Snow Days

The farm across the street under a winter sky and a blanket of fresh snow

 

We enjoyed a white Christmas this year!  Snow began to fall during the day on Christmas Eve, and continued on through the night.  Everything was so bright the next day when the morning sunlight reflected off the drifts of white.  



Our cabin wrapped in white!

The first snow of winter always feels magical with the gentle hush that surrounds and encompasses all.  The snow laden branches create a world that's soft and mystical.

 

 



My husband Kevin & daughter Desi wage a snowball battle

And there's always time for fun ... both active and reflective.  As I watched my husband and daughter playing in the snow, it brought back long ago childhood memories, how when the ground was covered in white we just couldn't wait to get out to sled, make snow angels, and revel in the beauty surrounding us.

 

 





"Lumpy" the Snowman

 

This little snowman that my daughter created made us all smile.  Even the birds and squirrels enjoyed "Lumpy."  They helped themselves to his edible eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons, most of which were gone by the next day :)





Jasper and Tree

My formal Christmas Snapshot :)

Rats, I don't see one for me :(



I wonder which is brighter, my eyes or the star ;)

Maybe if I sleep on it, Santa will come...may all your Christmas dreams come true!

 

Merry Message

As the days grow shorter and the nights seem longer, may the glow of family and friendship keep you warm.  Also, keep in mind that, often times, it's the little things that can make all the difference.

Today, after trying on a half dozen pairs of shoes, I found a remarkably comfortable pair that I'm so grateful to have on my feet right now.  It's become harder and harder for me to find comfortable shoes.  This new pair feels like a pair of soft, comfy slippers and I am so happy to have them.

May the little comforts and joys bring sparkle to your days ...
Wishing you a season of brightness, warmth, & merriment.

Shared Sadness

Our thoughts & prayers are with the Newtown, Connecticut community as they struggle with the recent tragedy & loss of innocents. 

The Passing of Toad

Today, we had lunch with family including my brother who traveled here from New Mexico.  During our lunchtime conversation, I learned that my brother's very old, beloved cat, Toad, had quietly passed away.

At one time, my brother and his wife had seven cats, and Toad was always my favorite, well, he was every one's favorite and he was best friend to all of the other cats, too.  Toad earned his name because he actually resembled a puffy, lumpy gray toad of the amphibious sort.  His looks were not the reason he was cherished so by all.  It was rather because Toad was so lovable in his own special way.  He was big and lumber some and a prime cuddle candidate for all of my brother's other animals, which, at one time, included a dog along with all the cats.  Toad was that perpetual shoulder to lean on.  He seemed to make all the other cats in his presence feel safe and important.  He wasn't a fighter, as so many male cats are.  Toad was a gentle soul.  He did not vie for dominance, yet he earned respect among all the others and none of the other cats ever challenged him. When my brother and his wife adopted a sleek, beautiful, creamy orange colored stray, she immediately earned the name Princess.  And who do you think her prince charming was?  That's right, none other than Toad.  Princess shunned all the other cats, but she dearly loved Toad. For all the years they shared together, up until the day he died, Toad and Princess were inseparable.  It was quite a real life fairytale :)

Toad left us with a simple but so important lesson ~ One must be truly loving to be truly loved.
We all need the steady presence of solid individuals we can lean on ... better yet, we can become those very sorts who can lend strength to others who need support and comfort.

Toad rests in peace now, but, then again, he always did ... and he always made sure others did, too.

Peace On Earth

May we all pray for peace for all.
 

 

Seasonal Splendor

It's cold outside and the skies are often gray and many of the trees leafless, but inside our cabin, our Christmas Cactus was not to be deterred.  It wanted to be bright!

This plant is often called a shrimp plant, since, when open, it's blooms resemble this aquatic creature.  Other common names are Thanksgiving plant or Christmas cactus, depending upon when the blooms arrive.  Since our plant opened its first flower just days ago, it decided to be a Christmas cactus, and most likely it will be full of vibrant, shrimp shaped blossoms come Dec. 25 :)

 

"We Are One"

A beautiful point to ponder ~

"Peace ... comes within the souls of men
when they realize their relationship,
their oneness, with the universe

and all its powers,
and when they realize that at the
center of the Universe dwells Creator,

and that this center is really everywhere,
it is within each one of us."

