Happy New Year 2023 and Farewell to 2022~

Happy New Year to all who might have the time to be able to stop by and visit my blog once again.  It has been 6 long months since my last entry and with every try that I make to do better, life just gets in the way it appears.  

I miss my heavy blogging days when we were able to visit one another on our blogs and keep in touch with special friends that we learned to know through those lovely visits.  The last few times that I posted were so sporadic due to my sister's illness and then her passing away.  I then had some health issues that came along with life difficulties that we had to help with and it has just taken the back burner and I truly hate that.  

This past year has had some changes one in particular that has been such a huge blessing was when our youngest daughter and her husband moved back to Kentucky after living the last seven years in Florida.  Having them home has been delightful.

 We had a very rare bird that visited the adjoining Shelby county that caused quite a stir even on the news stations.  I was able to see and photograph the bird on November 17th.

A Pink-footed goose 

"The Pink-footed goose is a goose which breeds in Eastern Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard. It is migratory, wintering in Northwest Europe, especially Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Western Denmark. The name is often abbreviated in colloquial usage to "Pinkfoot"

Our area of Oldham County Kentucky has had 2 other very rare birds that ended up just 4 miles in two directions from our home the way a bird flies.  

A juvenile Trumpeter swan.  I first officially saw it on December 26th.

A Rough-legged hawk was seen and I was able to see and photograph it on December 28th.

Cover photo is one that the blog was named after...a Red-shouldered hawk~

 

*Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slideshow presentation after  you have read the narratives. Thanking you so very much~

  

                                                                  I'm joining Eileen at: 

                                                                        Saturday's Critter

  http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/

  

 Anni at:

 http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com/ 

I'd Rather Be Birdin'

 

 The Short-eared owls were here for a few months in 2021 and 2022.  

Sadly they have not yet arrived back in our area for this season.  

They are some of my favorite birds~

 

From May 25th through July 23 I had the pleasure of raising a female Wood duck that I named Bennett. I got it a little buddy to help raise it with that was a Rouen duckling that I named Fendley. I think of these two every single day. I hope and pray that somehow they survived, but it was a very bad situation~

I had walked down the lane to see if any Hummingbirds were at the Mimosa trees across the land from Tingsgrove. There are at least three trees that have branches hanging over the lane and that makes it easy to stand on Tingsgrove and see some of the activity. This time there were no hummers, but rather lots of butterflies and one single Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. I was thrilled because any of these moths are just stunning. The colours of the Clearwing moth are burgundy and olive down the back, and a light yellowish white and burgundy underneath. It's wings are transparent with a red burgundy border around them~

I had an injured Carpenter bee as a favorite from August 2nd until August 27th. I called her Bumble thinking that she was a Bumble bee. Actually she was Bumble the Carpenter bee and she trusted me. I found her just outside our gate on a bench. She was laying there late in the evening and I left her. The next morning she was still there and I couldn't believe what I did, but I put my finger down in front of her to see what she would do. She crawled right up on my hand and never showed me her stinger which she really had one that she could have chosen to use. She would crawl up on my fingers to my hand every day a few times. My husband liked her so much and we both still mention her from time to time.

We didn't have any idea as to how long she would survive, but Bumble the Carpenter bee was here for twenty five days. She really was such a wonderful creature to observe and care for...a very special gift~

I went to my friend Mack's house one day and got to see one of the 4 young Green herons that had just left the nest rim the day before~

I just really liked this picture of a juvenile Red-tailed hawk on one of my favorite country lanes~

One of our neighborhood White-tailed deer had triplets this past Spring~

Darling Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were around from Spring through October fifteenth~

A magical morning with an Egret taking off as I had just arrived at the park~

This year was my second to raise and release Monarch butterflies.  I had twenty seven.  Most of them I gathered in their egg stage and they all did really well.   This was such a rewarding experience too.  

These were all late stage eggs and caterpillars that ended up taking all the way through October ending for many of them to get to fly free.  

I also got a few from my next door neighbor that were in various stages of caterpillars and some of them had already been bitten by Tachinid flies and didn't make it through their chrysalis stage which  is always a sad happening.

