the signs are here now...
the time has changed on our clocks - "fall back..." we've gained that extra hour - nice though it is, it plunges us into darkness earlier in the afternoon...
the weather is changing, too... the heat of summer has finally given way to the cooler temperatures of autumn - and even chilly days of winter-like days... with some snowy storms already having hit making the reality of the cold depth of winter not far off.
the most telling sign of all - store displays - they no longer wait until after thanksgiving... for some reason, there is now a rush as soon as halloween is over - out comes the tinsel, the fake snow, the ornaments, the christmas trees, the christmas music... all set up on display in proud array on the floors. i'll never understand the hoopla to get it out there so quickly... but there it is - and of course, on its heels - the tv commercials have hit as well... encouraging one and all to buy now for their loved ones before it's too late. i don't know about you - but for me, it's too early - a bit much too soon - and i could do without it.
i prefer a simpler approach...
which is why i enjoy this other sign... the one of nature - in the form of a christmas cactus. that remarkably... has the ability to bloom right around the time of the holiday season... without being told it's that time - it amazes me. the buds begin coming out as these tiny little nubs - a bit of a thing that you're not sure is really a bud at all. until it grows and stretches out into wondrous blossom shapes... fun to watch and admire - glorious to see in action - a miracle to observe the final product...
see what i mean?
happy day.....
they flew off in a great number: honking wildly - wings flapping - webbed feet moving rapidly across the ground... to get away... from...
the dog! yes, a dog... that interrupted their peaceful interlude of sunbathing. they were minding their own business - not bothering anyone - nibbling at the grasses... when suddenly - a man decided it would be fun to unleash his dog - so it could go running madly into the midst of the geese... barking and raising a ruckus.
i didn't think it was funny. it was unnecessary to scare them in such a fashion - but i was too far away from him to say anything...
fortunately, the water provided an escape route for them... and they proved to move much more quickly than the dog - yay!
in the process... i got some great action shots of the flock of them - in various stages of their exodus. safety for them - pictures for me...
happy day.....
what a difference a few days can make... warm and sunny quickly transforms into cold and blustery - with the threat of snow no longer a threat but reality... turning the landscape into a premature winter wonderland. white, pristine; clean and pure...
taking the wonderful autumnal colors with it - leaving beautifully colored leaves on the ground... blowing in the wind. a touch of seasons to come and an errant gull flying through a darkened, mist-filled sky...
happy day.....
the colors of autumn are astounding... the myriad shades - the tones and variations... as though god, himself, has taken his fingertips and simply swirled through the color palette. no matter where you live, it's a treat to see how the trees and bushes change their hues to striking oranges, reds, yellows, coppers... all blended together into magnificence and glory.
and somehow... this year, late into the season flowers have continued to blossom - as though confused about any necessity to stop or cycle into dormancy. bring it on, i say. i'll enjoy it as long as it's there...
and then... once all the end-of-year pruning and hedge trimming had been done, guess what happened? i was outside bemoaning the fact of how bare everything looked... you know how that is, right? after the fullness of summer - with all the leaves, flowers - even weeds... you get so used to it all. then when the inevitable happens... you know it must, yet it makes the bushes and trees appear so naked. anyway, a little somethin' somethin' caught my eye. "surely not," i thought... moving closer. lo and behold - the bridal wreath, in sudden defiance, decided to sprout one tiny bud to blossom into a most perfect bouquet. mind you... this bouquet is no larger the size than the tip of my little finger.
it's cascading in a most beautiful way... and coupled with the other autumn colors, well - it makes for a
happy day.....
it's always a surprise when the first snowfall arrives... although it shouldn't be. in the mountains, it can happen anytime from september on... so i guess we were a bit overdue. once it began - it came fast and furious...
beginning as rain - then making that quick transition to little flakes and suddenly huge wet flakes coming down... in swirls - straight - sideways - backwards... not really backwards, i made that up. it was a sight to behold. and then the after effects were that the mountains and foothills get covered in white - pure and glorious... with clouds hanging in misty threads.
i've not done landscapes... really don't know much about them - but saw this and had to give it a try - because it spoke to the newness of the freshly fallen whiteness... and in processing - noticed i'd captured the plane, which i hadn't seen - a cool treasure...
an extra bonus is that we continue to experience the blossoming of flowers... in spite of the snow. how long that will carry on, who knows - for now, here are a couple that caught my eye for their sheer beauty...
happy day.....
i've been fortunate to get some shots lately of birds... yes, that's right - birds... it may sound easy - but for me, they prove to be a challenge. i approach, they fly away. i stalk quietly thinking they don't hear me... they dance around flapping their wings wildly.
i see pictures that others have taken that are clear, sharp - in perfect focus and i find myself on the verge of jealousy wondering why i'm not capable of producing just a few decent images myself... feeling like a failure... with birds of all things.
they are such awesome creatures - wings outspread in flight or perched elegantly on a utility wire or in a tree... they display grace and freedom - i want to be able to capture that... someday...
in the meantime - i've managed to get a handful that aren't too bad and want to post for the fun of it. because they show an attempt - a stalwart effort...
happy day.....
a flower goes through many stages... additionally, there are a variety of different angles afforded you from one mere blossom when it comes to photography...
i have been fascinated with this particular bloom this season. and as with anything you become aware of - when you see it one time... all of a sudden, it starts showing up everywhere... on every street corner - in everyone's garden - in wild patches on the side of the road - it's been amazing. so i shot some pictures to try and find out what it was called, and since then i've heard it referred to as a coneflower as well as echinacea - apparently, it's the same thing. bees are really attracted to it... the colors are fabulous - the shape is very different from the ordinary flower - it stands tall and proud like a beacon of stunning power. from what i can tell, it does well in both shade and direct sunlight.
of course... it could just be a simple little matter that it's pink - and well... pink is one of my most favorite colors ever... so therefore, it would make sense i'd like this gem...
my variations on a flower...
happy day.....
words are good... i love words... they speak of many things - are of import and assist us in communicating.
i received an email the other day that contained an excerpt from an enemy called average by john mason i'd like to share...
