Bees and Crocus

The bees crawl in the center of the Autumn crocus and just wallow around. 

And wait there while I snap their picture.

I needed something to make me smile today. 
This worked.

Hump Day Haiku - Returning birds

Juncos in the yard! 

These first of wintering birds

have arrived today.

I started doing Hump Day Haiku with Carla Sonheim's Silly classes... and decided as a challenge for myself, I'll be creating Haiku every "Hump Day.

Note: This is not my photo, I got it sometime back. Please do not re-use, it's for illustration purpose only. One day I hope to capture the little juncos with my own camera.

Letter box

Wouldn't it be fun,

having this cute letter box

waiting for your mail?

Garden Guardian

There is a guardian

upon the garden stair

who hides among 

ground covers and leaves

and who always smiles. 

I don't remember when we put this out in the garden... or from whence it came. It's inexpensive garden art, but is a little reminder, when I notice, that there is always someone watching out for us. 

Visit Macro Monday for more macro photography.

Woodland Stairs

Out on a walk with my honey the other day at Big Rock Garden, I noticed this little stairway wandering up in the woods. Doesn't it make you want to go explore?

If you look closely, you can see a heart shape in the underbrush on the right.

Find more Straight Out Of the Camera here:

Linking to Guest Heart Thursday

Wise Owl on Etsy

I'm so excited! One of my little pins, my wise owl, was just included in a treasury list on Etsy by Michelle Skiba of Three Trees Bindery . Thank you, Michelle! Check out the Treasury list here.
And check out my little owl and other items here.

Hearts along the way...

I've found many heart rocks on various walks with my honey... this one was a walk along the Skagit River at our favorite camping place.

I am using my "found heart" photos as inspiration for an art project in the works, and thought I'd share them as I rediscover them in my files.

Linking to Guest Heart Thursday

Hump Day Haiku - End of Summer

Garden harvested

End of summer all too soon

Wishing it could last

These are two of the remaining tomato plants we grew this year. The small Tumbling Tom is on the patio, the larger Oregon Spring is in the green house. If we're lucky, we'll have fresh tomatoes until November.


I started doing Hump Day Haiku with Carla Sonheim's Silly classes... and decided to keep it up as a challenge for myself. Look for more Hump Day Haiku here every Wednesday. 

If you wish, join in by posting a Hump Day Haiku in the comments. :)

Happy Hump Day!

A walk in Fairhaven

Recently I spent a bit of time with a friend wandering about in Fairhaven,
looking for interesting windows and doors for an online swap I was considering.
Our walk discovered this old phone booth at the corner of an ivy covered building. 

We also found this door as we walked through a courtyard...

A walk with a friend and a camera is a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Michaelmas Daisy

Michaelmas Daisy (aster) growing in a place that my husband would rather it not grow. It IS a bit in the way of the walkway behind the house where the garden tools and wheel barrow are stored. When it has finished its lovely blooming, we'll dig it up and move it to a safer spot. For now I'm enjoying the lovely blooms. 


Linked to Macro Monday and  Mellow Yellow Monday

Random hearts...

On our walk a few days ago, I noticed a rock imbedded in the moss that looked a bit like a heart.

A while later visiting my honey out in his shop, I came across this heart shaped knot hole in a piece of wood just hanging out waiting for me to notice.


Amazing how hearts are everywhere, just waiting for us to find them.

Find more Straight Out Of the Camera here.

Find more Hearts at Guest Heart Thursday

Hidden angel

A recent visit to the local cemetery with my camera and a friend found this angel awaiting me, hiding in the old section as a bit of an elaborate headstone.

It reminds me to look in places I'm not expecting for little miracles. They are always there.

Ivy covered wall

There is something about old brick buildings with ivy covered walls that I just love.

Especially as the leaves start to turn.

It makes a boring old brick building quite festive, don't you think?

Weed in a pot

This is fireweed, a plant that likes grows in disturbed areas and burned areas after forest/wild fires. Neighbor was growing in a pot next to the fence a year or so ago (for reasons we never determined) and we had a self seeded start on our side of the fence that was very happily dug up and put into a pot. And it's blooming!

So we'll have seeds and be able to spread some about in certain disturbed areas out back.

Deer love fireweed, although this particular pot is out of their reach (there is a reason for high fences).  A crop out back for them will make some fine dining.We keep them out of the back yard with the fence, but plant with them in mind in front and in the "wild" area. Critters need to eat too.


Macro Monday 

Awakening

In those days,
we finally chose
to walk like giants
  and hold the world
in arms grown strong with love 
and there may be many things we forget
in the days to come,
but this will not be one of them.

from Storypeople 

Straight Out of The Camera Sunday 

Yard Art

Wondering what to do with an old license plate leftover from relocating 16 years ago..?

Attach to garden shed wall for a splash of color! Instant yard art! :D

Red and Yellow

The Hardy Fuchsia, planted next to the native Golden Rod, is in full bloom. Both bloom mid to late summer, and they are so happy growing together. Sometimes planting by happenstance works out.

Addition: I don't know the exact variety of fuchsia; it's a shrub, as opposed to the fuchsias that are sold in garden centers in spring. We got it as a cutting from John's mothers garden the year she died. It's been transplanted around as we've redone the garden, and seems to be very happy here.

Mellow Yellow Monday

Ruby Tuesday

Autumn Sedum

Autumn Sedum - a late summer banquet for the bees.

Macro Monday 

Berries for the Birds

The Red Twig Dogwood is putting on a lot of berries this year. That's a good thing for our visiting birds, who enjoy them during the fall and winter months. I love how these are poking through the grape stake fence my husband built several years ago.

Straight Out of The Camera Sunday
 

Echinecea

The lovely light purple echinecea continues to bloom. It's a delight watching the transformation of the bud into blossom.

If you look close, you can see the bit of spider web on the blossom... they are especially busy this time of year.

Sunflower adoration

Yesterday, while the sun was out, a little bee was enjoying the dwarf sunflower on the deck. 

He was quite focused for a while... allowing me time to go in and get the camera. 

The heavy pollen on his legs fascinated me... I hadn't seen a bee so laden this summer. 

It didn't seem to bother his flying at all.