My Valentine Day treat

What could be better than a walk on Hayswood Trail on this pretty Valentine afternoon?  Snow yesterday....57 degrees and sunshine this afternoon...maybe snow tomorrow!  That's Southern Indiana for you!

Of course, being in the company of grandkids Avery & Lydia made it even better!  My, oh my.....those kids are growing up.

The sky was so blue and I love those "whispy" clouds.  I know...
that's not a word, but it does describe the clouds.

The blue birds were plentiful...they had the brightest blue coats on...only visible when they were flying.

The geese were calm...someone else must have fed them earlier today.  They do look well fed, don't they?

Walking along the trail, we passed this candy heart someone had left behind...it made a pretty picture and reminded us IT IS Valentine's Day.

                   The view from the Old Rothrock Bridge is always a treat.

...and by the end of the trail, the clouds were beginning to gather.
Maybe rain and snow are in the future.

pretty in shadows

"I want more!"

SNOW - December 2012

"Michael's tree" in our front yard.  Even though the branches are falling off and it needs to be cut down, THIS is why it remains :)

...beautiful snow and watching 'Finding Neverland' - a peaceful morning :)

Spring comes early -- and I love it :)

Robins are plentiful in our neighborhood. This Momma is about ready to deliver I think.

She seems to delight in taunting Piston. Oh, Piston would love to get through that screen!

Bill (all on his own!) purchased this new bird feeder. Now we're just waiting for birds to find it:)

...and they did find it. "Uhhh, Bill, you didn't leave the tag on the birdfeeder, did you?" ......does he not know my aversion
to tags on items by now?

The forsythia bush at my Mom's house has been blooming all winter. Now it is in full bloom. ....so beautiful:)

Sunshine in the morning....   
I love seeing the early morning sun shining brightly through the house...settling on books, candles, and left-over candy canes... making
everything in its' path brighter - even the dust bunnies!

Delicious Autumn!!

"Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it and if I were a bird, I would fly about the earth seeking successive autumns."    George Eliot

My morning drive was truly delicious.
I love the golden fields, the changing trees, the shadows of the sun. 

The leaves are changing quickly this week.
Crisp mornings.... sunshiny days....praying for rain.

Even the "scrubs" along the roadside take on an extra-ordinary beauty.









But I wonder, "Where have all the birds gone?"

The 1 left behind

About 5 weeks ago, a pair of robins made their nest at the back of our house.  Mamma robin sat, and sat, and sat, and sat on the nest ....leaving only briefly to go to the bird feeder.  After about 4 weeks, I began to wonder.....and after some online research that confirmed my concern, I felt sure no babies were forthcoming.  Robins usually nest for 12-14 days before the eggs hatch.  I also read that only 40% of the nestings result in live births.  Anyway, in the 5th week of diligence in this 90-100 degree heat, Mamma robin began to be as concerned as I was.   She spent much of one day last week sitting on the nest and looking in as if she was considering what had gone wrong.  The next day, she moved down to the back of the swing in our yard and looked up at the nest with her beak open (I would swear she was grieving!).  The next day, she was gone and has not returned. 

Jason climbed up on the step ladder tonight and tried to peer into the nest, but ended up having to use the camera to take this picture in order for us to view the inside. 

the 1 left behind

Beautiful butterflies!

Butterflies go fluttering by on colored wings that catch the eye, on wings of orange, and silvery blue, on wings of golden yellow, too.  Butterflies float in the air making their homes most anywhere:  the rain forest, fields, and pasture land, on mountaintops, and desert sand.  If winter brings the cold and snow, to warmer climates, off they go.  Returning home the following spring, beautiful butterflies, on the wing!            (author unknown)

                   If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.

never forget

Early this morning, Bill and I were at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Corydon to place flowers on Mom Fern's grave.  This beautiful scene was set for the Veteran's Memorial Service scheduled for 10:30 this morning.  It was so quiet and peaceful there...a perfect time to pause and remember.

