Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment.
Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~
Mary Howell Cromer







Friday, January 3, 2014

A New Year, a Fresh Start~



Another Cardinal (male) was seen through Dad's window and once again I just had to grab a shot, or rather a few, they are so handsome!
Here is hoping that everyone enjoyed their New Year celebration and that you have gotten off to a good start. 
Many around me have been ill, and I am thankful that so far no bug has reached this home. 
We will be having a little celebration soon. 
Our puppy that arrived last March will turn 1 on January 9 and I just had to post a few of my favorite puppy images of her and also show you how she is looking today. 
She is larger than our 6 year old Long Coat German Shepherd Meaka, by several pounds already, as well as she is taller at the shoulders. 
I am thinking that her coat will end up being medium length, rather than long, and that will be OK...
Silvie Aleit, affectionately called Silveit is a peach of a dog, learning very well. 
The German Shepherd breed is highly intelligent, always thinking~



Remember to double click on the image, to view a larger slide show of the images shared
   
 I will also be linking up with Mary at:

"Mosaic Monday"


at:
 
 and
*****************************************************************************
As well as I am linking up with Stewart at:
   Wild Bird Wednesday
(http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/)

This is Silveit her first full day with us following her long airplane flights to get here last March and weeks following~


I just liked this old barn~


And this is our precious Silveit as she is looking now, a very striking girl. 
She has so much energy, hard sometimes to keep up with, but she will keep us young longer with all of the running about~
 


One day I heard the Crows yelling and cawing and it seemed non-stop. 
They were very high up in the trees, eating some kind of berries
 
 


I observed the Crows for several minutes and then watched a behavior that I had never witnessed before. 
There were family units protecting certain trees from other families invasion and if they intruded, they were attacked and taken all the way to the ground~
 
 

 
 


It was a very loud, fierce battle for a bit...but everyone went their own way soon after~


While driving home recently, I saw the red and green of this Virginia Creeper and with a light snow upon the ground...it was a perfect nature Christmas gift~
 


Ice reflections in my creek on Tingsgrove~
 


And ice covered tree fronds, looks like lace~
 


Red-bellied Woodpeckers come out of the wood this time of year and come closer to the house to eat from the suet feeders~
 


These beauties are actually members of one of the local feral cat communities. 
 They have a really nice set up down in the wood. 
Beautiful cats!
Touched only once in their life, when altered and then returned to their colonies~
 


The House Finch is such an attractive bird around the garden~
 


As are the Downy Woodpeckers~
 
 


The White-throated Sparrows~
 
 
 


The Carolina Chickadees~



As well as the Dark-eyed Juncos~


Interesting...or an eye sore, just thankful this is not across the lane from our home. 
Recently a neighbor on the far end of the neighborhood built a cabin atop his silo. 
My youngest daughter asked his son why and he said his father simply wanted a new toy.  The gentleman told the newspapers he built it for his 2 year old grand-daughter...hmm.
 I would not take my 2 year old grandchild up there, but it is interesting, and to many it is an eye sore...
Yet here it is in all of it's...glory ;) ~


 

32 comments:

  1. the 'silo house' is interesting. :) i do like all the winter birds. and your pup is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We've had between 12-18 cardinals at the feeders lately. We normally have Red-bellied Woodpeckers, too, but they haven't been around so far this winter. Love the barn! Beautiful photos!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the silo house because I kind of like eccentric! (But of course I don't have to live near it.) The first picture of your puppy on top -- the one in the center of the mosaic with his head down and ear as if he's listening to you -- is just my favorite ever. He just radiates intelligence. And beauty.

    Loving every mosaic as always. Happy New Year and thank you for all you've shared in the past year. Love visiting here!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hallo my dear Mary, your gorgeous puppy has grown into a beautiful dog. They certainly keep one on one's toes. I fully endorse neutralising the breeding effect of the community of wild cats and letting them be happy although they do some damage to the bird population. As long as the don't multiply like rabbits, they too should have a chance at life.
    I love seeing your winter woods blooming with bright cardinals. They really are a picture!
    Our dogs are such an integral part of our household, they envelop us in unconditional love and devotion and never pass on secrets we tell them.
    Thank you so much for your nurturing comments, they too are nurturing.
    Hugs . . . Arija

    ReplyDelete
  5. A lovely pup, I would love them. There are the collection of birds, beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great set of photos and that puppy has turned into a handsome fellow

    ReplyDelete
  7. How clever to start by grabbing everyones attention with those beatiful pictures of young Silveit with those enquiring and intelligent looks.You made some interesting observations about the crows defending whole lots of treese and not just a single tree they might nest in - not many people would have noticed that, your observational powers as sharp as ever Mary.

