A selection of photos

Today I will post photos from last weekend that do not have a common theme. I will describe a little bit about each photo.

CN135-0890-01

During a cold winter morning, the rays of morning sunlight shine through trees in Billerica, MA.

CN135-0890-09

On a branch a few colorful leaves from the fall are left behind and coated with frost on the edges, reminding me of the last season before our currently very frigid temperatures.

CN135-0890-23

During a walk in our neighborhood we came across this house with a tuxedo cat. Our pets have a life of their own when we are not around.

CN135-0890-29

Trees on the Neponset River.

CN135-0892-38

Leopard in the Stone Zoo (Stoneham, MA). When we got there first, the leopard was taking a cat nap on the rock, and then got up.

CN135-0893-05

Flamingos in Stone Zoo. Here a young flamingo is fed by a parent.

CN135-0893-25

During the 1950s a Nike missile battery was stationed in Blue Hills. The missile launch area was typically at least half a mile away from the radar control area. This is what is left of the missile launch area. The steel covers in the ground mark the location where the missiles were held in their launch position.

CN135-0893-17

A path in Blue Hills near the missile launch area with an underground natural gas pipeline, hence the fairly straight, cleared path. Somebody in the area’s administration has a good sense of humor, calling these paths “Pipe Line” on official maps.

CN135-0893-38

The last photo for today is from Ponkapoag Pond. On the other side is the boardwalk that I have posted photos from before. A little bit of ice was on the edge of the lake. The hill in the background is Great Blue Hill.

Thank you for joining my little trip through our area.

Things to be thankful for…

Winter

A day or two ago, I was thinking of things that I was grateful for. What’s funny about that idea is that it arose from experiencing something I was unhappy about and I was beingĀ  ungrateful!

There I was in the middle of what has been a mild winter, and I was shoveling snow and feeling a few aches. I got over myself pretty quickly when I realized that I was alive and mobile and those are two things I am particularly grateful for.

57935

Now, I admit that I am not always a ray of sunshine- though I try to remain hopeful about what this life has to offer. I also think that there are lots of blogs that you can spend time reading that will make you angry, upset, or downright miserable. I am not going to do that to you. When I want to make someone miserable I am woman enough to do so in person and live with the consequences.

So today I am leaving you this message of hope: yes it is winter, yes it is cold, no your problems are not solved and neither are mine but I am thankful for many things- including you….

Kim