Touched By Wonderful

The Muir Land Trust is hosting a Poetry Contest aimed 

to connect people to nature via poetry. 

You can  learn more about this poetry contest - Here

Linking with Rurality  
Linking with Thursday Favorite Things

A Moment's Peace

A moment's truth 

Can and shall make the world beautiful. 

A moment's peace 

Can and shall save the world. 

A moment's love 

Can and shall make the world perfect.

~ Sri Chinmoy

White-breasted Nuthatch  

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday 

Kindness and Truth

Linking with WW - Create with Joy

Apparent Silence

Everything in life is speaking in spite of its apparent silence.

~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

Another Wildflower for ID - I believe this one is Spotted Jewelweed.

Linking with Macro Monday 

If You Take A Flower In Your Hand .....

If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for a moment.

~ Georgia O'Keeffe

This is the same wildflower I posted before.

Darkness and Silence

  Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.

- Helen Keller

Wildflowers Make Me Happy

Everything holds its breath except spring. She bursts through as strong as ever.

~ B.M. Bower 

   One of my fondest childhood memories is going "flower hunting" with my sister.  I have LOTS of wildflowers in my archives but most of them are unidentified.  I hope to remedy that with your help.  I'm going to start posting my wildflower shots in hopes that we can identify these together.  This flower blooms in April (this taken April 14)  
Dame's Rocket (I think)

Linking with Today's Flowers 

As It Comes

~ Common Buckeye Butterfly drinks from the Goldenrod ~

Happiness in the Little Things

A happy life is made up of little things...a gift sent, a letter written, a call made, a recommendation given, transportation provided, a cake made, a book lent, a check sent. 

~ Carol Holmes 

And I would add to this quote that Happiness is also made up of Redbud trees in bloom in the Spring.

Normally in bloom around mid to end of April in my area 

Startling

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.

~ Emily Dickinson 

Sunset from my front porch.

An Act of Kindness

The Way We Look At Things

Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.

~ Wayne W. Dyer

Has this ever happened to you?  You are snapping away and suddenly your subject looks your way like he KNOWS you're doing something behind that glass door (yes it's distorted a bit because I took it thru the sliding glass door) 

I thought it was quite a "questioning" pose for this Robin.

 

Just for the Sake of Smiling

Maybe we should remember to smile more often. You know, just for the sake of smiling.

~ Gabe Berman

I think this is EXCELLENT advice!  

It's hard to be in a bad mood when you've got your smile on!

Viceroy Butterfly 

(It looks like a Monarch but it's not)

Look Past Your Thoughts

Look past your thoughts, so you may drink the pure nectar of This Moment.

~ Rumi

Linking with Rurality 

Black and White Warbler

To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.

~ Mary Oliver

Yes, I've been going thru my archives again - and I found this little guy from August 2008.  This was taken at Bisset Park in Radford, Virginia - a GREAT place for birds! I had not identified him at that time - but I do believe he is a Black and White Warbler.

If I am wrong - please comment and correct me.

More Info on the Black and White Warbler is found - HERE 

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday

Infinite Possibility

The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen.  What it waits on is human imagination to crystallize its possibility.

~ Leland Kaiser

Transforming

Dare to love yourself 

as if you were a rainbow 

with gold at both ends.

~ Aberjhani

Butterfly Chrysalis ~ 09-24-11  

Linking with Macro Monday

Magical Moment

Magical places are always beautiful and deserve to be contemplated ... Always stay on the bridge between the invisible and the visible.

~  Paulo Coelho

Dragonfly captured in flight over the pond at the Izaak Walton Park

05-22-11

It's ALWAYS magical to catch a dragonfly in flight - and the bokeh over the pond was an added bonus! 

To Add A Little Cheer

That I may not in blindness grope,
But that I may with vision clear
Know when to speak a word of hope
Or add a little wholesome cheer.
S.E. Kiser

Linking with Simple Things     

Wonders of Nature

My wonder button is being pushed all the time. 

- Carl Sagan

Eastern tailed Blue (I think) Butterfly - 07-07-12 

Do Not Be Discouraged

Experts are simply master mistake-makers. They simply weren't discouraged by their countless initial mistakes.

 ~  Brandon A. Trean

Almost.....I almost got the ENTIRE bird - in this case - a Tufted Titmouse.  But, it was not meant to be.  I have often thought I would post my bird "bloopers" - shots I've taken hoping to get these amazing creatures in flight - that usually come out with just half the bird showing.  This time I managed to at least get his head in the shot.  

