All Living Things

Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace. ~ Albert Schweitzer

As the above quote might suggest, this blog post will feature some of the creatures I've encountered when out walking in the last little while. Despite their seemingly perpetual presence, there's an absence of dogs in these photos because I have enough of them to fill up their own post at some time.

What greater gift than the love of a cat. ~ Charles Dickens

Let's start with my little buddy, Oliver. He belongs to my neighbours Carol and her son, Evan but he's an occasional resident at my place when they are away. Zephyr is still at the stage where he hisses at Oliver from time to time but he allows him to lie down beside him, and is somewhat surprised to find that Oliver usually greets him with a quick nuzzle. Zeph has been a very different cat since my beautiful Skitty died in September. We both miss him intensely but Zephyr's whole personality has shifted from loner to clingy, and from quiet to excessively vocal. Even though he still treats Oliver like an intruder, I think his presence soothes him a little. It also irritates him when Oliver is in chase mode. He is a young cat, after all. Time will tell with these two.

I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn. ~ Henry David Thoreau

I was passing by this storefront when a sweet little song caught my attention. I looked up to see this little cutie watching me from its perch atop the letter 'M.'

Swamps where cedars grow and turtles wait on logs but not for anything in particular; fields bordered by crooked fences broken by years of standing still; orchards so old they have forgotten where the farmhouse is. In the north I have eaten my lunch in pastures rank with ferns and junipers, all under fair skies with a wind blowing. ~ E.B. White

This guy was sunning himself down by the lake, about a month ago. I am uncertain what type of turtle he is. I had a quick email discussion about it with Karen at Living in My Valley, who is a former Peterborough resident. We figured it might be a map turtle.

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort. ~ James Herriot

I've seen this sweetie on my walks before. He always offers up his belly for a rub and of course, I always oblige.

His idea was to pluck the genes from a red siskin - a relative of the canary from South America - insert them into an ordinary yellow canary and turn it red. ~ Tim Birkhead - The Red Canary: The Story of the First Genetically Engineered Animal.

This lovely songbird is the Red Canary. It was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine of the late spring day. It wasn't the least bit wary of me or my camera. I am not keen on the idea of birds in cages but I do have very fond memories of my childhood pet budgies. There must have been about four or five of them through the years - all of them blue and every one of them named Vicky. Yup, no score for originality but top points for tradition. ;)

Ant Prune was holding one of the squirrels in her hand. 'And once a day, we have ta clean their little private parts with a Q-tip, so they'll learn ta clean themselves.' That was a visual I didn't need. ~ Margaret Stohl

How cute is this little gem? It was a questionable "rescue." I'm not sure that he was in the best of hands (aside from the hand in the photo, which is my own), but he seemed healthy and active. And I learned that he commandeered his own release just a couple of days later.

Not much goes on in the mind of a squirrel. Huge portions of what is loosely termed "the squirrel brain" are given over to one thought: food. The average squirrel cogitation goes something like this: I wonder what there is to eat. ~ Kate DiCamillo

I hope he is still doing well.

"How do geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? How do we, humans know when it is time to move on? As with the migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within if only we would listen to it, that tells us certainly when to go forth into the unknown." ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

This was actually snapped back in my old haunts in Mississauga, in April, while I was walking around the neighbourhood lake.

The smallest feline is a masterpiece. ~ Leonardo da Vinci

A porch kitty watching the world wander past her door.

The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them. ~ Stanley Coren

Okay, so one dog. I'm including this guy because he has no idea how big he is. I watched him standing by the water's edge, slowly creeping up to something. He was both curious and fearful, and the latter won out. His people had to take him away to recover from the scary monster he'd encountered. He continued to watch it nervously from a distance.

I'd kiss a frog even if there was no promise of a Prince Charming popping out of it. I love frogs. ~ Cameron Diaz

This handsome specimen was his fierce nemesis.

More photos coming up next time around.

Little Things

Little Things Mean A Lot

~ Edith Lindeman

Nothing in life is worth turning your back on, if you love it.

~ Albert Camus

A ruby-throated hummingbird - turning its back on the camera.

You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.

~ Walter Hagen

The daisy is a bit withered and worn but still every bit as attractive to this insect.

I had a missed call. It's probably the all you can eat buffet calling to say, "Come back! We know you can eat just a little bit more."

~ Jarod Kintz

The critters around here have their own all you can eat buffet. And trust me, they eat a lot.

