Small Joys

  Today, I was looking back through old pictures taken on the farm that I lived on in CT. The sheep brought such joy to my life and that of my family and I have wonderful memories of my time as a shepherd. I loved the Jacobs and Shetlands that we raised and took pleasure in caring for them, it never felt like a work. It seems like another lifetime entirely when I look at these pictures, but I feel lucky to have spent so many years there.  Doing things you love can fill you with small joys. 

 A record, two days in a row!  Such an amazing bird.   Here he is preening himself in the lake.  It is a grey overcast day with temps hovering around the high 30's.  We are not likely to see snow, but rain is in the forecast.  The winter here in Atlanta is much like Europe; rainy, cold and overcast. There are days with brilliant sunshine unlike Europe.   

  Isn't he gorgeous?  The mercury was hovering around the high 30's today and I have not seen my friend the Heron. Then as the sun came out and temperature warmed, there he was right on shoreline in front of the house.  You can see his blue feathers and the long frayed looking ones that hang like gossamer  from his wings.  So exquisite.  His beak strikes like lightening as it takes aim and snaps up its prey. Truly a sight to behold.

This is what I call a Ghost Moon, still in plain view in the morning after it was up all night shining full.  Such an uplifting way to start off my day.  Simple pleasure.. par excellence.  

  Well, it was a rainy day in Georgia so to speak.  I could not go for my walk in the beginning of the day as it was raining and downright nasty out. As the day went on the sun came out and what a beauty of a day it was shaping up to be.  So contrary to my normal pattern, I decided to go out and get my walk in.  I typically do not walk in the afternoon or evening as I just don't seem, to have the energy for it.  But today, I said to myself, you can do it today will be different.  Well, about half way into my walk the sky began to cloud and the sky looked ominous.  How did that happen in such a short time?? I asked myself??  The next thing I knew it began to sprinkle giving me false hope that I would in fact make it home before the sky really opened up and I would be drenched.  Looking at the picture to the left, you see I did not make it.  Instead of a boo hoo moment, I broke into a laugh.  It was really not as bad as one would...

During breakfast, with the help of my niece Tessa...  I was able to take some amazing images of 3 turtles. Just as I was uploading the image to my photos a 4th turtle decided to push his way onto the log. They are almost as skittish as cardinals!  If I so much as open the porch door in an attempt to take their picture, they would have slipped into the lake faster than you could shak e a stick.    It is harder to identify turtles than one would think.  I have now spent a few hours looking at images of lake turtles in Georgia and alas I am no further than I was at the start.  I guess for now I will just savor the fact that on this unusual 70 degree January day they came up on the log to warm themselves in the sun.  Lucky me.     And then there were 6... Wow, As the day went on 2 more turtles tried to navigate the log.  How did the last two get the others to move up the log?  How was that negotiated?  You can see their powerf...

  Pussy Willow Update This morning on my way out the door, I noticed a change in the furry little catkins. They are plumper and more of the buds are emerging with fur caps.  It really make me think of spring even though it is only the end of January.  In the south this might mark the beginning spring.  I am not sure but I will just enjoy their buds.  I always remember the bush we had at our home in Michigan.  There was something that always drew me to them, their softness and the fact that they seemed to be the first harbingers of spring in the midwest.  

You can never have enough dogs Tonight, I had to smile when I looked over at my brother-in-law, the dog czar with his very own dog posse surrounding him as he watched football.  Each dog is conked out, I don't they care who makes it to the Superbowl.  So nice to be loved by furry companions.

 Well, I am starting again for the umpteenth time.  I still find pleasure in knitting, even though every time I pick up the needles and start on my project I can't remember if I knitted or pearled the previous row.  This does not deter me as I am giving it a try again.  I need to be able to have the time to do continuous work on my sweater. Each time should not feel like the movie, 50 first dates! I want to get into a knitting groove if there is such a thing .   

I love it when "bird leaves" appear on the trees.  Lately I have noticed large flocks of starlings flying as if they were synchronized swimmers.  This morning on my walk I saw  group of starlings take flight and then abruptly land on the tree branches like swaying leaves. It was mesmerizing.  It may sound silly, but I am surprised how many times little events like this go unnoticed because I am too busy to stop and notice my surroundings.  I no longer waiting for something big to happen to brighten my day, I finding pleasure in the simple beauty around me.  Once you force yourself to be present there is a world of possible. 

 No walk today as it is raining, and I was sitting around feeling sorry for myself.  I looked out at the backyard and thought about how  grateful I am for the amazing view I have.  Even in a rainstorm, the birds are busy eating to stay warm,  the lake is slowly moving with the breeze, it looks so peaceful. I think maybe now I see why my daughter loves the rain, it gives you permission to relax and not do anything and that is ok.

Nothing can replace a good friend.  I looked out the window this morning and down in the backyard stood Ford and his friend Liam.  They love nothing more than to patrol the perimeter of the property looking for imaginary interlopers. It is not quite the same and not nearly as much fun when you are doing the patrolling alone.   

 Again, the evening sky needs no explanation.💗

Channeling my inner Julia Child.  After watching Julie and Julia I went to the library and took out the two volumes of Julia Child's cookbook and proceeded to try to tackle the roast chicken.  It was delicious, I am not sure whether it was my cooking skills(ha-ha) or the butter massage she makes sure that you give the chicken.  It was delicious.  She also has you sew up the chicken and as we did not have a long enough needle I just tied it with cooking twine as best as I could and it was truly delicious.  Such fun.   

