off the hook...: February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

...my age, again?

"...the trees are gold and thirsty and they need a little rain

and nothing would ever happen if we always stayed the same..."

-nerissa nields

fake solar delight

the only bloom in my garden today

tonight

Monday, February 27, 2012

seven times seven

"...life is such a changing art, life is such a changing art..."

-dar williams

...calling the moon

Sunday, February 26, 2012

six times eight

"...the closest thing to God that I have heard

is when I knew I did not have the final word

you say the world has lost it’s love

I say embrace what it’s made of..."

-dar williams

puppy puppy puppy!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

sun thaw come

day 47

"...i'll take you to the mountains

i will take you to the sea

i'll show you how this life became

a miracle to me..."

-dar williams

Friday, February 24, 2012

Thursday, February 23, 2012

fluff from above

snowflakes the size of golf balls! no. really!

day 45

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

venus and mars

"...red lights, green lights, strawberry wine

a good friend of mine follows the stars,

venus and mars are alright tonight.."

-paul and linda mccartney

lately.

in the evening - nine-ish.... i think i've been seeing mars.

yeah. the planet! in the east, at about "ten o'clock"

so. astronomers. is that accurate?

i hope so! 'cause it's cool!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

happy happy day

day 43

today is gem's 17th birthday - she's a grand old girl!

....celebrations included many treats throughout the day and an evening chew on a tasty dried tendon!

huzzah!

Monday, February 20, 2012

east wall stars

"...then the day shone bright and rounder til the one turned into two

and the two into ten thousand things, and old things into new..."

-dave carter

...always something on my mind...week after week forcing me to miss these - until today.

odd placement is all...

...at least to me.

optimistic, though.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

sunny and drab

" o light - shine down on me

you know what i need

shine down on me

shine down on the garden..."

-ruth moody

this is drought - the structure in the garden right now is decay - it's falling apart

this is the time to plan

nature at half mast

Saturday, February 18, 2012

in my heart

"...gave proof through the night

that our flag was still there..."

-francis scott key

...seriously. there's a guy in town who owns a business who wants to erect a super-sized u.s. flag on his property against the already generous limitations of the village - to show everyone how patriotic he is. this is what's known as "wearing it on your sleeve."

if you're reciting a pledge(or signing one for that matter) or singing an anthem.... or joining a club for the purpose of other people and what they see..... you're not really doing anything for anyone.

love your country? don't tell me about it - express it in your actions - no matter who does or doesn't see.

it's good to see it flying - but we are a country without it - it's what's inside of us not what's outside your business.

day 40

Friday, February 17, 2012

big dumb mess

"...and tell me,

how long have we slept

how long have we wept

there's work to be done..."

-ruth moody

...thing is

it's february. i have to keep telling myself.

i'm aching to get out there and work the garden - to fix what didn't work last year and the year before.

i need to fix it.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

february dog squint

i took other pictures today... some good ones!

this - my favorite.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

wheat belt blues

"...and maybe marlon brando
will be there by the fire
we'll sit and talk of hollywood
and the good things there for hire
and the astrodome and the first tepee
marlon brando, pocahontas and me..."

-neil young

..and the trucks back in continuously... filling the silos - the wheat into pasta - the noodles for a grateful nation.

god bless us all!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

legal to vote

day 36

it's true..... often overlooked - always in the shadow of the dogs...

people are shocked to learn that we have a cat.

and soon she will be 18 years old.

Monday, February 13, 2012

long way home

"...at night when all the world's asleep
the questions run so deep - for such a simple man
won't you please, please tell me what we've learned?
i know it sounds absurd... please tell me who i am..."

-rick davies and roger hodgson

day 35

installed furnace motor with mother and father. yes. successfully.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

south south west

"...sorry to disturb you, mister,

...there's nobody flying this plane....!"

-brian gundersdorf

...another view from Church Street during the disgruntled storm!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

church street east

same storm... different direction

Friday, February 10, 2012

same time tomorrow

apparently... they were correct. there was snow. here be snow.

same place - next day. day 32

cool.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

cook park tree

not much more to say.... expecting snow, tomorrow.

we'll see.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

"...sound the alarms...

...here it comes again..."

-brie sullivan

walking lark, today with the winds coming straight out of the west...

eastward ho!

bright february sun - blinding

assuring

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

on the inside

rancho grande - libertyville illinois

nobody turned the fountain on

day 29

Monday, February 6, 2012

so long lbv

"...don't it always seem to go,

that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone,

they paved paradise and put up a parking lot..."

-joni mitchell

day 28 - central school(or what's left of it...)

...the only reason this building is still standing is because the village forbid its destruction - if it was up to the developers and contractors it would have been in a landfill by now.

this my town

school street sadness

Sunday, February 5, 2012

superbowl sunday sirens

"...and i know that some days will bring you down to your knees,
to the tops of the hills, the depths of the seas,
may your soul find the path that will let it fly free
all the days of your life..."

-andrea coller.

a few minutes ago I heard some sirens off in the distance.... reminded me of the ones i don't remember hearing after breaking the windshield with my face.

i kinda remember - after 26 years - feeling my head right after... musta been strange - glass in everything - pieces missing. blood. bone.

i hope everyone's ok.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

sunny february pit

well..... first it was the county fairgrounds.... then it was a gravel pit.

....now it's a place that i walk my dog past on day 26....

Friday, February 3, 2012

i was here

...on this, day 25.

i hadn't been here since 1975.

yeah. really!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

sun through trees

day 24

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

some still here

"...and far off in the distance the sun looks like a train

maybe my imagination is fooling me again..."

-david nields

...been thinkin' 'bout a certain kind of pizza, lately - from my youth - now gone gluten-free...
i see this stuff everywhere i go.
see it in this shot.
today - day 23 - at grayslake feed, grayslake, illinois