"What we say is important. Our vocabulary should be filled with words of hope and dreams. Be known as someone who speaks positively.
Recently I saw a sign under a mounted large mouth bass. It read, "If I had kept my mouth shut I wouldn't be here." How true! Don't jump into trouble mouth first.
Let me pose this question for you: Starting today what would happen if you changed what you said about your biggest problem, your biggest opportunity?
I don't know if you've had this conversation or not, but last month I turned to my wife Linda while we were sitting together in our family room and said, "Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state dependent on some machine. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."
She immediately got up, walked over and unplugged the TV.
"Our words create our worlds," says Dean Sikes. Your words have the power to start fires or quench passion.
Don't be like the man who joined a monastery in which the monks were allowed to speak only two words every seven years. After the first seven years had passed, the new initiate met with the abbot, who asked him, "Well, what are your two words?"
"Food's bad," replied the man, who then went back to his silence.
Seven years later the clergyman asked, "What are your two words now?"
"Bed's hard," the man responded.
Seven years later - twenty-one years after his initial entry into the monastery - the man met with the abbot for the third and final time. "And what are your two words this time?" the abbot asked.
"I quit."
"Well, I'm not surprised," the cleric answered disgustedly. "All you've done since you got here is complain!"
Don't be like that man; don't be known as a person whose only words are negative. If you're a member of the "negative grapevine," resign.
Contrary to what you may have heard, talk is not cheap. Talk is powerful!"
be careful with your words... they can lift up... or tear down... encourage - destroy... be sensitive regarding what you say to others - to each other - even to yourself...
our words can lead to a
happy day.....
sweet peas... i didn't plant them... they just got to growing - wild - intertwined in the rose bushes... it's the strangest thing. however, they are the prettiest little blossoms... light pink - deep pink - white - and they are very photogenic.
happy day.....
do you ever feel tired? weary? had enough... and you just need rest - or perhaps as though you want to throw in the towel? give up and/or cry out "uncle?" remember that childhood game where you'd play with a friend or a sibling and the first one who'd had enough, needed to yell out "uncle"... it was a game then - sometimes now in real life it seems so apropos, doesn't it? no longer a game, i'd like to regress back to being a child - stomp my foot or shake my fist in the air although that's not very realistic... sigh...
because lately, i have felt weary. but today's reading in "jesus calling" by sarah young was a perfect encouragement... a wonderful little pick-me-up... i wanted to share it with you.
then... i came across this wildflower - out in a field. i have titled it "nature's heart" because it's as though god was drawing me to it to show me, through nature, his heart love for me... not to forget he is all around me in everyday things - simple things. may this encourage you, too...
"come to me when you are weak and weary. rest snugly in My everlasting arms. i do not despise your weakness, my child. actually, it draws Me closer to you, because weakness stirs up My compassion - My yearning to help. accept yourself in your weariness, knowing that i understand how difficult your journey has been.
do not compare yourself with others, who seem to skip along their life-paths with ease. their journeys have been different from yours, and i have gifted them with abundant energy. i have gifted you with fragility, providing opportunities for your spirit to blossom in My Presence. accept this gift as a sacred treasure: delicate, yet glowing with brilliant Light. rather than struggling to disguise or deny your weakness, allow Me to bless you richly through it." isaiah 42:3; isaiah 54:10; romans 8:26
happy day.....
...from the blossom of a tiger lily
did you guess?
isn't it the coolest thing ever - that on one simple flower... there are so many variables?
just like us... you and me... each other... humanity...
we should stop and pause - appreciate - give wonder to the many differences that exist between us - in us - among us...
for isn't that what makes us who we are? comprises the make-up of human nature... what god originally intended?
as we enjoy a flower - an animal - the construct of a building or a rainbow - so we should take those same simple moments to enjoy each other... for we really only exist a mere moment. what a shame it would be and is, if we waste it.
happy day.....
an early morning sky...
geese floating lazily on the little lake, preening, too...
the sun slowly filtering through the clouds...
reflecting on the water...
happy day.....
the sunrise this morning reminded me of how i used to draw the sun when i was a little girl... in very specific strips of color... graduated up to a backdrop of blue sky... with the sun itself as a golden orb of yellow.
it's a cool thing how god brings back a childhood memory through his creation... brought a smile to my face - seeing these stripes of color in the sky so distinct and glorious. a wonderful way to start the morning and a new month.
happy day.....
a few flowers i've captured over the last little while...
i simply love summer time... the rich colors... the abundance of blooms everywhere i look... the beauty of creation and knowing god's presence surrounds me - it is unmistakable when my eyes rest upon such glory as this...
happy day.....
