The First of May

Hello! It's May! Excitement always overtakes me with the arrival of this fine month which I consider to be the best of the entire year (hence the exclamation points). Why? It finally starts to feel like spring outside! The air is fresh, clean and fragrant! Everything that was reluctant to turn green and bloom in late April does so in May! And, the ladies in my family (my mom, sister, and I) all have our birthdays within a span of eleven days! 'Tis a good, good month.

"That is one good thing about this world. . .there are always sure to be more springs."
- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

How beautiful the quotes of L.M. Montgomery are when the world is overflowing with warmth! Spring is my favorite time to read (or re-read!) Montgomery and while I've devoured much of her written works, there are still a few titles I have yet to get acquainted with. I think within the next few weeks I'll pick up The Story Girl, Magic for Marigold, or Jane of Lantern Hill. In the past I've been eager to read all of her books in rapid succession, but refrained to prolong the enjoyment over time. And ''time'' in that last sentence equates to more than half of my life thus far.

Shirt: Target, Scarf: gift, Ring: Charlotte Russe, Belt: thrifted
Skirt: F21, Tights: TJ Maxx, Shoes: Aldo

I know it's practically impossible to discern in these photos, but my tights are actually not white, but a creamy-oatmeal color. Great, now I'm making myself hungry! Anyway, it is absolutely gorgeous outside today. I'll be quick to hop back out once this post is finished to soak up the mild sun.

Happy May!

October sunset

Cardigan: H&M, Shirt & skirt: J.Crew, Tights: Hue
Shoes: Aldo, Necklace: self-made

Autumn sunsets are oftentimes the best, are they not? The colors of the sun blend effortlessly with the vibrant foliage and the dry grasses. Evening walks are illuminated with light that doesn't quite seem real or should exist only in dreams... or in poetry. As for a well-thought out line of prose, I cannot help but share again this favorite of mine by Nathaniel Hawthorne: "There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October."

How perfect a declaration! It echos in my thoughts all month long. October is generous in the joy it gives, from the chill at the tip of my nose to the sensation of cold grass squished beneath my stockinged feet. Which, silly as it sounds, feels pretty good. However, when you're suddenly blasted by a gust of wind at the same time, shivering and laughter will ensue and sometimes it's even captured on camera (as evidenced in a photo above). Oh, October :)

Bird's Eye View

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot

Dress, hat, and shoes: H&M; Tights: Target

A dreamy and magical light

"Then followed that beautiful season, [...] the Summer [...]! Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new-created in all the freshness of childhood." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline, Part the First II

Shirt and shoes: Target, Belt: thrifted, Skirt: a very old favorite
Necklace: H&M, Flower pin: gift from Raquel

"Sunlight is painting"

This afternoon's intermittent sunlight brought to mind this partial* quote I borrowed for today's post title. Breaking through the clouds it poured forth coloring everything it touched with its illuminating wash and brushstrokes of warmth.

Dress: H&M, Top: Target, Brooch: thrifted
Sandals: Delia's, Sunglasses: TJ Maxx

*"Moonlight is sculpture; sunlight is painting." - Nathaniel Hawthorne, Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1

A certain sweetness

Spring is such a magnificent and delicious time of year. The correlation to a time of rebirth -- of youth, when things are new and fresh, surpasses the becoming qualities of all the other seasons combined. Or so it's nice to think. This spring, perhaps to appease once again the fancies of my thirteen year old self, I have been rereading a favorite series of books from childhood. There's no doubt my musings on this blog make it easy to detect my admiration for the stories of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Like happy carefree memories of girlhood, they make me feel safe in those moments when my eyes hungrily read from one page to the next. In the midst of this feverish reading, I came across a line in Emily Climbs that leaped off the page to be nestled snugly into my collection of favorite quotes henceforth: "For spring is just around the corner and I have forgotten everything but gladness."


How beautiful this semblance of words is to me! I marveled briefly over how I hadn't remembered this little morsel these last 12 some-odd years. Yet, delighted all the same in the thought that it remained on my bookshelf all this time waiting for me to rediscover and appreciate its sentiment. To be perfectly honest, a part of me cannot wait until next winter when I can dwell on these words and dream. But for now, spring is here and I am glad.

Of photographs and trees

"The tree rustled. It had made music before they were born, and would continue after their deaths, but its song was of the moment." - E.M. Forster, Howards End

This past Autumn I was quite fixated on photographing trees. They stand so tall and noble offering subtle gifts of beauty. I love taking that second-look and seeing something my eyes passed over in prior moments. For example, after looking upwards and letting my imagination go where it may the branches in the first photo took on the form of a giant spiderweb anchored in the sky...



Camera: Nikon FM 10
Lenses: Vivitar Soft II 52mm, Vivitar 52 mm Cross Screen VI
Film: Fujicolor Superia X-tra 400
Click photos for an enlarged view

Country roads take me home

"I sometimes think that the other months were constituted mainly as a fitting interlude between Octobers." - Aldo Leopold, from A Sand County Almanac

The quiet country road that our family home is nestled on is perfect for taking walks. After enduring a pre-winter onslaught of unseasonably cold weather, the sun finally began warming my little neck of the woods to temperatures that don't result in chattering teeth, and so, I slipped on my sneakers and skipped out the door. Today's walk took me where it always does - up the hill where I stop and wander before making my descent back down. My senses took account of the abundant details of the season from the rustling wind through the lattice of intertwined tree branches to the earthen, woodsy smell of dead leaves and fallen crab apples. My presence frightened a small chipmunk whose pitter-patter through the crinkled leaves made me chuckle. I never tire of this walk and always return home recharged, refreshed, and rejuvenated.

♥ "There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October." ♥
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Feelin' nautical

I was feeling nautical this past weekend. Thankfully, my wardrobe acquiesced to my wishes with this sailboat printed scarf and striped anchor sweater. I remained landlocked, however, despite my yearning for the sea. I hope to visit the coast this summer, preferably in southern Massachusetts or southern Maine, or both! :)

Outfit 1: T-shirt & shorts- Target, Scarf- thrifted, Shoes- American Eagle

Outfit 2: Sweater- thrifted, Layering tank- Target, Sunnies- Macy's,
Pants- H&M, Shoes- Keds

"Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds." - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Evening stroll

"The woods are never solitary--they are full of whispering, beckoning, friendly life." - L. M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

While taking a walk this evening, I came across this birch tree with a portion of its paper-thin bark peeled back. Resembling an open book, the exposed page invited me in to use my imagination and explore.

Is this the gateway to a storybook adventure?
A magic door assembled of tangled branches, blossoms, and brambles?

Knock, knock.