It must be spring..

This is a pretty time of year- you can see the signs and colors of spring in little things...

A few weeks ago pine tree and I wandered into Boom Babies on Westcott street - normally it has a ton of overpriced clothes (sort of hippy like, some vintage and some stuff from India) but on this day there was a buzz of something frenetic and distinctly eostregen-y about it. Indeed, prom is just around the corner and the store was crammed with sulky teenagers and harried/pushy moms looking over shimmery gowns. There was even a sign outside that warned 'boyfriends and men' (because boyfriends are boys, not men?) to stay away from the store- which was probably wise.

Pine tree and I wandered around enjoying the bling and the conversations...




This is from the farmers market which will soon move outside...tulips are now sprouting all over the ground..





And finally, this beautiful magnolia tree outside tulips house in full bloom...




The scent was heavenly...


I don't have a picture unfortunately of the wild, outdoor block parties that also accompany the onset of Spring (which leave the air redolent with other types of scents - equally natural, more potent if you *ahem* catch my drift) or the new fashion statements that seem to appear around this time of the year but I suppose that's just as well.

What signals the arrival of spring to you?

Rare Lost Stills from Dr. Zhivago?

Nope, just your average winter's day in da Cuse.

Woke up this morning to find these delightful sights... I'm not being sarcastic when I say 'delightful'. I LOVE snow. Specially new snow when it falls fluffily and softly on your head...



Yes, two days from now it will be slushy and ugly and yes, it makes even the shortest walk to the bus stop hazardous, mildly harrowing and disorienting (nothing like snow to make you lose you way on a 5 minute walk you do daily)

But just look at it...so pure, so pretty....this is the snow falling with the music school in the background



...and this is snow falling over the Hall of Languages - the building that supposedly inspired the house in the original Adams Family show. Old Syracuse lore.



Give me this over a sunny, sandy beach any day (blech). Now I'll stop extolling the virtues of snow because few things irritate people who have waded through snow, slid all over the road as they tried to drive or shoveled their sidewalk for hours more than hearing how beautiful it is- I know, I learned that the hard way.

Not a very good book?

Since I'm in a picture-y mood: Meet Rama, my best friend's cat (wow it's hard to say those last 3 words together fast- try it)

I liked the book (American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld) but Rama thought otherwise..



Funny, that's exactly how I look when I'm 'working'...

After the fall...

Fall is a riot of colors in upstate New York. These pictures don't really do it justice but nevertheless here they are....




This is a magnificent tree on the street I used to live on...



Sometimes when the sun comes through the leaves, it looks as if they are glowing like fire...




I never knew trees could be pink till I moved here



Even the ivy turns pink and red...



These pictures are from the country side...







And then just like that...it is winter.

Ambition

Sitting in the library today, I realized that the depth of my ambition is to one day have a book (all of my own) that nestles dustily on some forgotten shelf on the 5th floor of a quiet library...
That, and to get a job.

When September Ends

Slowly the leaves are beginning to turn and there are glorious glimpses of orange and red amongst the green...my favorite time of the year. More pictures when fall arrives in all its glory...

The view from my window

My walk to school

This is the walk I take everyday to and from school. 

Yes, it is through a cemetery but this cemetery has revised my opinions on what they're all about. While I would definitely not walk through here at night (more because of the alive people than dead ones), it is actually a very peaceful experience to stroll there listening to my pod-casts, look at all the old names, hear the rustling leaves and watch the long, cool shadows. 

It's one of  my favorite parts of the day.

I took these pictures yesterday. There is a little nip in the air now- another summer is coming to its close. Fall is brief but glorious in upstate NY and I can't wait for how beautiful the trees are going to look in just a few weeks. Then the winter will come and it will be

 difficult to negotiate the icy, snowy slopes but beautiful in its own way. I'll post more pictures then. But for now...the serene, rolling greens are lovely. Here are a few pictures of my walk....

Above, buildings on comstock ave which runs along one side 

of the cemetery.

I love the old mausoleums dotting the cemetery- some are really spectacular- like mini castles, with graceful turrets and detailing- but you have to go deep into the cemetary for that. Not advisable alone in the evening, when these pictures were taken... 

Here's another mausoleum- I wonder if it has just one person or a family?

My favorite gravestone is the one that looks like a mini-amphi-theatre...I always smile at it as I wander by. 

It's not Chrissy Field (which I will blog about some other day) but for upstate NY, it will do just fine.