MAGIC AND MAJESTY...

Out of all natures' wonders, the awe-inspiring moon probably captures my attention the most. There is something magical about the moon, especially in all its' glory when full. Last night the moonscape was awesome. My captures are NOWHERE near the power and beauty that actually painted the sky last night! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to accurately capture a perfect photo...the aura around the moon does not show here as it did as I was standing there. The subtle nuances in the clouds and tree silhouettes are lost in my photos. I was so mesmerized by this event that only lasted about five minutes, I took 66 photos, only a couple came somewhere near the real beauty of last night. One of the photos showed a formation of a cross from the tree branches, but the rest of the scenery wasn't good. This aura that formed and lasted just a few minutes was the largest I have ever seen around the moon.

After that, the sky was still breathtaking...

and worth staying out a little longer, just soaking up the moonbeams.

Now for the majesty... this buck was just outside the back of our cabin a couple of days ago, a few other deer were searching for food as well, a little further back in the woods.

Yesterday, I had such a treat. I was watching four deer up close to the cabin. They were munching here and there, then wandered across the front yard. My five outdoor cats were watching and one of them ran out to the deer. I witnessed a little leaping and playing between O.J. and one of the deer. The deer all gracefully walked to the damn of the pond...one walked down to the water and began to drink. Two of my cats went and laid down right next to the other three deer. I was admiring how these two very different creatures were peacefully accepting each other, when I noticed out of the corner of my eye a deer in the distant woods running. All of a sudden, a very large buck ran towards the group, as did the first deer I saw in the distance. One chased three deer away and the large buck very forcefully went after the smallest deer and also chased it into the woods. The two aggressors came back to the pond and the larger buck made sounds that I've never heard before. It was an extremely loud, sick, belching sound. I've heard the snorts before, but not this. My husband said that there were territorial issues going on here.

It's hunting season here, something I dread. It bothers me to hear all the guns going off. There is no hunting allowed in my woods.
One day I witnessed Patches our cat, nose to nose with a small doe. Patches was laying down relaxing and the doe just came up to her. Patches got up slowly and started walking and the doe followed her. The unspoken trust of two different species intrigues me.

REMAINDERS OF FALL...

Walking through the woods at this time of the season, I've noticed some standout reds among the nearly bare woods. Gone are the various green hues of the summer. There is still a dash of green here and there, some of the orange and peaches, but the last of natures' reds are what catch my attention on my walks lately.

I don't recall the name of the two bushes we placed on each end of the porch, but their fallen leaves and red berries offer a potpourri of reds, pinks and creams. This color palette covers quite an area in front of the cabin.

Just a few more textures and shades of the reds right now. The rose hips shown are from wild roses that grow in mass in various spots along the woods' edge. Curious as to if all rose hips are edible...can anyone answer that?

This photo is of fruit(?) from a pear tree someone gave to me. Supposedly, it's a Cleveland Bradford Pear Tree and I was told it does not produce fruit. This was the first year this fruit showed up. Again, if anyone could tell me, is this a fruit? Maybe the tree is not what I was told?!

This quaint frog statue is relaxing on a rock situated just above one of our many small falls leading down to the pond. The main waterfall sits back in the woods' edge and there are 13 or 14 small falls along down to the pond.

Take a look under the rock on the right...
This sweet little frog would always sit next to the frog statue on top of the rock, along with another buddy of his. I would start meandering up to them and they'd hop in the water and hide. This went on for a few weeks, when I noticed that suddenly they were no longer there.
I am fairly certain this is the reason why...

See the bulge in this snake? I know he has to eat, and it's natures' course...but, I missed those two little guys on my walk up the falls. I'll just focus on those reds!!

SUNSETS AND FEATHERED FRIENDS...

Out of each season, there are unique reasons to enjoy each in its' own. Back in the woods here, summertime only allows me limited views of the sun rise and sets. It's fall, winter and spring that I am truly able to enjoy all the colors of the sky against the silhouette of the towering trees. Once winter is here, I have an amazing view of the sky, the bare trees , along with the large rolling hills and horizon beyond. At times, I'll bundle up in the cold weather and go into the woods, sit on a bench(that my hubby created out of downed trees), and just sit in the quiet solitude to admire the awesome majesty of it all.

This side of the woods still has plenty of the bronze, orange and peach foliage left. The majority of the woods are quickly becoming bare.

