Reflect

Great egret images from December 1, 2013.

Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
Charles Dickens

Linking with Weekend Reflections. Check out other cool reflections!
Linking also with Saturday Critters. Thanks, Eileen!

Dearest Friends

Postcard by Kim Deslandes and modified by me.

God's Handiwork

Some shots taken on 9/10/13 from a nearby arboretum called Independence Park in Baton Rouge.

Ladybug right before she leapt.

Long-tailed skipper

These annoying lovebugs fill the air at the end of summer. Wafting by in pairs, they get stuck on car windshields,
front bumpers, and in your hair. They are from the family of March Flies, also known as the honeymoon fly,
kissingbug, and double-headed bug. An urban legend holds that these bugs are synthetic—the result of a
University of Florida genetics experiment gone wrong. If true, another reason man should stay out of the
creation business.

Not sure what type of bug this is, but I suspect it's some sort of stinkbug.

I think this flower is giving me the finger.

Quote: Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, 1635

Coneflowers and a gift

One more post before I leave on my trip. The violent thunderstorm that rolled through here at 5AM bestowed three extra hours on my day. :) I hope all my friends in North Texas are okay, as I learned they had some pretty severe storms, too. Prayers still going out to Oklahoma and the Midwest.

Yesterday I made a quick dash to the arboretum to see what was blooming. Actually, I was hoping to see butterflies, but only saw a clouded sulphur that refused to light. The purple coneflowers were beckoning, so I obliged.

Isn't it sweet how the tall coneflower seems to be sheltering the little one?
It makes me think of the teachers in Oklahoma who sheltered the children from the tornado.

I have no idea what that snowflake-looking thing is in the upper right of the photo.

A sweet surprise awaited me when I returned from the botanical garden. My sweet friend at Gone Country had knitted me a beautiful red scarf! I purchased one from her in January and loved it. I meant to blog about it, but for one reason or another didn't get around to it. She has since learned a new method of creating the scarf and wanted me to have the 'new and improved' version—her words. Although I thought the first scarf was super nice, I must admit the new scarf is very full and luxurious. The yarn she uses is so soft, too. She has recently embarked on The Pink Scarf Project to help women fighting breast cancer. She's got a big heart and mad talent. :) Thank you for blessing me with this unexpected gift, and for remembering that my mom's favorite color was red.

I'd like to leave you with this:

Torn paper by French Kiss Textures
Butterfly by JoesSistah

Happy Sunday!

Two posts in one weekend. What has gotten into me? The equation is as follows:

Overwhelming number of photos + rainy day = blog post! 

I am also suffering from a little disappointment, but this too shall pass. Sure wish I didn't bruise so easily, but nothing I've tried has changed that part of my personality. Being ultra-sensitive really sucks sometimes. Okay, I'm done whining. The sun is starting to come back and my redbud trees are bursting. They are begging to be photographed. Later gators!

Lake Pontchartrain and the Causeway Bridge, 3/8/13

Red-headed woodpecker, Fontainebleau State Park, 3/8/13

Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Fontainebleau State Park, 3/8/13

Eastern Bluebird, Fontainebleau State Park, 3/8/13
I had no idea they could rotate their heads like that!

I chased this little cutie all over the park entrance until he finally got enough of my nonsense and disappeared for good!

Turtle party, Blackwater Conservation, 3/6/13

I finally had some time to play with Jill's pretty little American Goldfinch. I'm not too good with textures and embellishments, but here is my submission. Check out She Who Carries Camera for Creative License Fridays! This should be a fun new meme and something different. 

Grunge Polaroid frame by Heather Green
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations

Where to begin...

For 3 months I slowly sipped and stirred a cocktail of sickness, death, tears, exhaustion, drama, waiting, guilt, reconnecting, moving, unpacking, throwing away, treasuring, remembering, forgiving, loving, and letting go. I hope and pray that I never have to experience so many intense emotions in such a short period of time ever again. My heart can only take so much, or so I believe.

Here we are, finally able to emerge on the other side of the chaos, with eyes clear enough to see evidence of God all over the place, especially with our new home and surroundings. The move to Baton Rouge has been the one bright spot in the scary black sky that hung over us for too long. A sky I feared was intent on drowning us with a poisonous, unrelenting downpour.

We absolutely love, and excitedly embrace, the laid-back lifestyle here. And our new home! I'm completely smitten with every square foot. Of course guilt sets in when I realize we could have done this years ago and had more quality time with my mom. :( But as Ann Landers said, "Nobody gets to live life backwards."

Deep Thoughts

I saw this quote on Flickr. If anyone knows who to attribute it to, I will be happy to give credit as I've Googled to no avail.

The torn paper texture is by an inactive account at Deviant Art.

Font is called Sunshine in my Soul.