Being a bird watcher has been an enjoyable passion for as long as I can remember. This endearing past-time was taught to me with fun by my Aunty Bliss (Mom’s twin sister). She was a scientist of sorts, as she filed and categorized all the birds she photographed. She passed that love onto me, though she kept better records than I. I passed it on to one of our sons. Many precious memories are on file birding with my Aunt as a child and as a grown-up with my son.
I thought of them both recently when looking out at the pond. To my great surprise, I saw this Great Blue Heron sitting on the fence! On the fence? I have seen many of these lovely birds in my day, but never sitting on a fence! If you look closely in the photograph, you will notice the pond is frozen. Guess no fishing was to be done that day.
Grabbing my camera bag and changing the lens I thought the bird would surely be gone. To my great joy it was still there. I have a 300mm fixed lens for my camera, but still needed to crop the photos to get a better view. This makes the photos not that great, but, as I was taught in a photography class once, “A rather bad photo is better than no photo at all.”
Have you ever seen a Great Blue Heron sitting on a fence?
This word draws pictures in my mind of bright, beautiful flowers to the whiskers of a cat among many other images. For everything in the world shows design. Even the mud pies my children used to make so long ago.
A book written by Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, says it all for me. As I live here on this farm out in the country, I see design and a designer literally everywhere. For that matter, this very machine I am typing on screams design.
It seems like common sense to recognize this fact. Yet lately it appears all sense and sensibility has flown the coop.
What a fun word. Or rather what fun, dear memories it conjures up for me.
My father-in-law was a real fix-it man. Born in 1912, he was a child of the Great Depression. He sure knew how to fix things, and make needed/wanted household items from scraps in his shop. He kept everything knowing he made need it for a project someday.
I loved his shop and would spend time with him in it watching, listening and chatting with him. It was neat & tidy—a place for everything and everything in its place.
He went home to be with The Lord many years ago at the grand old age of 98.
Memories of him linger in our hearts and homes as we still enjoy the many things he made for the necessity of our homes so long ago. They are dear to our hearts.
Which season of the year do you like best? Here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, we have all four. Pictures of the Valley will prove it a hard thing to choose the favorite one. At least it is for this blogger.
The end of one season brings a happy au revior with much anticipation for the next one. Plans are always hatching with each new seasons’ arrival. Spring flowers, vegetable gardens, pumpkins and apples, and long winter nights. Each has it’s own unique, wonderful quality. I must admit, the Spring frost date has a way of waiting far too long before coming here in the Northern end of the Valley. New folks to the Valley do not believe me when I say it is mid-to-end of April. We can have snow in October, have slept with windows open in November, and been under a blanket on a summer July night! Makes it all the more interesting, don’t you think? We shun the hot sun in the summer in any cool spot available, and bask in it in fall and winter. Fickle aren’t we? Seasons have their ways, and we adjust.
This winter has seen very little snowfall. A pretty snow fell around mid-December, and that is it. Most folks do not miss it much, nor the work that comes with it. But I enjoy being out in it walking the dog (and cats, they come too), feeding the horses and watching their foggy breath float all around their heads and muzzles. Snow quietly falling on their shaggy winter coats. Do you know a horses’ coat can grow 1/4 on cold winter nights? Cool huh?
The earth is the Lords, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell in it.
Surprise this early morning though, as a blowing snow suddenly filled the view from the window with white. It was gone as fast as it came. A real hit and run. I have only a few photographs to share of the only snow so far this year, and one bad one from this morning.
Which season is your favorite? I cannot answer that question, for I throughly enjoy each and every one of them. Happy winter to you!
After all “In the beginning was The Word”. The meaning of the verb conclude is wonderful. It has two related meanings; one is to come to a decision, the other is to bring to a close.
This year is nearly ready to come to a close, and I have surely made a decision about it. God is in control. He always has been. He always will be. Nothing catches Him by surprise. He has mapped out this coming New Year already and I am sure looking forward to it. For He goes before us.
This is a common phrase used by horse folks. It refers to the way a horse moves in his gaits. Every horses’ action is different, not only because of their breed but many other factors add into the way they move. Size of the horse, length of the pastern, slope of the shoulder, breed of the animal, weight of their shoes, and I am sure much more than I even know about have an influence on the way a horse moves.
One interesting thing I have noticed over all my time spent with other horse folks is that we also watch and appreciate the way a dog moves, even though the gaits are different. Dogs leap in their running gaits. Horses do not. Dogs have also been in my life for as long as my memory will go, but I have not considered myself a dog person as much as horse.
