A Mid-Winter Sunday Morning In The Park

February 10, 2013July 1, 2025 / Ally Bean / 19 Comments

“Many people don’t realize that it’s in what you think are the limitations of a certain form that you can often find your own rhythm and space.”

~ Isabelle Huppert

Sunday was one of those monotone, nondescript days that was neither lovely nor lousy. Not too cold. Not too wet. Not too bleak.

I had almost no energy. Whether it was because of the weather or because we ran around all day on Saturday, I don’t know. Doesn’t matter because I had no pep.

But I thought that we really should do something, so I talked the hubster into going to a city park that we hadn’t been to in years. I remembered that it was flat, paved and had decent parking.

At first I wasn’t going to take my camera with me thinking that without vibrant color outside there’d be nothing to take a picture of. But then I realized that taking photos on a winter day that offered neither sunshine nor snow would be a fun challenge, so the camera came with us. Just in case I saw something I wanted to photograph.

Here’s what I saw…

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My 2012 Yearlies List

December 29, 2012December 30, 2012 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

[H/T to Chris at the Rude Cactus for this idea. His list is here.]

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The Yearly Top Gardening Success: Our in-ground sprinkler system for our lawn. It took us years to have one installed, but now that we have one our yard remained green all summer– and I didn’t have to drag a hose + oscillating sprinkler anywhere on the property. Not even once.

The Yearly Top Absurdity of Life: Even though I didn’t go to Canada, I have a traffic violation from that country with a fine to pay. I owe the Canadian Dept of Transportation 37¢ Canadian. You see, Canada has a photo of a vehicle registered to me doing something illegal in their country. The miscreant in this story is Z-D [or maybe one of his lawyer buddies] who went on his [their] annual ~~camping~~ cabin trip and somehow missed paying a toll along the way. Because of this, I’m left holding the traffic violation. And a bottle of maple syrup.

The Yearly Top Duh! Moment: Cutie oranges. Who knew these little clementines were so tasty? Not me. I thought they were only for kids, but thanks to J at Thinking About… I got some for our party, tried them and am now hooked.

The Yearly Top Annoying Term: Guru. If you believe yourself to be one, then you are not one. This term is trite, hackneyed, pointless, stupid– and most of all, overused. Don’t be a business guru; you can do better than that. Aim to add value, not gibberish, to the conversation.

The Yearly Top YouTube Video, Cat Angst Category: Henri 5, The Worst Noël. If you have ever been around a cat, then this series of videos will make you laugh more than you should. Paws down.

The Yearly Top Expression Of Gratitude: From a shy 10ish y.o. Boy Scout who came to the front door and sold me caramel corn + cheese corn. A few weeks later when he delivered the products, he included a typed-out thank you note on a strip of paper, hand signed, which thanked me for helping him achieve his goal. Very thoughtful kid.

The Yearly Top Home Improvement Project: New light fixtures in the kitchen above the island & table. Good-bye large weathered copper light fixtures with dingy uneven glass shades. Hello sleek antique brushed nickel lights with etched white alabaster glass shades that spread the light evenly across the surface. Such an improvement.

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So, what are your yearlies? Care to share?