Good morning friends. I missed making you a cuppa coffee last week, which you already know – duh! Now, I’ve missed St. Patrick’s Day, too! Meet my Irish friend Fy. He’s one of the Fee, Fy, Fo Fum brothers, but I’m sure you didn’t recognize him. Johnbo would be proud of me. I took out the background in Canva, recolored Fy green, then put the original picture back moving it to the back of green Fy.
face obscured by snow
arms outstretched, useless and cold
Fy R. Hydrant chills
© Marsha Ingrao 2025
We left Prescott the day before St. Patrick’s Day. Those of you who have known me for a long time may remember Manny. Manny has been sitting on the top of the headboard until the day before we left. All the other animals had been packed and stored in the garage until we move everything to Visalia. He thought he was going to be left behind and wrote me a note.
Manny says he has been neglected since we got a new dog. He has a point, but it’s been partly for his own good. Goldie chews on everything from wires to underwear. Anything on or near the floor especially if it’s in a box or laundry basket is fair game as far as Goldie is concerned. Manny would be eyeless and without limbs and ears before he could send out an SOS.
We had a couple of days of snow in Prescott to reassure us that a move back to Cali would be the right thing to do.
Leanne and several other of my favorite bloggers host a Monochrome Madness challenge. Leanne Cole lists the different topics on her site.
I’m late, but for March 5th, Brian focused on chairs. He has some phenomenal pictures of chairs that look like they are sitting on water. I invite you to come into my patio and sit down on my gently padded outdoor furniture for a cuppa hot chocolate. 🙂 So far I haven’t had any takers.
In the midst of enjoying the snow, I found a couple of doors to photograph for Dan’s Thursday Doors for tomorrow.
Just when I thought there wasn’t any green for Terri’s Sunday Still’s Color Challenge, snow started falling off the trees in big clumps.
I wasn’t sure you’d see enough green in the second picture, so I added a filter.
Now even Goldie is slightly green.
This week’s Tanka Tuesday is brought to you by Selma Martin.
Filtered Viridescence
Goldie
with just a click
turned irreparably lime
undaunted by the green
she looks for spring
in snow
© Marsha Ingrao 2025
A Badger’s Hexastich consists of six lines written in 2-4-6-6-4-2 syllables per line. It is unrhymed with optional rising and falling end-words, which I think is an interesting twist. Don’t forget to add a title.
Speaking of viridescence, when I went to my archives, they were loaded with the flavor of March, starting with this handsome fellow, who is married to Terri Webster Schrandt, with the Irish name of Hans.
These two aliens have been on Always Write before, but they keep getting greener each year. The creepy crawler turned green with envy when he saw they got first billing.
Finally, we are leaving Prescott high and dry, traveling into the rainy time of year in California. These are the kinds of scenes you see in March in the Sierra foothills, if you can see through the pouring rain like we had late Monday afternoon.
That was exactly what those areas looked like today, but these are old pictures, one dates back to 2008.
If you go down under during this time of year, you can find so much green, it will make you think you went to Ireland with Hans. They have the most beautiful parrots. This little parrot came at feeding time in the Bunya Mountains National Park.
All of these photos except the last one were inspired by John’s Cell Pic Sunday and altered for fun and flavor in Lightroom Classic. Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share enjoys a tour of a classic house called the Spadina Museum.
Thanks for Visiting and Leaving a comment
- Monica
- Raj
- Selma an almost a sonnet
- FabFourBlog beautiful photos of deep winter snow
- Robbie’s Inspiration – a fish market in Tokyo
- Leanne Cole – macro florals
- Mom with a Blog a collaborative project
- Retirementally Challenged – a different view of Winslow, AZ than standing at a corner
- Keep It Alive a poem on being alone and not lonely
- Bushboy’s World – flowing water gone abstract
- Photos by Johnbo – fabulous portraits for Lens Artist Challenge #340
- Ephemeral Encounters – reviews of her book, Pieces of Me. I’ve just ordered it.
- Second Wind Leisure meeting bloggers – a great way to get ideas
Coming Soon
Melissa Lemay returned my copy of Embracing the Power to Live, my newest book – a poetry anthology. Colleen Chesebro will now work her magic and it will be on the market soon.
Marsha Ingrao Always Write 
83 responses to “Late St. Pat’s Day Over a cuppa”
Beautiful pics.. and Fy looks like a right old party animal, lol. I’m excited about the poetry collection coming out. I’m sure Melissa did a fantastic job editing.
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M was fabulous to work with. She caught crazy things I never would have noticed. Then I caught more after she went through them. I don’t think you are ever done editing. Eventually, you have to have to say enough!
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Yes.. editing is the tough part of writing. I absolutely detest having to do it. But M does make me look good when she gets doing her thing. 😆
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I was impressed with her work.
