Iconage Post Two

I'm feeling unusually sleepy tonight. This is the time I used to go to sleep, before my schedule got trashed a year or so ago. I think it might be the pollen which is wearing me down, though. I wonder if it is pollen that is wearing LJ down, too? It's been slow, has failed to show some of my comments until several minutes after I've made them, and my e-mail notifications are just dribbling in, some of them hours late. The servers are allergic! We could all use a nap, and some medication.

Despite my condition, I'm going to go ahead and make another iconage post.

( Munkacsy's Parc Monceau )

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All this night, clouds have partly obscured the stars, and a damp scent has hung in the chilly air. Now, early light reveals thin fog and an overcast sky. I hope it hangs around long enough for me to enjoy it when I wake this afternoon. I'm in the mood for a moody day.

True Spring

Bright but blessedly cool, a perfect spring day has finally arrived. Pale blue sky is decorated with white clouds that form and dissolve and drift, the birds chirp and chatter, the pale new leaves of the oaks flutter and glow as a soft breeze stirs the sunny air. The dogwoods have begun to show color, the last of the flowering trees to do so, just as the last blossoms have vanished from the peach tree, replaced by fresh leaves. The walkway is littered with fallen camellias and the caterpillar-like droppings of the mulberry tree. The grass has grown tall and lush and its color has deepened, and the lily buds along its verge sway on their tall stalks, about to open. In short, the day would be nothing to sneeze at, were it not making me sneeze. But I forgive the villainous pollens and molds, the worms in the apples, the snakes in the grass, and, yes, even the biting mosquitoes. I don't even regret that the day did not remain gray, as I had hoped in the early hours. I watch the cats doze in the bed of sourgrass while unmolested birds peck at the lawn. There is nothing that could prevent me from being pleased at such a splendid day. Achoo!

Rare Second Evening Post

I intended to mention this earlier and forgot. For those in western North America there is still time. Tonight is the night when the crescent moon appears nearest to Venus. They are less than three degrees apart. Here, the clouds have returned, so my views are infrequent. Cloudy nights are normal for March here, and I'm so glad that things have returned to normal that I'm not too upset about being denied a clear view of this celestial event. Besides, in those rare moments when a gap in the drifting river of cloud reveals the conjunction, the tumbling, illuminated mass around it increases its appeal. But it's an enjoyable site with or without the vignetting. Take a look.