I'll Keep Trying :) 

Love Me Tender

Preening Mourning Doves 02-12-13

Love me tender, 

love me sweet, 

never let me go. 

You have made my life complete, 

and I love you so.

~ Ken Darby

More info about the song - HERE 

This post dedicated to my Sweet Hubby!  

Hooded Merganser Couple

One day spent with someone you love can change everything.

~ Mitch Albom

Fluffed

Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all. 

Hans Christian Andersen

Female Cardinal fluffed up for warmth 

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday

Celebrate!

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. 

~ Oprah Winfrey

Red Admiral Butterfly - April 27, 2012

Linking with Macro Monday

What Matters

In the end nothing we do or say in this lifetime will matter as much as the way we have loved one another. 

~Daphne Rose Kingma

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Not a very sharp image as I took it thru the window - but - alas - I'll take what I can get :)

Wishing you a Day filled with Peace, Joy, and LOVE!

Linking with Simple Things 
Linking with the Bird D'Pot

You Can

You Can

~ Stephen Richards

Monarch Caterpillar from 06-09-12 - stretching to reach another leaf.

I found another e-book full of GREAT motivational quotes

 

Expert Excerpts for Entrepreneurs  

365 Awesome Quotes to Boost Your Business 

Not just to boost  your business - but to boost your confidence!  EVERY quote in this was Fantastic!

The Only Choice

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. 

~ Author Unknown

Linking with Camera Critters 

Sing The Song In Your Heart

It doesn't matter what you did or where you were...it matters where you are and what you're doing. Get out there! Sing the song in your heart and NEVER let anyone shut you up!!

~ Steve Maraboli

Beautiful Thoughts

Give pleasure.  Lose no chance in giving pleasure.  For that is the ceaseless and anonymous triumph of a truly loving spirit.

Henry Drummond 

 

I've recently "found"  Henry Drummond.  In his book "Beautiful Thoughts" he shares beautiful and uplifting words like the ones above.  This book is a FREE download from Amazon (you can click on the link above to go directly to it).  If you don't have a kindle - you can download the free kindle app for your computer.   The main theme is that LOVE is the Greatest Thing in the World.  Henry was a Christian Evangelist - but whatever your faith - If you are in need of a little "uplifting" this book is for you.

Linking with Thursday Favorite Things

Heaping Measures

If we shall take the good we find, asking no questions, we shall have heaping measures. 

 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cedar Waxwing - November 8, 2009 

2009 was a good year for the berries on that tree - and berries always bring the 

Cedar Waxwings.   

Linking with Rurality

Let Us Begin

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.

~ Mother Teresa

Thoughts of past regrets

Poison the time that is now

Remember

Today is a New Day

Accept Yourself

Accept yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, your truths, and know what tools you have to fulfill your purpose.

― Steve Maraboli

Mama Downy Woodpecker using her tail (as a tool) to balance on the feeder.

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday

Beneath the Wings of Time

Oh! weep not that our beauty wears 

Beneath the wings of Time; 

That age o'erclouds the brow with cares 

That once was raised sublime... 

But mourn the inward wreck we feel 

As hoary years depart, 

And Time's effacing fingers steal 

Young feelings from the heart! 

~Robert Montgomery

Catching Snowflakes

There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.
-- Dr. Who

 I have a tendency to Humanize my bird friends .  Doesn't this little Carolina Wren look like he's trying to catch snowflakes in his beak ..... like we use to do when we were kids..... like some of us still do :)

 

Unwrapping The Presents

Some memories are presents that I'm unable to unwrap over and over.

~  Brian James 

When I posted this quote - I misread it - I was thinking that it said  "presents that I'm ABLE to unwrap over and over - which is the way I feel about my images.  Always a present to unwrap when looking into the archives.

 This was taken in October 2007 - and I "think" I've figured out that it is a Variegated Fritillary.  I don't remember seeing this butterfly again since that time.  

Slowly but surely I'm getting the images downloaded into an online archive ..... it's a LONG process but I'm feeling so much better knowing they are being stored in mutliple places now.

Linking with Macro Monday 

The Smile Is The Beginning Of Love

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

~  Mother Teresa

Linking with Weekly Top Shot 

Three's A Party

But I always say, one's company, two's a crowd, and three's a party

~ Andy Warhol

I've been spending time lately on getting my images backed up online.  As I've been doing this I've been reminiscing.  As I look thru the old files it's like seeing old friends :)   This was taken in 2008 which seemed like a GREAT year for seeing the Fritillary butterflies.  (not sure which one this is but I know it's a Frit - maybe Great Spangled)  

Linking with Camera Critters

Launch Yourself