We All Shine On

Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun.

~ John Lennon

So, I'm sure you've figured out by now that I can not resist snapping photos of our sunrises. Those I don't sleep through, that is. I have far more sunrise and moonrise images than I could ever show at the start and end of a blog post so why not find some good quotes and just post a bunch of them here? Kind of get it over with all at once. So I'll do just that. I hope you enjoy those great orbs in our beautiful sky. All of them were taken long before the cold weather settled in.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.

Don't go back to sleep.

~ Rumi

The moon is friend for the lonesome to talk to.

~ Carl Sandburg

Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.

~ George Washington Carver

The moon rested right above the mountains, a place I call home.

~ Daniel Wallock

The Sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it's here is up to us. Journey wisely.

~ Alexandra Elle

(Taken through the window screen)

The moon is at her full, and riding high, Floods the calm fields with light. The airs that hover in the summer sky Are all asleep tonight.

~William C. Bryant

This far north the sun was up, although very low, riding through the mountains as if looking for something it lost on the ground.

~ Craig Childs

It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.

~ Galileo Galilei

The Sage's Wish: Like Sun, from the East, may you continue to rise, smile and shine.

~ Ogwo David Emenike

The moon in her chariot of pearl.

~ Oscar Wilde

Universe is the Sun watching its own self.

~ Dejan Stojanovic

Go slowly, my lovely moon, go slowly.

~ Khaled Hosseini

Even

After

All this time

The Sun never says to the Earth,

"You owe me."

Look

What happens

With a love like that,

It lights the whole sky.

~Hafiz of Shiraz

The peaceful splendour of the night healed again. The moon was now past the meridian and traveling down the west. It was at its full, and very bright, riding through the empty blue sky.

~ H.G. Wells

I'll have more photos ready to rise and shine before you know it.

One Touch of Nature

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.

~ William Shakespeare

It would seem that the vast majority of my photos from summer can fall under one of four categories - winged things, furry things, flowery things and weather conditions. I also have images from a couple of weddings and a few other things but I guess I'll start with a mix of a few photos from each of the above-mentioned groups.


We have frequent visits from this little guy. And by frequent, I mean daily. And by daily, I mean that he's back and forth between our supply of seed and peanuts and wherever it is that he stashes the latter - all of a few feet away. In recent weeks, he's been hopping on the patio table and he makes himself quite at home skittering all over Frank's lap, reminding him that he is still around and just about passing out from hunger. He's a bit of a drama queen but adorable as all get-out. That's our Rufus.






Every now and then, he has to make sure the neighbourhood knows that he's large (he's really pretty tiny) and in charge (yeah, right). He lets out his warning call (it sounds like this) which Frank says means "Stand aside, everyone. I take large steps!" - a reference from the old movie A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.






Every now and then, when we toss a peanut for Rufie or one of the chipmunks, a bold-as-brass blue jay will beat them to it. Not much intimidates them. This guy is just learning his way around the goodie hour. He's a cute but goofy looking young one.






And an even goofier looking baldie. That seems to happen to a few of them (and other birds) sometime during late summer. It's just part of the moulting process though most birds don't lose all their head feathers at once. We have two of them in this state - this being the worse of them.






This is what a summer night looks like outside on our deck. This photo of the patio chair cushion was taken with a flash. Some of these itty bitty bugs get into our house and cling to the ceiling. By morning, they're part of the horizontal surfaces below. They don't last a night indoors. I wonder how many we inhale or otherwise ingest?






Here's a little guy we wouldn't mind seeing a little more often. We spotted him in the tree near our deck, one day and though the lighting wasn't great, I snapped a few shots, thinking he was a young Downy or Hairy woodpecker. It turns out that he was neither. We were perplexed, briefly, then Frank said "See what a juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker looks like." And sure enough, that's who he is. Adorable, eh?






Our hanging pot of petunias look especially vibrant when they're back lit by the late day sun.






