Finding Solace in Nature

Hello, Dear Friends. 

I want to thank you for your kind comments and sweet friendship. 

You always renew my faith in humanity.

xx

I've been finding solace in this troubled world

by spending time each day enjoying nature. 

Weather permitting! 

There's something so grounding and soothing 

when breathing in the fresh air

and listening to the sweet sounds of nature. 

Nature weaving created by me.
My Dad made the coat rack.

So, grab a warm flannel and come along with me, 

as we spend a bit of time enjoying nature right 

outside the door. 

It's cool, damp and very still, here at my little bistro table, 

high above the ground, safe on my wooden deck. 

The sky is layered in varying shades of gray, today. 

There is a rumbling in the distance - barely discernable. 

A jet? The river below? Or maybe heavy equipment from 

some distant logging camp. 

The resident Stellar Jay asks

"What, what, what?", in his shrill, throaty voice. 

A raven croaks as he flies overhead. 

Usually there are two. 

What happened to its mate? 

Perhaps they'll meet up in some wild, secret place 

only known to them. 

We've had a pair of bald eagles stopping by now and again 

this winter. 

They like to sit in the trees overlooking the foothills,

 making a hollow clacking sound to one another. 

Off they go! 

The piercing whistle of the Northern Flicker adds to the conversation 

as he hunts for grubs in the grass. 

Oh, yum - he's found a tasty slug!

These are the only woodpeckers that search for food on the ground. 

The tiny buzz of the Annas hummingbirds as they flit back and forth 

to the feeder, are a sweet, friendly presence, as are the 

ever-faithful dogs. 

Kai stays busy patrolling the grounds, following scents

and occasionally stopping to look past the fence 

that keeps him in bounds. 

Ricky is content to stay right beside me as I tickle 

his ears, occasionally leaving to stand by 

the deck rail to let out a startingly loud, 'Woof', 

hoping somebody answers. 

Eventually he gets bored and joins Kai, usually coming 

back stinky after rolling in who knows what. 

I can only imagine ... Lol!

These two (and sometimes several friends) have made themselves quite at home this year. 

They've forced me to reassess what I'm able to grow! 

The trees are covered in blankets of moss. 

Dark green on the maples - pale lichen and reindeer moss 

on the alder, plum and cherries. 

The dead hemlock snag near the house has mushrooms up and down the trunk. 

This tree recently died. 

A beetle has been decimating the population of our beautiful western hemlock trees. 

We've lost several in the last few years. 

We let the snags stand for the woodpeckers. 

xx

And, of course, it wouldn't be the Pacific Northwest without the 

occasional sighting of Bigfoot! 

This guy was gifted to us by our son, recently. 

It's a life-size metal sculpture (8 ft.), placed along our driveway. 

We knick-named him 'Buddy'. 

xx 

You would think that he might scare the deer. 

But no - they aren't fazed in the least. 

The gardens are sleepy and covered in a tapestry of leaves. 

Ferns, holly and evergreens steal the scene this time of year. 

It's quiet and peaceful and beautiful in its own way. 

Ivy, St. John's wort, and archangel carpet the ground, 

alongside sleeping clumps of forget-me-not, herb Robert, 

and buttercup waiting for spring. 

Up here on the deck, winter pansies still bloom through snow, rain 

and freezing temperatures, bouncing back to prove nature's resiliency. 

Pots of sleeping herbs wait for the sun. 

Artemesia, mint, oregano, chives and thyme. 

The rosemary survived the cold and will 

deserve a bigger pot come spring. 

There's much to do in the gardens before then, but not today. 

There's no sunshine to warm the bones and I have 

no desire to venture beyond this little table and my warm cup of tea. 

There's a slight breeze picking up, as the clouds 

grow darker and I catch the scent of rain. 

Perhaps soon the sun will shine, and I can clip the tansy, 

trim the old hydrangea blooms, cut back the ivy 

and the blackberry vines and fertilize the roses. 

Until then, nature can rest in peace. 

xx

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

- Vincent van Gogh -

"Nature is the source of all true knowledge."

- Leonardo Da Vinci -

"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads."

- Henry David Thoreau -

"We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, 

we borrow it from our children."

- Chief Seattle -

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed,

and to have my senses put in order."

- John Burroughs -

"I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."

- Anne Frank -

xx

Linking to: Saturdays Critters

 

Fall into Winter

 Hello, Dear Friends. 

I hope that those of you who live in the North, like I do, 

are staying warm and cozy and settling in for the long winter ahead. 

For those of you who live in the South, 

I hope that you are enjoying the lovely flowers and sunshine. 

Every season has its challenges, but also its beauty. 

As we enter into the final month of the year, 

I want to share some of nature's beauty, here at my home in the 

foothills near Mt. Rainier.

We've had our first snows in the higher elevations. 

It's especially pretty at sunrise. 

Migrating hawks stop by to look for a quick meal. 

