There’s something intriguing about silhouettes. Without using words, they tell a story, leaving the details to your imagination.
“The object of art is to give life shape.” ~Willliam Shakespeare
Nature Silhouettes
Author: Rebecca
Butterfly Beauties
My nature walks this week yielded sightings of some of my favorite butterflies. It was hard not to be enchanted by their gracefulness and delicate beauty.
“Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing.” — Dolly Parton
Queen Anne’s Lace
Each year I look forward to the season of the stately and charming Queen Anne’s Lace. The delicate lace-like flowers, which grow wild along our country road, beautify the landscape, attract pollinators and provide habitat for a variety of insects. Ants, attracted by the flower’s nectar, are beneficial since they help protect them from aphids.
“Not a weed but a seed that has blossomed into a flower indeed.” ~Deborah Parise
Preening the Plumage
During the spring breeding season, the molted feathers of the Great Egret are replaced with bright white plumage and long ornamental feathers which are vital for attracting mates. Daily preening is crucial for maintaining feather condition, as well as providing insulation and waterproofing.
“Good grooming is integral, and impeccable style is a must …” ~Daymond John
Woodland Mammals
While driving the roads around the wildlife refuge, we are always on the lookout for woodland mammals which venture out into the open to forage and move about.
“It is remarkable how many creatures live wild and free though secret in the woods.” ~Henry David Thoreau
A Young Barred Owl
While driving down a familiar side street in our town, I noticed something out-of place, and looked again to see what it was. There, on a small branch on the ground, calmly sat an immature Barred Owl. What a nice, unexpected surprise.
“Nature is full for us of seeming inconsistencies and glad surprises.” ~Margaret Barber
Precious Memories
This is my first Mother’s Day without my mom. She passed away last August. We had seen her health problems and decline, and had an idea that it was coming, but nothing really prepares you for that moment.
Before she passed away, we were able to celebrate my parents’ 71st wedding anniversary and had just celebrated her 90th birthday. She was so excited about this birthday. When she told people that it was coming up, she thought it was amusing to see their surprise when she announced that she was turning 100.
She had an infectious laugh and a fun-loving personality. She seldom lost her temper.
She began working as a switchboard operator for a telephone company when she was eighteen years old. Before retiring, she held a number of different positions with this company. After retirement, she went on to work as a loan officer for a local university.
She spent most of her married life as a military wife. She was a devoted mother of four who set an example for each of us by the way she lived her life.
She loved to sew. As I grew up, she made most of our school, prom, and bridesmaid dresses. She didn’t always follow a pattern. She was known to make up her own patterns.
She crocheted Afghans for all her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed making crafts to share with others.
She loved to cook. She will especially be remembered for the tasty desserts that she made at Christmas, a tradition that continued even after she was no longer supposed to have sugar herself.
As long as she was able, her home was a gathering place for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren on birthdays and holidays. She relished her role as hostess.
She enjoyed recounting stories about her childhood. They brought her joy and became treasures to her family.
She valued her faith, and she loved studying the Bible and taking part in her church’s senior adult class.
She fiercely guarded the secrets that her adult grandchildren shared with her.
We didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but we always knew that her love and prayers were covering us.
Even though we miss her physical presence every day, we will hold on to the memories and always be grateful for the legacy that she left behind.
“Losing a Mother doesn’t happen in a moment. It takes years to appreciate the impact of what’s gone.” ~Lisa Jo Baker
Spring Around the Levee
The fields surrounding the levee were filled with chattering birds …
and adorned with vibrant spring wildflowers.
“Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke
A Variety of Birds
It’s always interesting to see what birds we can spot as we drive around the lake and the Mississippi levee. Here are some of our most recent finds.
You’ll get mixed up,
of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with
many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great
tact and remember that
Life’s A Great Balancing Act.
~Dr. Seuss
Feasting on Sumac Berries
In February we spotted an American robin foraging on the vibrant red berries of sumac shrubs which were growing in a colony along the roadside. The fruit of the sumac lasts throughout the winter and provides sustenance to our feathered friends that spend the winter here.
… Growing at field edges and in waste
places, most of us don’t notice the ruby glow.
Bluebirds, robins, and squirrels
know better, plucking at the jeweled lights
to keep their own fires burning.
~David K. Leff
walking on a country road 