"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.'" — Alfred Lord Tennyson
December 2020 in Pictures
"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.'" — Alfred Lord Tennyson
"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.'" — Alfred Lord Tennyson
“Spring's wakening bugle long is hushed; long dimm'd is Summer's splendour; October yields her easel bright to black and white November!” — James Rigg, "November," Wild Flower Lyrics and Other Poems, 1897
“It was October again... a glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as if the spirit of autumn had poured them in for the sun to drain — amethyst, pearl, silver, rose, and smoke-blue.” — Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
“Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul... but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October.” ― Peggy Toney Horton
“These are a few of my favorite things…”
A: Architecture — the Calatrava brise-soleil at Milwaukee Art Museum
B: Beagles — especially a certain pretty Miss Piper!
C: Cameras — I love photography and collecting vintage cameras.
D: Dragonfly — A favorite subject to photograph in the summertime; I especially admire their delicate wings.
E: Education — I have devoted my life to teaching and learning.
F: Fashion — I appreciate the creativity and craftsmanship and have cultivated my own style.
G: Glass — (at least) half-full of Champagne!
H: Heart — the universal symbol of love (and latte art)
I: Impressionism — Monet’s water lilies, Degas’ dancers, Renoirs’ joie de vivre
J: Journal — a place to record my thoughts and be creative
K: Knot — why not?
L: Lavender — a favorite fragrance
M: Macarons — vanilla, pistachio, and rose are my favorites
N: Naps — Piper’s the reigning champion
O: Olives — in cocktails, on pizza, you name it…
P: Paris — always a good idea!
Q: Quack — OK, Q is hard and I do like ducks!
R: Roses — especially white ones
S: Shoes — from ballerinas to stilettos
T: Technology — from vintage typewriters and cameras to the latest iPhones, MacBooks, and iPads
U: University — Marquette in my case
V: Vineyards — from California to Champagne
W: Water — I’m a Pieces!
X: Xylophone — really music in general
Y: Yachting — but I just call it sailing
Z: Zinnia — and most flowers, especially white ones with lots of petals
1: 1er arrondissement (Place Vendôme, the Ritz, Chanel, le Nemours, Palais Royal, lLouvre, Tuileries, Angelina, Gagliani bookshop, le Meurice…)
2: a pair of shoes
3: trillium
4: I tried to find a four-leaf clover, but settled for a hydrangea blossom
5: Chanel No. 5
“Give thanks for the heavy perfume of wild roses in early July and the song of crickets on summer humid nights and the rivers that run and the stars that rise and the rain that falls and all the good things that a good God gives.” - Ann Voskamp