Is there beauty out there?

 

 

in the midst of winter

the days were sunny but cold

everywhere she turned

there was starkness

bare limbs

dried leaves

faded flowers

the earth was resting

could she find beauty

 

 

she wandered through the woods

her eyes searching the ground

was there anything out there

a touch of color

a shape

tiny details

 

yes

there

standing in a row

along the rotten tree

near the water's edge

that sparkled like diamonds

and there

color

touches of pink

surrounded by green

 

 

oh, look at the textures

hairy

soft

rough

 

shapes

rising above the golden leaves

curling toward the sun

 

 

gritty sand

on petals tinted with purple

stripes of brown

rippling

one on top of the other

lovely shape

in reddish tones

clinging to a log

 

Then she found the one

the one that made her gasp

a little bit of wood

dressed in a winter coat

 

 

She knew

she knew all along

it was out there

beauty in winter

she only had to look

slow down and look

beauty was found

 

May you be blessed by the Lord,

The maker of heaven and earth

Psalm 155:15

 

Friday Finds and Random Facts

My Friday Find this week wasn't discovered until I uploaded my day's pictures to my computer. I found that if you're pointing your camera slightly toward the sunset and if you haven't focused yet and if you accidentally hit the shutter button you get a lovely sky abstract!

 

 

 

To follow that lovely find are my Five Random Facts.

Fact  #1

I baked Christmas cookies this week. Yes, you read that right! Due to uncontrollable circumstances I didn’t do any Christmas baking this year. So, this week I made my favorite Christmas cookies.

 

 

Fact  #2

I still have a crystal dish that I got out a Quaker Oatmeal box. Does anyone else remember these? As a promotion cups, saucers, or bowls were packed in oatmeal boxes. It was always a dilemma...do you dig through the oats to see what was packed or do your wait until it's uncovered.

 

 

 

Fact  #3

Fungi has become my favorite thing to photograph in nature. Mushrooms are my second choice.

Fact  #4

Power poles keep getting in my way when I'm shooting out of the car window!  By the way, if you want to buy this barn...its for sale!

Fact #5
I'm glad I don't live at 5th and Goldsmith!


Guess what I'm singing...

 (Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown
Oh, yes, my roof's got a hole in it and I might drown

There was a crooked man and he had a crooked smile
Had a crooked sixpence and he walked a crooked mile
Had a crooked cat and he had a crooked mouse
They all lived together in a crooked little house

 Well, this crooked little man and his crooked little smile
Took his crooked sixpence and he walked a crooked mile
Bought some crooked nails and a crooked little bat
Tried to fix his roof with a rat-tat-tat-tat-tat

 Now this crooked little man and his crooked cat and mouse
They all live together in a crooked little house
Has a crooked door with a crooked little latch
Has a crooked roof with a crooked little patch

 (Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
(Ah, ah) Oh, no, don't let the rain come down
My roof's got a hole in it (my roof's got a hole in it)
My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown

 

The Serendipity Singers ~ Don't Let The Rain Come Down

 

 

Sorry, I hope you're not singing it too!

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Linking with  Kim for Friday Finds

and Nancy for Random 5 Friday

 

         

Delightful Finds!

The wind is blowing. It seems it's always blowing lately. It could be that I'm more aware of the wind blowing because moving objects are hard to photograph. I've been sticking with things that don't move.

I ran out this morning to take a picture of fungi for a flickr group I belong to. I was hoping to find some with frost on them. That didn't really happen, the sun was too far up. Even though the sun was up, it was pretty chilly; 39 degrees, but feels like 31. I'm bundled, I'm warm, I'm happy.

I did find a little frost...

and of all things a dandelion.

Seriously, little dandelion, it's only January!

I wasn't going far, just out in the yard, but the next thing I knew I was deep into the woods. I just couldn't stop walking. I wanted to see what special treasures I could find today. These woods are so familiar to me, I walk there constantly, but each time is a new experience. They're not the same and I'm not the same.

Some days, like today, I find seedpods with amazing textures and shapes.

 

I also see reflections and abstracts.

I look up and see the sky above me...

 

 

and look down and find smallest of things.

 

 

Each and every day there's more treasures to be found!

Have you found anything that delighted you today?

 

Look Up, Look Down ~ final round

June 24

I put my camera close to the ground and took a picture looking up a rock wall in our front yard that Mr. H and I built. 
Today I got my birthday present! Mr H told me to buy the 100mm macro lens that I've been wanting! The picture on the right is looking down at fungus on a dead piece of bark.

June 25

Aaron, our youngest grandson, stayed with us today. It was so hot we got out the swimming pool.

June 26

These pictures were taken in a garden at one of our libraries. They have the prettiest light poles. The rock is embedded in the concrete floor of a gazebo.

June 27
I went shopping for some fabric and stopped by to see if there were any flowers blooming at the Old Mill. It was beautiful, as usual, and full of flowers even in this heat!

June 28

Looking up at the moon during the blue hour.
Earlier in the month our library had a little project where you could plant seeds. I'm looking down at the very first bloom on my flower.  If I remember correctly it's cosmos.

June 29
I was using the water sprinkler to water my shade garden when the hose burst creating this fountain in my Bradford pear tree.
The bright sun creates some pretty dark shadows on the sidewalk.

June 30

The heat and lack of rain in June has been brutal. My shade gardens are burning up even though I've been watering them. The heat is just relentless!!  The ferns are now brown and the trees are loosing their leaves.

I wanted to end this project with the words "the end." I thought they would be easy to find especially in children's books, but not so!  I looked through many books before I finally found one. You may recognize this little tug boat...its Little Toot. Little Toot was written and illustrated by Hardie Gramatky. It's copyright is 1939. 

And so, June's project ends!

I'm almost a week into my July project!

This time I'll be exploring my different lens!

I'm taking a little break from the computer.

My grandsons are here and we're playing!!