Amaryllis and Flicker

Well before Christmas I bought several Amaryllis bulbs. They produced beautiful flowers to brighten the winter landscape, indoors, of course.  

I did my duty and got numerous photos.

Steve decided to set up an Amaryllis photo studio in my living room. After he captured various images, I also got several. Below is one, getting close up and just showing part of the petals.

I find the stamens to be as photogenic as the whole flower, so I had to show them as well.

Around about the same time of year, we had a Northern Flicker visit the yard. 

I  had never seen them around in winter.

I tend to think that this bird was contemplating about leaving and still heading further south. I hope he survived, wherever he went.

 To Think About:

This unique gift, this one day, cannot be exchanged, replaced or refunded.

Handle with care. Make the most of it.

White-tailed Deer at Sunset

Just a few days ago I was out at sunset. I caught a few shots of the setting sun, nothing spectacular, but pretty.

The first p[icture is of a still frozen Lake Minniwasta.

As I was on my way home, I came upon a herd of White-tailed deer at the edge of town.

I realized that they were on their way into town. I'm guessing they know just where available bird feeders are located

These pictures are not great quality, but it shows a small portion of the herd I saw.

I tried to count them and figured there must be 60 or more deer and they were all heading into town. That is one reason why I am not feeding birds this winter.

To Think About:

Your life is not over until it is over.

Your story is not finished.

You are never too old to be put to use by God.

Missy Buchanan 

From Roses to Snow

The truth is that I like all flowers, but my very favourite are the roses. It is also true that pink is one of my favourite colors, so when my son and granddaughter brought me a bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day, with pink roses in it, it was perfect. Of course just enjoying these blooms was not enough, I had to capture that beauty with my camera.

What is better than one pink rose? Two versions of the same flower, of course.

This one is backlit by the midday sun streaming through the window.

From time to time, I feel the need for a drive in the country. This building used to be a school house. The sign, now buried in snow, read, "Chicken Hill School".

I'm sure those walls hold many an interesting secret.

Winter in Manitoba gives us a fairly barren landscape, but it is definitely not lacking in a beauty of it's own.

On a beautiful sunny day, I went out, hoping for a few last Snowy Owls. I did see a few, but as I was going down the highway and about to pass a small community, called Fannystelle, I saw this church. I knew I needed to go a little closer and try to capture the charm of this old building.

Friends, the secret is in always being alert to some new sight and then taking the time to capture that beauty.

To Think About:

PEACE 

It does not mean to be in place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.

It means to be in the midst of all those things and still 

BE CALM IN YOUR HEART.