This blog is about my garden and the outdoors. I am new to photography but I am trying to show some of the pretty things that grow here in Michigan. I love the wild things who visit me and I dont mind if they eat a bit here and there. I like it more if they let me take their picture. As time goes on I think I will try to show you around the beautiful area that I live in as well as my garden. I try to use my own pictures as much as possible but will also use pictures from the web. If I inadvertently use your photo or work without permission please email me and I will remove it or give credit if you prefer. I will give credit when I know who the owner is. I would ask that anyone using my pictures do the same.
... I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.......Psalm23:6
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Saturday, December 21, 2013

Winter in the garden...............

Today is Winter solstice. The first day of Winter.
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My garden is sleeping under a blanket of snow. It's already deep. It will be a long winter I think.
The pine trees are beautiful and where they lay on the ground they provide a warm place for the bunnies out of the wind.
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The sky is so blue on this day.
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Beautiful sky and white white snow.
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My street has a lot of snow, and everything is covered and clean for today.
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My garden is asleep.
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My porch is in winter mode now
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Tristen is enjoying shoveling snow, and making pathways out the back. His play house is covered in snow now. Its been so cold he does not stay out long. He takes his trucks out and comes back with them full of snow, yup, my floors are full of snow and I keep a mop by the back door for now.
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Yes it is beautiful, but I look forwards to Spring. This is just the beginning.

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Happy Winter Solstice...........













Sunday, December 8, 2013

The snow is so beautiful.................

I love the look of snow. No so much the reality of it. When I worked I really didn't like it at all. The roads around here can be treacherous, it is after all Michigan. We live in the great white north.
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Well there is Canada further north but they don't get much more snow than we do, it lasts a little longer maybe but we have our share. I remember when we first came here, some winters were 6 months long to me. I mean, when it snows in October and lasts till April thats pretty long. I am counting flurries and not deep snow but back then I could not get over it..............I would call mum,"hey we are in the Upper Peninsula in September and I saw snow in the rain." ......we would get Indian Summer but still we knew what was coming.
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It took a long time for me to get used to it. When I turned 40 I got a horse. Well, that was great in summer (another story) but once that snow started to come down and I had a 20+ mile drive it was a bit dodgy. I do remember one evening when my friend Mary (was driving) we got almost to the barn and there was a tree across the road. There we were in a blizzard trying to move the dang thing. Well some guy stopped in a big truck and pushed it away far enough so we could get by and the barn was just down the road from there. We went thankfully into he barn, gave our horses carrots and apples, made sure they were snug and comfy and headed home. By then the guy had that tree all cut up and stacked by the road. It was a small tree.
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At first I loved the snow I had fun blasting through drifts, wooooo hooooo and was not afraid at all. Then one day coming down a hill I lost control. That did it. From then on I really did not care to drive in the snow. Its all about the what if's....well sometimes "What if" can keep you safe. So I was more cautious after that. There were many times over the years when Mary and I would take a quick trip out to the barn, bring in all the horses because no one was there and set them all inside in the warm. Then leave and start home again. We got in some pickles out there, that much I can say. We rode out in the snow back in those days. The horses loved it. Then one day coming back Lady and I got out onto a sheet of ice. She froze, I was scared witless. I was afraid she would fall and break a leg (to say nothing of me) so I let go of the reins, let her figure it out and stayed as still as I could as she picked her way over the ice. My heart thumping. The other two, Mary and her son, they found a way around it after we made if over. She was a good old girl that horse.
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It was that same ride that earlier Mary fell off. Mark and I were out ahead chatting. Mary was riding our shared horse named Spyder. Well Spyder was a slow poke and they were hanging back. Mark and I were side by side and rounded a corner in the woods. All of a sudden Spyder with Mary clinging to his side came bounding around the corner. We stopped and watched as in what seemed like slow motion Mary ever so gracefully got lower and lower on his side until she plopped off into the snow bank. Spyder stopped and munched on a branch. Now I would have thought that Mark would have stopped and helped his mum but nope, he just carried on as she dusted herself off and clambered back onto good old Spyder. Not a word was said.
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Well winter holds its wonders, it is not all bad and it is certainly beautiful. It's just so dang long

Sunday, December 1, 2013

A band called Angel.......


A band called Angel that I liked many years ago. The song is hauntingly pretty. After all these years it sounds rather tinny. Still I have some fond memories and thats what songs do isn't it? Reminds us of times gone by, of people we once knew, some we may have loved. Times that were good or bad. Well this one doesn't mean much except that I used to like it.......many years ago.
The Winter Song by Angel

Songwriters: EDWIN L. MEADOWS, FRANK DIMINO, GREGG GIUFFRIA
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Winter is here, and it's cold this time of year.
There's snow everywhere in sight, falling on this winter night.
By candle light, we share this chilly night.
There's frost on the window pane, winter nights are here again.
There's a feeling in the air, feel the spirit everywhere.
Winter winds on heaven and earth.
By the fireplace, there's a smile on every face.
The ice begins to cling, listen to the children sing.
Looking outside, the city lights all come alive.
People running all around, they fill the streets with a happy sound.
There's a feeling in the air, feel the spirit everywhere.
Winter winds on heaven and earth.
Hear the Angels join the choir, let them take the music higher.
Through winter days on heaven and earth.
There's a feeling in the air, feel the spirit everywhere.
Winter winds on heaven and earth.
Hear the Angels join the choir,let them take the music higher.
Through winter days on heaven and earth.
There's a feeling in the air,feel the spirit everywhere.
Winter winds on heaven and earth (heaven and earth).
Hear the Angels join the choir, let them take the music higher...
Through winter days on heaven and earth.
There's a feeling in the air, feel the spirit everywhere.
Winter winds on heaven and earth.
Hear the Angels join the choir, let them take the music higher...
Through winter days on heaven and earth.
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