Earlier this week, Mom, Scott and I took this lovely bouquet to place on Dad's stone.  Scott finds such solace in visiting the cemetery...he always sits on the grass and talks aloud to Dad and just tells him what all we have been up to.  It's hard to believe it has been over ten years now...and I still haven't figured out how to fill in the blank for "in case of emergency call ______________________"  (:  

"Love ya, Dad" 

a nature trip in our own backyard

Avery, Lydia and I took a quick trip around the yard the other evening looking for "nature."  Lydia took her sketch pad to draw our finds.  We were all fascinated by this slug bug - a Limacus Flavus (Avery later got all the info from the internet at http://www.conchsoc.org/)  On its' right side about a third of its' length from the tentacles was a hole which we learned was a pneumostome (breathing hole).  The web site was neat because you could identify your find in a step-by-step identify process.  (the internet continues to amaze me!)

And how long was our slug?  ...an Avery finger-length...about 3 inches.  You can see the sparkling trail this little bugger leaves as he travels about. 

...and Avery found this perfect light blue bird egg on the ground by a stepping stone.  We couldn't figure why the egg was left in this spot and perfectly intact...maybe the bird got confused or some predator stole it from the nest.  It's still in the same spot 2 days later.  Guess we'll never know....but it was interesting to think about.

Where flowers bloom...so does hope.

Our first day lilies are just starting to bloom.  I love these beautiful flowers particularly when they are covered by dew or rain (No problem this week or last!)  What I don't like is the faded shell they become at the end of their glory AND I've never understood the deadheading process!

Our Elizabeth Taylor rose bush has quite an interesting story behind it.  Some years ago, Bill found a checkbook along the roadside where they were paving in Southern Indiana.  He tracked down the name on the checkbook, got a phone number and located the lady it belonged to (who lived in Illinois!).  She definitely wanted it back and drove to his workplace to retrieve it....and brought Bill a starter shoot for the Elizabeth Taylor rose bush -- her business was a nursery in Illinois.  I definitely do not have a green thumb but the bush always produces a few gorgeous roses for us to enjoy. 

Where flowers bloom so does hope.                       

 a quote from Lady Bird Johnson

                                                            

On a country road - FINDing Spring!

In early March, I took a drive to my favorite country road and offered up pictures of hints of Spring.  This week the drive reveals a plethora of green and Spring delights.  Here are a few:

Too much green to let the sun in now and the little bubbling stream is a torrent of water after the hefty rains we had.

A spider's masterpiece was just too cool!

country beauty -
 glory and perfection   

On a country road - looking for spring

This morning was beautiful and sunny here in Southern Indiana.  I drove to "my favorite spot" to capture some hints of spring.  Here are some of the pics...

The rolling hills of Southern Indiana with lingering snow  (no green, but it is coming!)














Just you wait....in no time, this scene will be full of spring!

Yes, there is actually a gravel road in Harrison County, Indiana...probably several of them.  This is my favorite...driving right along Big Indian Creek. 

Soon and very soon, these bare branches will be bursting with buds...I'll get another picture then.
I cannot resist this drive...it's a perfect personal oasis  (o-a-sis = something serving as a refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual, annoying, difficult, etc.)

Looking for Spring

This BlueJay was singing a happy song yesterday morning in the tree in our front yard.  I get aggravated with the Blue Jays occasionally because they try to "rule the roost" and keep the other birds at bay, but I guess..just like people..they were made a little more assertive than the others.

Snow drift right outside our back door

This drifting snow is all along the back of our house.  In the 40 years we've lived here, I've never seen it drift like this in this area.  I know the boys would have loved this pre-made fort when they were young.....so far the only occupant has been a kitty cat that ended up just passing through...at least, I think it was a kitty cat from the paw prints left behind.

Our neighborhood squirrel getting his fill

Gotta keep the little ones fed!