Snow Pareidolia and Posts of the Week

Pareidolia is a tendency to see images in inanimate objects. I tend to do that a lot. I might just be easily amused but I hope that you are as well because along with the Posts of the Week, that's what I've got for you today.


Looking out on the back deck, I noticed that Elmer the Safety Elephant had taken a snowy form and was making himself at home on our barbecue.







Here's a closer look. Do you see him?







A few windy days later, my old blue pal, Huckleberry Hound took his place.







Come a little bit closer, Huck.

Isn't this thrilling?


Out on the uncleared driveway, a little giraffe, covered in a blanket of snow was taking a snooze.







On the front patio, a great big fluffy white creature was also having a good sleep - its face smooshed into the arm of the chair.


All these strange creatures all over the place. There was no place left to look but up...



And that's when I saw this purple little pixie skiing across the sky. Go home, cloud. You're drunk!







I suspect that's pretty much what Benny thought about me.

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

PHOTOGRAPHY

A Day in Antalya
by DJan
at DJan-ity

Frost on Windows
by Tina
at East Gwillimbury CameraGirl

Our Pileated Guest
by Linda
at The View From Squirrel Ridge

Sunburst
by Fiona
at Lady Fi

Once in a Lifetime
by Scott
at Just Used Pixels

  ***

A GOOD READ

The Ugly Tattoo
by Sandi
at Holding Patterns

Our Dog Loves Shoes
by Rick
at Life 101

Ambulance Story ~ We Lost Dear John
by Eddie
at Clouds and Silvery Linings

***

YOU'LL SAY "AWWW"

It's Frozen Outside But My Heart is Melting
by YaYa
at Whispering Pines

***

INTERESTING HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

Etiquette
by Daryl
at Out and About in New York City

***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

Some Heat
by Solarity
at Living With the Sun

Are We Weather Obsessed
by Linda
at Crafty Gardener
 
***

INSPIRING

Radiant Threads
by Michelle
at House of Lime
 

***

YOU'LL LEARN SOMETHING
 
The Canadian Flag Went Up Fifty Years Ago
by Red
at Hiawatha House

  

***

CREATIVE FUN (Participation Requested)

Farts
by Jim
at Suldog

***

READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: Joeh
The Mourning Dove
by OldAFSarge
at Chant du Départ
 

***

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
 

Thank you

Propane and Posts of the Week

Watch him try.

He's so spry.

Brings me my....

Propane.

(With apologies to the late J. J. Cale and to Eric Clapton.)

One morning, earlier this month, Benny started grrruffing - that combination of growls and barks which Jack Russell Terriers do so well. This meant one of the following:
a) someone was at the door
b) someone was snowmobiling across the lake
c) someone was coming down our driveway
d) a deer was wandering the property
e) a squirrel was on the deck
f) a mouse was in the basement
g) a cat was in the litter box
h) something of JRT urgency needed to be expressed
i) an icicle fell into the soft snow within a half mile radius of our place
j) someone was murmuring quietly in their own home, three houses away
k) a snowflake fell within a quarter mile radius of our place
l) it had already been a whole five minutes since the last grrrruffing espisode
... now you're beginning to get the picture of how quirky this dog is.

Anyway, in this particular instance, someone was indeed making their way down our driveway - the local propane delivery guy - here to help keep us warm through the winter.

He is amazingly adept at getting himself and a heavy hose through fairly deep snow, across our yard and around the side of the house where the tank is located. I thought you needed to see that so I snapped a few photos on this grrrruffable day. Hopefully you can handle all the excitement.


After the truck backed up and "eep, eep, eep"ed its way into position, the Kelly's Fuel guy made his way out of the driver's seat to start the process.




He approached the back of the truck and he opened the latch to gain access to the hose. Can you feel the tension mounting? That big blob of snow in the foreground of the image is the accumulation on the table out on our front deck.





Here's where we begin to feel sorry for our hero. He has to clomp and trudge his way up over the snowbank in order to begin his pilgrimage across the yard. He did assure Frank that this was just par for the course for him and that it's not an especially difficult trek. That helps to alleviate any guilt we might have been feeling about not shoveling a path for him - which would take a pretty long time - every time it snowed. We further assuaged our guilt but not allowing the crazy Benny out there with him, lest he bark incessantly at him and try to eat the hose. Still, I think we've just established that since the delivery guy is the hero in this story, surely all this snow on our yard must make us the villains. Feel free to boo and hiss, if it pleases you.





