As we headed towards home, the sight that we saw up ahead was stunning. Sun rays were shining upon and accenting an isolated afternoon rain shower. This was one of those “let’s pull over and watch this” moments.
“If we are shut in by life’s troubles, we can look to the open heaven above us.” ~James M. Campbell
During these hot and humid days of summer, while other critters are hidden away in shady, cooler places, dragonflies seem to be out in good number, enjoying the sun.
“When the heat of the summer
Made drowsy the land,
A dragon-fly came
And sat on my hand.”
~Eleanor Farjeon
I’m enjoying the sunny faces smiling up at me from all the beautiful summer gardens.
It was only a sunny smile,
and little it cost in the giving,
but like morning light
it scattered the night
and made the day worth living.
~F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Dickcissel sitting in tall grass along the Mississippi levee.
His eyes, with elf-like air did peer,
Then cheekily, he flew down near;
I watched in awe as he posed with pride,
His tittering chest expanded wide!
~Amanda Tuohy
Right outside our screened-in porch, a female cardinal laid three eggs in a nest that she built inside one of our potted plants. We had a perfect view of all the activity going on inside the nest. These photos cover several days and end with the day that the last one left the nest. The final two photos are of a dedicated male cardinal who took over after the eggs hatched and spent his week feeding the chicks and keeping the nest clean. His watchful eye was constantly on the hatchings, and he showed up immediately if anything got too close to the nest. He implemented diversion tactics to draw attention away from them and onto himself. After the last one left the nest, he encouraged the fledgling to fly, and coaxed it to safe places in the yard. His devotion to his little ones appeared unending.
“The greatest lessons I learned from my father didn’t come from lectures or discipline or even time spent together. What has stuck with me is his example. From watching, I chose whether to be or not to be like him.” ~Richelle E. Goodrich
We often see snakes tucked in amongst the vegetation while walking around the boardwalk at Reelfoot Lake. Occasionally, they will fall from trees or slither along the handrails. Many are water snakes which are nonvenomous, but there are also cottonmouths in the mix.
“The serpent subtlest beast of all the field.” ~John Milton
“It is true, as they say, that the blossoms of spring are all the more precious because they bloom so briefly.” ~Murasaki Shikibu
“Do not let fear confine your life inside a shell of doubt; A turtle never moves until his head is sticking out.” ~ Charles Ghigna
The sun provides the background, but the clouds paint the picture.
“Clouds are the sky’s imagination.” ~Terri Guillemets
“God’s cloud-scenes are for everybody everywhere. Some people can never afford to travel; the grandeur of the Alps, the loveliness of the lakes, are only imaginative dreams for them; and even those who visit such fair scenes merely get a hurried glimpse, and then they are back again amidst the turmoil of human life; but the sky is always overhead, and everywhere to be seen.” ~Alfred Rowland
This female Red-winged Blackbird was obviously drawing attention to herself. Sitting near the top of a cypress tree, swaying in the wind, her conspicuous behavior included raising her tail feathers and rapidly fluttering her wings, which she repeated over and over. In the distance, a male could be heard calling. My first thought was that she was trying to attract or communicate with a mate, but another thought might be a response to a predator within her nesting territory.
“I’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is just different from yours.” ~Lewis Carroll
walking on a country road 