Coach House Daffodils

 

The building was damaged by flooding 17 months ago, so is now for sale. But the daffodils don't know about it!

The former Coach House Restaurant was not as upscale as some steak and seafood places, but was family owned and operated. Southern hospitality was part of its charm. I spent many meals enjoying hardy food and companionable conversations.

Sharing with Wordless Wednesday

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The U.S. military announced on Sunday that three service members were killed in action and five are seriously wounded after a joint strike on Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury. (By Tuesday we know 8 have died.)

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

By ETHEL SPOWERS – SWINGS

From Heather Cox Richardson March 2, 2026 (please read her information about the newest war.)

And her newsletter March 3 gives this info...

"Central Command has reported six American service members killed and eighteen wounded in the operation.

According to U.S. Central Command, which manages U.S. military operations in the Middle East, there are about 50,000 military personnel involved in Operation Epic Fury, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers and bombers, and they are moving more support to the region. Yesterday Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to rule out sending ground troops to Iran."

She goes on to give the cost estimates for this current situation.

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Who do you serve? To whose life can I most effectively contribute? What practice –- meditation, or relaxation practice, or prayer, or time in nature -- whatever brings you peace -– do you follow to build your internal power? Do you allocate enough time or emphasis to that practice? There is a time to give and a time to restore. Restorative time is the basis of all worthwhile creative work, and all work that seeks to contribute to the lives of others. And it gives us patience with our own foibles, and those of others. 

Rod MacIver in Heron Dance

Some springy flowers

 I took these photos last Wednesday, when it was 73 F degrees.

And I met my downstairs neighbors S?, and Josie and now know Lois lives below me. Maybe I'll remember S? name as it was a surname and I kept repeating it in my brain hoping to remember them all. Since I remembered the other 2 it's possible it's still there in the little neurons floating around. (I'm thinking maybe Sandford...)

These tiny hyacinths had that awful drainpipe behind them.  I'll cut it out in the next photo.

But the horrible phone shadow remains!

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Today's quote: 

Perhaps the most important thing we bring to another person is the silence in us, not the sort of silence that is filled with unspoken criticism or hard withdrawal. The sort of silence that is a place of refuge, of rest, of acceptance of someone as they are. We are all hungry for this other silence.

RACHEL NAOMI REMEN ---------------- Today's good news: I love how natural climate solutions can often be better and cheaper than technological ones. Just take what happened in the Czech Republic recently. A new dam on the Klabava River south of Prague to protect critical habitat and endangered crayfish had been on the books since 2018. But the project ground to a halt after hitting bureaucratic delays.    Meanwhile, a colony of beavers took things into their own paws, building a series of dams in the same locations the engineers had planned to. The dams created a wetland that covers almost five acres, saving the Czech government some 1.2 million euros. “It’s full service, beavers are absolutely fantastic and when they are in an area where they can’t cause damage, they do a brilliant job,” said Bohumil Fišer, the head of the Brdy Protected Landscape Area.   “Beavers are brilliant ecosystem engineers and can transform habitats for a huge range of other species,” says Alastair Driver, a rewilding specialist and the former head of conservation for the U.K. Environment Agency.  “I spent decades of my career [in the U.K.] rewiggling rivers and installing leaky dams. Beavers do it for free, one thousand times better than people like me ever did.” Beaver ponds are a haven for wildlife, including fish, amphibians and birds, and their dams help improve water quality as well as providing flood and erosion control. And that's not all; the wetlands built by beaver dams sequester carbon, which helps mitigate climate change. Thanks Katharine Hayhoe ---------------- Today's art: Claude Monet, Woman Seated under the Willows, 1880. -------------------- Family Album for today: Granddaughter Cayenne, Grandmama' Barbara (me), Grandson William Granddaughter Cayenne and William. Of course a grandmother loves her 30 year old grandson who still looks like he's 15. No matter how they look, who they love, and what they do (as long as it's legal and ethical) I love them to the moon and back!

Yellow and blue (and green)

The sweet orchid is  kind of backlit from all the sunshine in the window. I've had to close blinds and curtains some days in order to work on laptop...I've already increased the screen to higher lighting since moving over here also.  I do like looking above the screen to see birds, or sky...but once the sun comes directly inside, oops, can't focus on screen worth a hoot.

An earlier nighttime shot as the orchid was opening.

Not my photo! Just reminding me in a month we shall be inundated with blooming everywhere. Ah, to just be patient!

On March first I captured these lovelies by our entrance to the apartment complex. And no wonder nobody ever can  find the place with that well camouflaged sign!!

In the meantime, I've got blue skies to enjoy! When writing this on Feb. 27th I went to wash off my car from the bird droppings. I hadn't seen any robins that morning, so perhaps they had finally traveled elsewhere.

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This is the exercise video I follow that I got after my Ornish program of cardiac rehab. I do it at least once a week, and usually have some aches from it the next day. But last week I actually made the whole 30 minutes, with one break for drinking water and catching my breath. So now I know what the last exercises are at least! 

