Day 59 - Old Glory - 2/28

This pictures isn't very good...pretty blurry, but I wanted to post it anyway. It was taken through the van window as we drove past. We live near this large reservoir and every winter, someone puts up this American Flag out in the middle. It stands there all winter until the ice melts. I am not sure if the flag is lost to the lake or whether it is taken down in time, but it stands there proudly while the ice holds. It is a wonderful sight for me as we drive by.

Day 58 - Signs - 2/27

I our area, you see these little "streetsigns" everywhere. We have a very active snowmobile association that maps out miles and miles of trails for snowmobilers. These little signs mark approved trails with speed limits, notices of roads ahead, stops and other warnings. They are miniatures of regular signs with the stop sign being about six inches across.

Day 57 - Pony - 2/26

I love the hairdo on this little guy. There are several horses with him, but this pony was the most curious and I think the cutest.

Day 54 - Icing - 2/23

We had a couple of inches of snow fall overnight and it was so lovely this morning. This storm had no wind, so all the trees were coated with this beautiful "icing". I took this picture from under some of the evergreen trees. I loved the contrast between the deep greens, white and blue of the sky.

Day 51 - Birdtracks - 2/20

Each day we seem to have a little bit of fresh snow, which means lots of new tracks made by animals and birds. This little bird can't seem to decide which way he is going.

Day 50 - Night Sky - 2/19

Just after sunset tonight, Venus and the crescent moon were very close. They were very striking against the dark sky. You can see a jet trail just above the moon.

Day 49 - Shadows in the Snow - 2/18

I've been looking back at my photos and I guess you could say that I love taking nature pictures. I can always find something wonderful about being outside and experiencing God's creation.

On my walk the other day, the sun was lower in the sky and was making the beautiful shadows as it came through the woods. The stark contrast between the white and dark shadows was wonderful. God speaks to me so loudly through his magnificent natural world. To me, his creation praises him daily with it's beauty.

Day 48 - Parakeets - 2/17

Our parakeets love the early morning sun. Their window faces east and they get the first few rays the come through the trees. Even on frosty morning, this window is nice and warm and the birds seem to really enjoy the brightness of the day.

Day 47 - My Stash - 2/16

This is what my family fondly calls, "Mom's Stash". It is an old peanut jar that sits on my computer table. It is more or less always filled with some type of chocolate. I do not fill it, my darling husband does. He never lets it run out.

Even though it is referred to as my stash, I do not eat all this chocolate (I do my fair share). Anyone who happens to sit at this computer seems to nab one or two. I find the telltale signs, empty wrappers around my keyboard, of the casual sniping that goes on.

Day 46 - Snow - 2/15

This morning before anyone else ventured out, I went out to take pictures of the results of our snowstorm. It was so beautiful. The sun was just peaking through the trees and making shadows everywhere and it was so cold the snow was sparkling. It truly was glorious. It never ceases to amaze me how God can make any day at any time of the year so beautiful.

This picture is of our birdbath. We turn the top over during the winter so it won't freeze. We keep another bird bath open all winter with a heater.

Day 45 - Birds - 2/14

We had our first major snowstorm of the winter today. It was fun to watch the snow coming down and the wind swirling. The birds however look at it a bit differently and almost get frantic when a storm hits. Brian filled our feeders last night (all 10 of them) and they were almost empty by the end of the day.

Day 44 - Lichen - 2/13

I have been amazed at how many times I can walk the same route and still see new things along the way. Today I began to notice how many trees had lichen and moss on them. I've read that lichen on trees is the sign of a healthy environment. It is nice to think that the area around our home is healthy for lichen, hopefully this also means people!

Day 43 - Snippets - 2/12

When I stitch, I save the bits and pieces of floss that I cut off. I'm not really sure why, but I have a small jar in my stitching basket that I put all the "snippets" in. This is the current pile of colors that I am working on. When the jar gets really full, it is very colorful!

Day 42 - Sunglow - 2/11

Yesterday evening, we spotted this wonderful sight. The sunbeams where coming out of the tops of the clouds. It was so beautiful. Brian ran outside and snapped a few pictures for me.

Day 41 - Old Glory - 2/10

It turned out blue and beautiful today. It was still cold and very windy, but the sun finally came out. I caught out flag painted against the blue sky on the way back from my walk.

Day 38 - Bird's Nest - 2/7

While out on our walk today, I noticed this bird's nest. It has a plastic bag woven into it. Gabe, Rachel and I started counting nests along the way. I came up with eight and Gabe counted two.

Comments on comments

Hi ladies!
Thank you so much for all your kind comments. I really don't feel like much of a photographer, but enjoy it and doing this project has helped me to "see" things that I might not have otherwise noticed.

QB-I just love stitching and our little group is very important to me. It allows me to continue stitching without feeling guilty about the time a spend doing it.

The pond in our yard is not very large...about 3'x5'. I would love to put in a larger one. As far as the leaves...it does get messy in the fall. If I remember, I put a piece of chicken wire over it and that helps a lot. If I don't, I have to do a lot of mucking in the spring. I have an old food colander that I use to bail it out. I enjoy working on the pond and it is just another part of my perennial bed that needs upkeep, but once it is cleaned out, it is very easy to keep.

The weather station is just for fun. I love weather and living in the northeast it is always changing. We might use it if we do a weather unit. I track daily temps and general weather in my journal. I have for years.

We love the woodstove. It is a shared heat source with our oil furnace. It keeps our family room and kitchen very comfortable. My dad does most of the wood gathering for us. He loves working in the woods and cuts the logs in the winter and then works during the spring and summer cutting it up and splitting it for us. I think Brian would still make the time to do it, but this saves us tons of time.

Kristine-A mud room would be a huge help to me and it on the list for maybe next year. We are hoping to add two bedrooms this year. We do all the work ourselves, so our projects tend to take a while.

Kathy-I love all kinds of handwork and I don't tend to get overwhelmed with them like other things. It is very relaxing for me to work with my hands.

Again, thank you all for taking the time to check out my blog.

Day 37 - Shadow - Tues 2/6

During our walk today, as we were crossing one of the bridges, I noticed our shadow on the ice below. It was still quite cold out today, but as you can see, nice and sunny.

Day 36 - Wind - Mon 2/5

It was extremely cold today and the wind was howling. Gabe and I ventured out for a walk anyway and actually enjoyed it.

We haven't had very much snow this winter, but what little we have was sure blown around today. This is the road in from of our house with the windswept snow blowing across.

Day 35 - Sumac - Sun 2/4

We have quite a bit of Sumac around, by the roadsides and around the fields. Gabe commented today that he thought the Cardinals like it. I wasn't sure, but I think I've heard that too. He thought it was good camouflage for them to sit on the branches and blend in with the red tips. It's pretty anyway and adds nice color to the drabness of this time of year.

Day 33 - Snow - Fri 2/2

We have not had much winter weather this year. It has been cold enough the last few weeks, but we have had very little snow. Each time a storm approaches, the temp goes up and we get rain. We have gotten a few snow showers this week that has given us white ground. Tonight it started to snow in earnest. I don't think we are suppose to get more than 3-4 inches, but it is so pretty out. This is the tree out our back door.

Day 32 - Ice - Thur 2/1

I saw this ice formation while out walking today. It was formed at the end of a culvert across the road and it was so beautiful and my poor photography doesn't do it justice. The light was hitting it and making so many different patterns. The water was still flowing inside the ice, so that added movement. I love ice and snow and all the many forms it takes. No piece of ice seems to look like another.