I'm a fountain of knowledge, like a water fountain, only thirstier. And quenchier.

~ Jarod Kintz

And of course we also provide their water - just in case there's not enough in the lake itself.

Food is our common ground, a universal experience.
~ James Beard

Rufus isn't the only one who eats at the buffet. This sweet little chipper is one of many who knows where to find a good meal. Note the seed dust on his little nose.

Patience and tenacity are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness.
~ Thomas Huxley

And this is Indy. He's REALLY spoiled as you can probably tell. He hops his way up onto our laps without any hesitation, noses his way into my closed palm and dives into Frank's pocket in hopes of finding a peanut or twenty.






Here's a quick video of some of his antics. Unfortunately, Indy has not come around for well over a week now and we fear he may have "moved on."

The cautious seldom err.

~ Confucius

A sweet little sparrow cautiously keeping an eye on a rather extended camera lens.

If a man can make a better mousetrap, the world will make a beaten path to his door.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whomever designed this live mousetrap, built a far better device than the classic snap trap. Of course a quick death from the snap trap is still preferable to those horrendous sticky traps which I believe are one of the most vile, barbaric and cruel ways to do away with pest mice. No animal should suffer like that. Of course, if you have cats around (and we do), more mice are likely to meet their demise that way (and some did). Anyway, this little cutie was set free in the wooded area across the road. Who knew that Cheesies would make a such effective bait?

There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.

~ Alan Cohen

I only expected to take a photo of this lovely Black-eyed Susan but there it was, a tiny wasp-like insect resting delicately on a petal, just posing so perfectly. How could I not include it? Who knew when it would fly off...

Fight or flight? If I had wings, there would be no choice. But since I don't have wings, I have to rely on my cape, and a long running start.

~ Jarod Kintz

Oh.. thanks for this, little one.

Sometimes goldfinches one by one will drop

From low hung branches; little space they stop;

But sip, and twitter, and their feathers sleek;

Then off at once, as in a wanton freak:

Or perhaps, to show their black, and golden wings

Pausing upon their yellow flutterings.

~ John Keats

This sweet little fresh-faced goldfinch practically smiled for the camera.

If there was any petting to be done...he chose to do it. Often he would sit looking at me, and then, moved by a delicate affection, come and pull at my coat and sleeve until he could touch my face with his nose, and then go away contented.

~ Charles Dudley Warner

In case you hadn't noticed, this post was all about little things. And this is one of my favourites. That cute little nose on the face of my precious Skitty. A nose that has been kissed many times. Of course, just like a little kid, he wipes them off right away - but always lets me do it again. Gotta love cats.

More photos coming up before you know it. Or a little while after that.

Petals & Wings

It seems that I have an abundance of flower and bird images and so please bear with me for one more round of photos depicting what has caught my eye through summer.



I love the simple beauty of the wild chicory. I photograph it often.





Touch-me-nots (or Himalayan Balsam) are so named for the pods which grow and ripen late in the summer. One very gentle touch and they pop open to reveal the seeds inside. They're irresistible - kind of like nature's bubble wrap.





The pods were just beginning to grow on this plant iwhen the photo was taken. They sure do look pretty in the late-day sunlight.




As do these blushing rose hips.





I'm sure somebody, somewhere knows the name of this wildflower, but it isn't me.





Likewise for this lovely purple plant.





This one I know. It's a coneflower or echinacea.





Sometimes a blossom looks just as pretty from behind.
 

On to the birds...


Mallards are lovely creatures - even when they're moulting heavily. You can see the wee bits of green feathers just beginning to grow back on this fellow's head.





Male cardinals certainly add a splash of colour to their surroundings. This guy is eating Chez Frank.





And this sweet little sparrow became familiar to us over the course of a couple of days. Frank dubbed him Big Nose. Unfortunately, he wasn't coping as well as his mates. He'd stop by the feeding station and eat well enough, but he appeared to struggle and flutter to keep his balance. He flew just fine the first day but his wings didn't seem to be able to give him quite the lift he needed by the next day. By day three, he was clearly ailing - unable to fly at all. Frank tried to coax him into a cage where he'd be able to find food, water and safety from predators overnight but that was just not to be. I think a swift kill (if that happened) was probably the kinder end for Big Nose. We never saw him again after day three. In retrospect (and by Googling) we determined that he probably had the West Nile virus.





Rest in peace, little Big Nose.

Stay tuned for more photos in a few days.

