Happy Winter Solstice

"It has often been said that the greatest joy tends to follow deep sorrow. What is so wonderful about the winter solstice is that once we are past that moment of time we can look forward to brighter skies."

Winter Solstice and still no snow. 

But, you don't need much snow to get "snow art"

The fat muskrat and his shadow

I have been known to feed chickadees sunflower seeds, they have been known to hide their seeds in the pine cone.

So beautiful in black and white

Can you find the rabbit?  He thought he was hiding from me, silly rabbit

The red breasted Nut Hatch.  This bird is very friendly

This picture, and the next, was taken at the water front.

Maybe, just maybe, the trail will look like this soon

"It speaks well for the human spirit that our greatest religious celebrations take place at winter solstice time, as people radiate warmth of fellowship and love on these dimmer days. The festivals of darker days are really celebrations of light."

OH MY

 I was standing on the PB trail bridge at sunset tonight and this picture is the direct result of the next picture

what an amazing evening.  I have never been on the trail at dusk, but after tonight I will do it again and again.  In the right hand corner of this picture there is a tiny dot in the tree, it is an eagle.   

Fall

It was a moody day on the trail.  The day was Thursday, the Month September and the date 29th

It was, by far, the moodiest day that I have experienced on the trail

Sorry for the sun glare in this pic but I had to show you the wildness of this day, so windy, with  dark clouds, also clearing where the sun hit the yellows and they danced with the warmth laughing at the darkness that the clouds produced.

The sun laughing

the beginning

 my favorite moons come in October

The deep reds against the brown, my goodness

The European Larch is dressing for fall

Yes, the flowers are blooming in October

Watcher of the river

Observe the beauty this world offers, it will help you let go of the negativity

can you pick out the flower from the leaves?

If you stand out, alone, don't worry, others will soon follow

The color of August

August is the color of sunshine

The golden color 

August is a melancholy month for me. Thank goodness it's color is so alive, fun... a hint of energy

August leads the way to whimsy, fantasy that summer will not end. 

Live in August, the sun brings growth, energy, and a feeling of lightness

For September brings RED, sweaters and introspection of the spirit for...

The glistening water of August will bring the cooler days and nights of September which brings thoughts of the hard crust of snow, isolation and a time for deep thoughts for the soul

"These are a few of my favorite things"

 What a beautiful gift given to my sister and I today.  This baby eagle was first sitting in a secure spot in the tree then climbed up on the very precarious limb and positioned itself and tried several times to take off, finally got it right.  OOHH how Priceless

Did you know that we are in the year of the rabbit?  I'm a rabbit in the Chinesescope :) And this is the first bunny that I have seen on the trail in 3 years. Do I dare hope that they are coming back?

The white water lily pad late July. Their simply beauty takes my breath away.

This picture actually captured the way I felt when I saw it. The butterfly, the waves of the water. It was a lazy, layed back beautiful July day

Trying to hide little chipmunk???

Berries everywhere on the trail

A view from my dock.  

Lately I see the shadows before I see the real thing

Out of the murcky waters of the Mississippi comes this white beauty

The wild black eyed susan, just nothin like it. They are every where on the trail and my camera seemed to take on a life of its own for I couldn't pass by a black eyed beauty without snapping away

Milkweed with a monarch caterpillar 

 I just LOVE wild flowers for they grow together in amazing ways

 I think the color of July was purple. 

 You cannot miss a white flower on the trail. They pop out with all the green and yellow

 I have been told that the white vine amongst the cattails is cucumber vine. It is everywhere on the trail and makes wonderful shapes winding around its prey

The trail is now bursting with wildflowers along with different types of grasses. I can feel autumn on her way

Wild Thing (s)

I'm going to dedicate this post , to my friend Jim who died of cancer, to the fawn I saw dead ( hit by a car) and the mother standing by her.  And to Ivory, my nephews cat, who died. Nature is rarely wrong, however, today I have seen too much. Today, I feel the sadness. My friend, the fawn and her mother and Ivory. Today nature is harsh

So I am hoping that writing a blog about nature will help me remember that nature can also be beautiful.

You will see several pictures of moms and their babies. Like above.  A loon and her babies going under the bridge on the PB trail.  Birth!!! 

I really wanted to blow this into the air as I did when I was a kid and make a wish, but thought it just so simple and perfect to disperse 

Ferns have become one of my favorites.  They are such a classy way to introduce the trees

Nature at "her" best. 

I was standing in the river and looked down.  YIKES! But my friend told me that this leech had NO interest in attaching itself to me.  THANK GOODNESS

A Weed?  It is more delightful than just a weed. A purple wonder

What an AWESOME tree. It entangles itself

The birth of a cattail

The aroma of the milkweed is captivating

Rain, so refreshing for nature and for me

Are these flowering into pine cones? Not sure

Saw a lot of yellow lady slippers on the trail this year but only one that had two slippers

This is my cat Makwa and one of the many turtles in our yard. The cats don't even bother with the turtles anymore, boring

This beautiful bird flew into my dining room window.  It took awhile for it to catch it's breath to move on, but it did and I was so grateful that she lived.

"Wild thing, you make my heart sing, you make everything groovy." 

I considered myself very very lucky to see a pink lady slipper on the trail this year. Isn't "she" amazing

The monarch, how graceful 

The snapper. She had an audience today.  There were a lot of us on the bridge

It is now time to say good bye to Jim, little fawn and Ivory. I will miss you Jim and Ivory!!