It is funny this patch of grass reminds me of the time spent on the farm outside of Williamsburg, VA.  It is the particular color of the grass as the light hits the stems, reddish in hue.  A lot of fond memories of house renovation on an old farmhouse and acreage. When we would drive down to Williamsburg, in the winters to work on this house project or another it was the way the grass looked in the dead of January that always brought a smile to my face and made the long weekend journey worthwhile. 

 Well, I do not think the picture does the first sign of Spring?? justice.  In the northeast you would never see pussy willows blooming, but that is what this little guy is trying to do.  In fact, quite a few of the stems have the soft fur-like protuberances appearing.  Here is the deep south you have early morning temps in the winter of 28 to 30 degrees and in a hot minute you can be at 40 degrees .  Today, I noticed that the pussy willows are showing signs of opening and in the northeast they would hold tight until March or April.  Lovely. 

 Bluebirds can be seen her all year round.  Unfortunately not so in Connecticut.  I always wanted to see one at my house but I was never so fortunate, now they are always at the feeders and especially at the worm feeder.  So beautiful.

 Well, this was truly my lucky day.  I was wandering around at Lakeside 400 looking at the antiques and I came across this pearl ring.  It was meant to be, my ring size like my feet is large.. size 8.  Very few rings actually are sized to fit fingers my size, but this pearl ring was meant for me.  Yeah!!

 Sometimes it is dangerous to look up while you are walking but if you don't once in awhile you will miss a starling murmuration.  While teaching I learned that the particular pattern of starlings as they fly up and around and loop di loop has a name and that name is murmuration.  I have never seen one myself, only on a video.  But today, was my lucky day and I was able to capture part of their flight.  Look the term up to see the video, truly amazing.

I know it may seem that there is too much Ford, but in my experience you can never have too much.  He is such a joy for me and makes me laugh when I least expect it.   So as not to continue inundating you with Mr. Ford pictures, I will add this one to this post.  He sometimes reads too late into the night.

My dog Ford ( I did not choose his name) is my Super Hero.  He possesses many super powers one of which is laying like a frog dog.  He has relaxed  with his 4 legs outstretched ever since he was a pup and it has always made me smile.  Emma, my niece,  took a picture of him and then used some program to turn him into a super hero.  His other super powers include: constant talking which my family calls whining and being an amazing companion.  That is the thing about animals isn't it ...they love you unconditionally, even if we were an axe murderer you would still be there favorite person.   You gotta love that!  Here is the original image that Emma worked from to create the super hero rendition of Ford. If you look closely on the right hand side of the picture, you can see the remnants of the candy cane rope from one of my earlier posts.

I played with the edit option on my phone to capture these starlings feeding from the ground.  They drop  down to the ground and then fly up all together in symphony. So cool to watch. 

This was one of the days I was out walking and I happened to look up and there was a Black Vulture.   He was sitting atop a telephone pole, just waiting for something to die along the road.  He picked just the right spot, as the cars travel too fast and I have seen many a squirrel carnage. Black Vultures look so menacing, right out of a mystery novel. I wish I had my camera at the ready last week, as I do not know who was more startled me or him when I rounded the bend in the road he came flying out of a thicket at break neck speed.  The sound of his wings alone was enough to make me jump.

Finally..... with some help from my niece, Emma I was able to capture this  beautiful picture of a male cardinal.  They are such handsome birds and they frequent the feeders outside my home in Atlanta.  They are one of the most skittish birds and I feel so lucky to have finally taken a picture of one. 

 Hmm, can you guess where I am?  I love it when I can get a close up of these furry beasts.  

You might think I have an obsession with cows, but I feel so fortunate to be able to see them everyday, if only at a distance.  There is  usually an entire herd but these two will do.

  This is hands down the best part of my daily walk!  I am out of my subdivision and in the surrounding countryside, where this big girl was out eating her morning breakfast.  She stopped and raised her head just long enough for me to snap her photo.  Such gentle giants.  

  This little joy is my dog, Ford.  Not the greatest name I admit but he is one of the greatest dogs! Here he is enjoying his Christmas toy on his bed.  It just made me smile when I looked at how content he was to just chew up his candy cane rope.

 I have always loved the winter skies.  I think they are the most striking, especially just before dawn. There is nothing like being outside on a crisp winter evening with the wind and biting cold. I know that most people do not share my love of winter, but it is highly underrated.  This image is one I captured just at dusk while out walking my dog. It looks like rosy fingers in the sky even at night.

 I take a five mile walk everyday, but I have to admit not when it rains. My skills as a photographer leave a lot to be desired but that does not stop me from finding beauty in the starkness of nature.  I looked up and the way in which the tree looked so bare caught my eye. I am not sure you can see the cardinal hanging out on one of the branches on the right.  

  Today, I begin a pictorial blog of all the small joys in life that go unnoticed unless you look for them.  Whether you are going through a transition, a difficult time, or just living, it is important to stop and enjoy something that made you smile during your day.  Life can be challenging and we many times perseverate on the difficulties we face and we forget to savor the small joys that we experience.  I urge everyone to stop and look around you and remember and celebrate all the simple pleasures that you encounter in a day. Many times we miss them and dismiss the little things that bring a smile to our day.   The idea for recording these small joys comes from author, Aisha Saaed .  During the pandemic, she tweeted a simple question that made me pause and reflect on myself, the way I was approaching life, and the pandemic that was crashing down around me.  She asked ,What simple pleasure will you savor today? Her question changed me my focus. I sta...