At least now I am able to see the nests in the trees much easier. When you think about wildlife and how they manage to survive all the elements of nature, it justifies how much respect I have for all the critters.
As I was out and about this past week, on one very windy day, the birds were quite active in the tree tops. I was happy to see the wind blown Gold Finch's . Before we started providing food and a large heated cat home for the five stray outdoor cats, we had all kinds of feathered friends at our feeders along the porch. That was the big downside to bleeding heart! Many times I've chased the cats, yelling at them for having a bird in their mouth. It just rips my heart out to see that. I know it's the law of nature, I just can't stand to imagine what pain the prey is feeling. They don't do it in front of me anymore!
I enjoy the Woodpeckers, as long as they're not pecking on the cabin! At one point, we did have that problem. For some reason, it was only the first two years that we lived here.

Now, I'm not sure what type of bird this brave little fellow is...but as small as these birds are, they constantly help themselves to the cats' food...as you can see in its' beak! Surprisingly, there's times when they are within a few feet of the cats....brave, but not so intelligent.

NOVEMBER BEGINS IN THE WOODS...

November started out with unseasonably warm weather, reaching the 60's. The birds were chirping and I still was able to watch my dragonflies...you might have thought it was early spring, if not for the sparse autumn colors that are scattered here and there. A few days last week I witnessed snow flurries and plummeting temperatures. Saturday was the first, the skies couldn't decide on bright and sunny or just plain cloudy. The result made for some interesting reflections on the pond. Not much color in the first photo, but the stark contrasts kept me planted on the wooden bench just admiring the view for quite awhile. If I hadn't mentioned the skies mood, wouldn't you have assumed this was the moon reflecting?

This is my Hydrangea tree showing off her late fall colors...for the most part, the sage greens are gone and now they're a beautiful blending of gold and just a hint of pink.

The Meadowhawk dragonflies seemed happy to be out and about after the cold spell. The fallen autumn leaves really compliment the red dragon. The backdrop of the pond and the silhouette of the bare branched trees just makes this image perfect!

Even a few butterflies were enjoying the warm weather...now I 'm really not sure what the norm is for these beauties...but I was somewhat surprised to see them after the few days of snow flurries. The underside of this butterfly's wings were a pale yellow.
Just another reflection photo, the combination of the blues, the blacks and maroon offer a dramatic effect. I am always looking forward on my walks to see what the pond surface colors are...as they change throughout the day with the changing sky.
Oops!!... Is that another dragonfly?! Sorry, I just love them...can't possibly have enough!

Very early in the morning...There's the blue and black with red this time. I love being outside so early in the morning...it makes me feel like I am truly one with nature. It's a good time to just soak up the calm and get ready to start a new day.

TIME TO REFLECT...

It was 11 years ago this weekend when I met my husband. He was and is a Godsend. Saving you the details of my life...let's just say after many intense nights of praying to God and to my dad who had passed on...my prayers were answered when I needed divine intervention most. I pleaded with my dad that if ever I needed his help, it was now. I had a great job, a loving family...yet I was "lost" and needed someone who would really understand me. I dated, but I needed a soul mate. On the first night we met, and talked for hours...I found out that my hubbys' deceased father and my father worked together. His dad was my dads' supervisor. The rest of the story leads me to this point. After alot of hard work, our dreams came true. The rockers on the porch were my grandma and grandpa's. I'm sure grandma looks down from heaven and smiles each time she sees me rocking away. I remember her singing lullaby's to my firstborn in that very rocker on the right, the same one that I will be using to sing to my newly born (Oct. 1st) grandchild.
Why did I post a photo of a stone path? I wanted to move here to the woods so much, that I convinced my husband that we could survive without running water for about a year as we continued to build.

Every few days he would bring MANY jugs of water from our home up north, which my adult daughter lived in, or from my mothers' home. He drove up there everyday for work and back home ....a 1-1/2 hour trip each way! The summer we moved in there was hardly no rain, and our soil is hard clay. I wanted a natural rock path, so the few days it rained, I was out there frantically placing as many rocks as I could before the clay dried and hardened. This path is about is about 80 feet long...it took all spring, summer and fall(and help from mom) to finish. The rocks now are somewhat out of place, to due to very nature of the clay when it's wet...my hubby wants to replace it, he won't because he knows that I love it, as is, with all its' imperfections. I really put my heart into that simple path, and so did my mom. She has done alot of work out of love helping us! Our dream has been a family affair...even though now they don't come out as often because of other obligations.








