Been a long time since I’ve posted here on this blog but I’m hoping you may have noticed how busy I’ve been on Tumblr lately. If not, I’d love it if you would check it out. The link is also on the sidebar.

I spent the weekend with my daughter at an annual Mother’s Day retreat run by our Unitarian Church. I had so much fun at last year’s retreat that I volunteered to be on the committee for this year and while I didn’t do much more than come up with a flyer or two and man the registration table for an hour or two, I am hoping that I still contributed to the success of the event.

I’m sorry that more people didn’t choose to participate this year. It’s such a worthwhile way to spend a couple of days. Really, what could be better? Family, friends — both old and new, nature, and inspiration all rolled up into one lovely package. We lucked out with the weather. The weekend was warm and sunny and perfect in every way.  I gave a workshop in Photography and while there were only two participants (thanks so much to you both!) it went really well and I am hopeful that given the opportunity to do it next year, more people will show up and I won’t be quite as nervous.

There was so much to do while we were at Camp Jewell and still, there was time to do nothing but listen to the sounds of the birds, the wind rustling in the trees and to sit and feel the warmth of the sun. I arrived at Camp Jewell feeling pretty frazzled and anxious and left feeling as if my reset button had been pressed and I was ready to start from fresh. I read, I hiked up a mountain, I spent time with friends, I made new friends. I was relaxed, energized and inspired. All in one weekend not so far from home. The following images (and the ones above) are just a small selection, in no apparent order, of all the activities.

I spent the last few days of April enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and tastes in Paris, France (just in case you thought I went to Texas.) It was my third visit to the city of lights and I love it more each time I’m there. I have so many images that I thought I’d just post a slide show. Let me know what you think! You can always check out my images posted on my Tumblr blog by clicking the link on my sidebar.

Yesterday was a lovely day, Truly. It started out with Yoga at Open Sky Yoga Barn, which is always a fabulous way to start any day. Then it continued with our first Tuesday of the New Milford Coop without Walls. Clare had a jewelry class while Nick had Biology. Then there was Math for Clare and Art History followed by French. Nick’s day was a little less structured. He will start Math tutoring next week but this week he had the chance to hang out with some friends (girlfriend included) and then spend time on his own at the library.

I wandered around on my own a bit, spent some time with Clare exploring the toy store and watching her enjoy what looked like a fabulous cupcake, and chatted with friends while the kids took their respective classes.

The weather was unseasonably warm and I pretended it was the end of March instead of January.

I’m so happy that our friend Lockey decided to share her love for New Milford with us.

This week’s photo contest over at i ♥ faces is called By the Book. This is an image I took awhile back of a fellow homeschooling mom at our weekly coop. It’s always been a favorite of mine and I thought it fit right in to this week’s theme. I loved the look of concentration on her face as she read and the soft light of the old library where we were sitting.

Now that you’ve seen my photo, why don’t you hop on over to the i ♥ faces website and see more. Take some time to leave a comment or two for all the talented photographers to let them know you appreciate what they do.

New Milford always seemed so far away from the part of Fairfield County where we live. In the summer we would venture out early on a Sunday morning and head up there to the Elephant’s Trunk flea market to search for treasures. It always felt like a long journey although I know it’s really not all that far at all. Now we are scheduled to be in New Milford twice a week for a new homeschool venture, a “coop without walls.”  This is an off shoot of a coop that due to the unfortunate and sad closing of Great Hollow Wilderness School has lost it’s home. Now we are more of a nomadic group, meeting twice a week and travelling around town attending various classes and taking advantage of what the town has to offer: a theater, dance and art studio, a place for pottery classes, a movie theater, restaurants, a library and many stores that offer discounts to homeschoolers who show up to take part in all the fun.

I am thankful for the so far mild winter weather we are having and looking forward to the warmth of spring to better explore such a lovely little town.

How very kind of Kelly from se perdre dans les images to have nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award this week. Thank you, Kelly, for the recognition and the opportunity to pay it forward. Now I get to pass this honor on to 15 other worthy bloggers. Here goes:

The Rules:

• Add the Versatile Award pic on your blog post
• Thank the blogger who nominated you
• Share 7 random things about yourself
• Nominate 15 fellow bloggers
• Inform the bloggers of their nomination

7 Random Things:

• Bacon is my favorite food group.
• I started doing the two things that have changed my life most while in my 50s: Yoga and Dressage riding.
• I had  a home birth.
• I never think my photos are good enough.
• My favorite city is Paris but I’d settle on living in Manhattan if I could afford it.
• I hate grocery shopping
• I love to play the ukelele

Now for the nominees:

• Mrsbrommer’s Blog
• Pearls and Prose
• Marina Chetner
• how a dogfish saved my life
• Warped Prism
• 366 Days of Photos
• Melanie Haynes Photography
• 365 Photo Project
• Gone to the Dogs at Sea Strands Studio
• m1nute
• Donald Reese Photography
• Ben Lowe Photography
• kerin burford PHOTOGRAPHY
• 53 Weeks
• Miss Wyolene

Congrats to all!

We went to Longshore today so the kids could meet a friend and go skating by the Sound. It was cold but the sun was strong and there wasn’t much wind. I hadn’t been to Longshore for more than a year and it was nice to wander by the water and watch the ducks and geese and other hardy winter shore birds flying by. Winter is, by far, not my favorite time of year and left to my own devices, I would prefer to stay inside in front of the fire. But if prodded outside for short periods, I have found the wonder of nature even in the cold.

I started doing Yoga about 4 years ago, maybe even 5, but I can’t remember anymore. A friend of mine has opened a Yoga studio literally a 2 minute drive from my door. This is the Shiva that is on her altar at the front of the studio. She teaches Anusara Yoga and it is life changing. In a good way. And with that, I’m heading to my mat.

My favorite face shot of last year is from a performance of Antony and Cleopatra that my daughter participated in while attending Camp Shakespeare over the summer. It was an amazing performance put together in only 2 weeks time. This is her friend Amy playing the role of Octavia. Does she not have the most amazing eyes?

Make sure you check out all the other fabulous face submissions on the i ♥ faces website.

On Saturdays Clare and I drive over to New Pond Farm and take care of the creepies and the crawlies. When my son (who is now 17 as of a few days ago) and I first started our homeschooling journey back when he was in the 6th grade, this was his job. Clare always wanted to help but Nick was pretty adamant that the responsibility was his and he wasn’t planning on sharing with his sister. Now Clare has taken over and she’s happy as a clam to be feeding crickets and worms to the assorted and sundry animals living in the Reptile room at the farm.  I tag along and help just so we aren’t there all afternoon. I am on salad duty, cutting veggies into bite sized pieces and tearing lettuce into bits for the turtles, iguanas and bearded dragons. The rest is up to Clare. She’s happily in her element, feeding and cleaning and loving each creature. Even the Tarantulas.

Today was an unusually warm day for January here in the Northeast. The temperatures reached into the 60s so the farm had plenty of visitors, many of whom made their way into the reptile room to visit and chat and ask questions. Clare said she liked it better when people came in to visit while we were working. It makes the time go faster and it’s fun sharing the little we know about the creatures we help care for.

Who would have thought that the best part of my day would be spent feeding baby food to a Gargoyle Gecko and serving salad to an Iguana?