Yardwork and spring

Well as far as I'm concerned, it is official, nice spring weather is here to stay. WHY? Because I cut my grass for the first time last Saturday the 25th of April. OMG that is 7 whole days ago. Lo and behold, I have to do it again today or tomorrow, it is growing really fast. The next day I went out to do some more yardwork, I was already sore from mowing the day before because my mower's self propelling feature is broke. I promised myself that after I did some yardwork I would take some pictures. Yardwork can be a ZEN experience and I don't dislike doing it but I didn't really feel like doing it that day because I was sore and I couldn't wait to take pictures because that is more fun. There are all kinds of neat buds, blossoms, and flowers springing up around the yard. Anyway, here is one of the pictures I took of a white and yellow daffodil. The backlight was perfect and the low angle really gave it the look I was trying to capture. SUCCESS!!!

Feeding Squirrels

A great way to get close enough to squirrels to capture good shots of them is to feed them peanuts in the shell. It gives you plenty of time to observe them and as they realize that you want to keep feeding them and not hurt them, they will 'pose' for you and maybe even eat out of your hand. If you are a photographer and/or an animal lover, this is great fun!
I came across this neat 'squirrel' video, it's about 5 minutes long.....

Check out this mama squirrel teaching her baby how to climb a wall......

Give A Squirrel A Helping Hand @ Yahoo! Video

Hopeful...Spring weather is coming.....

Well I've been trying to update my blog with a new post for several weeks. Just couldn't seem to get it together. Well here I am with a new post on this official first day of Spring. We had a few nice days, what a welcome thing! Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day felt more like a real spring day than today. Even though it is colder today, I noticed some buds on my lilac bush and on a tree in my yard and lots of new shoots coming up. I didn't feel like taking a picture, (I know that is so unlike me) but looking through my archives I found this awesome picture I took of my grandson looking at flowers, in front of the Rock Hall, at the end of summer in 2007. It is a happy, pretty picture and to me is HOPE of beautiful new life that is already starting to grow! Hope you enjoy as much as me!

Who Is Watching You?

You Never Know.



...and YES - this was a real live owl, at a sportsman show in Toronto.

HOWEVER - my DREAM photo of an owl, will be one in its natural habitat!

Dreaming of Summer

On this cold January day, I can't seem to get warm, especially my feet. The room where my computer is, is very drafty. The cold air pours in and my feet are like ice cubes. I've tried several remedies, including extra socks, boots, plastic bags, blankets, space heaters, you name it. A friend told me to get a pair of Uggs (made in Australia) and lined with sheepskin. You are supposed to wear them without socks. They are very expensive, I am going to buy a pair when I have some extra money. By the time I have the money, it will probably be summer...rofl!
We even weather stripped around the door last year. The house is old and the frosty air still sneaks in, it's almost as if it is an entity and has a mind of its own. SO - I am dreaming of summer, sunny beaches, warm breezy air, the sound of seagulls and waves rolling in, and walking in the warm sand barefoot, looking for seashells, beach glass and whatever other treasure might be there for the taking. This picture, although it is a still life in a studio setting, helps me to conjure up those memories. Hopefully it will help you too.

Shoveling snow and stray cats.

Well I shoveled a lot of snow yesterday and today, and I'm really sore. I was too tired and too cold to take pictures so I came inside to get warm and take a rest. When I got my energy back it was too dark. So no snow pictures this time around. I was looking through my files of snow pictures from last year to post, but nothing struck my fancy. Then I remembered when we had our first snow in December of 2007, about 2 weeks before Christmas, Miss Kitty was out in the snow. She was acting bewildered and I got the feeling she never saw snow before. So of course I took some pictures of her trying to hide from the snow, she peaked her head out of her hiding place and I captured this one. She was a stray that just appeared out of nowhere one day three months earlier. She wasn't afraid of me and kept coming around whenever I went out to the front of the house. I ignored her for a few days and then I couldn't help myself, I started talking to her, petting her and feeding her. I didn't want the cost and responsibility of another animal, and I already had and still have a dog. So I took some really good pictures of her, (not the one shown here), and made a little 'found cat' flier and hung it up at several places, but no one ever claimed her. I called every animal shelter in the area and surrounding areas, no one was taking cats because they were overflowing with strays. So we ended up keeping her. She is at my boyfriend's house with his cat. He didn't want another animal either. BTW - both cats tolerate Faith, my dog, and I think they are even starting to like her a little, she's always trying to check them out, and of course gets really jealous when I pay attention to them instead of her.

Happy New Year!

Words.....