The tire swing was one of the first things that we put up, and that was for the enjoyment of our grandchildren as us adults labored away. Of course, even the adults had a few wild rides on that swing!

Our porch is 12 feet by 36 feet long, funds were being stretched daily as we built our cabin. We tossed around in our heads, the size of perhaps a smaller porch to save money, but we figured that a covered porch this size where all the family could gather even if it rained would be well worth the expense. And it was, besides it being able to accomodate quite a few people, this is where we did alot of the sawing, sanding and varnishing when the weather didn't cooperate! Yes, I am the sanding and varnishing queen in these parts...hundreds of different woods of varying lengths and widths passed under my hands. Not to mention carrying 8, 10,12 and 16 foot long pieces overhead, one after another for days (actually a few years). It was worth the all the hard work... all the blood, sweat and tears. When I reflect back on it all, I just have to smile. All because two people met and fell in love...with a little help from above.

AS THE SEASON AGES...

The skylines' are changing with more views of the sky beyond the dark silhouettes of the trees. Just three weeks ago, I would see very little of the mauve, pink, orange and red hues surrounding a sunset. Not that a sunset in summer wasn't perfect in its' own right...it was perfect how it spread itself throughout all the leaves and vegetation in the woods. Casting shadows among the sun-kissed leaves, branches and trunks of the trees. The summer setting of the sun created beautiful contrasts in the woods. Now, I enjoy the contrasts of the trees against the clouds and the colors of the sky. When I want to see a more dramatic effect, all I have to do is gaze in the pond. It's very easy to get lost in a moment like this!
Temperatures have dipped as low as 29 degrees at night. We've had a good bit of sunshine lately during the past couple of weeks, but I think this will be the last of my waterlily blooms. My last two blooms opened slightly more than this one. More than likely, I'll have to appreciate this beauty as no more than the bloom it is now.
This was taken within the last couple of weeks...now, I know that a photographer would look at this photo and tell me all that I did wrong in trying to capture this falling leaf! Truth be told, I was actually trying to photograph a Mosaic Darner Dragonfly and the camera setting was on automatic. As I was viewing my photos after I loaded them, there was this perfect falling leaf, just floating in a sunbeam...it appears almost golden, doesn't it?
Faster than a speeding bullet! This large dragonfly is who I was trying to capture zooming in and out of the tree tops! It's too bad that you cannot see the greens and blues, contrasting with the black in this dragon...the lighting was too bright and washed out the color. I am going to miss my dragons so much...I can't wait until next spring!

HERE AND THERE...

As much as I love my perennials, I have to give credit where credit is due...and that would be to the common colorful annuals. When all the other plants are winding down for their long winters' slumber, here is the annuals time to finally shine . I have plenty of moisture along the front porch, so after a few years of experimenting with different varieties, I've settled on what works, the impatiens. Among the variegated creepers, I've scattered some daylillies, wild geraniums, bleeding heart and large rocks. The impatiens along the outside edge, with rocks all running the length of the beds.

This little guy on the swing was a gift from my mom. I couldn't decide where I wanted him...finally one day my granddaughter, Celine, picked him up and placed him on this swing. It was the perfect spot, and he's been there ever since...about four years now! My husband made this swing hanging on a tree branch for Celine to swing her dolls.

Everyone in my family has a trail that is named after them, a few of us hand chiseled trail signs. Mine is Spooky's Stroll, shown here with the peach and green autumn leaves of the small dogwood tree. Before we had the pond, I had many, many long walks in the woods. I enjoy the solitude of just myself and being surrounded by the towering trees. Somehow it's comforting to me.
The Meadowhawk dragonflies were sure busy this past weekend. Here's four couples in tandem enjoying the sunny day.
They were not only friendly with each other, but with me. As soon as I put out my arm they would land on me. They landed on my shoulders, on my shirt, but the best shot for a photo was impossible to get! One landed on my finger that was positioned...on my camera...to shoot a photo! Teasing me! In this photo, there's one on my hand and one on my forearm.

Across the waterfall, off to the side and in the woods...I nestled a couple of old benches and a table. Just a cozy little nook to relax and let time slip by. Here you can see who has the most time to let slip by! It' s Bandit and her son O.J. Well, of course after following me around on "our" walks, they had to take a rest!