BRRRRRR

I must confess, I slept in this morning (my cold is still getting the best of me!) and when I finally dragged my lazy butt out of bed it was almost 8:00 AM and the temp was 18 F: Sheesh!!! As you can see below, the thermometer on the pool patio was reading a balmy 23.9 at 10:23! WooHoo!

I waddled on out to the studio midmorning and snapped a few pics. Here are our Hellebores, nestled in ice and snow along the front walkway:

Most people hate Nandina: I happen to love them, but only when pruned properly. Here's a lovely one along the front of the house:


The faucet near the pool has had a very slow leak for a few months now, and so C has attached a hose and keeps it dangling in the pool. This morning it was sporting a long icicle:

I puttered with Preserve and Protect most of the morning. I'm reading "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott, which is actually Lamott's advice to writers, but so many of her words apply to all of us who are struggling. She says that you must set aside a time everyday to write/do your craft. I am finding that I am most productive in the morning, be it mid to late morning, so I tackle my projects then, and exercise later in the day. This is my new approach, and it will probably change again when the weather is warmer and it is light earlier, and then I'll get up earlier and exercise at that time. Anyway, here is Preserve and Protect on the design wall this morning:

I'm still not enthralled with her, but I do feel that she has come a long way. Your silence spoke legions to me last week: you were too kind to tell me that P&P truly stank. Is this better? How would you make her even better?

This evening C and I attended the dedication of our church's new organ,

Casavant Freres Organ Opus 3865:

Isn't she a beauty!!! The service was billed as "Solemn Evensong with The Liturgy of Consecration" for the organ. It was a delightful sevice with the most incredible organ and choral music I have ever experienced. Dr. David Burton-Brown, our organist and choir director, certainly did us proud! Each organ selection was fabulous, but I was totally undone and brought to tears by Stanley's "Trumpet Voluntary in D Major". Well done David!! The Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta, preached, while our beloved Rector, Doug Dailey officiated. It was a lovely service and I was so pleased to be in attendance.

PEACE