My Everything Corner

This mug found its way to me from Whitehorse, a city in the Yukon territory.  Every time I see this mug, I think of the trip that my family and I took up to that northern part of Canada in 2018.  The North is beautiful in a way that resonates with me. Trees and lakes. That's where my heart is. I love the ocean and it's beaches and the view of a mountain from a distance. But, put me in the middle of a forest with a lake just a short walk away, that's my heaven. I live in the middle of the prairies now, with farmland all around me. It's beautiful in it's own way, but it's the forest I long to be in. Trees are becoming more scarce in my neck of the woods as farmers have to clear their land to make room for the huge machinery that does the job of feeding the world today. I'm always sad to see the new piles of trees that sit ready to be burned when they are dry, and I'm sure it's hard on the humans who have made that choice. But there is a huge population...

 I'm typing this up in the midst of a blizzard. Until now, we've had to look at a desolate prairie landscape. A large amount of fresh white snow that's just in time for Christmas is winter perfection. Of course, it's going to make my walks around the yard more challenging and I will most likely have to pull out the snowshoes.  Like most everyone, we are stuck keeping to ourselves for the holidays. It's more than a little bit sad, but there is something very comforting about not having to go anywhere at all. It leaves plenty of time for blogging and reading and drinking all sorts of tea. I did not send Christmas cards out this year, so don't be waiting for one. Perhaps I'll make up for that next year, as I did enjoy sending out and receiving some lovely cards and letters from my wonderful blog friends. Merry Christmas!

A coffee scented candle and a mocha treat me to a coffee shop experience without leaving the house. I should put on some chatter in the background to complete the effect. Did you know that there is actually a channel you can listen to all day long that is just the hum of  people happily chatting? Winter has, so far, been exceptionally kind to us in terms of its temperatures and I've been able to enjoy long periods of time outdoors. It's good to be out listening to the noisy birds that visit our garden in the winter. Our house house has been so quiet since our daughter moved out in August. I do like quiet, but this is a bit much. We visited her in November and she is doing very well, enjoying living on her own, even though she is working long hours at her new job. My son turned 15 in August and recently acquired his learner's license. He took us on our first drive to the city yesterday, and did a great job. Yesterday also happened to be our daughter's 18th birthday and m...

 Have you ever seen an old black and white photo of a rainbow. Yeah, me neither. In my opinion, if I was a photographer back in the day, I believe time and energy would have been much better spent just looking at the rainbow and appreciating its fleeting beauty. 

 I go driving the back roads looking for wildlife to photograph, and I'm always especially on the lookout for owls. I see them often enough, but can never get close enough for a good photo. While out walking the other evening in my garden, this beauty shows up and patiently waits while I go to the house to get my camera and then allows me to take as many shots as I like. Then, I just sat awhile with him until I got cold. It was awesome.

 It doesn't matter what sort of day I'm having, the colours of autumn always cheer me up. Take a little stroll with me around my yard.

 Everyone loves pet photos. Everyone. Without exception. So, here's my dog. It is a gorgeous day here. Perfect for yard work, or just laying in the grass enjoying the last little while with the leaves.

A lot has changed in my household over the past month, and the month before that, we were busy preparing for the change. My firstborn has moved out at the ripe old age of 17, to a city 8 hours away. (insert tears here.) Photography and blogging were the last two things on my mind. But for the few of you who like visiting here, I did tote my camera around a bit and have finally managed to get around to working with a few photos.  That newfound time probably has a lot to do with the drop in temperature.  The great outdoors is suddenly not quite as tempting as a warm cup of tea in front of the computer.

American Avocet Spotted Sandpiper Moon on the evening of July 4th. Spreading Dogbane Anenome Female Red-Winged Blackbird It's not the greatest photo, but I finally got a shot of the baby  American Avocet. Such fancy plumage. A Wilson's Snipe- I think...

I wanted to do a quick post to say hello and share two photos with you. They are very different from each other, one being a straight up nature shot and the other being a heavily edited shot of a bubble. I made my own bubbles one morning and fashioned a wand out of a pipe cleaner. When my kids were little, I never ran out of bubbles as they were as important as milk. It kept my children entertained for hours. Actually, that morning, bubbles kept me entertained for well over an hour. If you haven't recently, I highly recommend you revisit this simple childhood pastime.  It won't help magically cure all of your adult troubles, but you'll enjoy a nice break.

It is very windy out there today. Warm, but it feels like Mother Nature is throwing things at you. I was out for 5 minutes and got hit in the face with several projectiles. Irritating, and a bit painful, so I decided to see what I had on my camera.  I'm in a black and white mood today.

Here are a few photos to give you an idea of how I've been spending these early days of Spring. I've been able to take walks before breakfast again. Transplanting seedlings has taken up a fair bit of time. I've also had some time to get creative with succulents I've overwintered. Exploring the garden for new growth is a daily surprise.