No, not that kind of duck delight, you carnivorous foodies.
This kind of duck delight comes only when you happen to be a bird fanatic and move into a home with a huge pond in your back yard where all kinds of water birds visit or live every day.
The delight comes mighty early, depending on when I creep onto the lanai with coffee and make a bit of noise. This incites a voyage of serious fowl from across the pond to arrive with hungry, pitiful squawks for breakfast. These guys and gals are friendly but don’t play when it comes to getting their fair share.
A few strays flitted in near the end of breakfast and tried to fight for some tidbits, but the residents would have none of it and quickly sent them waddling..
We love our new neighbors, all of the two legged varieties. 😀 I might never leave this delightful place without putting up a fight.
Happy #free48!
This post brought to you courtesy of Linda Hill’s #SoCS prompt.
Check out her place for other great prompts and more blog posts by talented bloggers.
Today’s prompt was to use ght.
This post is brought to you by Linda Hill’s SoCS prompt for today, “nuts”. Visit her blog page for the rules and link to other great posts!
And if you need a beer and some time talk , stop by Dan’s place. The bar is serving up some new appetizers!
These are older images that called for a revisit with today’s prompt. Happy #free48 everyone!
If you think that nature is accidental, without order or purpose, or that what we do has no impact on its metabolism, then you aren’t looking closely…
We are all leaders and followers, explorers and sages, lost and found, stumbling around in a daze, the days float by like wispy clouds across the landscape of evolution, revolution simmers within the soul of forgotten dreams, what seems to be is not and up is down, the quaking ground disintegrates while we dance upon its face and disgrace the toils of our ancestors, blaming them for not foreseeing our arrogance and gluttony, the litany of progress and technology drowning out the cacophony of the Earth’s despairing cry-“Hear me!”
Every living thing, every cell within existence, is part of the never ending chain. What seems minuscule to us is in turn herculean to another, right down to a single celled organism. You can’t idolize Science when it heals you, gives you technology and progress, then deny it when it tells you something that is frightening, undeniable and imminent.
Look closely. It isn’t just about you or me. There are others who stand to lose and be lost, generations denied their own opportunities if we don’t accept responsibility and work for change.
Please…don’t break the chain.
Look closely at this image. At first glance the tiny photo-bomber seems like an ant. It isn’t. It is just a tinier version, looking up to our tiny friend who looks up to another who looks up to another, who looks up…
Whenever I feel discouraged, which seems to be a lot these days, I go outside. Nature never changes its course. It doesn’t whine about the weather, but behaves accordingly. It doesn’t beg for attention because it is too busy trying to stay alive.
There is much comfort in watching bees going about their business or taking awhile to sleep in the folds of a blossom. Watching bird couples scout for food and then share what they find with each other speaks to cooperation and partnership better than any human interaction I have seen lately.
I can feel the trees breathing from where I sit, far beneath their branches; and I cringe to think how ignorant are those who can’t accept that we need their presence for the very oxygen that we enjoy. It’s not simply that we can’t all get up and run to a rally or pledge large sums of money to conservation efforts. The heartbreaking truth is that so many turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the fact that this world is dying beneath the crushing weight of our careless humanity.
It is the same philosophy that addresses the messes left in a grocery store or a discarded half full shopping cart. The “Oh they pay someone to do that,” theory to support apathy extends to global and political problems. The idea that “nature will take care of itself” or “we’ll leave that to the experts” is a copout of the worst kind. Will someone clean up behind you at WalMart? Most of the time. This issue is not about ‘someone’ fixing things. It is about the plague of disregard that is spreading its fingers insidiously over the world.
They are right about one thing. Nature will take care of itself. If Biblical history is to be believed, it once rained for forty days and forty nights to cleanse the planet. If Science is to be believed there have been other catastrophic weather purges since the dawn of time. Make no mistake. Earth will survive, and no matter how many guns you have stashed, no matter how many properties you own across the globe or how much money is stacked in the digital memory of your bank account, it will not save you from Nature’s unraveling.
Well, we started out with a bang and perhaps we shall end with one. Or maybe just a collective surprised whimper.
I love my little piece of Nature and will do whatever I can to preserve it. It think I’ll start by having a party..a garden party. Here are a few of my guests!
