The Rose Lady

Well, here it is, Christmas week, and I have yet to post any Christmas-themed photos. Scheduling posts weeks in advance is a wonderful feature, but it does take some planning. And I forgot to plan for Christmas!

My daughter bought me a very special Christmas ornament when she came to visit last year. It's an actual sugar maple leaf dipped in 24k gold. The Rose Lady has developed a rigorous process to preserve items of nature; a process which takes up to seven days. She sells orchids, roses, fruit, key rings, vases, and even dog biscuits! All preserved perfectly using various methods. Leave it to my creative and beautiful daughter to find something like this. My tree is gold and red with musical instruments, angels, poinsettias, and fleur de lis (recent collection). Out of all those, this is my favorite. I have since purchased a Japanese Maple leaf from the same company. It is beautiful!

The attached tag reads:

Sugar Maple

In early spring, a crisp chill

lingers in the air and the

steadfast sugar maple offers

its sap to be made into tasty syrup

This product contains a real leaf

that has been carefully selected,

preserved and transformed from

nature into treasure.

Family

Since I moved back to my hometown last year, it's been rather nice seeing my cousins and getting to know their families. It's still not as often as I'd like, but the possibility of seeing them is now a reality instead of a wish. I have no brothers or sisters and my first husband was an only child as well, so my life is absent of nieces and nephews, and my kids do not have aunts and uncles. :(

I've posted about my own children here before, and they know how much I adore them, but today I thought I'd devote this post to some extended family.

This is my second cousin, Chloe. Trying to photograph her was like trying to corral a bunch of cats. She's at that cute phase, discovering her world, always on the go. This constant state of movement is not conducive to sharp photography, but at the same time it produced some unique and pleasing shots. She's such a sweet little girl. My heart was truly full this day in April.

I was asked to bring dessert so I brought this ladybug cake with her in mind.
It came from Ambrosia Bakery in Baton Rouge. Enter the store at your own risk.
The smell alone made me want to buy one of everything.

Checking out my yard. I love that she has her hand on my Trust in the Lord rock.

Weeds are still flowers for this girly-girl. :)
Chloe has a big brother, Drew, but I have not meet him yet. Hope to see him this week!!

These are my other second cousins, Brody, Eric, and Tyler. It was nearing dusk and I did not bring my tripod, so the images are not as crisp as I'd like. Apparently, my knee makes for a poor tripod substitute. I was supposed to go back and re-shoot, but never made it back. Still, I think the camera revealed their sweet personalities. These shots were taken at the end of August.

They instinctively hammed it up with hardly any direction from me.

Precious! I always leave in a happier state of mind after visiting this trio.
I gave this more of a washed out look and I rather like it.

Brody makes me all gooey; he's so dang sweet and cute!

This is another precious second cousin, Tristan. The boy is as smart and handsome as they come. I might be a little intimidated being around such intelligence; shut up, I know he's only 5! Put a gadget in front of this kid and he will have it figured out in record time. Tristan, you're going to be a success at whatever you do, I can tell already. One piece of advice: don't let the girls get you off track.

Fun dying Easter eggs.

He's finding his share. You can see his mind racing to the next logical hiding place.

He looks so thoughtful here. 

There are other second cousins, but sadly, I don't know them. I wish I did; however, I am so grateful for the ones I am getting to know, and the ones that want to know me!

Families are like fudge—mostly sweet with a few nuts.

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~ Desmond Tutu

Reflections

Since I spend 51 weeks out of the year complaining, please indulge me as I take five days to be grateful. Notice I'm not doing 30 days of gratitude; I don't want to damage my reputation. *smile*

As some of you may have noticed, I've updated my blog; Google finally let me change my header! I also updated the standalone pages (About Me, etc.) and added new Share buttons on the bottom of each post from sharethis.com. If you're so inclined, I'd appreciate a look-see and feedback. Thanks!

During June and July I played around with water refraction photography. My plants were appreciative because they received extra water; especially the vincas, which seemed to retain droplets the best. Again, this was using the Opteka magnifier before purchase of the 100mm macro lens. There are better examples on the web, but I sure had fun playing!

"Life is an echo, what you send out, comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others exists in you." Unknown

As we begin Thanksgiving week, I am steering my thoughts and prayers to a place of deeper gratitude. I oftentimes grumble, and I've been known to get judge-y. God has to continually remind me how much I have to be thankful for—how he rescued me from the muck and mire. And the minute a criticism escapes my lips, I get a gentle tap on the shoulder that says, "Hey, you're not perfect either. Be kind. Be compassionate."

If we fill ourselves with God and his love, we will be like these water drops, reflecting his beauty back into the world.

My prayer for those struggling is to search for God with all their hearts and to ask for his gifts which are wisdom, peace, strength and kindness, and so much more. Start with that and all the other puzzle pieces will fall into place in a miraculous way. Watch and see.