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OH! And I love this new upcoming book of yours…Can’t wait til it’s ready to buy
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Around May. I’ll have pre-orders. I’m so excited!
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Fun Marsha! WOW..nice job with the editing of Fy..lol. I like how you combine several “parties” in one post. I need to do that more. There are so many that sound fun, but at this time of my life I can’t do a bunch of separate posts. I need to think this through a bit. Which ones would be fun to combine, etc. LOVE your green photos.
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I can’t do a bunch either! And you are far busier with family and jobs! I have my regular challenges, and, of course, Natalie’s link up.
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What a fun post, Marsha. Beginning with the green water hydrant and ending with those two green aliens. I had no idea parrots were so green. We have parakeets here, which are a lighter shade. Happy moving to California! X
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Thank you, Smitha. I really got into the green spirit!
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Oh my goodness, this is marvelous, Marsha. Prescott got more snow than we did in mid-Michigan! Wow. We have snowflakes and lots of wind. YIKES. I enjoyed your photos and hope you have safe travels. You shared your book cover! Soon we will have this book ready for publication. 🥳💜 Happy Spring!
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Lots to do before hand to get ready for launch day!
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So much snow. You know how I love a good snow photo!
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Are still you enjoying the cold in Japan? 🙂 xxxx
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It was quite warm yesterday, a little cooler today and the same tomorrow. No more snow though probably. 🙂
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Yay!
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I’m happy to see your book is coming along very well, Marsha! I haven’t seen a green fire hydrant, only red and yellow. Lovely doors and poem for other prompts. Are you in California now? I like CA for more days of clear sky.
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Hi Miriam, I rewrote the back book blurb after reading several posts on the importance of it. I’m a little confused about the difference between the back book blurb and the book description.
We are in California, and it’s been sunny for the week we’ve been here. It rained a lot for the two weeks before that. The green fire hydrant is all me. The hydrant is really yellow. 🙂
Thanks again for your help with the book.
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Yes, the blurb in the back of the book can have more details about the book and yourself. The blurb you post on Amazon is shorter. You can Google it. 😊
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Ok, I will The articles I’ve read so far don’t explain it very well. Yours is the best explanation so far. 😍😍
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The back descriptions are flexible. Some known authors use the back of the book for praises they get from publishers and other authors. ☺️
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I’m not known enough for that!
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Hi Marsha, Lovely pictures! I hope your move went well and you’re enjoying being in CA again. Thank you for the mention and for your weekend coffee share. Happy spring!
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Thanks, Natalie. Our home can’t compare to your lovely museum, but we are enjoying getting it ready to move into. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week. 🙂 xxx
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Great photos as you leave the snow… warmer days are here again, my friend!
Great little parrot and welcome home!!💓💓💓💚
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“Happy days are here again. The skies above are blue again…”
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You shared some lovely photographs, Marsha. I like the green in contrast with the snow.
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Thanks, Shari. 🙂 The trees are so beautiful to photograph in the snow. Without them photos look almost monochrome without a single touch up. 🙂
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I love your blog Marsha so much to see and read and it’s so much fun. Thanks for making my day with your photos, poetry , sense of humour and coffee 💜💜💜
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Awww, this is my uplift for the day. What a sweet things to say, Willow. 🙂 xxxxx
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Well I mean it Marsha you blog always lifts me . 💜💜💜😃
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Thanks, Willow, yours does lift me, too.
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💜💜💜
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These are some lovely photos!
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Glad you enjoyed them. Were you motivated to have a seat and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate??? It might feel good after a trip to Hawaii! We love HI, too. It’s been a while since I’ve been, so I enjoyed your photos as reminders of great times in the past. 🙂 xxx
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Aw, thank you! I should have had a cup of hot cocoa; it’s quite chilly here this afternoon but I’m still sipping away at my iced water anyway.
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hahaha Have you lost any weight sipping iced water? I read that it’s good for that.
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A great collection of photos, Marsha. Thanks for including Thursday Doors in the mix. I hope you’ve seen snow later in the year than I will.
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We are gone from there now and everything is blooming here in CA. It’s gorgeous. I noticed that in Phoenix, the temps are supposed to reach 97 next week! Yikes!
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97? Oh no, way too high and way too early.
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Amen to that! We’re in CA now and it’s been in the mid to high 60s. Prescott, of course is much cooler than Phoenix, but it will be up to the 70s probably, which is super nice.
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You are a wealth of amazing unspoken things. You have put a book of poems together?!!! Tell me more.
>
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It will come out in May. I’ll put it out for pre-order in mid-April. You will enjoy it, my friend.
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Dear Marsha
Your picture of the hydrant is GREAT 👍 👍
Thanks for showing
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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You’re welcome. Thanks for visiting! 🙂
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I enjoying your Great photos Marsha, love seeing all the snow,& Greenery photography with 🤣 pics.