Did I mention that he's a nice guy who surely must love his work? Just look at that smile on his face. Okay, maybe it's a grimace.






Are you still with me on this thrilling journey through propane delivery day?





Oh yeah, it's a grimace, alright. And he's not even halfway to the tank yet.




He was directly outside my kitchen window at this point and only had a few more kilometres to go until he reached the propane tank and filled it up before making the long trip back to his truck. He was probably thinking that he just doesn't get paid enough for this. You're probably thinking that this is the most exciting blog post you've ever seen!



Well he might not get paid enough but the fuel company sure does - just about every winter month.

Life out here in the country is thrilling. Now you know at least one of the reasons why.

She don't lie. She don't lie. She don't lie... Propane.

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Lonesome Tree
by Andy
at Eye Candy

Cold, Cloudy Sky
by Linda
at The View From Squirrel Ridge

A Sky-featuring Tree
by Theresa
at The Run-A-Round Ranch Report

One Last Look Back in Time
by Jake via Ruth
at Ruth's Photo Blog
  ***

A GOOD READ

Separation of Church & State // This ain't on the standardized test but---
by Brian
at waystationone

Just Last Spring
by Tabor
at Room Without Walls

***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

America's Best Neighbours
by Michael
at Michael Manning.TV™
 
***

INSPIRING

How Blogging Changed My Lifeby Birdie
at Ditching the Black Dog
 

***

IT TOUCHES THE HEART
 
Hope
by MessyMimi
at MessyMimi's Meanderings

One Night in December
by Bone
at If You Only Read One Blog...

  

***

THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

Snow Angel
by Jim
at Suldog

***

READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: TexWisGirl
Sundog
by Brk Trt (I'm guessing it means Brook Trout)
at Small Stream Reflections.

***

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
 

Thank you

Random Memories and Posts of the Week

A few random photos. I hope you enjoy.


This adorable little red squirrel is young. His tail isn't even long enough to keep his head warm. He was hanging around our place for quite a few weeks but like so many other sweet creatures around here, he just upped and disappeared one day. Anyway, on this day, he held this position for the longest time and though it was shot through glass at near dusk, you can still see the forlorn look on his adorable little face. "Where have all the peanuts gone?"







Here's another rather unhappy face. It's the cardboard in which the charger and cord came with a Kobo Arc. Seeing faces in everyday inanimate things is called pareidolia.








The bright eye of a female Hairy woodpecker checking me out through the kitchen window.








It kind of looks as if the walls are bowing inward but that's just the shadow cast by the openings in the side of that lamp, and they're actually on the wall behind it - which ends at that hallway off to the right.








STELLA! She's Frank's sons' beautiful girl.







Laundry never seems to end. And rarely does it catch my eye in an attractive way but I liked the way these towels looked in the sunlight which streamed in through another window.







Don't we get the most beautiful visitors?

More photos coming up soonish.

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

***

YOU'LL SAY "AWWW"

The Best Medicine
by Shammickite
at Rook's Nest

***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

New Year's Day 2015
by DJan
at DJan-ity

Lake Roger's Park
by Author R. Mac Wheeler
at R. Mac Wheeler
 
***

INSPIRING

Zero to Ten
by YaYa
at Whispering Pines
 

***

IT TOUCHES THE HEART
 
Lament
by Jim
at Suldog

Coffee, Reflections and Music
by A Cuban in London
at Un Cubano en Londres

  

***

YOU'LL LAUGH

The Hair
by Joe
at Cranky Old Man
 

***

CREATIVE FUN

Abstract Lights 
by Linda
at The View From Squirrel Ridge

***

READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: TexWisGirl
Nature Smiling
by Paul
at Shutterbugs Capturing the World Around Us

***

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
 

Thank you

A Small Bundle of Large Enthusiasms and Posts of the Week

It turns out that my blog, among many others, and probably still more to come has reverted back to word verification prompts. I dislike them as much as you do and please know that my settings are such that I do not allow it on my blog. And yet, there it is at the bottom of the comment form for at least some visitors. 

From what I understand, this is yet another attempt at Google forcing Blogger users to sign in with a Google+ account in order to not have to jump through the very annoying hoops of word verification. Google likes to tell us that it's to protect our accounts from anonymous posters but my blog settings also indicate that I don't allow anonymous comments. And folks who are not anonymous and who are signed into their usual Blogger profile are still seeing the WV. So that doesn't jive. 