The beauty queens!The Itsy Bitsy Spider can dance!The workers never stopThe FaerieThe cleanup crewThe Lovers
As usual, I spent time outdoors over the #Free48 and being in the garden means seeing some of my favorite tiny friends. I was preparing to fertilize my blooming plants and went for my hose when I noticed this lady in a bit of a treacherous situation. Within a couple of hours the sun would be scorching…
I tried getting her rolled over with a stick but she just didn’t grasp it. I tried to pick her up but she got frightened and her wings went berserk. Eventually she clung to the stick and we got her relocated to a nearby potted plant. She quickly snuggled in among the leaves.
I checked in on her throughout the day but she remined hidden in the plant. I hope it wasn’t near the end of her life; but if so, at least she was able to slip away in the cool of the shadows rather than blister in the 90 degree torture.
They are so other worldly looking..
This has been a record Summer of the Cicada around here and I consider it a good omen. Here is a bit about the nature and life of the Cicada as a spirit totem:
The cicada is an ancient symbol with themes of resurrection, imortality, spiritual realization and spiritual ecstasy.
For many, the Cicada represent personal change, renewal, rebirth and transformation. Unlike the butterfly or moth, the Cicada does not go through a complete metamorphosis and has no pupal state. They represent what they were as a nymph and all the glory of what they become in their adult form.
The presence of Cicada teaches us about qualities such as restoration and tolerance as well as a strong connection with Mother Earth.
It represents a time to be honest with oneself. When we fall into the comfort of pleasing others we tend to live make-believe lives.
Through the connection of the soul to Cicada, one is able to remember all the truths that have been long buried. Forgotten thoughts and ideas rise to the surface once more, allowing us to tap into them easily.
Its voice assures us that we are of utmost importance and we can use our own voices to effectively communicate our true selves and there is no need to live under anyone’s shadow.
Most people close to me understand that while I am quite practical about many things, I also have a very open mind and an even more open heart when it comes to the mystical, magical, ethereal possibilities that exist. A lot of folks have no trouble believing in angels and even ghosts, but simple things like visible energy or communication between worlds is too ‘big’ for them to consider worth contemplating.
Whatever you want to believe, I often experience little magical miracles that occur when I least expect them and need them most. The miracles in my days are often tiny, like the small creatures that crawl or flit into view that I am sometimes able to capture with a camera. Since I, too, often feel unnoticed and insignificant, these creatures loom large in my radar and I want to share their magnificence with the world.
Bees have been prolific this hot, humid Summer. They have presented in all shades, colors and sizes in great numbers. My little garden has become a haven for winged things, many of whom I have shared with you already. I can often tell when one of my tiny friends is waning. A butterfly that sits too long on the bloom and will crawl willingly onto a finger is usually found dead soon after. The same goes for bees lingering too long or moving too slowly. A few days ago there was a tiny bee who stayed in my garden for most of the day, crawling among my pink coneflowers, barely moving from bloom to bloom. It allowed me to get really close for photos and even hung around during the regular run of the sprinkler. I joked that our little friend was enjoying a spa day!
Since we have had temps in the 90’s it seemed our tiny pollinator was enjoying the refreshing shower. Although nearly invisible compared to the larger bumblebees and carpenter bees that visit, this little beauty was delicate and magnificent.
As far as I knew it was still around when we turned in for the night. The next morning the bee was gone but there had been a bit of early morning rain which left lots of lovely drops everywhere. Dewdrops and raindrops are in my top ten favorite things to photograph so I immediately started snapping photos with my phone. I made my way around the garden and ended up by the birdbath. To my great sorrow, I spotted my little bee guest floating near the edge, dead. I was saddened but not surprised. I took it out of the water and laid it in the dirt to be a part of the garden. 😔
When I began editing my photos I was delighted and not surprised to see beautiful, delicate little orbs around the cone flowers where my bee spent the last day of its life.
I have to say here that I have had all sorts of light anomolies in photos and definitely know how to recognize sunlight orbs and dust particles as well as mist spots. I have also taken photos that had orbs in them where none of these influences were present.
What are they? I can only guess. I personally feel they are energy, energy tied to extreme emotional responses. But that is my unscientific supposition. Then again, I am not a scientist. I am merely an observer and willing participant in this madly intriguing walk we call life. I will continue to watch for miracles, lift up the unseen into the light of appreciation, and accept what gifts the universe chooses to give me.
