Wilderness Wednesday: Stouthearted

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birds, nature, photography, snow, Wilderness Wednesday, winter

Stouthearted / stoutˈhärdəd/ (adjective): stoutˈhärdəd/
Possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
Synonyms: doughty, stalwart, brave, courageous, determined, obstinate

Merriam-Webster

Have you ever noticed that on some of the snowiest, blowiest days, the smallest creatures are the most visible?

I think, too often, we pay attention to the strongest, the loudest, the most confident around us, and we underestimate the smallest. Someone’s size or appearance should never be used to measure their worth because I believe those with a tender heart or a stoutheart come in many sizes.

And then her heart changed, or at least she understood it; winter passed, and the sun shone upon her.

J.R.R.Tolkien

Far better it is to have a stout heart always and suffer one’s share of evils, than to be forever fearing what may happen.

Herodotus

It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the spirit.

J.R.R.Tolkien

Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.

Winnie-the-Pooh

Happy Wednesday!

Wilderness Wednesday: Christmas Cardinals

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birds, cardinals, Christmas, nature, photography, snow, Wilderness Wednesday, winter

Love the Giver more than the gift.

Brigham Young

I received an early Christmas gift on a blizzard-y day. The house smelled of yeast and spices, and as I was kneading rum-soaked fruit into my Christmas stollen, I had 2 visitors…

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.

W.T. Ellis

Happy Wednesday!

Bird Life @ Home

Tags

birds, home, humour, nature, photography

When I was a kid, I liked to read and many of those stories were about animals. I loved Beatrice Potter’s Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. I spent many happy hours in the Green Forest with Sammy Jay, Reddy Fox, and Tommy Titmouse, rounded out by John Calvin Reid’s congregants in “Bird Life in Wington”.

I think of them still, as I watch them from my windows. And just like many of those characters, my feathered friends have personalities too. They’re city birds, after all. I think they know I’m watching, so sometimes they pose nicely, and other times, they let their “true colours shine”.

“I am woman, I am fearless, I am sexy, I’m divine, I’m unbeatable, I’m creative. Honey, you can get in line!” Emmy Meli

“I fart in your general direction” – Sir Galahad, Monty Python & the Holy Grail

“Go ahead! Make my day!” – Dirty Harry, Sudden Impact

“Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos…” – The Joker, The Dark Knight

“I don’t want to play, I just want to bang on the drum all day (I’m gonna bang now)” – Todd Rudgren

“Is that you, Max?” – Nora Desmond (Carol Burnett)

“Yippie kayak, other buckets!” – Det. Boyle, Brooklyn 99

Some people aren’t just missing the odd screw, they’re missing the whole freakin’ toolbox!

Unknown

Happy Wednesday from all of us!

CMMC: Blue

Tags

birds, cmmc, nature, nature photography, Photo Challenge, photography, River scenes, tea, Wilderness Wednesday

This is my post for Cee Neuner’s Mid-Week Madness Challenge: Blue

CFFC: It’s a Small World

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bees, birds, CFFC, chipmunks, frogs, nature, Photo Challenge, photography, squirrel, Weekly Photo Challenge, Wilderness Wednesday

It’s a small world and we share it with small creatures. Take great care!

“Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”

Albert Einstein

This is my post for Cee Neuner’s Fun Foto Challenge: It’s a Small World.

Happy Wednesday!

For the Feathered Friends

Tags

birds, humour, nature, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea time, teacup

I have a Love/Hate relationship with Pinterest.

I love all the amazing crafty ideas (and I confess, the pet shaming memes). Like watching baking shows, it stirs my desire to create while instilling the misbegotten belief that I can do this…and do it easily. My misplaced confidence is shattered when my final product fails to impress.

A recent tea/ garden project was no exception. It looked so simple.

First, I went to the dollar store and purchased 2 tea cup shaped mugs and a set of spoons. I would be making the cutest bird feeders in the neighbourhood!

Next, I coerced asked my patient Dad to glue those spoons inside the mugs. The shape of the cups made this a time-consuming task (for him), but the glue made me feel very relaxed.

Dad carefully boxed my mugs for the car trip home.

They made it in one piece.

The final step, before adding bird seed and admiring my feathered friends, was to hang these mugs in a tree using string or a ribbon.

Excitedly, I grabbed the pink mug first (because it was the prettiest) and a roll of string from my garden tool box. I wound the string around the handle before reaching (shakily with my frozen shoulder) to tie the mug to a branch. Instead, I watched it fall in slow motion and smash on the ground.

Dad should be pleased. The spoon was still firmly glued in place.

I forgot to test the string. A mosquito landing on it could shred it. I went in the house, convinced nothing I did worked and vowing to never look at Pinterest again.

A few days later, with my ego still bruised and a new roll of string, mug #2 made it in the tree (one with grass under it, not cement, just in case).

My creative Auntie M made this for me for my birthday using a tea cup and saucer that was my grandma’s. Maybe I should start sending her my find Pinterest finds…when I break my vow. It’s only a matter of time.

If everything I pinned ended up in my house, I’d be on an episode of hoarders.

Unknown

Happy Monday!

CMMC: Ready for My Close-Up

Tags

bees, birds, cmmc, garden, nature, Photo Challenge, photography, Wilderness Wednesday

All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.

Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard

This is my post for Cee Neuner’s Mid-Week Madness Challenge: Close Up!

Happy Wednesday!

Wilderness Wednesday: Mr & Mrs C.

Tags

birds, cardinals, humour, nature, nature photography

Mr. & Mrs. C live in my neighbourhood. I see them on a regular basis and I love it!

The other day, I caught an interesting exchange between this couple.

While Mr. C was walking in the garden, Mrs. C was glaring at him. She looked pretty cranky and I wondered if maybe he had said or done something stupid. Or maybe it was just too much togetherness, being in lockdown in such close quarters.

Too much togetherness sometimes makes me cranky too…

Mr. C joined her in the tree, and I thought “wow”, what a great opportunity to see them together. Cardinals generally mate for life, and they watch out for each other when they’re away from home, taking turns to eat and never staying in one place too long.

Male Cardinals will often bring the female things to help build their nest but she will do the actual building. Males also provide her with food when she is sitting on the nest.

It wasn’t until I looked at my photos up close that I noticed that Mr. C had indeed brought Mrs. C a gift.

Hopefully this token of his love helped restore harmony in their home. I’m looking forward to seeing if any little ones will soon follow!

It’s not how big the house is, it’s how happy the home is!

Unknown

Happy Wednesday!

Wilderness Wednesday: Easter Brunch

Tags

birds, nature, nature photography, photography, Wilderness Wednesday

• 

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Sunday brunch is an easy, pleasant way to entertain a largish group, especially in the country.

Joan Crawford, My Way of Life

Happy Wednesday!

CFFC: Birds

Tags

beach, birds, CFFC, nature, nature photography, Photo Challenge, photography

Birds, the topic of Cee Neuner’s Fun Foto Challenge this week, are something I have photographed a lot over the years. And all kinds of birds too – Early Birds, Really Early Birds, Cardinals, Ducklings, even recently, a Hawk and an Osprey. But when I saw this was the challenge, 2 cheeky moochers immediately popped into my mind.

Could you resist those faces?

Happy Wednesday!