So it appears that at least for now, many of us will be stuck with having to punch in those ridiculous letters and numbers which are so difficult for so many to see so that Google can continue to "protect" us. I'm sorry that my blog is among those.

Ahhh Google, I used to think you were the best. You've been a major disappointment for the past few years. 

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀


Everyone laughs at so small a bundle of large enthusiasms.

~ Aldo Leopold

 

We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit.

~ Tom Brown Jr.

The chickadee and nuthatch are more inspiring society than statesmen and philosophers, and we shall return to these last as to more vulgar companions.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Then piped a tiny voice hard by,

Gay and polite, a cheeful cry,

"Chick-a-dee-dee!" saucy note

Out of a sound heart and merry throat

As if it said, "Good day, good sir!

Fine afternoon, old passenger!

Happy to meet you in these places

Where January brings few faces.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson






She is only a little chickadee
Not the boldest bird to sing
But she knows that she's most fortunate
there's no one else she'd rather be
She can fly, she can fly
Anywhere she'd care to roam
And call anywhere her home
She is only, a little chickadee.
~The Chenille Sisters

The day was not observed when it first blossomed, nor when it first bore fruit, unless by the chickadee.

~ Henry David Thoreau

All my life I have tried to learn as the chickadee learns, by listening-profiting by the mistakes of others, that I might help my people.

~ Chief Plenty Coups

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

***

A GOOD READ

Fixing Charlie Dinner
by Mage
at Postcards

This Time of Year
by Pauline
at Writing Down the Words

 Such Gratefulness
by SerentySeeking
at Ditching the Black Dog
 
I Want to Go to Lunch...
by Chicken
at Chicken's Consigliere

***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

I Know a Great Place to Ride
by Steve
at Out on the Prairie

The First Cold Weather
by Tabor
at Room Without Walls

What I Learnt From Venice
by Fiona
at Lady Fi
 
***

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Nuthatch
by Bob
at Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean

Extremes
by Adrian
at Adrian's Images

Honoring Autumn
by Tammie Lee
at Spirithelpers

Late For a Very Good Reason
by Djan
at Djan-ity

Fall Beauty
by Sharon
at Sharon's Paws Create

***

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
 

Thank you

A Light in Dark Places and Posts of the Week

Just a quick word to some Google+ bloggers in general, and specifically to a new reader. 

Hi Marie! You leave such lovely comments when you "flutterby" and I very much want to return the favour when I stop by to visit your fine blog. But alas, Google+ will not permit me to leave a comment unless I switch over to a Google+ profile, and as long as I can avoid maintaining two profiles, I will not be acquiring a Google+ profile anytime soon.

I follow quite a few bloggers who use Google+ but whose blogs do allow me to add my comments. But every now and then, there's one or two who prompt me to create the Google+ account in order to comment. And I don't. I'm guessing that there is something in the settings which will either allow or disallow regular Blogger profiles to make a comment. Perhaps it's just a small tweak to your settings?

I have tried to find some contact information on your page but was unable to come up with an email address so that I could let you know my dilemma. If you could please email me at thesmittenimage at gmail dot com, I could perhaps share my comments with you in email, if you prefer to keep your blog open to Google+ comments only. I'm just not at all anxious to create a second account to appease the Google+ gods.

If anyone who has a Google+ account, and who allows Blogger profiles to comment can tell me how that's done, I'd sure appreciate it.

Thanks.

Now on with the blog post...

Oh and for those who asked about my last post - if I thought the search and rescue which I documented might have been a training exercise.. possibly. But I don't think it was. It took place on a holiday Monday. Though it wasn't a national holiday, I think the Canadian Forces might keep their Search and Rescue team available for what was a very busy weekend in our neck of the woods.  Still, I can't know for sure.

Okay, NOW on with the blog post...

May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.

~ J.R.R. Tolkien

The full moons around here are beautiful. They defy description so I won't even try. Just sit back and listen to sounds of the loons, and enjoy this moonrise from early September.















































See you soon. And I'll have more photos, of course.

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

***

A GOOD READ

Making Sense of That Which Makes No Sense
by Carmi
at Written Inc.

