Wilderness Wednesday: Mud Between the Toes

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frogs, garden, nature, nature photography, photography, Wilderness Wednesday

Growing up, I liked to look at my Mom had a Golden Book of Poetry. My favourite poem was this one:

Mud is very nice to feel
All squishy squashy between the toes.
I’d rather wade in wiggly mud
Than smell a yellow rose.

Nobody else but the rosebush knows
How nice mud feels
Between the toes.

– Polly Chase Boyden

While this little guy doesn’t resemble a blond pig-tailed girl with rosy cheeks in a pink sundress, I think he shares her sentiment. Cool, sticky mud between the toes.

Dad noticed him and knocked on the window. I had to creep into my Mom’s garden, barefoot and still wearing my nightshirt, to take pics, so I got to enjoy the mud too! 🙂

It’s supposed to rain today. I wonder if anyone else will play in the mud?

Happy Wednesday!

Wilderness Wednesday: Alfalfa Butterfly

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butterfly, nature, nature photography, photography

Yesterday afternoon, I sat (inside) watching 2 white cabbage butterflies and 1 alfalfa butterfly dancing in the sun. They both looked like tissue paper tied to a string that was being jerked by an unseen puppeteer. They rarely sit, preferring to flit along the surface of the ground.

I ventured out with my camera, sweat running down my back, and my patience paid off.

The alfalfa or orange sulfur butterfly is identified by a small dark mark on the upper wing, which rounds into an oval spot.  They are found in fields, along roads and in residential gardens.

Butterflies are not insects,’ Captain John Sterling said soberly. ‘They are self-propelled flowers. -― Robert A. Heinlein, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

Happy Wednesday!

Wilderness Wednesday: Backyard Butterfly

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butterfly, nature, nature photography, photography, Wilderness Wednesday

This little fellow quite enjoyed my lilac tree earlier this week. He (or she) is a common angle wing butterfly, possibly an eastern comma or gray comma butterfly. Markings for both make it difficult to identify without seeing it with its wings closed. This butterfly is gray and brown when its wings are closed, but  brightly coloured when opened. This guy has had a close brush with a predator – note the ragged back wings.

Just living is not enough’, said the butterfly, ‘one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.’ Hans Christian Anderson

Happy Wednesday!

Wilderness Wednesday: Dynamic Duo

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animals, dynamic duos, humour, nature, nature photography, photography, squirrels, Wilderness Wednesday

Laurel & Hardy. Lucy & Ethel. Laverne & Shirley. Shaggy & Scooby-Doo.

All comedic classic duos that captured our hears and made a lasting impression.

I have 2 more…teen squirrels. A couple of red-headed, thundering scamps whose adorable cuteness make your heart melt (so that you overlook the poop). As each day passes, these rascals are exploring their world more and more. They can hang upside from the brick and swing from my chair like nobody’s business, and my clothespins have never tasted so good.

We’re not sure 100% if there are 2 or 3 teens, or if Mama has finally lost her baby belly and she’s joining in the fun, but they sure are entertaining!

This is my best side

Double Trouble

Did you say something?

Pretty pose

Sharing Secrets

Keep a low profile

Scheming…

Who me?

Yeah, buddy! I’ve got my eye on you!

Happy Wednesday!

CFFC: Sense of Smell

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CFFC, flowers, nature, Photo Challenge, photography, River scenes, trees

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. Anne Frank

Water

Flowers

Fresh Air

Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat. – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Happy Wednesday!

This is my post for Cee Neuner’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sense of Smell

 

 

 

CFFC: Sense of Hearing

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nature, Photo Challenge, photography

 

It’s Spring. Birds are trilling in the trees, woodpeckers are knocking themselves silly, and the frogs by the pond are thrumming in a monastic chorus!

Sometimes you don’t have to go much further than your own backyard.

The Birds

 

The Bees

And One Little Froggy

Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it. Let’s do it. Let’s fall in love. Cole Porter

Happy Wednesday!

This is my post for Cee Neuner’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sense of Hearing

CFFC: Sense of Touch

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CFFC, flowers, garden, nature, Photo Challenge, photography, snow, tea, trees

Nature invites us to experience it with all of our senses, including our sense of touch. Silky and smooth, hard and rough, hot or cold, fluffy, furry or fuzzy. Well, maybe not everything should be touched – poison ivy and bumblebees, for example. Even isolated at home, there are wonders in nature to be savoured, if you take the time to look for them.

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. – Hal Borland

Moss is popular for her unusual beauty, but what distinguishes her is that she is accessible and down to earth. – Rita Clifton

Green moss shines there with ice encased; The long grass bends its spear-like form; And lovely is the silvery scene When faint the sun-beams smile.    –Robert Southey

This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, stand like druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Happy Wednesday!

This is my post for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sense of Touch

Wilderness Wednesday: Neighbourhood

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animals, barns, classic cars, cows, dogs, nature, neighbours, photography

Just walking in the neighbourhood… I gotta work off the Easter cupcakes somehow! 😉

 

 

I dressed and went for a walk – determined not to return until I took in what Nature had to offer.  Raymond Carver

Happy Wednesday!

Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Wheels

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black and white photography, black&white Photography, CB&W, family, nature, Photo Challenge, photography

My dad’s wagon for wood, long abandoned in the center of the woods.

End your day with a smile, a happy thought, and a grateful heart. – Clint Walker

Happy, restful Sunday!

This is my post for Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Wheels

Wilderness Wednesday: Like a River

Tags

nature, photography, River scenes, Wilderness Wednesday

How are you doing?

We continue to tuck in at home, which the introvert in me is loving. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that most of my time has been spent at my folks with Little Guy. We watch tv, play board games and drink endless pots of tea. Last week we made the 2.5 hour drive home (I had to pee most of the trip – no rest stops!) so I could lead worship for our online church service and deliver groceries. Three of us played and sang to an empty sanctuary, which was strange. What was stranger was watching the service later in my pjs. We are trying to establish some routines. Little Guy works on school stuff on my laptop. Mom and I spend time on Bible study. I get exercise by wrestling with Dad for the t.v. remote and chasing grackles from the bird feeder. On some days, we go for walks and see no one. Which is great because I only have enough hair dye left for one more touch up. It’s not going to be pretty. Did I also mention endless pots of tea?

All the while, the ice is melting, the birds are singing, and the earth is slowly greening…

 

Time is like a river. You cannot touch the same water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of your life. -Unknown

Happy Wednesday!