see very little of note, then there it is -

the Moon has landed in the front yard of a home

just down the street! I didn't even have to freeze my butt off

to look through a telescope because the Moon landed,

Plonk! right in a neighbor's yard!

Then there was the blue-eyed goose perched in a tree

outside another home. I bet he had a lot of fun

dragging his cement ("see-mint") heft into the tree.

Umm, there's St. Francis with a bird in hand, 

another in a bush, as well as a Moon landing. 

That must be some sort of 

trifecta of odd blessings 

Winter Blooms

After a week or so of warmish temperatures, we're back to winter's

gray hues with the floral ghosts of a summer past.

These pictures were taken on the grounds of the Eiteljorg Museum

in downtown Indianapolis. The museum, which houses a collection of

Native American art and artifacts, is a beautiful building.

It stands on the Central Canal along with the Indiana State Museum

and the Indianapolis Zoo. The canal itself forms the basis of 

the White River State Park and is a pleasant place to walk

or enjoy one's lunch hour during the work week.

Although the main entrances to both museums are on Washington Street, 

there's no doubt the more beautiful entries are located on the Canal.

The picture below was taken looking from  canal entrance of the 

Indiana State Museum towards downtown. The Eiteljorg

entrance is the darker tan stone on the right of the picture. 

Spring Shadows

Waiting for it ... waiting ... waiting 

As Earth leans more towards the sun, the weather has begun to wreak

havoc over the Midwest. Thunderstorms, tornadoes and floods have

stricken parts of the country from Alabama to Indiana.

A small town near the Ohio River, Marysville Indiana 

was wiped out by a tornado this morning.

I've been through a couple small ones and hope never to experience

the terror of a larger storm. Check this video from the 

Indianapolis Star to see one of the funnel clouds 

that hit this afternoon.

While spring brings flowers, leaves on the trees, 

and warmer temperatures, the process of getting to those joys

is more like the reality of the video at the above link.

 It ain't all tulips and daffodils, Buttercups.

Bird Chatter

It was sunny today when I went for my walk. 

I could hear birds chattering to each other in the trees and

the daffodils have begun to bloom.

At the Coke Field, the trees have not yet begun to bloom, 

but I saw a flash of red as a cardinal flew 

through the bare branches. The field was full of robins -

I counted a couple dozen in one batch, all of them maintaining

professional courtesy as they were buggin' through

the grass. While the picture below does not even begin to show the vast

number of birds, the colors of the field - the violets, reds,

and yellows, seem to run in bands across the grass.