The Ebola Crisis
by Joe
at Cranky Old Man

Autumn Winds
by Pauline
at Writing Down the Words

Bar Fly
by Amy
at She Writes

Giving Back
by Rick
at Life 101

The Day After
by Jennifer
at Cottage Country Reflections
***


YOU'LL SAY "AWWW"

Sock Kitten Cam
by Sharon
at Sharon's Paws Create
***


PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Virginia Farmland
by Kerri
at A Little Piece of Me

***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

Offerings
by Kerry
at Ed and Reub

In Which I See a FOX
by Cloudia
at Comfort Spiral

The Ones We Lose
by Kamana
at Capturing Joy Everyday

***

CREATVE AND FUN

 
Meet Jack O'Garden
by Crafty Gardener
at Craftygardener.ca

***

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
 
Thank you

The Hummer Dance and Posts of the Week

Something a little bit different here.

Back in August, hummingbird activity was bustling. Ruby red throats were at the feeders often - perhaps fortifying their tiny gemstone bodies for the upcoming trip south.

We also began noticing that two hummers would engage in a kind of aerobatic dance - sometimes for up to a few minutes at a time. On once such day, I had my trusty camera by my side. I knew the photos would not turn out well. Although it wasn't exceptionally dull, it was somewhat overcast, and what little sunlight there was, was not shining on the subjects but from behind them instead. So now you know that they're pretty poor images as far as crispness and clarity go but they've still captured some of the hummingbirds' dance routine.

The problem was that the subjects looked poor at my usual large-sized images. And I had so many of them. What else was there to do but make a collage called The Hummer's Dance (not to be confused with The Mummer's Dance but every bit as lovely)?

I played around with a bit of clip art and fired up my old friends Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop - and the humming birds came out to dance.





I hope you enjoyed their show. More photos coming up soon.

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

***

A GOOD READ

The Art of Leaving
by Brian
at WayStationOne



A Hunter's Heart
by Kat
at Seeking Sanity

***


THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

It's Like the Wild Kingdom Out Here Y'all
by Ellen
at Stuff From Ellen's Head

***


FEELING NOSTALGIC?

Fireplace Memories Warm the Heart
by Rick
at Life Changes

The Best Haircut in the City
by Daryl
at Out and About in New York City

***

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Never Tear Us Apart
by Gail
at Louisiana Belle

Glamour
by Kamana
at Capturing Joy Everyday

Prowler, Stalker and Hunter
by Daniel
at The Pixel Collective

Autumn Harvest
by Karen
at Pixel Posts

***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

Let Freedom Ring
by SK Waller
at WallerBlog

The Lure of a New Path
by Rosaria
at SixtyFiveWhatNow
***

YOU'LL LAUGH

E.T., Home Phone
by Growing Wild
at Growing Wild on Waverly Lane

Fashion is  a Two-faced Bitch
by Chicken
at Chicken's Consigliere

What are the Deer Plotting?
by Linda
at The View From Squirrel Ridge

***

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
 
Thank you

Splish - Splash - Splatter! and Posts of the Week

It's been a long time since we've had a post about Benny, hasn't it? Well that changes today.


What is happening to our Benny here?






Could our super-swimmer Benny be floundering in just a foot of water while my cold, callous son looks on at his suffering?






Certainly something is making this poor, little creature struggle and convulse in the lake like that. Jeffrey seems unconcerned.






Let's see the fuller picture. Jeffrey is kindly bailing out our pedal boat while Benny chases every single splash of water with great enthusiasm - as Benny is known to do.






That dog creates an impressive wake. And check the water coming off of that tail wag.






Crazy dog.






Awaiting the next splash.






You missed!






Sheer joy and bliss - Benny-style.

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

***

A GOOD READ

Don't Blink - A Cautionary Ramble
by DS
at Third-Storey Window

The Empty Chair
by Phyllis
at Prompt Prose

Silence of the Chairs
by Christopher
at Christopher's Views

Hope, and the Dispersal Thereof
by Pearl
at Pearl, Why You Little...

Big Spirit
by Chicken
at The Chicken's Consigliere

***


FEELING NOSTALGIC?

MTM: Historic Ice Cream Parlor
by Karen
at Spokalulu

***

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Drones
by Adrien
at Adrien's Images

Crocodiles: The King of Rivers
by Indrani
at i Share

Blessed
by Gail
at Louisiana Belle

Here a Frog, There a Frog, Everywhere a Frog
by Ruth
at Ruth's Photo Blog


***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

Not Being Christie
by Kerry
at Ed and Reub

The Wood Witch Loses Her Cool
by Tabor
at Room Without Walls

Baby Bunting in Hand
by TexWisGirl
at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report

***

YOU'LL SAY "AWWW"

Magic Food Machine
by MessyMimi
at MessyMimi's Meanderings

***

  Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
 
Thank you