After the Deluge, An Explosion into Spring

Wow. No sooner did the flood water abate (six inches of rain in less than 24 hours) than the trees in my garden leapt into bloom.

If my beloved Grandma Ruthven were still here, she would quote the springtime poem that I loved as a little girl:

Spring is sprung
The grass is riz
I wonder where
The flowers is?




posted from my mobile phone

Nor'easter Slams the Hudson Highlands

Nearly 6 inches of rain have fallen in the last 24 hours, with more still to come. As the heavy rains tapered off this afternoon, traffic nearly stopped on Route 32 in Cornwall as people gathered at the edge of the bridge over Moodna Creek to marvel at the power and intensity of the water.

Click on the link below for a slideshow of photos of the flood waters here in Cornwall-on-Hudson.
C-o-H Flood Photos

Do-It-Yourself IMUS

I'm smiling to myself this morning, listening to Dierdre Imus and Charles McCord host the last day of the Imus show, which happens to be the last day of their annual WFAN Radioathon to benefit the CJ Foundation for SIDS and the Imus Ranch for Kids with Cancer. They are going to raise more money this year than they ever have in the previous 17 years. If you have to get fired, this timing couldn't be better!

The tone today is very serious - I am sure Don Imus is wishing that he had told Dierdre to lay back and let Charles take the lead. He can't say it to her while she's on the air, and Charles is courteously laying low - almost a non-presence on the show. Her sincerity and passion for the work with children are carrying her through what otherwise would be a dull, stumbling, amateur presentation.

So, if you want the show to feel like Imus in the Morning, you need to fill in the blanks yourself. I just heard Station Manager Joel Hollander come on and do a passionate defense of the work they do together, promising to carry it on (it was the death of Hollander's infant daughter, CJ, that inspired Imus's passion for finding the cause(s) of SIDS). Hollander was outspoken and supportive - brave coming from an executive who is still working for CBS Radio. If Imus had been there, he would have said "Joel, I'm starting to feel bad about all the times I have trashed you on the show.......but then again, you are a butt-kissing wienie." I was wishing Charles would have said it, but I'm sure many long-time listeners like myself were saying it anyway!

It's 10am, Charles is signing off WFAN for the last time. I will miss Imus in the morning, and look forward to his return in another forum, hopefully one that I can access in my car!

Tiny capsules (containing reproductive spores) are sprouting from the moss in the forest this time of year. They looked so soft and delicate, I just had to brush my face against them. In fact, they are even softer than I had imagined. Diminutive velvet fronds caressing my cheek…..

Spring Comes to the Hudson Highlands

Though it is wet and foggy this morning, Spring is definitely in the air!

I've been out photographing all morning (just finished wiping the mud off my camera gear). Here, especially for my NYC friends, are some images of Spring. I expect we'll be hearing the Peepers (thousands of tree frogs who live in the woods & marshes) any night now.

Snowdrops are always the first to push through the leaves. They have been open for a couple of weeks now.


Some of the brightest greens of early Spring are in the mosses.




How is that for a fungus?! Looks like the tail of a whale breaking the surface.....





The Lenten Roses are open right on schedule. It is always such a thrill to see them nodding in the leaves.


Last but not least, the Pussy Willows. Happy Spring, everybody!