The Black-eyed Susans grow quite profusely around here. They're always a cheery sight on a summer day.






And the same goes for daisies. You can't have summer without these sunny charmers.






This is what early June looks like across the bay - just a little to the left. Those same spring greens are now showing signs of shifting over to autumn colours. Summer didn't last very long, this year.






Just three weeks later, across that same bay but over to the right, Blueberry Island glows in the setting sun. Funny how those fresh greens of summer can appear to be ablaze when the sun is low.






And rather than end with the sun going down, here's a mid-July sunrise, complete with the peachy hues of a misty morn. Right outside our window. Sigh!

That's it for this post. I'll have more critters and plant life for you soon. Or maybe something completely different. Ya never know.

Through Glass and Posts of the Week

I bet you thought I'd forgotten all about the Posts of the Week. Ha! Fooled you. I was just taking extended time away from aspects of blogging which were a bit too time-consuming while I focused on getting myself moved from one home to another. Since I'm here now, I can put a bit more time into blog-reading and keeping track of the posts which I most enjoyed, and think that you might, too. And of course, there's always Reader's Choice, when you fine people come across blog posts that you've been taken with and ask me to share them as your recommendation. They're all back - at least for now.

But first, a few photos.

"Do you hear the snow against the window-panes, Kitty? How nice and soft it sounds! Just as if some one was kissing the window all over outside. I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again." And when they wake up in the summer, Kitty, they dress themselves all in green, and dance about -- whenever the wind blows -- oh, that's very pretty!...And I do so wish it was true! I'm sure the woods look sleepy in the autumn, when the leaves are getting brown."  Through the Looking-glass ~Lewis Carroll

We have big, nearly picture type windows at our new place and I tend to snap shots through the glass fairly often. Interestingly enough, despite the beautiful scenery around me, I tend to leave my camera behind when I go for my morning walks with Benny. Not always, but usually. That's mostly because the road where I walk him is a main one and too busy to safely take him off leash. Keeping control of Benny and a camera isn't always easy. Of course the first time I'll spot something photo-worthy and find myself without the camera will probably be the last time I'll go out without it.

In the mean time, I hope you'll enjoy the following images, all taken through glass of some sort or another.


This was snapped through the windshield of my son's car. We were on our way out of Mississauga and heading up to my new place, cats in the back seat.






Much as the opening quote would suggest, this fluffy snowfall was taken through the window pane. It kept up for a little while, collected and eventually melted again. We have since had a more significant snowfall and are currently blanketed in white.






A moody, foggy mid-October morn.






Late November, the boat was removed from the right of the dock - rescued from a layer of ice.






The next day it was time to bring in the dock.






Another view through a car window. This was taken on our way back from a day trip to a nearby town. I liked the little island with tamarack or larch trees. This autumn was the first time I have ever noticed coniferous trees which actually turned yellow and lost their needles. They were new to me.






And one more sunrise because who can resist when the world is bathed in October gold?


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

***

A GOOD READ

The following is the story of my own paternal grandparents and was written by my cousin.
Let Me Call You Sweetheart: A Love Story
by Phyllis
at Prompt Prose

Lessons
by Betty
at Bossy Betty


PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Cannon Beach Sunset
by Karen
at What Karen Sees

No Fighting
by Scott
at Just Used Pixels


***

JUST PLAIN ENJOYABLE


Attitude Adjustment
by Barb
at One Good Thing

A Thousand Dark Birds
by Kerry
at Ed and Reub

Happy Thanksgivukkah
by Lime
at House of Lime
***

YOU'LL LAUGH

Just Following the Road to Nowhere
by Sandi
at Holding Patterns

Happy Thanksgiving
by Cedar
at Cedarflame

***

READER'S CHOICE

Recommended by: Jackie
Mother
by Abe Lincoln
at oldmanlincoln

Recommended by: Tabor
November Lullaby
by Aisling
at The Quiet Country House
***

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