    As you say your neighbour has built a strange sort of eyesore but hopefully it won't be too visible when the trees start to leaf very soon. As we say over here - "It takes all sorts" (to make a world).

    Have a lovely weekend - no snow here just more rain and wind. Settling down next week.
    You have so much snow and ice and your pictures of the House Finch , the Downy anf the junco in particular do really set the winter scene for us all to see.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It'a always a treat to visit your blog. You do such a nice job with your photos/collages. Love all the bird photos. Silveit is a beauty. How strange to build a cabin on top of a silo. I'm not sure I'd want to go up there either! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mary, what a wonderful way to start the year, with these beautiful photos! I love your captures of the bird fight--that must have been quite a sight! And Silveit is gorgeous!

    My husband was in Vietnam for all of 1966 on a river near Chu Lai.

    Hope you're having a really great new year.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good capture of the lacey ice photos --- and the silhouettes -- and the robins in winter ---beautiful pictures you have shared again today!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mary, I just love your dogs. The puppy photos are adorable. Lovely bird photos, a great variety! Beautiful mosaic, thanks for sharing. Have a happy week!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love that barn with peeling paint! And of course I also love all your bird photos.

    ReplyDelete
  13. always a joy to stop by and visit. The Cardinal and the other birds with a touch of red certainly are a bright spot of colour in your snowy world. I guess your neighbor must get a good view from this cabin on the silo! It looks like a giant birdhouse! I love your images of the Virginia creeper and your little creek, and the barn is full of photographic character. Have a lovely week Mary.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful winter scenes. Cardinals stand out so wonderfully against the monotones of winter.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lovely birds.
    I wish you a great new year and look forward to wonderful images of the birds.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Simply beautiful works of art! Wishing you well. Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  17. You never disappoint with your amazing posts dear Mary.
    Beautiful images of Silveit - what a honey.
    It's incredible how you got the bird fight photos.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I can honestly say, "Now I've seen everything!!" A cabin atop a silo!!! I especially enjoyed the cardinal in amongst the winter landscape. But, all your birds are a delight. As for the feral cats...my goodness they're gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  19. So many great photocollages to see in your post!
    Nice!

    ReplyDelete
  20. It's always such a treat to visit your blog and view the many wonderful shots! Your puppy is so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  21. You are a true artist with your camera and a Naturalist through and through. Silveit is adorable and now beautiful as she matures into her full grandeur. I do so love coming to see your work ... your pictures always seem to engender a peacefulness that is hard to find elsewhere. Thank you,once again, Mary. And forgotten ... are the cats yours? They are endearing ...

    Andrea @ From the Sol

    ReplyDelete
  22. the red cardinal looks great on the bare limbs. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Mary, beautiful pictures, the cardinal is in the perfect winter setting! Love the barn photos too, the white is so striking. Laura

    ReplyDelete
  24. What a lovely blog post Mary, your little puppy has turned into the most beautiful dog - isn't she gorgeous! Stunning wildlife shots too - I love Red Cardinals, they really are the most spectacular birds. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog - it is lovely to catch up!

    ReplyDelete
  25. HI Fantastic shots of all the birds and I love the pup.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy New Year, Mary!

    What beautiful images of your creek at Tingsgrove, a winter wonderland of icily crocheted, covered branches, sewn in a frozen fabric of snow! The cardinals are striking and always manage to steal my attention away from other winged lovelies, on which my wandering eye may have settled! And lastly, speaking of beauties, I could stare at pictures of weather worn barns for hours, admiring their still strong presence and poise in the midst of a harsh winter.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Poppy

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hello I have just wandered over via a lovely comment you made on someone's blog - isn't that the wonder of blogging I hardly know how I got here, but I am very glad to have arrived!! I love your layout and mosaics your photos are striking of course I have a soft spot for birds and dogs!!!
    Have a great week and I hope to return soon.
    Wren x

    ReplyDelete
  28. Beautiful photos! Your pup is adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  29. So many great photos of your pupp and all the wild birds.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Love the middle puppy shot! So cute!
    Lovely collages of your bird sightings!
    I am like you in that this time of year the cardinal is even more striking and my camera stays clicking every opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Wow so many beautiful shots Mary... Incredible... I think I simply have to take a sabbatical for a year and stay in USA to get to see all these birdies ;-) Hope you are doing fine ;-)

    ReplyDelete

I enjoy each visitor to "Red Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond" I truly appreciate those who have become followers to my blog and really am encouraged by the wonderful comments.
FYI if you leave ANONYMOUS comments, they will never get published, so please don't waste your time.

Thanking you~