~Black Elk, Oglala Sioux




Brave

Our lovely daughter was with us for the Thanksgiving holiday, and, as always when we get together, we enjoyed many heart felt, intense conversations.  A question arose about bravery.  Desi wondered what others might see in her to use that word of description when it came to her. I told her I thought it was valid for what she exemplifies through her actions and deeds.  But just what does that mean?

 

To me, being brave, or exhibiting bravery, means the willingness to take healthy risks to move forward.  The brave person is one who is not afraid of the challenge of hard work and of facing adversity head on if it means doing so will lead to a better place.  It often means taking the long, harder road, instead of the short, easier one, because ultimately the longer, steeper climb will reap greater benefit.

 

On a personal level, being brave is the willingness to be authentic ~ to discover who you truly are and be loyal and true to your own identity ~ admitting faults, and, when necessary, working on those things one can change, and fully acknowledging the traits and values that make you unique and special and then using those strengths to be giving and loving.  Being brave is also the ability to see the big picture, not allowing oneself to get bogged down by petty details, and striving for ideals even if those ideals may ultimately be unattainable ... it's the dreaming and reaching for the stars that keeps one looking up, striving, and growing.

 

When the going gets tough, the tough get going ... and the brave persevere.  

 



Sunrise ~ Sunset

This morning's sunrise looked more like a sunset.  The sky was a canvas of brilliant reds, oranges, pinks and purples.  The colors faded almost as quickly as they appeared with all the bright hues morphing into pale pastels. By sun up, the sky was simply a solid shade of baby blue.  Within minutes, the incredible display of color was over. I felt extra lucky to have been up early to see such a beautiful sky.  It was quite a way to start the day!

Most Grateful

 

The holiday season with all its festivities is almost here.  As I age, I still enjoy the sense of busyness and purpose that combines with the celebrating, but I also make sure to take time to reflect on what I find most meaningful.  There are so many reasons to be grateful, but for the purpose of writing a brief blog, I will limit myself to five.  I decided to do this by thinking of the way a hand is traced by young children to form the body of a turkey, with the thumb the head and the four fingers as tail feathers ~ five parts, so five things.

 

My short, simple list ~

*Family

*Friends

*Food 

*Fellowship
*Faith

And a PS ~ I am incredibly grateful our Pacey cat has turned the corner and is on her way back to strength and good health.  The smile has returned to her eyes and to our hearts :)

 

May you find peace and beauty in this season of giving and gratitude.



 HAPPY Thanksgiving!!!!

HAPPY Halloween!!!

Have a spooktacular Halloween night!!!

This Halloween Kevin designed and I carved our pumpkin!

 

Have a wonderful, fun day.

Catoctin Zoo

White Tiger

 

A visit to the zoo is one that's always filled with mixed emotions for me.  I love to see all of the animals that I wouldn't ever see otherwise, but it's also sad to see them cooped up in cages away from their natural environment.  Our zoos do educate and entertain and they are an opportunity for all to view wildlife from around the world.  Our local Catoctin Zoo has a lovely natural wooded setting and the animals are well cared for by the staff.  We are fortunate to have a close up look at these wondrous animals who serve as ambassadors for their wild cousins.

 

Beautiful Pair of Parrots

 

The Catoctin Zoo is host to a whole group of lively Amazon parrots and macaws as well as some lovely pink flamingos that inhabit an outdoor area filled with vegetation and plenty of perches.

 

 

Crocodile Pond

 

Colorful Koi

 

The large koi pond is a favorite of young and old.  The koi come right to the surface and like to be touched ... but like it even better when they are given pellets available for visitors to feed them.

 

There are many opportunities to come in direct contact with various animals at the Catoctin Zoo.  Deer, llama and goats are part of a "petting zoo" experience and they, too, can be fed nutritional pellets by visitors. The animals love to snack!

 

 





                                                                          Barred Owls

 

Barred owls and great horned owls are two avian representatives in the North American section of the zoo.  Raccoons, bats, and wolves are also there to be seen. 

