Life’s Sweet Ordinary — through my lens

Rhubarb the size of a quarter, just as it begins to emerge in spring.

 Whew! That flu or whatever it was that hit me had me down for nearly a week. Nasty. I’ve never had that kind of flu before!

As many of you know living up here north of 55, spring comes much later than it does for most of you. This past weekend, a few things finally began to emerge. Spring is finally springing to life! My favourite spring emergence: the tightly curled leaves of the rhubarb. They begin about the size of a quarter, so tightly curled and wavy like miniature wax canyons and in no time flat they’ll be the giants in my garden. The lilac buds are filling up and I can see somebody coming to life in there. Grass is beginning to peek through last year’s thatch. My 9 pairs of tree swallows have returned and are already beginning to gather up grasses and old feathers to build their nests. Catkins on a few of the poplars are beginning to emerge and so are the pussywillows. Each of these photos were taken today north of 55.

"found" Copyright © Diane M. Schuller. All Rights Reserved.

I still have a lot of work to do to prepare for the re-launch of my photography website. You’ll be the first to get the news. My hope is that I’ll have it ready for Friday but two elements have had an impact on that goal: my illness plus all the problems I have encountered with the building process. Just like the hardy plants that forge through the earth at this time of year, I too am forging ahead soon to unfurl. Love that word: unfurl.

Don’t you love the smell of clothes dried on the line? Oh man, that has to be one of life’s sweet ordinary delights for sure!

The weekend was great, mostly because spring truly is showing its face around here. The snow is melting (though it snowed all day Sunday) faster than you can say “zippity-doo-dah” flawlessly fifteen times; the Canada Geese have returned and some of the Trumpeter Swans flew overhead as well; Easter Sunday was a day filled with great conversation with family; the chickadees are seeking out safe nesting spots; saw a Snowy Owl perched on one of our spruce trees this weekend; the air is filled with the smell of snow melt; hubby drove all the way to the city & back Easter Monday so we could have a sushi treat (took lots of photos of it too); and I no longer have to wear 3 or 4 layers of clothes when I go outside!

As you can see, I couldn’t help but put out two posts today.

I hope you enjoy this sunshine-y store-bought chrysanthemum. What makes your star shine today?

An optimist is the human personification of spring.  ~Susan J. Bissonette

Canada Geese, Trumpeter Swans, and a wide range of ducks on frozen ice here in Alberta. Copyright © Diane Schuller. All Rights Reserved.

... notice the Northern Pintails in flight. Copyright © Diane Schuller. All Rights Reserved.

Dog photography by Diane Schuller

 As I anticipate the arrival of spring up here, I’m looking forward to the opportunity of photographing more dogs. Last year the most fun I had photographing dogs, besides with my own, was one afternoon when I met a client in Grande Prairie (the nearest small city an hour from where I live). I spent just over an hour photographing her dog, Henry. He was an absolute delight to work with and my client was pleased with the proofs (I wouldn’t want it any other way!), selecting and taking three of her favourites.

What are you looking forward to?

PS: I have updated my “Pets” online gallery by deleting the ones that were up before and replacing them with a fresh batch. Please take a look if you like. To view them (by Carousel, Slideshow, etc) and to change the background colour simply use the toolbar at the bottom of the gallery page. Enjoy!

I told you in the last post this would be much more delightful! How’s a cupcake in natural light grab you? I found this amazing place on my recent trip to Edmonton, Alberta: “Flirt Cupcakes”. It’s a darling little spot on Whyte Avenue (a great place for people watching, nifty boutiques & stores, coffee houses, and a variety of places to find yummy food). I’ve sampled some of their little darlings and you must go there if you’re ever in Edmonton. The beauty of their product is that it’s home made on the premises daily, and the icings are so yummy and not all sugary-sweet. Instead the icings are made with fresh and unique things like strawberry or peanut butter (like my favourite in the picture above) … and other delicious offerings. Rick and Michelle are so welcoming and great hosts when you visit.

I took scads of photos but here is a gallery showing a few (for best viewing use the “Carousel” or “Slideshow” buttons located at the bottom of the thumbnail page). In my next post I’ll include photos of a couple more of my favourite cupcakes from Flirt. Oh maybe I should explain: Rick let me have a taster of one while I was there plus I purchased a box of minis to take to my son and his family. That’s where I got to have a bite of a couple more (Granddaughters are great for offering taste tests to Grandmas).

Flirt Cupcakes: 10158 – 82 (Whyte) Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta

Do you have a favourite sweet shop in your neighbourhood?

I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.  ~Vincent Van Gogh

I love night time photos, particularly those taken in the city. This is from my recent trip to Edmonton (I took several at night). Do you have any night light photographs hanging in your home? Do they have special meaning to you?