Sharing with Our World Tuesday.

Pelican Mafia

Minutes after the R-rated incident (see previous post), a gang of white pelicans came to show the cormorants who was boss.

The shamed couple. They apparently called in friends from high places.
Immediately after they swam away from the "holier than thou" cormorants, pelicans soon filled the sky.

You mess with the pelicans and you get the beaks.

Viewing platform. It was a beautiful and pleasant 72 degrees.

My set up

The pelican migration is happening earlier this year; as many as 300 were counted around the LSU Lakes. One poor pelican got caught in a fishing line, tearing up a wing pretty badly. After flailing around for a couple of hours, it was cut free from the line by Animal Control and brought to LSU Vet School for treatment and antibiotics. Thankfully, he will be fine and will find his flock eventually. It is imperative to take care of your fishing lines properly, where wildlife cannot be harmed.

Here is an article about our early Pelican migration if you have time, or are interested in reading more about it.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday.
Sharing with Weekly Top Shot
Thanks, hosts!

Return to Bluebonnet Swamp

October 25 was my first day back to Bluebonnet Swamp since May. Except for boardwalks and established trails, the swamp is largely left alone to grow as natural as possible. The trees and vegetation get so thick it's hard to walk though there and still breathe during summer months (about half the year!). From the end of May to the second week of October I dare not enter. Well, here I was happy to be back, meandering the trails happy as a clam, when before I knew it I was slapping at mosquitoes. One would think the last week of October, these detestable insects would no longer be a problem. I forget I'm not in Texas anymore; I have to remember this place is almost like the tropics. You'll be happy to know that I put a can of OFF in my camera bag, so I will be ready next time, even if it's the middle of winter. Ha!

This was my one and only chance to shoot the titmouse. Not bad! I love their little faux hawks, big eyes and animated ways.
They're quick as lightning, though.

Double D and I were getting ready to pack it in since not much was happening, when all of a sudden
we came upon two immature ibises.

They looked like they were on a see-saw.

I spotted this one first and asked Double D if he was real. The staff had decorated the swamp for a Halloween hike, so I wasn't sure.
The ibis finally moved, so I knew it was real. They stood there calmly letting me take my shots. Sorry about the harsh sunlight, but I
was relegated to one vantage point.

Took this with my iphone to show you where I was standing while shooting the ibises.
In June I finally broke down and bought a sturdy tripod - a Benro - and I love it.

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday and I'd Rather B Birdin'. Many, many thanks, Stewart and Anni!

Quick Stop

Greetings from Cajun Country! As I schedule this post, it is still a bit humid and warm, but our trusty weatherman promises cooler temps next week. So by the time this post goes up, maybe my hair will be shiny and happy again.

Needing to get out of the house, I made a quick stop at the nearby arboretum to see what was up. After an hour, the heat had zapped my will to live. What's up with all the hyperbole coming from me lately? Anyway, an hour was enough to get some photos I was happy with. No complaints. Really! All photos taken on 10/29/13.

I don't know what this plant is, but it reminded me of a candelabra.

This plant has so much personality, doesn't it? First a candelabra, now a candy cane. Must be the Bette Davis of the garden.

I felt so bad for this poor ladybug who managed to get in the clutches of this assassin bug. :(

Long-tailed skipper

Cucumber beetle. I warned him about the assassin bug.

Pagoda flower

Cassia tree

Sheldon

Since I've (hopefully) conquered the squirrel situation, I've noticed many more birds coming to the feeders. The most recent new visitor is the brown thrasher, scientifically identified as toxostoma rufum. He adores suet, so I try to keep it out just for him. And the woodies, too, of course! Photographed 10/18/13.

Looks like he has some sort of infection on his face. :( Wish I could do something for him.

He likes to be near this piece of driftwood when he's feeling insecure about his surroundings.

Some extra napkins over here please!

The brown thrasher is a very exuberant singer, often mimicking other birds. The mimicry is not surprising since they're in the same family as mockingbirds and catbirds. They are thought to have more than 1100 songs in their repertoire. Brown thrashers are the only thrasher species east of Texas. Their bodies are quite large and well-marked, yet well-camouflaged in dense shrubs and vegetation. During summer males climb high to sing on exposed limbs. The brown thrasher will vigorously defend their nest, known to draw blood from people and dogs. Both males and females incubate the eggs and feed their young.

I've named this one Sheldon (from The Big Bang Theory) because he sings complex musical phrases, repeating each phrase twice. I find that just a tad OCD, but in a cute way. :)

Sharing with Wild Bird Wednesday and I'd Rather B Birdin'. Thanks to the generous hosts, Stewart and Anni!

Edit: Certain blogs are not updating in Feedly in a timely manner. I'm not sure if Blogger is the problem or it's Feedly. Anyone else having issues? Thanks!