 

 

The photographs above were taken by my husband Kevin and me on our most recent trip to the zoo.

Autumn Hues

 Maple Leaves Turning Red

 

Golden Reflections

 

Vibrant Purple Berries

 

Festive Fall Fare at the County Fair

 

Soft Glow of the Sun 

 

 

Fall is such a colorful, festive time of year, unequaled in its vibrant show of so many wondrous colors.  It's a time for reflection and taking in all the natural beauty that surrounds us.

 

 

 

Late Summer Garden

 

The rainy weather has been helpful to bring the late season beans in our garden to flower.  Their delicate lavender blossoms are a welcome sight, apparently not only for the gardener, but also for this tiny grasshopper nymph I discovered hopping among the bean flowers.

 

 

This hummingbird flower was one of my favorite finds at the nursery this summer.  It bloomed all season.  You can see how it gets its fitting name from its dainty pink flowers that closely resemble hummingbirds!

 

 

Brightening our evenings with its chipper song, by day this katydid finds respite in the garden, where it blends in with the foliage and can hide from its predators.

 

By taking a closer look, there is always more to see than initially meets the eye!

 

The New Bed

Today, I brought home a new bed for our two cats.  It was an instant hit and thrilled both of our girls.  It's not just that the inside was warm and furry imitation sheepskin; the real lure was the catnip pouch hidden inside the bottom lining!

 

 

Since the above photograph was taken, Jasper has gotten the hang of her new bed and currently is curled up inside of it, instead of the half in half out pose you see here.  Before settling in for a comfortable nap, she spent a good ten minutes luxuriating in the catnip aroma, rolling back and forth with her legs up in the air.

 

 

 

Pacey was equally taken with the new bed and actually experienced it's luxuries before her sister.  But her belly rules, and she was far too interested in making sure she had an adequate dinner for which she feels the need to keep after me until she gets it.  Here, she sits in wait of my entrance into the kitchen to fetch her evening supper.  She stays with me when I prepare our evening meal and afterwards when I wash the dishes.  She's my constant kitchen companion and keeps her eye on my every move. 

 

Our kitty companions are such sweet and often very amusing company  :)





Roadside Flowers

I wonder how many will zip by these lovely periwinkle blue chicory flowers growing alongside our back country road without even noticing them?  Now found along many roadsides, fields, and city lots in the United States, chicory was initially introduced from Eurasia.  It's most common in areas that receive ample rain.  The roots of this wildflower can be ground and roasted and substituted for coffee.

On closer inspection, the dainty flowers are simply beautiful! 

Inspiration

The natural world offers so much beauty.  Its various moods can match or challenge our own. The feeling of connection to all one feels when immersed in the outdoors can help us center ourselves and feel grounded.  There are so many lovely passages written to honor our connection with nature.  I came across the following words which are not only beautiful but inspirational ... enjoy!

"The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass speaks to me.  The summit, the mountain, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea speaks to me.  The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning dewdrop on the flower speaks to me.  The strength of fire, the taste of salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me,  and my heart soars."

 ~ Chief Dan George, a Canadian Indian

What About Love?

Every once in a while, we all come across someone elses words which are well worth pondering further on our own.  I came across such a passage today when browsing through an old literary magazine. I found these words to be quite thought provoking and thought you might like to ponder on them, too ~

"In our society, we've become myopic and obsessive with one particular kind of love: dyadic love, which takes the form of romance, sex, marriage.  As a result we end up asking all the wrong questions.  Books about relationships talk about how to "get" the love you need, how to "keep" love, and so on.  But the right question to ask is, "How do I become a more loving human being?"  When you ask that question it changes the way you think about pursuing love, making it much more complex."

    ~ Sam Keene

There truly is much depth and beauty to be found and shared in romance, sex, and marriage with a loving and devoted partner, but all the above is all the better if one considers and puts into practice how to become a more loving human being on a continual, ever evolving basis.  If you've found the love of your life, your soul mate, and best friend, giving your relationship the best of yourself helps love grow and keeps it and vital and alive.  Giving the world your most loving self makes the world a little brighter and gentler for everyone ... we can plant seeds of love everyday.