The first few mosaics are a little story about a little egg that had hatched and I momentarily lost the baby caterpillar.  All turned out well though~

Happy Easter Blessings for Those Who Celebrate the Season~

~HAPPY EASTER BLESSINGS~

It has been quite the week.  I have to say this and I know that many of you already know, understand, comprehend the true meaning of love at all times, forgive one another, etc, etc.

One of our dear friends had a heart attack a week ago this past Thursday.  It was a shock!  You can read more about that further down in this post...We consider Jeff a precious miracle~

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slideshow presentation after    you have read the narratives~

I am joining in the fun with Eileen at:

http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/

Saturday's Critter

Anni at:

http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com/ 

I'd Rather Be Birdin'

 Linking to I'd Rather B Birdin' 

   

Maggie's  MOSAIC MONDAY

https://normandylife.blogspot.com/

 Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global 

   http://communalglobal.blogspot.ca/

& 

Stewart for:

http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

Wild Bird Wednesday

The best of the not so good Common Loon images taken yesterday. If you can't tell, it was pouring down rain, just miserable, but I was determined to get some photos of one of my favorite birds. This was my first time to get to see them. 

The male Mallard Duck in flight shows a bit more of the hard rain coming down. I also showed in two photos how far away I was from the two Loons that I managed to photograph. The images are heavily cropped. It was so wonderful to see them in their Spring breeding colours too.

Also seen from a great distance was a pair of Wood Ducks~

 A rain soaked tree as I was leaving the park~

Last season many will remember that a pair of Groundhogs had made their home under the deck of my friends Jeff and Linda.  It is believed that five of the six young ones were killed off by the Red Fox family.  Our thinking is that possibility one of the adults may have survived.  My most favorite of the young ones was the little brown runt of the litter.  I was  so excited when Linda told me a couple of weeks ago, that it had survived the Winter and was starving.  This little one was so sweet and I am so very thankful that it survived every obstacle thrown at it the first year of it's life.  I am hoping it will have a nice long life now, but the Fox family will soon be showing off their next generation and the onslaught will continue~

I plucked a few flowers from my wee garden the other day.  Double bloom Daffodils and a few Hellebores.  I placed them in a small vase and set them alongside a painting that was created for me by a dear friend many years ago now.  I thought they paired together beautifully~

Dark-eyed Junco~

My neighbors two doors down from us are Jeff and Linda and their little dog Mister.  

This is the story in brief for them this past week.  

A perfect miracle for this very special time of the year.  

A Special Easter Gift~

Imagine this for a moment.

Big heart attack Thursday March 22nd.

Only brain function was "posturing" and trying to breathe over the ventilator.

Told that decisions may be coming.

Placed on medications to temporarily paralyze the body.

Put into a chemically induced hypothermia for 23 hours.

Body slowly brought back to normal temperature, took 24 hours.

Began to awaken, turned his head to voices, began to open his eyes.

Then he began to answer questions and know your name.

Sometimes he missed the right answers, sometimes he mumbled trying to formulate the words.

Moved from ICCU, ICU, to CC rehab unit.

Failed the first swallow test and had to have feeding tube replaced.

Next day he passed the test, skipped strained food and went right onto steamed veggies and fish.

Two days of physical therapy and Wednesday evening Jeff was discharged to come home.

I witnessed this unfolding daily and I am here to say that I witnessed a miracle of Father God.

He had excellent care at Baptist Hospital East Cardiac Care.

His beautiful wife Linda is so overwhelmed, overjoyed, exhausted but she too is finally home.

Mister their little dog was so happy too.

 

Shh, that's a ribbon I put in his hair~

I just took this photograph of Jeff this morning, at home, and very thankful, as are all who love he and Linda and yes, Mister~

Red-Shouldered Hawk changing positions to get a better look at me and some juicy prey which was plentiful~

We anticipate a spot of snow again on Easter evening, but Spring is showing more signs of being present.  Those who celebrate the Easter season, may it be blessed.  For others, have a wonderful week~