Good for the soul

/ Rebecca / 7 Comments

After spending a lot of time in the house, we got out last night and walked on our country road shortly before sunset.  The beauty of the clouds at sunset, the colorful meadow flowers and the full pink moon were refreshing.   I have to say the walk was good for my soul.

“Walking is good for the soul.”  ~Andy Rooney

“Decorate my soul with spring.  Fill its depth with lovely things.”  ~Angie Weiland-Crosby

“Nature’s palette is calming to the soul.”  ~Unknown

“There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations.”  ~Washington Irving

“I was surrounded by life and beauty.  My soul was content, and my life felt full.”  ~Jennifer Pharr Davis

“A little bit of country is good for the soul.”  ~Unknown

“A daily dose of daydreaming heals the heart, soothes the soul, and strengthens the imagination.”  ~Richelle E. Goodrich

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.”  ~Mary Davis

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God … because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.”  ~Anne Frank

Pelican and friends

/ Rebecca / 6 Comments

This white pelican looked very comfortable sitting quietly with his two turtle friends on a log along the levee.

“The best kind of friend is the kind you sit with, never say a word and walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you ever had.”  ~Steven Wright

Muskrats

/ Rebecca / 8 Comments

Shortly before dusk, a muskrat came swimming across the lake toward the boardwalk at the refuge.  As it swam about in the shallow water, foraging on aquatic plants, it joined in a chorus of high-pitched squeals with a couple of other muskrats that were swimming nearby.

“Talking to your best friend is sometimes all the therapy that you need.”  ~Unknown

A Leaf Nest

/ Rebecca / 12 Comments

I’ve been watching this nest for some time, pretty sure that it belonged to one of the Eastern gray squirrel families that frequent our yard.  It’s carefully positioned in a fork between a stout pine limb and the main trunk and was constructed out of sticks, pine needles, leaves and other natural materials.  It is in a perfect place for a nest because of its proximity to a bird feeder and an endless supply of pine cones.

This afternoon, I spied a squirrel exiting the nest.  It positioned itself on a forked branch below the nest which afforded it a wide view of our yard.  Seeing that the coast was clear,  it eased down the side of the tree and over to the feeder for a snack of sunflower seeds before heading to the birdbath for a quick drink.

Shortly after the first squirrel left the tree, a second one also came out of the nest, sitting a while on a nearby branch before heading to the forked overlook for a careful survey of the yard.  Feeling safe, it too carefully climbed down the side of the tree and headed to a feeder — ever mindful of the watch dog who faithfully guards the yard.

“But when it comes to living there is no place like home.”  ~Henry van Dyke

Around the levee

/ Rebecca / 7 Comments

At this time of year, a drive around the flooded fields and woods surrounding the Mississippi levee never disappoints.  It offers an opportunity to observe a variety of  waterfowl and small birds.

“Birds are the most popular group in the animal kingdom. We feed them and tame them and think we know them. And yet they inhabit a world which is really rather mysterious.”  ~David Attenborough

Golden sunset

/ Rebecca / 5 Comments

This is one of my favorite places to watch the sun set at Reelfoot Lake.  On this day, as I watched the lake reflect the golden color of the sky, two eagles which had previously gone undetected suddenly took flight.  It was all quite a lovely sight and a free gift for the taking.

One midnight, deep in starlight still,
I dreamed that I received this bill:
… Five thousand breathless dawns all new;
Five thousand flowers fresh in dew;
Five thousand sunsets wrapped in gold;
One-million snow-flakes served ice-cold;
Five quiet friends; one baby’s love;
One white-mad sea with clouds above;
One hundred music-haunted dreams
Of moon-drenched roads and hurrying streams;
Of prophesying winds, and trees;
Of silent stars and browsing bees;
One June night in a fragrant wood;
One heart that loved and understood.
I wondered when I waked at day,
How—how in God’s name—I could pay!”
~ Cortlandt W. Sayres