And Another ...

The butterflies just keep arriving.  This morning this amazing zebra swallowtail with extremely long tails arrived at our garden and sampled the nectar of the coneflowers, black-eyed-susans and zinnias.  We were enchanted!

Another Visitor

The butterflies are starting to arrive.  Today, this eastern tiger swallowtail (missing one tail!) came to sample the sweet nectar of the garden coneflowers.  These flowers really do have a heavenly scent.  I cut a couple of the stragglers and put them in a vase to bring a little of the outdoors in and was surprised to find how strongly scented these pretty pink flowers are.  I'm glad they are hearty, too, as we've still been experiencing hot, dry weather and expect it to remain this way the rest of the week.  I've planted lots of cone flowers and black-eyed susans, not only because they are native plants and I find them very pretty, but because they are drought tolerant and fairly deer resistant, too.  For our area, those features are important ones for a thriving garden.

WOW ~ Weekend of Wildlife

This weekend has been an exceptional one for wildlife sightings. This afternoon, we discovered the luna moth above at rest on our front porch.  Since childhood when I saw my first one, the luna moth has been a big favorite.  The gorgeous lime colored wings with yellow and tan eye spots and the fuzzy body with large antennae make this moth a simply beautiful one to behold. These days it's rare to come across the luna moth.  I hadn't seen one for years so was very excited to find this lovely luna napping under the porch railing!

Welcome to the World

Kevin captured another special wildlife moment today when he took this photo of a mother deer with her spotted fawn nibbling on greens in the middle of our driveway.  The little fawn stuck right close to her mom.  After eating, they rested in the woods behind our cabin, giving us precious time to admire the new baby from our back window.  We hope to see more of the fawn as she grows!

Garden Visitor

Dark Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

This has been the summer of the dragonfly.  We've had more of these elegant winged, combat fliers around our little pond than ever seen at one time.  I've been wondering where all the large butterflies have been.  We've seen lots of the tiny cabbage whites sprinkling the woods and gardens with their delicate pale creamy color, but very few of the big swallowtails that usually abound in our area and frequent our garden.  This morning, this beautiful dark swallowtail with iridescent, upper blue wings alighted on our coneflowers ~ a very welcome visitor!  She was a bit skittish, but stayed around long enough for me to get the photograph above to share.  



Coming Along

Despite super hot, dry days with temps up in the 90s, the veggies are hanging in there and going strong.  As a novice gardener, I'm always thrilled when my plants start producing healthy, edible fruits.  Above is a jalapeno pepper ripe with two peppers and more on the way.

After I watered this California Wonder pepper today, it attracted a thirsty, little friend.  This pepper's almost ready for picking!

I thought I'd chosen a beef steak tomato plant at the nursery, so you can imagine my surprise to find these tiny cherry tomatoes growing on my potted tomato plant!  Just as well, I love the little ones, too.  They're great to pop in your mouth right off the vine ~ like tasting a little bit of sunshine :)

Up, Up & Away

This spring, our resident phoebes laid two sets of eggs, one early in the spring and one later in the season.  They'd built a compact nest of grass and moss on the rafters of our front porch, right over our grill.  Hot dogs and hamburgers were on hold until both broods were successfully reared and on their way.  After their tawny speckled eggs hatched, the parents diligently fed their young taking turns bringing grubs to the hungry, wide eyed babies.  At night, the fuzzy, little birds slept peacefully, cuddled up with one another in their cozy nest.  We often could make out a beak or two sticking up above the front curve of the nest above us.

Just the other day, Kevin and I got to see the last two baby birds fly away from the nest.  Kevin captured the photograph above before the last chick took wing.  It felt so amazing to see all of the babies grow up healthy and strong and fly off to their freedom.  And, they chose July 3rd to make their final leaps, so we could still enjoy grilled hot dogs for the Fourth of July! 

Summer Flower Garden Showcase

Our summer flower garden is a mixture of perennials and annuals of brilliant colors.  It brightens up our little corner of the world and attracts butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

Here are some close-up photographs of our garden flowers ~
Blackeyed Susan, Mexican Blanket, Coneflower, & Blue Pansies