It isn't all doldrums and drudgery for Lil' Non-Smokey.

Winter, as we know it here, is digging in its heels. The chill is still crisp enough for coat hugging high on your neck. Shades of brown prevail.

The landscape isn’t very pleasing to the eye

for someone who likes to take photos and

quickly becomes terribly bored

when she can’t find what she’s looking for.

In the midst of doldrums and drudgery, there were a few days of springtime surprises last week

when the sunsets were warm like early summer evenings,

everything green got my attention,

and fish bobbed and begged to impress me.


Bullfrog echoes were heard under the pond rock, Spring Peepers practiced their chorus, and I smiled. Oh, how I smiled and gasped.

I stopped to admire pink against sky blue

and the bees.

It was all so intoxicating to the senses. A lovely, perfect tease.

I’m sorry to admit the longer I stayed away from Mary’s View, the more I enjoyed being away... Posting here is always a pleasure. I thrive on it. But, the commitment to blogging in general gets harder, year after year. Sit and read blogs, sit and read blogs, sit and read blogs, get stiff and wide, and get sick of it, just sick of it. There’s so damned much else to do to soak up my “me” time! With that being said, I’m working on this balancing act, once again, because I’ve missed this blogging community and my readers. I do care, deeply.

A dear friend referred to me as Lil' Non-Smokey which sent me into a fit of laughter. Lil' Non-Smokey is doing well but is still fighting the urge to raid the frig! And, is there anyone else out there who can down a row of Girl Scout cookies in ten minutes? God, I love those Thin Mints like gumdrops.

I’ve heard that smokers are the best people – ones who know how to relax and are generally very friendly. I’ve also heard that reformed Lil' Non-Smokeys aren’t very nice. There’s truth in those statements. Yes, I’ve gently changed sides from the selfless to the selfish. But, what the hell.

Spare time in the evenings is good for walking around the neighborhood at a pathetic twenty or twenty-five minute mile pace, sans camera. While I hate the steep hills, I love the challenge. It's embarrassing to tell that my new, unused Ipod Shuffle has been hidden in my nightstand for two years but I’ve made progress! The pretty little silver gizmo is now sitting next to the laptop, ready for me to clumsily find a way to download some funky walking tunes. Gonna get that fifteen-minute mile back, shin splints or not!

How could I end this post without a picture of my backyard friend?

Hey, I’ll be back if I can cook up something to post about other than what’s bugging Lil' Non-Smokey.