Six Simple Steps to Seasonal Surprises

Here's a fun and easy project to watch the seasons change in your own neighborhood.  

Take a photo from the same spot in your yard once a week (or once a month).  

1. Look for a spot in your yard where there are trees or a garden.

2. Pick a spot that shows a good view of nature and consider if the background looks nature-y, too (avoid buildings or cars if you can).  

3. On the same day (and time!) every week, stand in that spot with your camera pointed the same direction.

4. Take a picture.   See?  That was SO easy!

5. Note any changes in the trees, flowers, garden, landscape.   Weather conditions like temperature, wind, precipitation--all worth noting, too.  

6. Keep your pictures in one spot, organized chronologically (in order by date), label them, if you can, too.

Hint!   Set a reminder on your phone or calendar.   I try to take my pictures at the same time every week (10:00 a.m. Friday); plus I set a back-up reminder to go off at 2:00 p.m., too, because sometimes I'm running errands in the morning or I get busy and forget.  

Camera:  I use an iPhone but you could also use a digital or SLR camera or even an old Polaroid InstaMatic.

I started out taking pictures and didn't include our little street lamp at the end of our driveway.  But once the leaves were down, the lamp was the really only interesting thing to look at (for a long time).

Upload Options:  I upload my picts to Instagram (Click here to see!) and share from there to my personal Facebook where I have an album titled "My Street - Once a Week".   I use the same hashtags on my Instagram uploads, so I can find them easily.   Once they're loaded into my Facebook album, I edit the description again.

When we started getting snow on the ground, the lamp was kind of a cool "marker" as it really stood out against the white!  AND it had the cutest little "frosting" of snow on top, too!

You'll notice the different "frames" I've used.  That's part of the Instagram app.   I like photos with and without the frames.   If I was to do this all over again, I would probably NOT use any frames at all.   OR always use the same one every time.   Just to be consistent.   :-)
 
In this photo (above right) you'll notice I fuzzed out the background a bit, to make the lamp-post be the main focus.   That's another little thing in Instagram.   Kind of fun for the photos where the scenery isn't that exciting.  

Now that spring's arrived, this flower bed and the street scene is starting to wake up.   The spring ephemerals are already blooming, and some bulbs that thrive in chilly temps (snowdrop and crocus for example) are already almost done here in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.  

So, get your camera and get outside and see some nature!

Easter Sunday, 2011

5:50 p.m. ~ 79* ~  sunshine & light breeze

Redbud - up close & personal

Yep!  It's a warm day here in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia - not like the Easter-weather I've been used to in my home-state of Wisconsin.   And even though I'm not fond of "warm" weather, I do appreciate what the warm weather brings--and how early I get to enjoy the spring offerings! ......

Grape hyacinth (muscari)

What's up and growing in your yard?   Our daffodils are done blooming, a handful of red tulips are flaming along the sidewalk to the alley fence, and one bouquets-worth of grape hyacinth (muscari) are twinkling at me from along the walk near the garage.   And dandelions--holy cats! do we have dandelions in our backyard!!   Plus the chives that grow like weeds around here.

All our trees are leafed out now, the one by the garage (I believe it's a box elder) has dropped its little seedy-things.   The ones out front are very pretty, the leaves are still quite small and cute--like kittens!!  

We also have a grapevine growing on the arbor in the backyard, and just in the last three days, the leaves have woken up, and look like bunny ears--perking up all over the top of the arbor.   I've never had a grapevine before, and I know I should've pruned it, but--my bad!--I didn't....so there looks to be some dead vines out there, too.    Also there is a decrepit bird nest near the corner post closet to the house--it was occupied last June when we moved in, but boy-oh-boy, it really looks in need of a home-improvement-loan right now!  

Now . . . about those dogwood trees I'm seeing along our street--I simply MUST plant one of each:  the white kind and the pink kind.   Beside the fact that I love the people at our church and homeschool group and my quilting guild...the dogwoods and redbud trees alone would be enough reason to LOVE West Virginia.  

So, when we finally get to move to our new (to us) house, I plan to get three dogwoods and a redbud or two.   And I plan to learn to paint well enough that I can make some interesting work to turn into greeting cards and wall-art.  

I didn't take this picture, but saw a similar vision yesterday.    I think if Anne Shirley (from Anne of Green Gables fame) saw this area of the US she would be as thrillingly captivated as she ever was about the Great White Way on Prince Edward Island!   I cansee her running up to me, flushed with excitement, "Oh, Mrs. Aitch, couldn't you just imagine entering Heaven through a lane like this?  It fairly takes my breath away!"   

Spring Day

68* - slightly over-cast but most sunny - soft breeze on the cheek - birds chirping like crazy - beautiful spring day!   Couldn't ask for better weather!   Small red tulips blooming in full force alongside the back sidewalk toward the alley.