1-17 Bird Watching

On of my favorite spots for photographing the birds is our upstairs bathroom window. The window opens easily and in winter there is no screen to distort the image. Additionally, the window slides open smoothly and more importantly, silently. Usually the birds pay it no attention.

So, this morning I was sitting downstairs enjoying my morning breakfast when I spied a beautiful cardinal at the feeder. I quickly went upstairs to see if I could grab a good shot. The bird flew away before I, and my shadow Addie, made it up to the window.

Apparently Addie wanted to see the birds too as she then climbed up to look out the window. I love this shot where she is turning her head as if to say, " What? I'm busy."
She is such a funny joy!

1-16 Stopping by the Woods...

One of my all time favorite poems is Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost. I don't know when I first heard this poem or even why I like it so much. There is something so peaceful and majestic about it. Our backyard has this bench in our little "woods." I like to think of sitting there and watching the world go by.

1-15 Time for the Cardinals

I have had this metal anti-squirrel feeder for over 10 years. It is rusting in some places - mainly where BBs hit. We do our best to keep it full year round so as to not attract birds and then leave them hungry. All year long I am fortunate to see all types of birds. My favorite remains the cardinal in winter. There is just something so bright and cheery about the crimson plumage against a dreary winter sky.

Ancient Life Forms

Can you tell what this is? I was struggling with coming up with a photo subject as I feel that I have so many of snow and snowy scenes - dogs,birds, etc. Finally, in desperation as I sat in my car behind the ice covered windshield, I saw this. Cluster of ice stuck to the glass in spite of the blasting defrosters. Eventually, the ice melted and gave way to water - the origin of all life.

Sunrise 1- 13-11

Leaving the house just as the sun came up allowed me to witness this beautiful sight. The sky was a lovely watercolor of blues, pinks, oranges and purple. With the white snow on the ground and the houses enshadowed it made a lovely scene. Photography helps to capture the moment, but it is never the same.

Snow Day

Today was our third snow storm of the year. 6 - 8 inches of snow used to be consider a storm. However, after last year's record snowfall and major storms of 12 - 14 inches plus, 6 - 8 inches now seems like a dusting.
Today's dusting came last evening and didn't end until the wee hours of the morning. This lead to school closings and delays for may in our area.
After shoveling the front walks, (DH had wonderfully done the driveway and cars before work!) I took a walk over to the local sledding hill with the dogs. I let them play while I took some pictures of the sledders.
I really like this picture of Addie and Ahna having so much fun in the snow. They love the snow and enjoy wrestling each other. To the unknown observer their growls and snarls sound like a fight to the death. But I know that one yip of pain and the games stop on a dime.
I now have two exhausted dogs passed out dreaming of their snow day.

Deer

We have plenty of deer in our area of town. I thought these white wooden reindeer looked so pretty with their red tartan bows, the snow and the back-drop of the gaily lit bushes. It looks like a Christmas card.