Challenge of Literature Blog Hop

I have a feeling there are a few of you out there that are going to faint after seeing this blog post. YES, it is true, Tracey of "A Beadiful Mess" is posting about B*E*A*D*S! Amazing, isn't it? My lovely and talented Sister-in-law  Sister, Kim of "Jumbled Hutch" told me about this challenge. I went to Erin's blog to check it out and thought, this isn't for me, sounds to hard, sounds like a stretch. I did everything I could to talk my self out of participating. Later that same day, I went back and just signed up. I felt good about it. I needed the challenge, to stretch, to challenge myself, and more importantly, to make myself do SOMETHING beady!

When I was a kid growing up, we didn't have much. We had 6 children in our family. Times were tough and we scraped by through divorce, remarriage, job loss etc. One day my Mother went out to some rummage sales. I would say I was about 10 years old then. She knew my love of dogs because I reminded her of it constantly by begging for a dog. I had names picked out, what color of dog I wanted. I had bought dog dishes, toys and collars at rummage sales with the money I scrounged up from various babysitting jobs. It was not to be. No one else shared my love and desire for a dog. Anyway, knowing of my dog obsession, she came across a book called "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London. There was a picture of a dog on the cover and it was only a quarter, so she bought it for me. The description if the book is: A classic novel of adventure, drawn from London's own experiences as a Klondike adventurer, relating the story of a heroic dog, who, caught in the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush, ultimately faces a choice between living in man's world and returning to nature. I was in heaven. I must have read that book at least 100 times. It sticks in my mind as the defining moment of my love of books. When this challenge presented itself, I knew right away this would be the book I would model my piece after. I present to you, "The Call of the Wild".

Kim made me this wolf centerpiece out of an old book page!

And you can best "believe", I have dogs today, and have had dogs for 37 years. I am not me without a dog in my life. See the other entries HERE.

World Bird Wednesday

I have actually posted two times in a row for World Bird Wednesday! I know, I know, it is amazing. I promised more "firsts" for me this week. I wont build the suspense any longer. Enjoy and be sure to check out the other entries by clicking the above links. Have a wonderful week.

Immature Bald Eagle

 Eastern Kingbird

 Hermit Thrush

 Prothonotary Warbler

 We got to watch this beautiful little bird fly in and out of this tree stump with nesting material.

 Tree Swallow

World Bird Wednesday 5-22-12

HI!! It has been awhile since my last post. My Maddux has stabilized (for now) with his Renal Failure, which has allowed me to make short trips out in nature. I don't go out for the day anymore, too much to do to keep my boy doing well, plus I want to spend as much time as possible with him. I do know I have to have some "me" time as well, or I am just too crabby. Its all a balancing act right now. Anyway, I have seen so many birds this spring that are new to me. I have always had a deep love of birds, but other than really common birds, I've never gone out and actively searched for new to me species. Here are some of the new ones I have added to my "Life List" on my Audubon Bird App I have on my Kindle and my smart phone. If you want to see more beautiful bird pictures, check them out on The Pine River Review.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher

This little bird is adorable! He had no fear of me at all, flitting around catching his gnats.

Brown Thrasher

Not a great picture I know, but I had to slam on my brakes and take it from my truck! I had no clue what it was and was so excited to identify it! Very cool bird, I think I know where its nesting!

Veery

I was standing at my patio door looking at how long the grass was getting and spotted this cute little guy. He is also nesting somewhere near my house.

Eastern Phoebe

Phoebe nestlings

Adorable

Great Crested Flycatcher

Watch for much more next week! I have several more species to post! I am having a blast. How I love nature :)

Taking a Break....

This is not a post I have ever wanted to make, but unfortunately, I am making it. I will be absent from the photo challenges, and my blog for awhile. My beloved Maddux has taken a turn for the worse, His kidneys are completely shutting down. For those of you that have been following me for some time, you know the struggles we have had with this beautiful boy. He is 7 years old and has suffered with FSF/SHS since he was 10 months old. This is a breed specific illness and in a nutshell it involves extremely high fevers (his have gone as high as 107) and an inflammatory process. It has taken a toll on his kidneys and in the last week or so he has crashed and stopped eating and drinking. I am giving him IV fluids at home and syringing baby food into him in the hopes that he will rally. Sometimes they do. I am going to spend as much time with him as I can for as long as he has left. I am sorry for the depressing tone of this post, but I wanted everyone to know. Please say a prayer for him, and for me. I pray that I will know when the time comes to let him go. Its not going to be easy.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 4-8-12

Welcome back! I can't believe its already time for another Scavenger Hunt! This week flew by for me. It was a good one, I got to spend time with Kim, Jess and Ethan this week, since everyone is pretty healthy now. We have had it all from colds, to fevers and the flu. Not fun and no one wanted to trade illnesses, so we didn't see each other for a few days.
This weeks hunt has some fun prompts that can be interpreted many ways. I always like that, because I can bend the meaning to reflect something to do with nature. I am definitely a nature photographer. Here are this weeks prompts, followed by my pictures. Thanks for stopping in, I really appreciate it! the prompts are: New, Life, Fragrant, Pink and Obvious.

NEW

Kim and I decided to go out before dawn one day this week to see what we could see. We snuck back to the woods at 6 and sat and waited. This is the sunrise of a "NEW" day.

LIFE

Kim and I happened upon these Bluebirds with babies in this birdhouse. New life.

FRAGRANT

Wildflowers are everywhere right now.

PINK

If you look closely at this pink gazing ball, you will see me at the base of the tree.

OBVIOUS

The breeding color of this Eastern Meadowlark couldn't make him more obvious, could it?

I Heart Macro 4-8-12

Hello again! I am posting my photos of this weeks "I Heart Macro". I am having a blast going out into nature to see what I can find to shoot with my camera.I have not been disappointed at all, there is so much to see and experience right now. This week Kim and I decided to sneak into the woods before dawn to see what we could see a different time of day. It was so worth it, be saw a weasel, a beaver and a Bald Eagle! Even though our pictures didn't turn out too well, we have the memories of a good time, lots of laughs and some real excitement. Anyway, here are the shots that did turn out!

Red Admiral Butterfly

 Mystery Plant

 Crabapple Blossom

 Wildflower

 Buds in the morning light

 Wildflower

World Bird Wednesday

It was a great week for finding new (to me) species of birds. I have always had a great love for birds, but never spent a lot of time out in nature looking for them until the past year. It is always so exciting to spot an unfamiliar species, snap a shot then head home to try to identify what I saw. This week I was lucky enough to spot quite a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, a bunch of Eastern Bluebirds, and a Kestrel. I saw a couple more unidentifed species, but was unable to get close enough to get a decent shot. Maybe tomorrow! Wish me luck. Until next week, here are the shots:

Female Eastern Bluebird

Male Eastern Bluebird

Kestrel

Yellow Rumped Warbler