I am also looking forward to doing more challenges. Summer has kept me busy so now that it is slowing down, I can find ways to play. thanks Cee for restarting CFFC for fun foto challenges.
Now that fall is around the corner, the oranges and yellows of fall are beginning to show their pretty little faces. I think this is one of several varieties of coreopsis.
While this is thought of as a single flower, if you look close, there are tiny flowers in the center. Nature is so cool. As you enjoy nature, carry that smile and share it with others. That smile may be just that thing someone needs.
Since March is one of those months that can’t make up its mind about being warm or cold, I feel this is a perfect time to share a few cold pics. A couple of them are from winter but even today that white stuff is around.
After a warm December, January dropped 2 feet of the white stuff.
I really like the tree in the picture above. Nature has a way of making cold look beautiful.
Even the birds were cold and saying “Whose bright idea is this?”
My dog Daisy is not a fan of cold. She will burrow down or get completely under the covers. I gave up making the bed.
If we look through a creative lens of almost all things God creates, we can see the beauty in it. One of the things we don’t realize the beauty of it is kindness. Kindness has a beauty that can touch our heart for a lifetime.
Green is the perfect color for February, especially when you have been surrounded by white for several weeks. What a wonderful reminder of soon it will think about being spring…just thinking about it make me smile. First we have proof of survival of 26″ of snow.
Then because it is still in the 30s we come inside and look at the green here. A favorite is the elephant tree. I have a thing for elephants, they are so cool.
Then the healing violet, hoping it blooms this year.
Last but not least is the variegated spider plant with many babies.
I hope my green made you smile and knowing spring is coming soon…or if you are down under, you may be losing your green before long. But smile for now and remember to be kind.
We are still in the last throws of summer so we are not seeing much color change yet. But I love the colors of Fall, so I am sharing some colors from last year. My neighborhood has a lot of yellow.
But the reds, ah, they are my favorite. They usually start first and we are just beginning to see a tiny bit of change. Here is a beauty from last year.
Each season has its life purpose and its remarkable beauty. They remind us of our own seasons of life and how we should embrace each season with its unique beauty, sharing that beauty with others…and to always be kind.
You can see the full village takes up two tables, well a desk and a table, plus the cathedral is on a shelf further over. The majority of these plaster buildings, I painted as a summer project in 2000 and a few others have been bought over the years. This year we expanded the “country” by adding the mountain and ski slope.
And of course any good snow covered mountain needs an abdominal snowman…thanks to the Rudolph character Bumble.
But I must close with sharing the beauty of a new addition. My daughter knows my love for angels and got me this beautiful piece. At night, it’s lights glow, making it even more beautiful.
So regardless of the holiday you may celebrate this time of year, I remind you to do it with love and kindness. Those aspects of any holiday make the memories last longer, creating smiles and kindness that can carry you for the rest of the year.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge fits right in with my yard this week…birds. I have learned a lot about birds this year as in the birds you wants verses the birds you get. There are two major things that dictate that, the type of food and the type of feeder. Some of these pics are repeats but they tell and explain the reason for their repeat.
Platform feeder with red house finches
This feeder above had belong to my sister so it has sentimental value as well as interesting feeder options. The platform feeder draw those birds who usually feed on the ground.
George and Chippy…again
I enjoy the mourning doves but not so much the chipmunks. Also a big fan of the platform feeders are sparrows. Since they are also ground feeder, they love the platform feeders as well. What a lot of amateurs’ like me don’t understand is that sparrows, while they are cute, they are take over birds, meaning they run everyone else off with their sizable gathering. So I changed feeder types…
Dummy!!
But I didn’t read the fine print of my research. To distract sparrows, you need tube feeders with less perching options. Then maybe they won’t end up inside the feeder. Silly bird. Food type is also important. Your basic mixed bird food also draws in other non-bird feeders to you station.
So I learned that squirrels don’t like safflower seeds and other birds do, so we swapped to that and at least eliminated that particular pest problem. Now to be rid of sparrow problem or at lease tone them down. Switch to thistle seed. This seed is a favorite for finches, juncos and chickadees. The seed stackers are also an option and they come in “hot” flavors to distract squirrels.
So the drawing paper is out for new yard design for next spring to add in other types of feeders while still allowing the sparrows to come play. The air is cooling (finally) so the thistle seed will come out as it adds for the energy nutrients needed for cooler weather. When it really gets cold, we will add out the suet feeders with the extra fat needed for warmth.
But we cant leave our bird story until we also show our zippy friend…
Best feeder
Of all the hummingbird feeder I have tried, I like this one the best. I have one at the house as well as at the church. So regardless of the birds you enjoy watching, remember they are also a gift of creation, so remember to always be kind to all kinds.
Nature creates blooms from huge to tinyNature displays objects from elegant to craftyNature shows seasons of growth, change and rest
Nature is a gift from God for us to enjoy each day as we open our eyes to see the beauty that is in front of us, regardless of the season. We people have a nature and the strongest component is kindness.
Flowers were the first thing I could think of that only had two colors. What an interesting challenge Cee has given us.
I am showing you what I am calling my Flame lilies. Some neighbors at the end of the street had them so the birds thought I needed them as well. They are quite striking.
Then we go to green and brown…concrete is not really a color right?
I know you can’t really tell his size but he is a tiny baby.
same baby, too cute, had to share again
Nature is such a fun medium. Most of my photos are somewhere in that category. And remember, being kind creates a smile so smile often.
Also remember to not be so hard on yourself. We sometimes had a tendency to do that. So be kind to you.
I am connecting in on the last of the Gratitude Scavenger Hunt challenges with something you don’t always when looking at the moon…the man.
The Man in the moon
Normally the moon is too far up in the sky to see it clearly and my phone did not do it justice, but it was a moment of beauty. He seems to be crying from his left eye as tears, being blown by the wind, roll down his face while he sings “Oh, oh, oh”.
All of the items on the fun scavenger hunt should be things we think of often to help each other survive this crazy thing we call life. The things that make us smile, we can share with others to help them smile. We should always share in kindness with others to show the beauty we all have inside. Nature all around us shares its beauty every day, we just have to open our eyes and look. So share the beauty you have inside by sharing kindness. It can be an amazing sight. Be a kind light for someone.
While I do agree with Cee on the beauty of nature, but it can also has a fun whimsical side. My case in point, I give you the story of the potato family members where mother potato refused to let any of her children go out on their own. This family was pulled this morning from the community garden of my church.
The balancing act mom had to do did not bode very well so she used my juice glass from this morning to help stabilize herself. Even her other children stuck close to protect the baby in the center…
All in all, they are a very loving family. They must have been watching how elephants come in close to always protect the younger ones in the herd. And I am sure they will be tasty with my string beans tonight. 😊. Always remember the beauty of nature even when it looks funny.
Thank you for stopping by for a moment of silliness. I hope it made you smile. Remember that smiles are contagious so share them often.
For the Love of 