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 Current events:

Another place where yellow and blue are to be remembered, since it's now 3 years since Russia invaded the Ukraine. Silly US politicians think they can just get some benefits by giving Ukraine over to the Big Bear...without a care about our long term allies in Europe.

Don't miss the ghost image behind these two!

And another thing to remember,

On February 24, 2025, the U.S. delegation to the United Nations voted against a resolution condemning Russia for its aggression in Ukraine and calling for it to end its occupation. That is, the U.S. voted against a resolution that reiterated one of the founding principles of the United Nations itself: that one nation must not invade another. The U.S. voted with Russia, Israel, North Korea, Belarus, and fourteen other countries friendly to Russia against the measure, which nonetheless passed overwhelmingly.

Just added, FYI: a tracker of the status of suits filed against the Executive orders - Litigation Tracker.

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And the Good News from Katharine Hayhoe this week about trees!

A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which means heavy rainfall events are increasing around the globe, which in turn can increase the risk of flooding. That’s bad news, obviously.

 
But the good news is that trees are a strong natural defense against flooding! They help soil absorb water by soaking up rainfall through their roots. The roots also reduce erosion and runoff while leafy canopies slow rain down, reducing flash flood risk.
 
In the UK, researchers at the University of Plymouth are planting native trees in Dartmoor, in hopes of reviving the area's ancient woodland pastures and helping with local flood control. They're planting these native trees using the “tiny forest” Miyawaki Method I’ve written about before here. By planting many different native species closely together, planted trees can rapidly mimic a multi-layered forest ecosystem.
 
In cities, green roofs don’t just keep buildings cool. They also absorb rainwater and reduce surface runoff. In India, for example, one study found that installing green roofs across an urban area could reduce flood volume between 10 and 60 percent.
 
Trees already filter the air, keep us cool, provide habitat for species and so much more. Now we know they’re essential to protecting us from floods as well!

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And my  personal note for today, my family photo sharing time.

My oldest son, Marty, when he was 2 years old, in Hartford, CT.

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Today's quote: 

We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of the world.

JACK GILBERT  Today's art: Voyageurs At Dawn is an 1871 oil painting by Frances Anne Hopkins.

The community garden on Sunday when it got warm

From the parking lot at Veterans Park, you go under the overpass of I-40...a bit scary, but it's a straight shot.

A large group of Frisbee Golfers.

My first sighting of Daffodils! And as usual the wind was whipping them around!

The garden plots had their hoops still there, but the shrouds of white plastic had been taken down. Since there will probably be more freezing nights, I guess these plots don't have any plants in them that will suffer.

I was surprised that nobody was out working in their garden yet.

Thought for today:

There is so much beauty in honoring those that came before you and seeking their wisdom.

Daily Om

Joyous flowers

Since taking this photo at church last year, and this Sunday the church service is canceled because of Covid-19 virius...I gladly share this bouquet today. I'm availing myself of the beautiful flowers of my memories.

Marching Forth

I did go marching forth for March fourth...if you count being out and about today in the 70's...yes, that's not a typo.

First I had a really good session with my physical therapist, who said I'm making good progress with the frozen shoulder.  He helped me do some new exercises, then measured my range of motion with my right arm.  I keep thinking it will probably be able to move more freely than my left, so I sneak some exercises (at home) with my left as well.

Then I came home, and noticed the laundry room (unheated) was much colder than right outside the door.

So I opened said door, and window, then took most of the clothes (except the unmentionables, which still get dried in private) and hung them out in the sun on a clothesline.  Yes, I strung one outside last year, and seldom use it.  I want to do so more often, especially when I see my electric bill.

Panther enjoying fresh air and sunshine

Then I opened the windows in the living room, and the 2 cats argued over who was going to sit where.  It was sunny and warm and breezy.

Muffin preferred the softness of an afgan

Next I pulled a rake out and got some of the matted oak leaves off the flower bed where I knew some crocus and daffodils used to be.  There were a few little green things maybe going to become flowers.  But I also pulled a lot of the viney stems that were dead mint plants off that area.  Some of them were too permanent and woody to remove.

Maybe spring plants, maybe not.

So by then I decided to invite my friend to have coffee and brownies while sitting outside watching whatever was happening...and I brought out my 2 nice patio chairs which have cushions...and a straight chair to pretend to be our little table.  All the tables are too busy with other things.
We enjoyed sitting and talking, while a stiff breeze kept us nicely aerated.  All this while the sun brightly shown on one neighbor who decided to take his shirt off to "catch some rays."
But at dinner time my friend left, and I packed up the furniture to bring inside, because rain was forecast, and then by tomorrow night, a freeze again.  I even remembered to bring the clothes in off the line.

The large bunch of daffodils

This renegade daffodil bunch is now potted inside.

I even tucked the oak leaves back around the baby plants.  But I did dig one clump of daffodils up and put it into a planter which came inside with me.

I'd say I definitely marched forth for the fourth of March, wouldn't you?  Did you too?

Joy