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Thanks, Raj. It’s hard to think green when everything is white! 🙂 We are in California now, which is green everywhere! It feels delicious! 🙂 xxx
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welcome Marsha ☺️! Yes,You are right everything is white. You are live in California now. Beautiful city it’s! Tack Care,Marsha.
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Thanks, Raj.
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Great photos Marsha, love seeing all the snow, but not sure I would like to sit on those chairs.
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LOL. You don’t see any sit prints, do you? LOL
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Good for you for returning to CA! I have a few friends who have moved out over the years and can’t get back due to the crazy housing prices. Seeing your pictures of the snow makes me so happy to live in SoCal. Snow can be beautiful… but so cold!
I love all your pictures of green and good job on the fire hydrant!
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Thanks, Janis. Central California – Visalia – is one of those little pockets in California which didn’t skyrocket in price. Granted it’s more than it was when we left it four years ago, but it is comparable to Prescott, which is a very desirable place for retirement.
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Thank you for the offer to sit for a while Marsha but this bushboy doesn’t enjoy a wet ass and suspects it would be so cold as well. Hope I would stick to the chair but I would love a hot chocolate thanks.
The stresses of moving 🙄 I hope it all goes well and you have found a fabulous place to live.
It’s never too late to join in challenges I reckon, thank you for you kind words.
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Yay!!
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Loads of snow! Pretty sitting on your patio but I know I’d have ended up in a puddle. How can you fail to be happy with such a positive approach to life? Hugs, darlin!
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I am happy except when I’m a grouch! I don’t write about those times!!! I want everyone to think I’m perfect, right? Or at least Always Write!
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Nice work on that conversion, Marsha! Now, if you can turn the water green, like they do in Chicago, you’ll have it made! >grin<
We saw some of that white stuff yesterday. We visited Summerhaven, the town on Mount Lemmon. There was a snowfall above 8000 feet last week, and a lot of it was still hanging around, especially on the north side of the landscape.
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I knew you’d be proud of me!! AZ is getting hammered this year. Prescott has about 7 inches total, and Flagstaff has 35 inches. Fountain Hills turned their water gree! No pics of it though!
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What a sweet parrot. Birds are delightful. I love the cover of the book! Can’t wait to purchase my copy!❤️🙏🏻
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Isn’t he a beauty? The coloring is so vivid. I’d move to AU just for the birds. I’m so thrilled. I’ve been chatting with Colleen today. I’m next up on her project list.
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Yes!🙌🏻 So excited.
I’d love to move out of the country honestly. Italy sounds nice.
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Vince, who is Italian – 2nd generation, likes the sound of Portugal.
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Good luck with the move Marsha
Thanks so much for sharing your lovely photogrsphs.
Best wishes for your book too.
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Thanks!! Lots to be excited about today!
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Absolutely 🤗
My pleasure Marsha
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😍😍😍
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Hi Marsha, very exciting about your book. Nice pictures incorporating green. I have teddy bears too, but I have several in my collection because I am effectively a little girl when it comes to dolls and bears.
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Me, too! I’m excited about yours too.
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🌻💛🙏
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I think there should be more green fire hydrants in the world, Marsha! Nicely done on the editing! What a surprise to see my handsome hubby wearing his signature smile and green 💚 I think Manny needs to spend some time with us here in 9 Mile.
The other image I love is the snowy image with the extra green. Greeny, I mean Goldie, looks like she’s enjoying the snow. Central California is always green in March. Hopefully you’re not allergic to the riot of pollen to follow! Great to see your post and also fun to chat yesterday.
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Yes to both of those nice things! Manny will make it at least as far as Portland in May. Thanks for all the compliments! I knew you’d like that handsome man I caught in green. 🙂 Have a great week! xxx
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You’re moving to Cali for Manny. What a luck creature. Wow. Delightful. You got snow—lots! Wow.
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hahaha Manny likes to think he’s the reason for all our decisions, but Goldie really rules the roost! She’d never been to CA, and when she found out that the grass is always greener on the other side of the Rockies, she said, “I need to move to CA.” LOL
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🤣 your life will never be boring surrounded by such for forward thinkers. Nice family. 👏🏽
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Thanks, Selma. Loved your challenge for Tanka Tuesday. 🙂
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oh, a double LIKE for you. So happy you joined the challenge. Gorgeous write. Bless you. Enjoy California.
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Thanks, Selma. I don’t think I’ve written that combination of syllables before. It’s like a mini nonet or etheree.
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Lovely pictures Marsha. Hope the move goes smoothly and the stay in California is good one.
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Thanks, Sadje. We are both pleased with the decision. There’s no place like home. 🙂 xxx
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Absolutely right dear friend
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Always Write!
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👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
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