Photohunters: Pet Portrait and Upper

  Pet Portrait Photohunt

Upper Photohunt

To combine the two photohunters themes, I went back to old shots I took of Trono and Abby in the 1990s. They are both died a long time ago.

The first shot only shows their upper body but the second shot shows their upper and lower body.

Click Pet Portrait Photohunt and or click for the Upper Photohunt.

Nature Notes: February flies along

Like every other month this winter, February is a mix of weather.

It snowed over the weekend and I tried to capture it falling.

In some ways I find it easier to photograph falling snow at night than in the day time.

The premature narcissus was covered in snow.

The bluejay below was having a snack while the snow fell although you can barely see the snow in this shot.

The female cardinal below was all puffed out for warmth.

The next shot was taken at sunrise and the birds gathered in the tree.

The female cardinal arrived at my deck for breakfast.

The camellias look pretty to me in the snow even when they turn brown.

Berries in the snow always make me think of Christmas even though we only rarely have a white Christmas.

The bird in the next shot is a rufous-sided towhee and the sundial is waiting for the sun.

The male cardinal always stands out in his flamboyant feathers.

The female rufous-sided towhee is having a big breakfast.

A sparrow and a male rufous-sided towhee look pretty close for comfort.

Finally the male towhee has the space for himself.

The juncos always come to my deck when I put out food in cold weather.

Below is a sunrise shot I took.

My deck was covered in bird footprints.

After some sunny days most of the snow has melted.

Click for the home of nature notes.         

Today's Flowers: What a Difference a Day Makes

Yesterday, Friday, I noticed the Japanese Magnolia was beginning to get some buds.

This tree frequently blooms too early and the blooms are short lived.

Today, Saturday, it started off raining but then changed over to snow around 10:00 am.

I photographed the camellia above from my kitchen door and the camellia below from my bedroom window.

The next shot is Pieris Japonica which I shot from my living room window.

The last shot was also taken from my living room window and includes my camellia with the Pieris Japonica. Fortunately, unlike my neighbor's camellias, my camellia isn't blooming yet and hopefully will hold off until spring.

Click for the home of Today's Flowers. 

Photohunters: Miniscule Foods I like

 Miniscule

Foods I like

I went back to my photo archives looking for shots I've taken of foods I like. The first shot is of moravian coffee cake.

 

In order to combine the two themes, I thought I'd show you one food that I can eat as much as I want of and the other shots are of foods I can only eat in miniscule portions due to a digestive condition I have.

The shot above was taken when I used to grow a lot of salad greens and I filled up the colander and put it in the garden box for a photograph. The shot below is of an apricot compote simmering on the stove. 

Can you guess which foods I can only eat miniscule amounts of and which I can eat as much as I like of? For the past few years, I have to limit the amount of fruits and vegetables I eat but I can eat as much cake, ice cream, coffee cake, and bread as I want. Of course that's only in terms of not aggravating my digestive system. There are other reasons for not trying to live on cake. I love fresh produce so it has been a nuisance dealing with limiting the amount of it I eat. Click here for the miniscule photohunt and click here for the Foods You Like photohunt.

Nanture Notes: Moving into mid February

Some birds blend into their surroundings but male cardinals stand out, especially in the winter.

Squirrels blend into the bark of the trees.

We are continuing to have a wide range of temperatures and weather.

The brown thrasher below blends into the leaves.

I am remembering to look out my living room window to catch shots of the birds in my front yard instead of always photographing them through the deck door.

The robins have been very active on the ground during the warmer days but go back to the trees when it turns cold again.

Some days it is hard to remember that its winter but then the next day can be quite cold again.

The female cardinal below was waiting her turn for one of the front yard baths.

 

I love the patterns of the ice I dump out of the bird baths.

I've been catching a lot of reflections in the bird baths.

Sparrows like the one below are another bird that blends into the dried leaves.

The bird below was photographed in full color but it was a black and white day.

The American Robin showed off its red breast.

I love the light in the next shot.

In spite of the sky being partly gray the light bronzes the tree.

Click for the home of Nature Notes.