Open Toe Season Is Here!

Another sure sign of spring in the northern climes is the start of Open Toe Season! It's April and women are beginning to expose their toes on the way to work.

Now in places like LA where it's always warm, Open Toe Season lasts all year long. But up here where we have a thing called winter with snow and slush and ice and really cold temperatures, the sensible woman invests in a fashionable pair of boots. Along with a long, warm coat, gloves and a hat, a reasonable woman can avoid freezing for the sake of fashion.

On the other hand, if you have someplace really nice to go, or you have a big date, and you have that perfect pair of open toe heels, many a northern girl has been spotted braving winter snows and freezing temperatures forgoing sensible boots to look great.

When is Open Toe Season in Boston?
I've noticed that Open Toe Season is now running from about April (first warm days) to October (first frosty morning). This is not counting college students who can be seen with flipflops and shorts even in the middle of winter. I'm counting only women obviously going to work. For me, I prefer truely warm weather from June through August.

So why do women enjoy Open Toe Season? One younger woman coworker says she enjoys "sockless summers" or one less item of clothing to wash. Others may enjoy showing off their pedicures.

And there's the simplist reason: it's just easier to get to get dressed and out in the morning. No stockings to slip into. Getting dressed can simply be finding a nice top and skirt or a dress. Then slip into sandles, flipflops or other open toe shoes and you're good to go.

Are Flip Flops Appropriate in the Office?
Where there are "business casual" guidelines, they often say flip flops are not appropriate. But with a nice skirt or dress, I think a simple pair of flip flops works -- they don't distract from the overall look. Besides, who's looking at your feet instead of making eye contact?

So, what do you think about flip flops in the office? And how long is Open Toe Season where you live?

More Signs of Spring!

It was almost feeling like spring this morning, especially when I saw most of the jonquils (or daffodils as some call them) were out.

My favorite is the “non-conformist” in the photo below – some out-of-the-flower-box thinking, perhaps?

Dusk on the River

I was riding home from work along Boston's Charles River around sunset this evening. I couldn't resist taking a few photos.

It's Spring -- Time to Get Out and Ride

Today spring arrived and it was time to start riding my bike to work again. The snow banks are finally gone and the bike lanes are available again.

But, yikes, am I out of shape!! Too much sitting around all winter. As I plodded along, other cyclists were passing me by. Then there's a modestly steep incline to get over the Longfellow Bridge in Boston. By the time I got there, I was out of steam and seemed to just be crawling up.

But despite the wind and chill, it was still good to get out and ride. And with daylight savings time, I could enjoy the longer scenic ride home along the Charles River (see photo at right).

Spring – I Can Feel It Coming!

When I went out this morning, I could feel it. Spring is coming! The sun was stronger, even if the air was cool. Even in the city, you can smell spring in the earth. Yep, it's only a week until the 1st day of spring!

And the crocuses are starting to shyly bloom. They stay close to the ground – never know when we’ll have another snow.

The yellow flower is in front our our home; the purples ones are next door.

The daffodils are coming up, too. It’s very sunny in the front, so spring comes a few week earlier to this front planter.

The daffidols in the planter are a couple of weeks from blooming (maybe less) .

Red buds on the maple tree in front of our place.


Besides the weather, the other sign of spring is the flipping of earth's axis. When it's winter in the northern hemisphere, the South Pole points to the sun. After the spring equinox, the North Pole points to the sun.

Some believe this flip of the poles, also shifts the gravitational field of the earth. As proof, it is said you can stand an egg on end on the spring equinox.

A quick search of the internet reveals this is true. See the various photos of eggs standing on end, not only accomplished by scientist in the lab, but also at home!

Leave a comment if you can get an egg to stand on end!

Tattoo of Mythological Bird

Sometimes the art of tattooing can produce something of exceptional beauty. This young woman’s tattoo is on display at Boston’s Museum of Science. I found it most striking and beautiful.

First Flower of Spring!

Wow! Can you believe it? A flower blooms in February in Cambridge!

It was Feb. 14th, Valentine's Day, and there it was along a side street: a crocus grows in Cambridge.

What a harbinger of spring!

It’s still cold, but the end of winter is coming (some day)!

.....

My Least Favorite Thing!

This is an easy one: it’s those telemarketing calls!!

Why do they think they can sell you something by harassing you?

You get home after a late day and sit down to relax with your favorite beverage and maybe a little snack: Ring Ring! Won’t you contribute to our fund?

Later, you sit down to a tasty diner: Ring, Ring! So what if your potatoes get cold, don’t you want a new credit card?

It's the climax of your favorite TV show: Ring, Ring! You miss the most important line of dialog.

I HATE it!

Fortunately, we have caller ID!

• “Unknown caller” – no response from us!
  
• Calls from strange area codes: let it ring, let it ring, let it ring.
  
• Strange caller ID: hey, we don’t talk to strangers.

While we still have the ring, ring, ring, but at least we know when not to answer the phone.

This post is Inspired by Bingkee’s post titled How to Get to Talk to a Human.