The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the works of the Creator.
~Louis Pasteur~
This quote so aptly expresses how I feel about the beauty surrounding me. The woods are so filled with wildflowers right now that it simply breath-taking. I’ll say no more and let the pictures speak for themselves.
Trillium
A spider, an ant and a Starflower.
Sessile Bellwort
Violet
Trout Lily
Wintercress
Starflower
To be continued….
While I was out snowshoeing Sunday afternoon, I noticed this stem sticking out of the snow and went to take a closer look to see what it’s shadow would look like. A few years back I found a beautiful “heart” on the snow made from a branch and it’s shadow. Since then I’ve found a few others and I always look for “hearts” whenever I’m outside. Anyway, I found that when I looked at this stem and it’s shadow at the proper angle, it did indeed create a heart. I had already posted the other hearts I’ve found about a year ago, so I just made a collage of them to post here again. About 20 feet from this heart was where I was struck with the realization of just how blest I am in my life. I know several people who are very ill right now, some of them fighting for their very lives. Some of my friends at work just got laid off and I could possibly end up getting laid off myself in a few weeks, but for right now I’m still working and I’m very thankful for that. It just made me realize that the things I gripe about are so small compared to what other people are dealing with. These thoughts literally stopped me in my tracks, and I knelt down and prayed. After I stood up and continued on, I found this heart.
Monday morning I went out snowshoeing and there was quite a few tracks made by squirrels, mice and whatever little critters were scurrying around from tree to tree, and I noticed that these particular tracks look like hearts.
As I got near the house, I passed a branch sticking out of the snow, and as I took a closer look I realized that the branch and it’s shadow created another “heart” on the snow.
Here’s a collage of all the hearts that I’ve found so far.
Happy Trails!
I’m not just talking about the beautiful blue sky or the lovely blue shadows on the snow, although they did cheeer me up a little this morning. It’s been a long cold winter and I’m more than ready for spring. So is everyone else I talk to. I’m tired of snow and I’m tired of being cold all the time, and sadly, we’ve probably got at least another month of winter left, not counting, of course, the snow storms that we will most likely still get in April and maybe even May. I just can’t wait to walk through the woods and see the first tender green shoots struggling up through the dead leaves. Unfortunately, that much anticipated event is still at least a month and a half away, so I guess I’ll just keep snowshoeing and making the best of things till it warms up.
This is on the front of the old cream separator, which sits next to the old tractor behind our house. It kinda sums up how I feel.
Blue Bead Lily berries
A collage of the pics I took on my walk this morning.
It was a beautiful sunny day today, so when I went snowshoeing I was fascinated by the shadows on the snow and also the tiny little tracks that I saw all over the place. I was also hoping to find inspiration to write a haiku or two and two is what I ended up with. I’m not sure if they’re any good, but here they are anyway.
Hitting the trails again after being forced to take 3 days off due to ridiculously low temps and wind chills.
It was 3 degrees when we went out this morning, but very still and peaceful with light snow falling. It was a little chilly, but I warmed up pretty fast. It was great to get back out on the snowshoes again.
This is the dreaded Bull Thistle. These are the nasty little buggers that I sometimes run into (in the summer) when I’m looking for other things to photograph and not paying attention to where I’m going. When I saw this one all dried up and covered with snow, all I could think was “not so tough now, are you”.
The long road home.
I was about 1 mile back in the woods when I shot this.
When I first left the house, it was snowing lightly, then stopped for awhile. When it started up again it was snowing a little harder, and it was so peaceful and still that I could almost hear the snow falling. Once again I’m trying to convey through pictures the amazing sense of peace and tranquility I felt as I stood out there with the snow whispering around me, and once again, my pictures fall short.
Happy trails!!
I know I’ve been posting alot of “trail” pictures lately. It’s really become a habit with me, but when I’m out snowshoeing in the woods, I have such a strong sense of peace, and I try to convey that through my pictures. I suppose you’d have to be there to really appreciate it. There is something so healing, so therapeutic, about being out in the woods in any season, and if you take pictures while you’re out there, well that just makes it even better. I took these pics Saturday afternoon. I went out both Saturday and Sunday and both days were perfect, beautiful winter days. Temps were in the teens and there was no wind. It was so still and peaceful and all I could hear was the sound of my snowshoes crunching in the snow and when I stopped walking and listened all I could hear was pure……silence. It’s hard to accurately describe just how deeply this affects me. All I can say is, you really should try to spend time in the woods whenever possible. And if you can’t, well, just stop by and visit the great outdoors through my blog. I’m more than happy to share the beauty of my world with you.
Happy trails!!
Saturday morning sunrise.
I took this shot when I went out to get the mail. People laugh when I tell them that I won’t even walk to my mailbox without a camera. They don’t realize that I’m serious.
I took this shot and the next one when I went out snowshoeing.
I checked the sky at sunset and there wasn’t anything going on in the west, but the east and south were beautiful. This shot is of the full moon rising up through the clouds.
Facing East.
Facing south.
I’ve been snowshoeing for over a month now and when I first started I made it my goal to find a snow filled bird nest. Usually I find a few without even trying, but this year, for some reason, maybe because I was trying, it took me quite awhile to find one. Luckily, it was low enough for me to get a shot of it. I found two more right after I found this one, but I haven’t gotten a shot of them yet.
The long road home.
Here are the final six pictures from Sunday’s walk.
This is where I hesitated, trying to decide which way to go. It didn’t really matter because it just makes a loop, but I stopped to think about it anyway. I went to the left, simply because it appeared to be the road less traveled.
Happy Trails! And a Happy New Year too!
