Inspired by . . . good news of great JOY

And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luk 2:10-11

For all people.
God doesn't care about your race, financial status, or even your creed.
His gift of salvation is free to ALL people. Why?

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Joh 3:16

Because He loves you.

His gift came wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Have you opened it for yourself?

Blessings,

Before:

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Inspired by . . . a flash of red

 

 

 

a flash of red
in verdant trees
a cardinal!
bright
within its leaves!

soulsurvivor
(c) 3-18-2014

 

Before:

 

I hope you’re enjoying my ‘cardinals in the snow’ series. If you’re celebrating advent, you’ll notice the scriptures are following the symbolism of the candles in the advent wreath. The first being the candle of hope and the second being the candle of preparation. I hope you’ll take a moment to prepare your heart and mind to receive Him, and at the same time to ponder the glory of His creation. In truth, I find it difficult to separate the two.

Blessings,

 

 

 

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Inspired by . . . framed in glass

 

We just spent a cold, wet, blustery weekend in north Texas.  The weather was perfect for one thing . . .

. . . getting us into the Christmas spirit!

The town squares were dressed in twinkling lights and the shops were filled with all things merry and bright. Lovely things, cozy and warm, just what you’d expect to see this time of year.

Snowmen and Santas are icons of the season, but there is one, little red bundle of feathers that makes me think Christmas all the year through.

I’m blessed to have several pairs of cardinals that have made their home near mine here in south Texas. Of course, I have a gazillion pictures of them, but being south Texas, not one of those pictures includes snow!

I thought it would be fun to do a little creative texturing over the next four weeks leading up to Christmas, and share with you some before and after images of these beautiful red birds. Enjoy!

Before:

 

After:

 

Framed in Glass

Starburst crystals cling to the window pane

Lavish mounting for a frame

Cardinals in the snow

All rights reserved @ Debra Squyres 2013

 

Blessings,

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Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 34:52

Looking back I was surprised to see that it’s been nearly a month since I’ve shared on any nature/bird memes.  August has been a busy month for us. We took a short trip to cooler climes and, as sometimes happens with time away, the before and after was a bit hectic.

I’m looking forward to sharing some of our mini-adventure with you, but for now, here is what’s been happening around the cottage.

I’m not at all happy with the abundance of Bambis this year due to the havoc they are wreaking on my flower beds. They have a particular appetite for blossoms and tend to pull things up roots and all. . . but still, it is hard not to find them endearing.

 

 

 

I shared previously how much fun I’ve been having watching the juveniles at the bird feeders. Here is an immature male cardinal in the beautiful bird feeder our daughter gave us for Christmas last year.

 

 

I don’t see the {Western} scrub jays around often. But when they are in the yard, you definitely know about it! These two made such a commotion, I had to grab my camera and see what the fuss was about. Nothing out of the ordinary, but they look like juveniles to me, so I suppose they were just finding their voice.

 

 

 

It’s been a banner year for butterflies. I planted butterfly weed in my flower beds this year and it is growing like crazy! I’m planning to plant even more milkweed next year. The Pipevine Swallowtails seem to be partial to the red butterfly weed.

 

 

I’m not often up for the sunrise {in the summer months} but we put in some long days getting ready for our trip and I happened to catch this jewel in the morning light.

 

 

The twins paid us a visit this afternoon. They look so skinny, I can almost forgive them for eating all the blooms off my flowers.

Almost.

 

 

And, if you’re still with me, I finally got some decent shots of the elusive Carolina Chickadee. They are the energizer bunnies of the bird world! Constantly moving!

 

 

The lighting wasn’t the best, no sun today for a change, so the greens are a bit dull. But I’m pleased enough to share them with you.

 

 

I saw this quote by Charles Lingbergh recently and wondered what the context might have been. Quite a fascinating conversation, I would think!

 

I realized that if I had to choose,

I would rather have birds than airplanes. ~Charles Lindbergh

  ***

What are you seeing through your lens this week?

 

Have a wonder-filled day!

