This and That from June...

In Spring and summer, there are certain things that create emotion.

I don't know what makes us so melancholy in the Spring and summer.

It just happens.

For instance, THIS fellow makes me both smile and get angry at the same time.

(He eats up all my bird seed, ALL DAY LONG!!):

And this little fluffy chipping sparrow twittering on the branches

just makes me happy:

The eloquence of a Columbine, makes me wonder about the miracles of Nature:

This was one of the farm dogs at the Alpaca farm I recently visited.

His sad, loyal eyes makes me want a dog again. Longing.

Really bad.

But I can't....I just can't:

A goldfinch in flight

just takes my breath away:

And seeing bright yellow in the trees after a barren, cold winter lifts my spirits up

more than I can describe:

And?

If he is FLUFFY??....

Well, it makes me darn right GIDDY:

The bright greens of hosta leaves and the delicate blue forget-me-nots

make me smile in wonder:

Finding a garden moose for my garden at a rummage sale for $4.00??

Practically DRUNK with joy!:

And spying a hummingbird aiming for spring blossoms?

Thankful to the angels in heaven:

May your day be full of this season's emotions....

and gratefulness to Mother Nature

for the joy the seasons brings us.

More this and that from the woods!

Today,

I am showing some of the photos

we got

from a quick, refreshing trip out in the woods.

Sometimes, when things get reallllly hectic

in life,

I ask my husband to take me out for part of a day into the woods.

We ride around and talk and take a picnic lunch

and

look at nature.

It never fails to connect us better and to make us both refreshed.

I believe these are called Fleabane....they are all over on the sides of the roads:

White musk mallow. They remind me of apple blossoms:

I love looking at daisies at different angles:

And up close:

And THIS critter!

We have a love/hate relationship.

He is noisy.

He's a PEST.

He eats all my birdfeed at home....

He starts making noises under my bedroom window about 5:30am

and I want to strangle him!

But they are so cute...

I don't know what kind of flower this is, but I have some in my garden, given to me:

While driving by a pond in the woods, we saw a large ring of water.

We knew SOMETHING was swimming in it, but couldn't see what....

we kept

very

quiet....

and finally, we saw it!

I had to use my zoom lens because it was so far away....

but I got a picture of it...

a little blurry, but my first opportunity to shoot one...

a BEAVER!:

As soon as he saw us, he did the expected...he gave a large SLAP of his tail and went underwater...

From my garden, when we got back home....a budding Iris--

now it has already bloomed and died....

That's what happens...........

if

you

don't pay attention,

every single day....

to the

miracles

around you.........

they happen anyway

and

you've missed the

opportunity

to be

blown away

by them....

I hope you have time today

to see at least

one miracle of nature.

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Sunrises or Sunsets

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This and That: Loving Nature

Throughout the last few weeks, I have collected some various photos of things I have photographed in nature that really don't form a theme. They are just things I find interesting or beautiful.

So it is time once again to post "This and That" photographs for you.

We still have a bunch of bluejays that visit us every day:

This little guy is in our birdfeeders more than the birds!

He frequently sits on my garden watering can, so I finally captured him on film:

I have been happy to get several sunset pictures over our lake this summer:

I love tree mushrooms!

Here is another one:

What's better than a sunset picture over the lake?

A sunset picture with clouds over the lake!:

This year, we planted pumpkins in our garden. I don't think we will get any to grow big enough for us to use, but the blossoms are pretty:

A cloudy day over our lake:

September moon:

Color is beginning to show itself on our shores:

Soon, I will be going out in the woods to capture as many autumn color shots as I can get before the leaves fall off.

So, if I don't comment as often as normal on your blogs, you will know that I am spending my days outdoors getting as many pictures as I can before all the leaves are gone.

Stay tuned!