Christmas morning

Early Christmas morning....had to top the list of gifts received

White Christmas Eve

A beautiful white Christmas Eve.....

Ice play

Flood waters are receding

Slide show

With the strong winds blowing, I stood in on spot and watched a wondrous slide show over the lake

Fog beautiful

All be it foggy, it was a beautiful morning

Golden

On golden pond

Lake lights

A nice festive touch. Someone wrapped holiday lights around the bridge over Big Woods Lake

Frosty morning

This morning was the most beautiful winter walk. So many photo ops! How to choose which to share? Here, God outlined the leaves like a coloring book for nature to fill in with her artistic touch

Sparkle

We had our first snow last week...12 inches! But it has all melted. The days are unseasonably warm and the nights cold enough to freeze any rain that falls. Making my walk in the morning sparkle with tiny led lights

Let the prettiness begin

Ok, so we got 11 inches of snow. Yes, it is cold. But, oh the prettiness of winter has begun

First snow

Very first snow.....

Morning swim

Sun peaked out for a short visit...geese don't seem to mind the feel of the first winter storm brewing

Late fall day

Wind blown

45 mph winds today....Not sure how but they are hanging on

GOLD

There is gold in them there hills

Hangin on

Sometimes it is hard to let go

Front stage and center

Looking out of place, it stood there all alone, a stark green in contrast to the browns and golds of autumn that are already fading into the upcoming grays of winter....

design by J.Frost

My morning walk was chilly as evidenced by the art work left by J.Frost.

But than as I reached the other side of the prairie, the sun was warming things up

Even burdock can be pretty in morning's glow

So pretty

The prairie is always so pretty but I believe my favorite time is in the fall...

Lace work

Some beautiful lace work by Mother Nature herself

Snow costume

The golden rod still wearing its 'snow' Halloween costume.

Stain glass

I look up on my walk this morning to see nature's stained glass

Saturated nature

An early walk...chilly damp air
Such a quiet
Maybe an occasional bird or the panting of my dog.
A strong breeze shook the leaves on the trees
Sending the over night rain drops to fall to the ground
Hushed whispers...secrets.
A sense of loneliness blanketed over me. Nature's setting encouraged that
And yet with the rain and the overcast skies all the colors surrounding me
Were deeply saturated and soaked into the overcast gloom of the morning.

And now the oaks

and now the oaks.....

Autumn confetti

A peek at the moon

The moon was peeking at me through Mom's river birch branches the night I went to see her. I took it as a sign that the surgery ahead for her was going to be successful.....and it was.

Secret spot

A secret place. A place I think I am the only one who knows.. And I come to quietly sit, feeling blessed that I am here.

Three Leaves

Three leaves...leave 'em be

Porch sitting

I love sitting on my porch in all seasons. There is something very warm and reflective about being there in the fall.
With colors all around and a crispness in the air,
I choose it as my favorite time...
until spring arrives of course

Solace

She seeks deep within herself

The solace she desperately needs

Deep into the woods.

Hearing the breeze whisper for the sun

To hug with all its warmth.

Like her thoughts flashing,

Light and shadow dance across the trails

Traveling over the paths of today

-scattered and overwhelming-

Letting nature slowly calm her

As she continues on

Soul thirsty for energy from this sacred retreat.

Never to be disappointed.

It is here that she always finds her peace.

Leaves of Autumn

That time of year...leaves every where. All piled together, blown down the street, across the parks, swirling and whirling to land for a moment only to be picked up again by autumn's winds and taken somewhere to settle with many more...

Just let it soak it in

Congratulations

My beautiful daughter and her husband celebrate their 2nd anniversary today.
Very happy for them both

Such a beautiful day!

There are days when the sun is so bright, the air so fresh and around me so beautiful

that I can't seem to get enough.

Sunday morning gathering

I don't always make it to Sunday morning service
Instead I will walk some where quiet
where there is a gathering along a road..where my mind ventures down
The colors of fall, warmth of a love I feel in me
So much to be thankful for and here I am reminded of it all
Silent prayers

Reflections

a morning of quiet reflecting

Thankful

Stop....take a deep breath...give thanks..

Surprise

How fun. Look what I found as I was cleaning out the garden yesterday

Hidden down beneath the fallen salvia

Hanging On

Rushing around the house, busy, trying to get things together so I can get out the door to work.
God whispers for me to look up out the kitchen window.
The early morning light catches my eye as it shines through this one lone leaf clinging to a branch hanging down from my river birch tree
the strong wind trying to force it to let go
Naturally I had to 'catch' it with my camera while it still hung on

A Never Ending Story

Like walking in a novel page by page
Visualizing the time and place

Slowly it begins, softly and easily



The plot thickens as there is more to see and read and soak in
I get involved with the characters-sometimes wishing I could change them

Bring them closer.
But it is written.


Each sentence must be devoured...not rushing to get to the end
...I could miss that little clue,

that sentence that makes all the difference


Momentum builds and builds and than, there it is!

I do not want this story to end.
Thankfully the author, and his nature book, creates a never ending story

The Change

Sooner or later it was bound to happen
Nothing can stop it now
The trees are going through 'the change'

Day's End

Ending the day with a bang. The country road rides off into the sunset like an old western movie. When the day ends like this, imagine what the beginning of tomorrow will be.

A Calming Morning

Nature has a way of knowing when I need calming
mute the colors..
dim the lights...

Sunday of Color

Heartland farm, where I go to pick strawberries in the summer,
was filled with color Sunday. And I don't mean the rows and rows of pumpkins
or wagons of miniature ghourds.
Or the scary cutouts of Halloween spooks.
Cuteness abounded too with pygmy goats and pot belly pigs
Brightly feathered chickens and furry bunnies...
boxes of red and yellow apples.
The colors that caught my eye were all the children with sparkly eyes
and big white smiles,
running from the hayride to the corn maze to the haunted barn
counting the pumpkins lined up in neat rows..photo ops too many to count.
Each wearing brightly colored fleece jackets and hats-
wrapping their hands around warm cups of hot cocoa.
And it was my first time to enjoy it all with my only grand baby.

Doesn't get any better than that.