My photos

Unexpected Beauty

/ inkspeare

Sometimes, beauty takes you by surprise and makes you gasp and smile. I took the first two pictures this morning: something unexpected but delightful.

The sun had come up and it illuminated this tree at a perfect angle because it looked as if the raindrops were dangling and glistening like tinsel. A magical sight from my favorite chair. I had to run and grab the camera before it was over. This oak tree is on my closest neighbor’s property. It keeps its dry leaves until the spring. What a lovely sight.
This is just the reflection of a drop of water that is on the outer side of the window glass. As I was going down the stairs, I noticed what I thought were shards of glass on the window. As I got closer and attempted to grab them, I realized it was just a reflection. I thought these were beautiful to look at, and I had never noticed them before. I went downstairs quickly and grabbed the camera once more. What a treat. I know, the window needs cleaning on the outside, but it is winter.
I took this picture the other day. The garden has gone to sleep, and we have had temperatures on and off in the 20s at night and even hit 6 degrees one time, but this plant refuses to go to sleep and keeps flowering. It is the only one in the garden that is still offering its colorful beauty, that is, besides the forsythia plant next door that always blooms in December. A lovely sight.
Every winter, I look forward to seeing this Forsythia bloom in December. So far, this plant seems to prefer winter blooms and not blooming in the spring. For the past four years, I have noticed her early blooms and enjoy it.

Hope you enjoy these pictures.

An Unusual Partnership

/ inkspeare
2021- Falcon hanging out with Crow friends Photo by M.A.D.

Last year, I shared this picture of a falcon that seemed to be friends with the crows. On occasion, I saw the bird hanging around with the crows, and none of them seemed to be afraid. This year, a falcon has been hanging around with the crows. I don’t think it is the same one; the colors of its plumage seem a bit different. I looked it up and it seems to be a Common Kestrel, a type of falcon, but I am not sure. This seems to be an unusual and unexpected partnership, and none of the crows seem to be afraid of the falcon. Here are the photos I took the other day.

A new friendship? Phot by M.A.D.
Photo by M.A.D.

Birds of a feather flock together?

Simple Beauty

/ inkspeare

The simple and pure beauty of flowers. A few pictures of what’s in bloom right now.

Photo by M.A.D.
Photo by M.A.D.
Photo by M.A.D.
Photo by M.A.D.
Photo by M.A.D.
Photo by M.A.D. I have no clue what this plant is, but I like it. If anyone knows please let me know in the comments. It started as one and it keeps fanning out.
Photo by M.A.D.
Even the recently trimmed old tree is starting to show signs of life. It was trimmed about a month ago. (Photo by M.A.D.)
The grape vine is growing beautifully. The idea is for it to wrap around the veggie garden. (Photo by M.A.D.)
My favorite shade of blue (Photo by M.A.D.)

Love and Light.

Mirage

/ inkspeare
Late afternoon, the position of the sun casts a reflection on the living room window glass. The ghostly image of a neighbor’s house seems to float on the patio. Photo by M.A.D.

Mountains in the Sky

/ inkspeare

I’ve wondered what would it be like if we had a mountain view. The other day, in the early morning hours I was able to see it; I call it a gift from God. The clouds were so perfectly aligned and packed that it looked as if a blue mountain had just appeared. It was breathtaking, and I got my wish.

What might appear as a blue mountain in the background are just clouds. (Photo by M.A.D.)
The clouds stretched in that way all around, as far as I could see. (Photo by M.A.D.)
A lovely sight for sure. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Now I know what it would look like if there was a mountain right there. (Photo by M.A.D.)

October’s Treasures

/ inkspeare

I try to find beauty in the ordinary, the day’s in and outs. A walk to the mailbox across the road while an everyday task is ever changing. I think it amazing and beautiful that a simple daily short walk is never the same when I care to look. God’s presence is in the little details that surrounds us, and the more I care to look, the more grateful and in awe I am. Here are some October’s treasures I found the other day.

A lovely array of colors at my doorstep.
Ms. Spider protecting her egg sack. Look at the interesting detail.
A flower that wanted to be green.
The lovely yellow of friendship and hope. That shade couldn’t be more perfect.
Another one of nature’s perfect shades of color, and one of my favorites.

I am sure that there were more treasures to be found, but I was just in and out, picking up some mail. God is good.

Ladies in the Garden

/ inkspeare

I have been in awe over the last couple of days admiring these ladies (and gentlemen) in my garden. I had been telling my husband that this year I have not seen as many butterflies as other years past. It must be that everything has been so dry from the lack of rain, only a few showers here and there, but no significant amount. Other areas close by have enjoyed more showers. The flowers have withered, some that were ready to bloom as well, and the veggies are growing slow – no tomatoes yet; only four cucumbers made it to the table along with a few leaves of lettuce. If anything, we will have a late harvest. We have been watering every other day, but it does not seem to be enough. Just when my gardening enthusiasm was fading a bit, we were blessed with a couple of short heavy showers overnight, and also the butterflies have been visiting the only source of nectar that has been doing good around here during the season.

Absolutely gorgeous in her lovely attire.
Perfect color combinations and patterns.
Another one of God’s lovely creatures.
This one is similar to the other one but with one less row of color on the wings; a bit of a different pattern.
Thanks to this bush, they’ll have plenty to eat until early fall.

I am grateful that I can enjoy watching them, their beauty, and share it with you here. I hope you enjoy this post.