SURRENDER TO SPRING...

It has been a waiting game here

 in the foothills

 of the Sierras...

...we have gotten a

 very little bit

 of this...

...and none

 of this...

...and a whole lot 

of this...

...and these have come

 and almost gone...

...and these will be 

around again,

 shortly.

So, 

the time has come

 to change my way of thinking,

 to forget about "Sprinter" 

and to surrender to Spring! 

 Because no matter if I mourn winter,

 or the lack thereof,

 I have to admit 

our 75 degree weather yesterday

 was a joy to behold.

"Rejoice in the things that are present;

All else is beyond thee."

Michel de Montaigne

We spent a delightful weekend 

with our little friends, 

Roxie and Izzy, 

and saw Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer,

 in person and on stage.

He is such a charming man

 and can really teach

 an old dog new tricks 

right along with their humans.

We have been long time fans of his

 and his teaching methods were very helpful

 in our training of Buddy.

 He had his beautiful pit bull terrier, Junior,

 with him and brought a few dogs from local animal groups on stage

 to showcase how his techniques work on all dogs. 

 It was a very informative, interesting and amazing show,

 but we were not allowed to take any pictures.

Cow bucket and Chick with wagon - Shops in Modesto

Butterfly plates - Tuesday Morning

I did just enough shopping

 to make it all worthwhile...

You know the feeling!

Some things that are happening

 around the Cottage:

The three different camellia bushes

 are almost through blooming...

...and the hydrangeas

 are coming to life once more.

I think the squirrels

 must have entered the fairy kingdom

 and raised a ruckus...

...but no fairies appeared to be injured..

she just got back up,

 dusted herself off,

 and after blowing a kiss to show she holds no ill will,

 went on to make magic elsewhere.

I haven't quite come to terms

 with spring yet

 inside the Cottage...

...but with St. Patrick's Day

 fast approaching...

...I have changed the parlor mantle

 to reflect that...

...it's a simple display,

 featuring green...

 ...which can be changed quite easily

 to welcome spring

 when the surrender is final.

In the meantime

 work is progressing, 

slowly but surely,

 on upcoming transitions.

  Stay tuned.

...Judy...

FYI update:

I would like to thank Debbie 

 at DebbieDabble  

for featuring my hair

 in her 57 Shades of Gray post.

 It still looks the same

 and I am still contemplating

 whether it will stay

 looking the same.

 Thanks so much, Deb.

While you are there

  check out her in- depth review of

 Mr. Selfridge on Masterpiece Classic. 

If you haven't watched this series

 you really should start. 

It is a great show.

 If you loved Downton Abbey you will love Mr. Selfridge as well.

I would also like to take this time to thank Stephanie

 at The Enchanting Rose 

for having me as one of her featured posts

 at last week's party.

Thanks so much, Stephanie.

I did take advantage

 of a free two week session on Ancestry.com

 and was able to find out the following

 on my great-grandmother, Susie.

 You can read the original post (here) 

if you would like.

Her given name was Suzanna

 and her maiden name was Roach.

She was born in 1863 

and died in 1953, at the age of 90. 

 If I am correct

 in surmising the picture was taken in the early part of 1920,

 she would have been around

 57 years old then.

Sharing today with:

Roses of Inspiration at The Enchanting Rose

What's It Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Up Party

Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage