Buds and Blossoms...

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
(Anais Nin)



I needed a little touch of summer to help me say goodbye to January...
I am getting sick of winter and all these below zero temps and even colder windchills so I sure hope Mr. Groundhog makes the right prediction on Saturday!
Think spring everyone!

That's what friends are for...

Tonight just as the sun was setting the phone rang and it was my friend, Kari. She said "Who would ever think you'd see a rainbow on January 28th! I said, What! So I asked where and ran to the windows to look...since my house is surrounded by trees I said...I can't see it but I better go outside and take a photo...Great Friend that she is...she said...THAT'S WHY I'M CALLING!In my rush to get on a coat, shoes, grab my camera and run out to the road, I completely forgot to check the camera settings.
The beautiful rainbow I saw was photographed in manual mode with the wrong settings and the photos show a rather pale looking rainbow amongst the clouds reflecting the setting sun. It disappeared before I thought of checking my settings.

As I turned back to the yard...this sunset was peaking through the trees...

So around the grove I went...and was greeted with this sight.
I zoomed in and got this shot...
Thanks, Kari..I would have missed all this without your call.
Keep smilin' Keep shinin'

Knowin' you can always count on me, for sure
that's what friends are for

In good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for
(Stevie Wonder lyrics)

a life full of pleasures...

The pleasure you get from your life is equal to the attitude you put into it... (author unknown)
Those pesky redpolls are so camera shy that I haven't managed another shot yet so there has been nothing new to blog about for a few days. I have just been laying low, enjoying life and dreaming of spring. Lucky for me I have lots of photos to remind me of sunshine and butterflies.

Looks like I may have been watching a little too much food network too...but when I read that our pleasures in life equal what we put into it...I put a little extra effort into Jeff's dessert last night...and yes, I even think it tasted better!

winter joy...

Do you know what this crater filled object is?how about this shot...do you know yet?

My beautiful "Red Lion" amaryllis is in full bloom, the first photo was a pollen loaded stamen and the 2nd the deep inside heart.




The card reads "Joy is a miracle...like flowers in winter". These beauties are sure bringing me winter joy, a bright spot on these cold January days!

Walking on water....

Last swan shots...this time the "take offs". It was amazing watching these big birds get the momentum to lift off.

you can tell their stride by the splashes behind them but it literally was a running (and flapping) take off...




such a graceful flight once airborne...

Something good....

Poor indeed is the garden in which birds find no homes.
(Abram L. Urban)

Something good came out of the artic blast of subzero temps we had to endure this past weekend...redpolls! Yesterday, I noticed 3 of them at the feeders for the first time. They are a rare occurrence here in the garden. I hope to get a better photo soon as this one is taken from about 25 ft through the window.
The juncos like to hang out around the water dish and use our discarded Christmas tree as shelter. I love how this female is all puffed up.
The male is a beautiful steel gray. They are one of my favorite winter birds.

All the excitement of Nathan's birthday and the redpolls arriving pushed back the last swan photos till tomorrow.

one of life's greatest blessings...

A recent addition to my home's decor is this magnetic board with the words "FAMILY Let's be grateful for those who give us happiness; they are the charming gardeners who make our soul bloom." I've also been crafting these tiles with the words "The love of a Family is one of life's greatest Blessings" ...this one will soon be heading to Tanya.
Last year my friend, Kari, gave me this photo frame which reads: Family - "Love one another deeply, from the heart. I Peter 1:22"


I just love these expressions of what FAMILY is all about.

Today is our firstborn's birthday...it was such a joy raising him into the man he has become.

Happy Birthday Nathan!

We are so proud of you and you truly are "one of life's greatest blessings..."

Love, Mom & Dad

Your sister has some great wishes for you too!

Your the one that I want...

You're the one that I want (You are the one I want)
You're the one that I want (You are the one I want)
You're the one that I want (You are the one I want)
The one that I need, oh yes indeed!
(lyrics from Grease)

I was shooting landings when I captured these two, notice how they are coming together before they are even fully down? Interesting swan & courtship facts at the end of the post that you can skip if you are sick of bevies, cobs & pens...






Courtship ended rudely with a fly by...shucks!

Interesting facts (at least to me):
Snow-white Trumpeter Swans present a truly spectacular sight. With a wingspan of more than 7 feet and a height of about 4 feet, the Trumpeter Swan ranks as the largest native waterfowl species in North America. Most Trumpeter Swans weigh 21–30 pounds, although some males exceed the average weight. The male is called a cob; the female is called a pen; and a swan in its first year is called a cygnet or juvenile.

Trumpeter Swans may form pair bonds as early as their second winter. A far greater number of Trumpeters, however, first nest when they are 3–6 years old. Trumpeter Swans mate for life and may live for 20 years or more. If one member of a pair dies, the survivor finds another mate. Swans usually form pair bonds on the wintering grounds and engage in courtship behavior—bobbing their heads and quivering their wings as they face each other.

It’s a special treat to see swan mates “displaying”, gracefully touching bill-to-bill and breast-to-breast until a perfect heart shape is formed, or gently intertwining their necks.
Only one more post on swans...I promise!

Noise, cygnets and a Iowan...

I wish I had a sound byte of how loud the swans & geese were. You'll notice in many of the photos the mouths are open...lots of noise.
There were many youngsters in the bevy (I just love using that word). Are they still called cygnets (baby swans) at this stage? Here a bunch of them seem to be cheering on a dispute amongst the adults.
Here is what the brochure says about the cygnets..."When hatched, a Cygnet (baby Swan) may gain 20% of their body weight on a daily basis and are fully feathered by 7 to 8 weeks, yet unable to fly until 15 weeks. Daily practice of flight begins in mid-September, and they remain with their parents throughout winter. The young are chased away by the parents following their first winter, although they stay with their siblings for up to two years, followed by choosing a mate. This is where Monticello plays a key role as the ‘singles meeting place’ for the swans. The winter meeting grounds on the Mississippi in Monticello plays a key role in the formation of new pairs. Minnesota swans are tagged on the wing. Left wing tag indicates female, right wing tag is male. Iowa swans have neck collars."
I like this photo because the little group at the top of the photo seems to be having a "family meeting".
Looks like there were a few Iowans in the group...
Tomorrow...courtship at the "singles meeting place"...

Swan Landings....

Some of the swans were at the little park when I arrived but most of them flew in over the course of the morning. The swans are huge birds and even in a crowded river they had such graceful landings. The aerodynamics were just like an airplane...first it was wingtips & landing gear down...


then a hard braking with the feet flat & forward...


and the canadian geese follow the same procedure though did not seem near as graceful :-)
Wish you could have been there!

a paddling, a gaggle and a bevy...

Jeff & I were disagreeing over whether a bunch of geese were a flock or a gaggle and what then would you call 1200 trumpeter swans?So I looked it up and this is what I found...
Ducks - A paddling of ducks, a raft of ducks, a team of ducks, a dopping of ducks
Geese - A gaggle of geese, a skein of geese
Swans - A ballet of swans, a bevy of swans, a herd of swans, a whiteness of swans
Today, I had a wonderful morning seeing a bevy of trumpeter swans along the Mississippi River in Monticello, MN. There was a gaggle of geese and a whole raft of ducks too!

I had been hearing about the Monticello swans for the past couple of winters and came close to seeing them last week when we drove through but didn't know exactly where to find them. When I got home and checked this Monticello Chamber website, I knew I had to go back the next time I was in the area. Today, Jeff was attending a class in St. Cloud so I drove over and had a great (but freezing) morning watching them. It was a very cloudy and gray day so not exactly great for taking pictures but I managed to take enough that I'll be posting swans for a week (unless you beg me to quit!).
This area of the river does not freeze over because of the nearby power plant and Sheila, the swan lady feeds up to 1200 lbs of cracked corn a day attracting all the swans to one spot. I have shots of fly bys, landings, take offs, courtship dances and squabbles....stay tuned for the next installment.