Haiku 139 Do Fairies Come at Night?

Do fairies come at night

to release the Queen's snowballs

and have a winter party?

Haiku 138 Gently Falling

Gently falling

Collecting in pockets

of jackets and milkweed.

I took our poor exercise neglected pup for a romp in the woods this afternoon. 

We both loved the time spent there.

Haiku 137 Sitting Tall and Proud

Sitting tall and proud

a symbol of strength 

ready to fishing for lunch.

Macro Monday-What is That?

This week's Macro Monday theme...What is that? This is the one I submitted. 

The rest are the runners up.

Haiku 136 Watchful Eye Closing Ranks

Watchful eye closing ranks

ready to protect the young.

I don't come to harm.

On our trip to Iowa we stopped at a Bison Farm. It has really grown since the last time we were there!

Haiku 135 Scrounging in Winter

Scrounging in winter

hoping restaurant parking lot

holds tasty treasures.

My husband slammed on the brakes and said opossum! I looked around and saw nothing. He put the car in reverse and there it was. Luckily, uninjured as far as we could tell. I'd never seen one in the light before so of course I had to hop out and take its picture. 

Haiku 134 Focused on Eagles

Focused on eagles

surprised by a heron

unfocused shot.

Dogwood Photo Challenge #8 Leading Lines to Infinity

Week 8 Composition: Leading Lines

Official Dogwood Photography Challenge

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It is easy to use Leading Lines to show depth in an image or guide the eye to a specific spot in the image. Instead, this week use leading lines to show the concept of infinity.

I was in Iowa earlier this week and while we were out looking for eagles along the Mississippi River we drove by the 280 bridge between Iowa and Illinois. I had my husband stop so I grab this pic of leading lines out the car window with him saying be quick cars are coming! I wish I'd had time to change lenses so I could have gotten more space top to bottom but it is what it is. When we went past here a day later the sky was gray and unappealing so I didn't try again.

Haiku 133/365 Why Are You Alone?

Why are you alone?

I hope your friends return soon

Spring is coming...

This pelican was swimming alone near the locks along the Mississippi River. We didn't see any other ones there the two days we stopped by looking for eagles. It wasn't until I edited the pictures I noticed  it's neck looks like it has something wrong with it. I wonder if it's injured or sick and couldn't join rest of the flock where ever they went. 

Haiku 132 How? Six Foot Wing Span

How? Six foot wing span

into a tangle of branches

done so gracefully.

I've gotten a little behind, but as I get caught up you'll be seeing something besides snow and backyard birds. :)

Haiku 131 Listening Earns Perks

Listening earns perks!

Graduated to the back seat-

 snacks, pets and kisses. 

Haiku 130/365 Hey, We're Hungry Too

Hey, we're hungry too.

We'll eat the free food-

if that dog leaves us alone.

Haiku 129/365 Ready for Takeoff

Firm grip-lean forward

wings up-

ready for takeoff.

Haiku 128 The Forest is Quiet

The forest is quiet

but for the woodpecker

calling in the distance.

Two days in a row of wonderful snowshoeing experiences. 

Haiku 127 Nature's Ornaments

Nature's ornaments

decorating the winter forest

for hiker's enjoyment.

I've been in a bit of a funk the last couple of days. Now I know what was wrong...I haven't been getting outside much the past week. A long snowshoe walk and I feel soooo much better. 

Haiku 126 For a Few Sweet Hours

For a few sweet hours

winter returned-

the world a giant snow globe.

Then of course it turned to rain/freezing rain....:(

Haiku 125 Not Enough Detail

Not enough detail

too much detail, too icy...

hard to satisfy.

Haiku 124 In the Bare Trees

In the bare trees

subtle colors of winter 

blend together

Dogwood Challenge #6 #Nofilter

I am so used to making some slight adjustments with shadows/highlights, clarity, vibrance, cropping...it was really tough not to do anything to an image!

This is how I start my days...jotting in my journal and if the sun is out it's shining down on me and the birds are often eating in the tree right outside the window. It's where I eat my breakfast every morning and get my day off to a quiet start. 

Haiku 123 Firm Grip on Fresh Catch

Firm grip on fresh catch-

heading back to its neighborhood-

will it share?

We went to the mall in Syracuse today to look at the eagles that are hanging out by the lake. My shots are highly cropped so not very good but it's always exciting to watch them.

Haiku 122 Outside my Window

Outside my window

Jay call, "Peanuts, Peanuts!

Where are my peanuts?"

Now, I need to work on getting a picture of him with his mouth open talking to me!

Haiku 121 Tales are Hidden

Tales are hidden

throughout this masterpiece. 

Do you hear them?

Haiku 120 Little Bits of Wonder

Little bits of wonder

on a perfect winter day.

Everywhere.

