Today I have been thinking about our visual culture. The images that have come into my mind are the ladybug, Ruby Gillman- The Teenage Kraken, and the Chinese Zodiac Dragon. Out my window are the real life images of the birds that make our garden their home. I have been seeing more dark-eyed juncos. These come and stay in our garden for the winter months. Some call them the snow birds. The females and males are colored differently. The picture here is a female dark eyed junco, and the males are a darker gray almost black. I began seeing them around about a month or so ago. Today there are several of them out around our bird feeders. It is raining and they do not seem to care if it rains or not. I think they prefer snow. I am still hoping we will see some of the white stuff this winter. Traditionally February is our snowiest month here in northern Virginia.
Here is a ladybug image from my garden long ago. Ladybugs or Ladybirds have been associated with the Virgin Mary by some people.
My name is Katherine J. Krein. I lost my father in June of 2013, and then I lost my mother in November of the same year. After they both died I went through a mind-warping number obsession that has taken me years to control. This is my story. It is now 2025. I still use this site to post some poems and thoughts. My obsession has faded, however, I still notice the numbers. Faith, hope, and love is what guides me now.
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movingforwardslowly 