Birds and Birdbrains

I have a ridiculous number of robin photos, this spring. They seem to be everywhere - the young in nests, the older ones perching, preening, staring or flying off just as I depress the shutter. I won't include too many in any one post. Here's one on top of a post which Frank might have pointed out to me. I liked the way the dappled sunlight, greenery and sky appeared to sparkle in the background.

Here's a young one. I think he's got a bit of nest-head happening here.

What's this sparrow peeking at?

Its buddy on the bushes below.

A Red-winged blackbird sitting high atop a branch, singing that beautiful melody. This too, might be one of the many birds that Frank notices first.

A Mourning dove. Never a very bright bird...

... but always beautiful. I love the iridescent gold on its neck.

For all the feeder-raiding these guys do, they might as well be included in a bird post.

Happy 144th Birthday Canada!

This was a scheduled post. I will not be able to return visits for a short because I am away at the cottage or on my way home. I do not have any more scheduled posts but I should be home with a new one soon.

For the Birds

Just a few photos of my local winged critters and some quotes which I found to be amusing. I hope you enjoy them.

“When birds burp, it must taste like bugs.” ~ Bill Watterson

"Everything at IKEA requires assembly. I bought a pillow, and they gave me a duck." ~ Todd Glass

“I don't like small birds. They hop around so merrily outside my window, looking so innocent. but I know that secretly, they're watching my every move and plotting to beat me over the head with a large steel pipe and take my shoe.” ~ Jack Handy

"It's a good thing we have gravity, or else when birds died they'd just stay right up there. Hunters would be all confused." ~ Steven Wright

"Growing up, my Mom always claimed to feel bad when a bird would slam head-first into our living room window. If she really felt bad, though, she'd have moved the bird feeder outside." ~ Rich Johnson

Comfort Foods and a Giveaway!

Dark Chocolate • Tortilla Chips with Melted Cheese and Salsa • Meatloaf • Sweet and Salty Popcorn • Ice Cream • Pizza • Rye Bread and Butter • Cheesy Pasta • Chocolate Brownies • Cherry Pie • Chocolate Cake • Chai • Pot Roast • Red Wine

This Giveaway is now closed. The winner has been announced here. Thanks to all who played along!

These are some of my favourite comfort foods - so soothing on a cold winter day. Another comfort is settling in for the day and reading your wonderful comments so generously bestowed upon me with each blog post. How can I thank you all for always being so supportive? I know - I'll host another giveaway!

The good folks at CSN have once again come through with a generous offer. CSN stores has a huge variety of housewares at a wide range of prices. You could purchase linens, vases, towels, mirrors, kitchen gadgets and cookware. They have large items like furniture or you could arrange unique seating at your bar with their adjustable bar stools. For this giveaway, they will provide one lucky reader with a $75 gift certificate toward any merchandise you fancy (shipping would be extra) at any one of their 200+ online stores.

Unfortunately this giveaway is only open to folks who reside in Canada or the United States but if you live elsewhere, you might want to consider a friend or relative who qualifies. The same goes for those of you who don't necessarily want something for yourself but might want to help a bloggie buddy double their chances.

So how do you qualify to have an opportunity to win? Simple. All you need to do for a chance at a $75 gift certificate for yourself or someone in Canada or the U.S., is to tell me your favourite comfort food(s). This will get your name into a random draw. It's as simple as that.

The contest closes at midnight, Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, January 18. I'll randomly draw one name from all of those who qualify and announce the winner along with the Posts of the Week on Wednesday, January 19. Please make sure that I know your email address. If I don't receive an email and/or comment reply from the winner within 5 days after that announcement, I'll redraw and award it to someone else.

So good luck to everyone. Now, tell me, what's your favourite comfort food?

Below are a few photos taken over the last few days.

Remember the Coneheads from Saturday Night Live? Anyone for ring toss?

A couple of months back, when autumn colours were so splendid, I posted a photo of this tree and promised to bring you back to that spot once the snow settled in. Consider that promise kept.

Another favourite tree of mine. With the sun so bright and the sky so blue, it cheers me to see it.

This fluffy little darling sat on a slender branch high above me. A curious eye kept watch on me and my camera.

A few moments later, I watched as this cutie fed on seeds which someone had left on the fence. If you look closely, you'll see a sunflower seed in its mouth.

Late in the afternoon, the last of the sun's rays bathed this tree and fence with warm, golden comfort.