Haiku 119 Pause Breathe Notice

Pause, breathe, notice

beauty and grandeur exist

all around you.

Fund Raising for The Ride for Missing Children

I'm beginning the process of raising $750 for The Ride for Missing Children. You can read more about this great organization through the link. This is near and dear to my heart. I've been involved as a rider or volunteer or both for ten years. My son and I will be participating in all five rides this year. (Ok, truthfully...we have to wait for his oncologist's report later this month that will tell us his cancer is gone, but I have no doubt that's what she'll say.)

So, we always like to give something in return for a donation.

I'm starting with Valentine's Day themed cards. The cards are 5.5 inches by 4.25, they come with an envelope and are blank inside, ready for your own personal greeting. The photos are printed on textured paper. The cards are $3 a piece. Let me know if you’d like one and I’ll get it to you.

By the end of this week I'll have another fundraising idea to share.

You can make donations through this site.

Heart in Tree

Red Heart

Toby's Heart Print

Blue Heart

Update on Healthy Aging

One of my first posts was about healthy aging, I decided it was time to do an update. Since I've retired I've continued to exercise and try to eat healthy....most of the time. Results? By the end of last summer I was off one of my high blood pressure medicines! Woo hoo, that's a huge victory for me. The accountability groups I join, that use Beachbody on Demand workouts, have continued. Last fall I completed my first entire workout-Lifft-4. Then the holidays came and things got way off track. Exercise went way down, healthy eating went out the door and five extra pounds mysteriously or not so mysteriously appeared. So, in January I started to revert back to healthier habits and began a new workout and group. This time it's Shaun T and a 20 min workout 6 times a week. I'm just beginning week 4. That holiday weight is gone and every workout has been done to the best of my ability. He does a lot of jumping and since I'm trying to avoid a hip replacement I do a lot of modifying. But...it's still working. For the first time I'm doing the meal planning that goes with a workout. I love the container app, it really helps me focus on good eating. I go off a bit on the weekends and nights like tonight when I'm craving my favorite soup-Cheesy Chicken Tortilla-but all in all it's an improvement. And the best news? I'm working my way off the other high blood pressure medicine! I'm trying a half pill a day to see how that goes. That's my motivation to keep moving!

I'm trying to work hard because I have big biking goals for this summer. Here's what I have so far:

My whole family participated in The Ride for Missing Children last year. 

All five Ride for Missing Children Rides! I've done them all except for Albany. It doesn't happen often that you can do them all in one year.  I need to raise $750 for these charity rides. If you'd like to support me click here. This ride is nearest and dearest to my heart. I've been involved as a rider or volunteer or both for 10 years.

5 Boro Ride in NYC with a bunch of friends.

Ride for Roswell-this will be a first and I'm looking forward to it. Many years ago my husband went to Roswell for his cancer treatments. Now he goes to a place which is closer to us. I've wanted to do this ride for years but it used to be the same weekend as our Ride for Missing Children. But our date has changed and the opportunity has come up to do this ride with a friend.

My son believes in my ability to do long distance rides. 

Saranac to Saranac-This is more of a private ride. We start in Saranac Lake NY and ride to the Saranac Brewery in Utica NY. Last year I did the half pint and started in Inlet. This year I plan on doing the whole ride.

Peak to Brew-Gears to Beers- This will be a brand new ride for teams of four. Registration hasn't opened yet but I have a team of four women crazy enough to ride from Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid to Saranac Brewery in Utica with me. This is a two day event and I really only have to do half the ride so I think ??? it will be easier than Saranac to Saranac. I'll try to remember to give an update lol.

Save our Roads- I did this ride last fall. It's in a small town and was a beautiful and hilly ride. I'd love to do it again.

Lobster/Lighthouse Ride in Maine-I need to look up details on this one. I was going to do it with a friend last summer but life got in the way. We're hoping to do it this summer. It will either be the lobster ride or a lighthouse ride. Either sounds perfect.

So... that should keep me busy through September. I'm looking forward to the challenge. I want to age healthy and I also want to be a good role model for my grown  children.

In other news...I try to drink at least 80 oz of water a day, one of my new skills is doing a daily (well almost daily) haiku which floods this site. I'm also checking out books from the library on how to sketch/draw and trying to learn to draw more than a stick figure. I need to work on reading more and less social media....sigh...such a struggle-any tips for that?

Thanks for stopping by.

Haiku 118 Winter is Magical

Winter is magical-

quiet beauty all around

get out and enjoy!

Haiku 117 Hanging on by a Thread

Hanging on by a thread

blowing left, right, up, down

at the wind's whim.

Haiku 116 Lousy Winter

Lousy winter...

rain, snow, frigid temps, repeat

rain rain go away!

I hate these rainy mild days messing up each fresh snowfall. 

It's February, it should be cold and snowy!