Snowy Serendipity

There's nothing like a snow day for photographing birds.  They flock to the feeders as though the world were ending... stuffing themselves in a last meal type of frenzy.

  I always pull out the good camera on days when it's snowing... hoping to get a good shot of all the friends who frequent our bird feeders.

Everyone is puffed up to insulate themselves from the cold.

We have a lot of downy woodpeckers that visit our suet cakes.

And there's always a lot of birds in the trees across from the bird feeders... waiting their turn.

Colorful finches...

Mrs. Cardinal...

and Mr.

Ivy enjoys snow days, and sits in the kitchen window watching the feeder.  A little grey squirrel has her attention at the moment.  It amazes me that the squirrel couldn't care less about her presence just feet away from him.  Luckily, she's behind glass!

This little squirrel spends a portion of every day on this particular platform feeder.  I recognize him by the white spots on the back of each red-tipped ear.  He stuffs himself for several minutes then scampers off, satiated.  Everyone gets a turn, eventually.

I love photographing the birds and critters that live in the woods. 

I have been wanting to photograph some of the larger birds that we see here on the farm... eagles, owls, and blue herons.  Hopefully you had a chance to see the pair of eagles that I photographed last week.  The photos are in the middle of this post.

There's no doubt in my mind that the universe is a magical realm.  I can't tell you how often I ask something of the universe, only to get an answer when I least expect it.  The answer may not come quickly, but it comes, nonetheless.  I believe it takes listening to one's intuition in order to hear the universe speak.

Lately, I have been keeping my eyes on the tops of the trees in the woods... in search of the owls that we hear so frequently at night.  Owls can be so elusive.  Weeks ago, I offered a request to the universe.  I wanted to photograph an owl in our woods.  The reply came yesterday in a most serendipitous way.

We had decided to take the dogs for a snowy hike in the woods. 

 Jack parked the gator next to the woods and suggested we enter the woods right at that spot (not anywhere near where we usually enter the woods via a trail). This time he suggested we hike off trail.  After about 5 minutes (in a part of the woods we don't often hike) he exclaimed, "There's an owl!"

  

I looked up to see this beauty, staring back at us.

I walked up closer to the tree while his soft eyes surveyed me.  I was amazed at how tolerant he was... unbothered by two humans and three dogs in his territory.

The amazing thing about this sighting is the fact that Jack had a gut feeling that we should go a different way than usual.  See?  Listen to your intuition... maybe the universe is trying to show you some magic!

I cannot tell you just how much our Forrest loves the snow.  He is a complete snow maniac!  As we cleaned up the dry lot, yesterday afternoon, Jack threw snow into the air, and Forrest leaped to try to catch the snowballs.

Of course, Forrest found the biggest stick he could while we were walking in the woods...

and played his usual game of keep-away.

He spends most of his time in the air... that boy can fly!

After miles of running, it was time for a cool-down... belly in the snow... legs outstretched!

I don't believe he is ever cold.

Yesterday afternoon, I started my second puzzle of January - another 1000 pieces...

A mushroom apothecary... the perfect puzzle for me!

Also, it's never too early to dream about next summer's gardens.  I ordered my flower seeds.  I can't wait to show you all of the unusual varieties I ordered.  I'll share pics of them when they arrive.  I, of course, ordered new calendula seeds so that I can continue using the flowers in soaps, salves, and lotion bars.

And thank-you, Martha Sue for the surprise!!  I do love zinnias!!