Tufted Titmouse As The Snow Falls

He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter.

~ John Burroughs

Robin Watching

The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.

- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Another berry tossing Robin.  

A highlight of my birding and photography moments have been 
to photograph the berry toss.  

Print Available - HERE 

Hem Your Blessings With Thankfulness

 Hem your blessings with thankfulness 

so they don't unravel. 

 ~ Author Unknown

Leaves Covered In Ice

I guess you could say it was a little bit icy 

What a severe yet master artist old Winter is.... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel. 

~ John Burroughs

Icy Weather

The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day. 

 ― Dr. Seuss

Doing What It Takes

It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action. 

~ Al Batt

I know I've said it before - 
but I really do learn a lot from the animals I observe.   

Not a lazy one in the bunch - 
they always do what it takes!

 Visit the New River Nature Website is
HERE

Bluebird of Happiness

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony. 

~ Thomas Merton

American Robin - A Favorable Light

Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances. 

 ~ Saint Vincent de Paul

Thankful for the Berries

We pray for the big things 
and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, 
small (and yet really not small) gifts. 

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Thankful for the berries and the trees that produce those berries.  Without those trees and berries, I wouldn't be able to watch the beautiful birds that visit.

Print Available - HERE 

Out of Darkness Comes Light

Sadness flies on the wings of the morning and out of the heart of darkness comes the light. 

 ~ Jean Giraudoux

Cedar Waxwing in my backyard

White-crowned Sparrow Watching

White-crowned Sparrow 

To look at any thing,

 If you would know that thing, 

 You must look at it long... 

 John Moffitt

Print Available - HERE 

Music of the Earth

The earth has music for those who listen.

~ George Santayana

The Safe Place

The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

~ Maya Angelou


Available - HERE 

Finding Solace

And I firmly believe 
that nature brings solace in all troubles.

- Anne Frank

Always Make Time For Laughter

Tufted Titmouse - Bisset Park - Radford Virginia

If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy. 

~ Proverb

Blue Jay Bokeh

Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished. 

 ~ Michael Strassfeld

~ Life Lessons from Light ~ 

More about Bokeh - HERE 

Limitless Possibilities

White-breasted Nuthatch

Be grateful for the precious gift of life with its limitless possibilities. 

 ~ Wilferd Peterson

A Little Red Blessing

Sometimes I need 

only to stand 

wherever I am 

 to be blessed. 

 — Mary Oliver

Male Cardinal in the trees off of my back deck.

No Fear

You can’t let fear and indecision sink your creativity— they do not easily release their hold. 

 ― Richie Norton

Squirrels are one of the most fearless animals I have ever watched.

They have no fear in launching off in new directions at a moments notice.

They have no fear in reaching for something that looks completely out of reach.

They have no fear when it comes to taking that Big Jump when their destination is obscure.  

They just do it.

I can learn a lot from squirrels!!

More of my Squirrel Images - HERE 

American Robin Wing Wave

We change the world a little each day 
with our kindness.

~ Tom Giaquinto

Down The Hatch

All of us are watchers – 
of television, of time clocks, 
of traffic on the freeway – 
but few are observers. 
Everyone is looking, 
not many are seeing. 

~ Peter M. Leschak

When I first saw this shot the first thing that came to mind that berry is going  "Down the Hatch".  And that got me wondering where that phrase came from.  In a bit of internet research I found out this:

"a drinking expression that seems to have its origins in sea freight, where cargoes are lowered into the hatch. First used by seamen, it has only been traced back to the turn of the century."

This info found at Naval History and Heritage

I remember saying this as I would try to coax my kids to take their medicine when they were little too.

To Fly Toward A Secret Sky

This is love: 

to fly toward a secret sky, 

to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. 

First to let go of life. 

Finally, to take a step without feet.

 ― Rumi

Trio of Colors

Colors are the smiles of nature. 

 - Leigh Hunt

Tame Your Thoughts

From restless thoughts, that, like a deadly swarm 

Of hornets arm'd, no sooner found alone, 

But rush upon me thronging. 

~ John Milton

Sometimes this is exactly how I feel about my thoughts.....they are restless, they rush upon me, and many many times they are negative!  I am constantly telling myself to "tame my thoughts" - and nothing tames them better than a walk in nature.  

~ Painted Lady Butterfly   ~ 

 

Mockingbird Gets In On the Berry Action

He that would have the fruit 
must climb the tree.

~ Dr. Thomas Fuller

The Mockingbird getting in on the berry action in my back yard.

Invasion Of The Berry Snatchers

Berries will always bring the birds!

The Starlings have never been a nuisance in my yard and never pick the tree clean.  The Robins and Waxwings have been getting their fair share too.

I am happy to have all that visit!!

A guest never forgets the host who had treated him kindly. 

~ Homer

On A Journey

We are all on a journey. 

 ― Steve Maraboli


Available - HERE 

The Soul Always Knows

The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. 

 The challenge is to silence the mind.

 ~ Caroline Myss 

Print Available - HERE 

Dark-eyed Junco in the Pines

Lean forward into your life. 

Begin each day as if it were on purpose.

 ― Mary Anne Radmacher

Song Sparrow Takes a Bath

I sit at my window gazing 

The world passes by, nods to me 

And is gone. 

~ Rabindranath Tagore