Sometimes they stay for the season. 

The beautiful Varied Thrush winter here in the lower foothills. They live in the 

higher elevations the rest of the year. 

I love their reedy calls. 

Mt. Rainier with its cap of swirling clouds. 

The mountain forms its own weather, 

and sometimes the clouds are captured in the whirlwind. 

This is a forecast of future rain or snow, 

usually within 24 hours. 

Most of the time it looks like this. 

The mist has a life of its own,

changing every moment. 

It adds a mysterious atmosphere to the forest. 

You can see why the 'Twighlight' movies were

filmed in Washington State. 

With all the rain and mist, mosses thrive on every surface. 

Raindrops look like fairy lights. 

When the sun shines through just right, 

some of the raindrops will turn brilliant colors. 

I've yet to capture this phenomenon on film, 

but I keep trying...

Barberry

Beauty Berry

Berries and rosehips take center stage in winter. 

Big-Leaf Maple wingnuts 

Annas Hummingbirds are year-round residents. 

I feed them sugar water all year, but they also

live on insects, flowers (we actually have flowers that bloom here year-round),

and the sweet sap that is released 

from deciduous trees by our native Western Sapsucker. 

Isn't he pretty? 

 Western Sword Fern stays evergreen and 

carpets the woodland floor. 

Bracken fern nearby turns golden and dies back. 

Can you see my American Eskimo dog, Kai 

between the trunks of Western Red Cedar? 

A Stellar Jay with an insect in his beak. They love carpenter ants and termites, 

so are very beneficial. 

This is one of a nesting pair of Stellar Jays that live on the property. 

These beautiful birds are the watchdogs of the forest, warning 

the residents when Hawks are around by imitating 

their calls. 

They warn of Ravens and Eagles by imitating 

the way they clack their bills together. 

It creates a unique sound similar to 

hollow bamboo sticks banging together. 

I've watched little birds dive for cover when 

they sound the alarm. 

Like this pretty guy - a Spotted Towhee. 

He has red eyes and white spots on his wings. 

This is another bird that has a reedy call. 

We also have a pair of Ravens who nest in a neighboring hill. 

This is their offspring. 

I see them flying together every day with junior alongside. 

Sometimes junior gets separated and will sit 

in the treetops and cry. 

These are large birds, much larger than a crow. 

Can you see him in the treetop, second from left? 

Off he goes...

One morning recently, I noticed from my deck, a large flock of crows 

swirling around and around above me. 

They seemed to be focused on one large fir tree in particular. 

They were screeching and carrying on, 

and I had my suspicions as to why. 

They stayed for about an hour, then mysteriously flew 

away together. 

This was unusual, as I normally don't see flocks of crows here. 

My suspicions were confirmed a little while later, when I happened 

to see a Bald Eagle fly away from the direction of the fir tree.

(I was out on the deck planting winter pansies.) 

He must have sadly caught a crow, which was the reason for their distress. 

I've seen the eagle several times since, 

but not the crows. 

I spied this beautiful girl from my kitchen window the other morning. 

You can see that she spied me, also! 

She was eating my ivy along the walkway, which I didn't really 

appreciate, so I shooed her away. 

I've seen her with her half-grown doe fawn nibbling on my gardens

the last few days. I enjoy seeing them and don't mind 

their pruning, except when they come too close to the house. 

I don't want them to feel too comfortable around people. 

For their own safety. 

xx

They are Blacktail deer. 

One afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I was looking out that same 

kitchen window when I saw movement at the edge of the clearing 

we call the 'front lawn'. Lol!

There are wild plum trees there. 

As I zoomed in with my camera, I could see this little family 

come into focus. 

A mother Racoon and her three offspring. 

They were very busy eating the fallen fruit and climbing the trees

to shake down more. 

I loved watching them and was glad that my little trees 

 provided a much-needed meal. 

I love all God's creatures and try to always be kind and compassionate. 

I even catch and release spiders that find their way inside.

(Cover with a dedicated see-through plastic food container and carefully slide 

a sturdy, thin piece of cardboard underneath. Carry outside. Make sure you open

the door before-hand or have a partner to do it for you!) 

I rescue insects that fall into buckets and the bird bath, too. 

A leaf is good for this. 

We are given the gift of living on this beautiful Earth

and I believe it is our duty to honor that by taking good care of it

and not take it for granted. 

Nature needs all the help she can get right now. 

I know that all of you, Dear Friends, feel the same. 

We are old souls that have found each other. 

It's so important now, more than ever, to show kindness 

and compassion in a world that's sadly lacking in these qualities. 

And please, Dear Friends, take good care of yourselves and one another.

We are all in this together.  

xx

Linking with: Saturdays Critters

 "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

- Lao Tzu -

"Everything you can imagine, nature has already created."

- Albert Einstein -

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one

thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, 

we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. 

All things connect."

- Chief Seattle -

xx