They are both social critters that enjoy human interaction. In many ways they train similarly too: Praise and Reward; Consistency and Persistency; the human touch, and pleasant voices. The words do not necessarily need to be pleasant, just the tone of voice. So, the next time you get mad at your dog or horse, call them anything you feel like at the time, just use a pleasant tone of voice. This is sure to make you laugh and ease the tension! Then it would probably be wise to stop for the day, or at least for that training session time. Never call your dog or horse ugly, derogatory names in an ugly tone of voice. That is downright rude!
Anyway, back to ‘action’. Here on our farm we have two different breeds of horses. One has Quarter horse in her, the other is a Tennessee Walking Horse. They have very distinct and beautiful gaits between the two of them. High Hope, our part Quarter horse, is a three-gaited horse. Which means she walks, trots, and gallops.
Duke, our Tennessee Walking horse, is what is called ‘a gaited-horse’. This means he has five gaits. He walks, flat walks, trots, paces, and gallops. Gaited horses are known though for their smooth flat walk (it has several other names). This means his ‘action’ looks much different to the observer than High Hope.
Do not worry, I am not giving you a quiz on the gaits of horses. Though I do teach my riding students the differences. But, of course, they can tell the difference the moment they ride. The reason for this blog was to post some nice action shots I have taken of the horses and dogs. It is like poetry in motion watching a four-legged animal move. I try to catch the cats on film too. Now that is a challenge for me.
Poetry has a beat to it. Four legged animals do too. It is lovely to hear and exciting to watch. If you are quiet enough you may even hear the beats in some of these photos…
Life is busy. It has never seemed to slow down. When I was young it seemed so full and busy, and now that I am older with children all grown and gone, I feel even more busy! I am very aware of being on the short end of a good long life and I want to keep it full for as long as I am able. But sometimes I do get beyond myself.
Early morning time with Jesus saves my heart and soul. I would be done for without His comfort and presence in my life. He gives me hope and strength as I pour my heart out to Him.
I heard that phrase a long time ago. It took a while for me to figure it out. However with the advent of I phones it suddenly became very clear. Probably because we always have the device on us. It seems now we are always talking to at least two people at the same time. One is in person, the other on the device. It rather feels unfair to both parties.
Is that one reason we as folks feel more lonely than ever before? It is a personal challenge to not do it, and give the person I am with in person my full attention.
Note: This is my first attempt to participate in this challenge of Five Minute Friday, please be patient.
I may be stretching the idea of still life. My mind tells me it consists mostly of fruits, flowers, and glass usually set on a table. I recall drawing still life objects in art class in school set up in this way.
However, my favorite old dictionary defines still life as any inanimate object, in addition to fruits, flowers and glass. So the subjects for this little In Focus blog are inanimate photos I have taken. Do you have any you would like to share? Please do! If you would add this blog title in your post, it will allow others to connect to this one (I think?).
Anyway, have fun, and share your still life photos as well.
Really, they would not even be called friends. Familiar, tolerant neighbors is probably the best way to describe these two. Edward, the Emu, is our neighbors’ bird. Dandy is our dog.
I met Edward a couple years back. His owner and I are horseback riders and have ridden together. He stays in the barn and fields with her horses. They all get along very well. Even her sweet dog has no problem with Edward. I have to say at our first meeting having the sense of something big coming up behind you is a little unnerving. Then out of side vision, a big bird face is looking straight into your eyes! I must admit, it rather sent a chill down my spine. He disappeared then reappeared around the other side of my face. I was assured he was fine. He has been at her barn for over fifteen years. Everyone there still had their eyes, so I figured all was well.
Dandy on the other hand does not necessarily agree. The first time he saw Edward out in the field, he would not even continue our walk. Instead, he turned straight around and high-tailed it home! It took a lot of encouragement and several walks later before he would stay with me. Once he realized Edward was in only part of the fields facing the roads, he decided it was safe to pass. Only he would cutway out of the way through the field opposite of Edwards. Then join me farther down the road. It was funny to watch. Edward walking slowly up and down the fence row, Dandy barking at him from way out in the opposite field.
Emus are a native of Australia. Second only in size the the Ostrich, the worlds largest bird. Small wings are hidden in its feathers, it cannot fly. It stands about 5.5 feet tall and weighs around 100 lbs. Female emus lay between 8 and 10 eggs in a flat nest on the ground. The males then sit on the eggs until hatched. Baby emus are striped, but lose these markings as they grow older.
Months have gone by now since their first meeting. Now Dandy runs to the fence barking at Edward. He knows Edward cannot get out. Many times he sits on our porch looking for Edward out in the field and barks at him, “I see you from here!” Now, they look at each other, Edward looking over the fence, Dandy looking through the fence.
I think they may be friends yet.
Edward, the Emu.Dandy, the dog.Watching each other.Dandy now goes to the fence and barks at Edward.Edward coming to see Dandy.I see you from here! I’m watching you!
one_local_gal 