Front And Back Bounty!

Dress Rehearsal for February 18, 2011

"Full Snow Moon"

Photo taken by Suzanne * February 16,  2011

In my quest to capture a full moon at SOME POINT in my life, and-after years of  disappointing moon shots, I finally managed to get this shot of the pre-"full Snow Moon" that would make it's appearance on February 18th, two days later.  Somewhere between 5:30 and 6:00 pm, Karo and I were relaxing on the front porch with a cup of coffee, when I spotted this scene directly across the street, to the east of us.  The reason I'm not sure of the exact time of the photo is because my camera batteries had gone DEAD a week ago, and I FORGOT TO CHANGE THE TIME AND DATE, SO IT SAYS SOMETHING LIKE 3 O'CLOCK AM IN THE YEAR OF 2050!!!  Ok, you can imagine my excitement, and then tripping over Karo's feet to get to the door and into the house after the CAMERA!!!  And, in the end, I did not expect to get any acceptable results, but VOILÀ!   My first acceptable moon shot! 

 Karo got this one!  Cool, huh?

Of course, the "Full Snow Moon" was so named by the Indians of the North and the East, because the snows are more frequent and heavier during  the month of February.  The brutal cold weather made hunting more difficult, and some also called this moon the "Full Hunger Moon".  Nevertheless, we were very pleased to have captured this moon when we did.  You can even see some of the detail in the moon-it was still light outside and this moon was so bright and clear. 

Saturday afternoon on the day of February 19, 2011

The weather was beautiful, and Karo has actually been sick for a few days with sinusitis and horrible ear infection in both ears!  So we're laying low, but sitting out front, once again, to some to get fresh air and relax.  Our Cherry Laurel puts on berries, (sorry-no cherries) in the fall that turn real dark throughout the winter.  And the birds love to spend the winter months in and out of that tree feeding.  The most common bird to visit that tree is the scissortail, but they are so fast, it's hard to get pictures of them.  However, on this day, we noted two bluejay hanging around the tree.  So, up and thru the door I went after the camera.  The two Jays would jump in and out of the tree, and one spent some time on the ground beneath the tree. 

What a Prize!

Photo taken by Karo * February 19, 2011

What can I say?  These two birds weren't as large as most that come thru our yard.  Maybe they're young...I don't know what the babies look like, or how they grow.  Neverthless, they were beautiful!

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Going forward, or rather backward, to the back yard, on Sunday afternoon I decided to mull around out back to see if I could find any photo-worthy subjects.  Not a whole lot going on this time of year, but the daffodils are coming up-just the foliage for now.  And I noticed loads of dandelions in various patches throughout the yard, some had busy bees scouting them out.  Here is one such hard worker.

Photo taken by Suzanne * February 20, 2011

Farther back, I was just looking around, down and up-up and down.  All was so quiet, but finally, I spotted these!!!

Photos taken by Suzanne * February 20, 2011

Ahh, peace on earth-well, or on tree!  These docile dove were all roosting and basking in the sun from this tree.  Oh yeah, they knew I was down there looking up, and they didn't care!  A few would fly out and then back in to a different roost.  Sometimes I would count 6 and 7 of them-so mesmerized by them, I'm surprised I even got these shots.  And I was pleased.  The dove frequent our backyard and visit our larger birdbath.  They take turns at it, and generally congregate by twos.  They are very considerate of each other, not bickering or hogging the birdbath.   I try to coo softly when I see them, and they always look at me, but don't fly off like so many birds do.  They're probably laughing too hard at me to be able to fly-"what is that foolish woman doing, coo-cooing?"  No, I think they really appreciate me and the water and mulberries in the spring that I generously provide.  And I appreciate their visits.  They are gracious guests.

Look who's stopping by!

 My Great Niece Chloe * 19 months old 

Here is Chloe on February 23rd, saying Happy Birthday to my sister, who is also her Grandmother.  Chloe's mom, Erica, who is my niece, caught this happy picture in the morning to send to my sister.  And my mom, the "Grand Nana", forwarded it on to me.  What a great way to start a birthday!

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And, now, I would like to send you to my sidebar, just underneath the Margarita picture at the top, to my latest survey.  There is only one answer-just click one the one that you think is right.  I think the poll is open until March 12, 2011.  Just one try!  That's all it takes, and no one has to know unless you want me to tell!

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Last week one of my blogmates offered up a quote that has been on my mind ever since I read it.  There are a lot of quotes out there with real meaning.   And, of course, I think I have to try to find the meaning and read between the lines.  It gets easier, you know.  Just follow the path and you'll see.  I don't think Laura at forestwalkart (link on my sidebar) will mind if I use one of her quotes just this once.  Afterall, I think she meant for the quote to be shared.  Thank you, Laura.

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"The question is not what you look at, but what you see."

~David Thoreau

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My humble thanks to all who contribute

And a Huge Thank You to my readers!

My cool husband, Karo

The Birds and the Bees! (ha ha)

My great-niece Chloe

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