We have a goldfinch that frequents our deck - getting a drink at the bird bath and
Enjoying the Black Eyed Susan and Zinnia seeds forming on the plants growing in pots. I have enjoyed watching the bird - at least I think it is the same one - for the past few days. Rather than going outside to photography him I’ve been attempting to capture his activity through the kitchen window.
The seeds must be very tasty!
Noticing something worth celebration each day is an easy thing for me to do. The habit of writing it down reminds me to be grateful for these and a myriad of other things in my life. Here are my top 10 for July 2015.
Fireworks on the 4th! -Fireworks are often use as a ‘symbol’ for celebration….I like them in small doses and not too frequently. Somehow the 4th of July is always my favorite event to enjoy fireworks and this year is was so simple - walking about a block from my Parent’s house after spraying myself with insect repellent. It was 15 minutes of summery celebration.
Goldfinches - We have goldfinches that are frequenting our bird feeder and the plants on our deck. I always celebrate seeing them - both for their color and their loopy flight pattern.
A new Coursera course after a hiatus - I had about 2 months of absolutely no Coursera courses….and celebrated starting a new one about Geodesign this month. I’ll ramp up again in the fall probably - but I’m setting three as a maximum. I enjoy the courses tremendously but more than three concurrently is overwhelming.
A day at home - Now that I am post-career, I look back on the time of my life when I left home for work every weekday and some weekends…and I wonder how I did it. I find myself frequently celebrating a day at home these days…it is my favorite place to be!
Hydrangea on the desk - I like having flowers or something else from outdoors as a focal point on my desk even though the view from my office window is wonderful. When I close the drapes to block the afternoon sun - the piece of outdoors that I’ve brought in side sustains me until I can see outdoors again.
A new computer - Not for me…for my Mom. She has had hand-me-down computers before…so we both celebrated a new one just for her (and that I was there to configure it the way she wanted).
A hike to the Patapsco River - I hiked to the Patapsco River from Belmont with summer campers. It was a hot day and we all celebrated wading in the river before we hiked back. I celebrated when I got home and discovered I’d already gotten the 12,000 steps for the day!
Bug Blitz - Another activity with Belmont summer campers. It was a warm (not too hot) sunny day - perfect for finding bug. The elementary school aged campers were very good at capturing the insects for a photo into iNaturalist. Their enthusiasm was contagious! My favorite was a small moth with orange markings - a chickweed geometer.
Blue jay feather - I found a blue jay feather. It was mostly black but has a rim of blue and black on one edge - unusual looking. I celebrated finding it…and realizing what it was.
Red highlights - We painted a concrete floor - base coat then sprays of green and copper. The final touch was some streaks of dusky red made with a paint coated marble. We all celebrated how great it looked!
Wishing you something to celebrate today!
The ‘zooming’ post is a little earlier than usual this month…but it was such a good month for outdoor subjects that I didn’t want to wait. Can you find:
March has been a colder than usual this year. Some of the bird activity seems to be happening with about the usual timing in spite of the cold. The robins have become more numerous - on the lawn, scratching around the leaf litter in the garden and at the edge of the forest, gobbling worms in the street and driveway when it rains.
We have pairs of doves and cardinals that we see from our windows frequently; they must be nesting nearby.
One day at Belmont there seemed to be swallows everywhere - staking out the blue bird boxes (hopefully there will be blue birds that get some of them but it seems that the swallows arrived first).
Most people have kept their feeders full to help out the birds arriving in the cold. At Mt. Pleasant Farm there were lots of gold finches and a pileated woodpecker (which I was not fast enough to photograph).
The juncos that leave us for the summer are still around; I haven’t watched them closely enough in years past to remember when they leave….are we keeping them here by feeding them?
Celebrating the whole of life....
Thanks for visiting my blog! Enjoy the photo picks from 2023:
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