 

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Inspired by . . . it’s a bird’s life

We have two large, north-facing windows in our cottage. Their gaze sweeps over a small side yard, down the hill into the low-hanging branches of a large oak tree, and up over the tree tops into the pale blue of the north sky.

The side yard, while still quite open, is graced by an encroaching canopy of oak limbs stretching, here to the east and there to the west. Much of it remains shaded throughout the day with the cottage blocking the sun to the south.

It is in this little side yard that I chose to place my bird feeders.

One can see out these windows from nearly every place in the cottage. The windows act as a bit of a bird-blind, as long as I stay far enough back, and I delight in watching the antics of the birds and other critters.

Last month, I shared some squirrel yoga - -

Posted by June at Inspired by on Monday, June 15, 2015

on Facebook and Instagram, but this post is all about the birds!

 

Northern Cardinal

 

Carolina Chickadee

 

     

Immature Carolina Wren - getting a leg up

 

Immature Black-crested Titmouse

 

Immature Female Northern Cardinal

 

Immature Male Northern Cardinal

 

White-winged Dove

 

Every once in a while you see something new. I was delighted to catch this immature golden-fronted woodpecker {female} cooling off in the birdbath!

 

 My! what a large beak you have!

 

It’s interesting, the more you observe, the more you will see distinct personalities and behaviors appear. I never tire of observing nature. Sometimes we can learn more about ourselves by looking outward.

 

A bird doesn't sing because he has an answer,

he sings because he has a song.

~Joan Walsh Anglund, A Cup of Sun, 1967

 

Have a wonder-filled day,

 

Note: If you’re having a problem with BWC’s {Bird-Window Collisions},  I found this ad in my latest copy of Bird & Blooms:  abirdseyeview.com

BWC’s are the largest human-caused factor in bird mortality.

{Links are FYI only, this blog is not monetized}

 

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Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 29:52

 

Summer has arrived in all her glory! After a pretty mild start, we’re starting to feel the heat here in south Texas. I do love to feel the sun baking into my skin. I know better than to stay out too long, though. The sun is only your friend up to a point.

It’s nice that our fields are still green, rather than the burnt brown that the Texas sun usually produces this time of year. The birds seem to enjoy the grasses too, especially when freshly mowed!

I thought the heat coming off the freshly mowed field created an interesting effect in this picture.

 

 

Another critter that has been enjoying the heat of summer is our Texas Spotted Whiptail.

 

 

Also known as the Common Spotted and the Eastern Spotted, I was delighted to find a pair playing in my flower bed this week. A cold-blooded animal, they like to stretch out on the rocks and absorb the heat.

 

 

The exciting news this week was the mockingbird’s fledge day on Monday. I posted pictures here.  I haven’t seen the little guy since, but finding a baby bird in all these trees is like finding a needle in a haystack. I have seen the scissor-tailed flycatcher babies around the area. They are still easy to spot with their shorter tails. I’ve seen some other flegdlings around too, so it’s been a good year for the birds.

This immature male Cardinal has been at the feeders nearly every evening for the past week.

 

 

The wren’s had a successful brood as well. Their young are appearing here and there, as they flitter about discovering their new world.  These are either Carolina Wrens or Bewick’s Wrens. I’m guessing Carolina Wrens because, although you can’t see it on this youngster, the adults have buff orange under-bellies. They are quite amusing to watch. Wren babies are about the cutest of all, I think.

 

 

And, finally, I have another first to share with you. I was sitting out on the porch last evening {getting eaten alive by mosquitoes} and suddenly a flock {six} birds flew into the top of our cottonwood tree. They were carrying on and making all kinds of noise. At first I thought cedar waxwings because of their behavior, but after zooming in with the camera they appear to be Western Kingbirds!

 

 

I saw one, lone, adult last year. This crew have the look of young birds to me. What do you think?

 

 

The crepe myrtles will be blooming all summer. I’ve only just begun taking pictures . . .

 

Textured with Mona’s Romance

 

What are you seeing through your lens this summer?

 

Blessings,

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