Gifts of Bluebonnet Swamp

Continuing my quest for all things nature since the weather has been so glorious, on Friday I stopped off at Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, a 200-acre preserve located 7 miles from my house. There I met the resident volunteer photographer who happily showed me all the hot spots, including a pair of barred owls named Barry and Brenda, and a rufous hummingbird. Barry & Brenda blended so well into the trees that I could not pull off a decent shot and the rufous was too shy. Something to shoot for (ha!) on the next visit, I guess.

I had asked God while I was wandering around, if it wasn't a bother, I'd really like something special to shoot. I've never asked God for anything remotely frivolous, and I felt bad even asking, but if you don't ask...

The male cardinals are exceptionally red right now. This has not been saturated in PS.

I would have been happy if this was all that was in store.

A brave little female worked her magic. Little did I know something even more special was waiting for me.

This was cute to watch them sharing, though at first Mr. Chickadee was doing his best to let Mr. Squirrel
know that his presence was not wanted by swooping around his head for several minutes. Didn't faze the squirrel one bit,
so I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

This chickadee posed right nice for me. 

The red-eared slider made an appearance.

Just as I was about to give up, my God-gift was about to be handed to me on a silver platter. Look what greeted me as I approached the exit! At first I thought it was stuffed, like some sort of display. Not taking any chances I stopped dead in my tracks, slowly lifted the camera to my eye, and took a couple of shots, then I took two more steps and another two shots. I repeated this one more time, getting a total of six shots, and then he fled. After emailing the photo to a worker at the center, she was thrilled that I was able to capture this elusive fellow that they had only seen on the critter cam: a gray fox! She shared it on Facebook and I was a little bit of a sensation for a day. :) God is so good.

Gray Fox

Today I had another awesome gift awaiting me. Something I never thought I'd be able to shoot unless I traveled to another state. Stay tuned!

Geaux Local

Now that Thanksgiving is over and our bellies are full, it is time to concentrate on Christmas.

Giving is a joyful experience, or it should be. Supporting a local or independently owned business is a wonderful way to magnify that joy. Corporations are made up of people, so I'm not saying to avoid them completely; however, instead of buying all your gifts from huge corporate retailers, it would give such a boost to mom-and-pop stores if we each purchased at least one item locally this Christmas. With that in mind, even our blogging neighbors can be considered local, offering unique, well-made crafts, one of which I will showcase in this post.

Maureen at Cottage960 caught my attention with these beautifully crafted camera charm necklaces. I think these would also be fun to hang on the rear view mirror in your car. On one side is a vintage photo of a woman holding a camera and the other side has a saying or quote of your choice. I love these pieces and a very special someone will be a recipient this Christmas.

Aren't these delightful? Maureen did not ask me to promote her business, nor was I compensated in any way. I thought to do this post only after I received the order. As part of my Geaux Local mantra, I am happy to share her talent—it's as simple as that. Check out Maureen's Etsy shop here. I will be sharing similar posts like this one from time to time. YOU could be next! :)

1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Thankful

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.
It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.
We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
~Albert Schweitzer

From time to time I go through periods of melancholy, which I experienced this past week. Then last night Double D went to the mailbox and handed me a small box. "What's this all about?" he asked.

"Oh, my sweet bloggy friend! I wonder what it is?!"

I knew the package was coming, but wasn't expecting it for a few more days. Delighted, I tore open the package and inside found the most beautiful, sterling silver hummingbird earrings. My sweet friend (who asked to remain anonymous), knows me well. What's strange is I received notice that it was coming before I published The Impossible post. How did she know ahead of time that I could use a lift?

I tried my best to photograph the earrings; unfortunately, indoor photography is not my strong suit. It has been raining most of the day, so I could not take them outside for my favorite natural light shots. Here they are anyway--aren't they beautiful?

Playing with the Solarize feature in Lightroom

My purple LSU shirt kept reflecting onto the silver, so I just left it. 

I adore these earrings, but I also appreciate the thought and care and time that went into this gesture. "Appreciate" isn't really the right term—maybe "deep gratitude" is the closest phrase to what I'm feeling. So, thank you, thank you for your generosity and friendship. I am humbly blessed knowing that God is still working through His people on earth.

Now, I've got to lighten this up with a silly joke. You've probably seen it, but here it is anyway:

Big Ed seemed to always fall asleep during the Sunday sermon. His wife was fed up and decided to deal with the embarrassing situation.

The next Sunday when he fell asleep, she quietly removed some pungent Limburger cheese from a ziplock bag in her purse and passed it under his nose.

Groggily startled, Big Ed blurted out, "No, Helen, no—don't kiss me now!"

Snort! Have a great weekend everybody!

Sharing with Nancy at