Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 7:52

I heard the freezing rain hit the windows and went to look outside. The boughs of the cedar tree waved back at me as the wind rocked his branches. A flash of white caught my eye. A flock of Killdeer had arrived. The poor dears. Why do they always show up during foul weather, I wondered.

I wish I could talk to them. Wouldn't they like to come in and scoot around where it's warm? Oh, how I would love to fill my home with birds! But they wouldn't understand. Merely opening the door frightens them into flight.

It reminds me a bit of how the Israelites acted when God came down to them. He covered the mountain with His presence and they were terrified! They didn't understand His voice amidst the peals of thunder and bolts of lightning. They were content for Moses to speak to God for them. Then they became content to slaughter animals as a way to atone [pay] for their sins.

But God knew that all of this, the prophets and the sacrifices, were just a shadow, a mere picture of the things to come.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the Heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.  (Heb 1:1-2)

God has come down to us in His image. As a baby. Grew into a man and spoke clearly to us in ways we may understand. 

Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb 2:17-18)

He has become the sacrificial lamb. Once for all; paying our debt on the cross.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Heb 9:11-14)

People respond to this truth in a variety of ways. I hope it brings you joy and gives you a yearning to learn more.

Perhaps the next time you see an animal in danger and you long to be able to speak to them, you'll remember the great lengths and great sacrifice God has made to speak to and save you.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (Joh 3:16-17)

Happy St Valentine's Day,

Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 6:52

We've been having typical Texas weather. Translation: one day its 80 degrees and the next its 40 degrees.  If you've been around here any length of time, it won't be too hard to figure out which I prefer!

Every two or three days we wake up to a misty morning with plenty of fog lingering in the valley. We haven't had much in the way of real rain. Just a lot of damp days.

The Killdeer seem to enjoy this weather. We have several flocks that come and go. I assume they must be making their rounds to various other ranches and open fields. There are always at least two around and I enjoy watching them.

The description of them on allaboutbirds.org is spot on! 

These tawny birds run across the ground in spurts, stopping with a jolt every so often to check their progress, or to see if they’ve startled up any insect prey.

This being chiefly why it is so difficult to get a clear shot of them! They have long, graceful wings and are beautiful in flight.

Admittedly there is not much to photograph this time of year. The Tallow tree is still bedecked in her seed baubles which look pretty against the winter sky.

We had a Super Blue Moon eclipse in this part of the world on January 31st. Did you see it? The lunar event graced our morning sky. Too early for some but here in Texas, the eclipse began at 5:48am so I made the effort to get up a little earlier than usual and was glad I did!

I had taken some shots of the Super Blue Moon the evening before. As you may know, it is called a supermoon because of it's proximity to the earth and a blue moon because it was the second full moon within the same calendar month. 

If you're really interested, earthsky.org is a great resource. This article talks about blue moons and when you can expect the next one.

Unfortunately, the clouds moved in pretty quickly so I was only able to capture the beginning of the eclipse. I missed seeing the rosy glow of the total eclipse caused by refracted light passing through the earth's atmosphere. If you missed it you can find plenty of images here.

Despite the clouds and the cool temperatures, there was something special about being outside in the dark, gazing up at this fixed object in space that we still know so little about. 

There is a peace and humility that comes from recognizing and embracing the truth that we are very small and insignificant, yet we are loved by a God Who is immeasurable and supreme.

What are you seeing through your lens this week?

Blessings,

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Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 11:52

Sunday was one of those rare days when time seems to stand still, and JOY overflows. After five days of {much} needed rain, the sun emerged triumphant, wrapping me in it's warm embrace. It shone almost too brightly. Like a dream where you keep rubbing your eyes, trying to focus.

The breeze, which has been largely unwelcome all winter, came leaping and bounding from the south, bringing with it promises of warmer nights and just a hint of the sea.

Besides getting the second flower bed cleaned out, I'm unashamed to admit that I accomplished very little. 

Nature is wholly captivating to me. I can sit or wander for hours in complete wonder at her performance. I may or may not have sat, slack-jawed, as a giant swallowtail fluttered by. Already? It's only March! I grabbed the camera and went chasing after it, but alas it was gone, leaving only a vague impression of it's radiance.

My Dreamer has completed the first stage of the fence that we're putting up around our yard, and the Phoebes are taking advantage of the extra perches.

Rain or shine.

The rain also brought one of our occasional visitors, the Killdeer. They are such neat birds. This one wasn't at all camera shy, but I was shooting from inside the car, so it's not the best capture.

I spent a rainy day at my mom's place last week and her bird feeders were especially active. We counted seven male Northern Cardinals. Although I can only locate six in this picture.

What a treat it was to watch them!

Hopefully you haven't tired of all the birds . . .

Carolina Chickadee

. . . and butterflies.

American Lady

Because my big news this week is - - the hummers are back!

Black-chinned Hummingbird

I'm thinking about relocating my feeders, so my pictures don't look all the same as last year's.

What are you seeing

through your lens

this week?

Have a wonder-filled day,

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Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 14:52

Well, it’s been an eventful week. In photos, at least.

I seem to find the most interesting animals in parking lots. You may remember my porcupine experience last August, at the local Whataburger. Well, the sweetest man in the world and I were leaving our favorite restaurant the other day, and I spotted this little guy across the parking lot.

 

The sun had already set, so it’s not the best picture. But it’s true what they say, the Killdeer are indeed a shorebird you can see without going to the beach! We actually have these on our property quite often, and someday I hope to share with you a better shot!

Speaking of that sun that was setting, I shot this on the way out . . .

 

I mentioned last week that the Hummingbirds are back. I just love spending time with these little wonders. Consider yourself duly warned, you will likely see pictures of them here on this blog, weekly, at the least!

Here is a series I shot of a female, pretty sure it’s a Black-chinned Hummingbird, as I haven’t seen any Ruby-throated males yet this year. The females of both the black-chinned and the ruby-throat are nearly impossible to tell apart.

This little gal seemed almost as interested in me as I was in her. What I love about these captures is the detail of her feathers.

 

We had a bit of excitement on Sunday, when I got a call that some peacocks had been spotted on the property. Did I want to get some pictures of them? Does a bear have hair? LOL

These aren’t the best shots. With the wind gusts of 20mph, and the birds not really interested in posing for me, getting a crisp shot was impossible. But I wanted to share them with you none-the-less.

Their jeweled necks simply glowed in the sunlight. I was hoping for the coveted tail shot, but I guess they were too nervous to do any fanning. These are big birds and I wasn’t interested in provoking them!

Here is a link to a pretty cool, interactive series on fancy males that Cornell put together. It really is worth checking out: http://biology.allaboutbirds.org/features/fancymales/fancy-males

The moon has been rising in the afternoon and I was able to get this shot of it waxing gibbous, about 79% illuminated a couple of days ago.

I think a lot of my shots could benefit from the use of a tripod. I’m in the market for one, if any of you have any recommendations or insights, please share in the comments.

That’s my week.

What have you seen through your lens this week?

 

Blessings,

June

 

 

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