Photos, videos and docs of Janet Brien, with the keywords: "snow"

Melting Snow on Sporophyte (+3 insets!)

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 17:11:22 +0000

(+3 insets!)

I wanted to post a few pictures today to let everyone know that things are going much better for me lately and I'm definitely feeling much better! I haven't been around lately because I'm busy with lots of other things and I haven't been giving ipernity or photography as much attention. Sometimes we need a break! :)

A Rediscovered Love of Rocks
With my new interest in stones, minerals and my rock tumbler, I've found myself remembering how much I enjoyed my science and geology classes in school. This has resulted in the purchase of books to educate myself and stumbling around the internet, happily sucking up information about the elements, tips on tumbling stones and where to find them, and even discovering the history and what sort of rocks and minerals mined in this area.

I've also been walking around on our 26-acre property to see what sort of rocks are laying on the ground…there are PLENTY of cool stones to pick up! It's all very fascinating to me and I'm slowly learning to identify a few of them which is fun. :) I am waiting for a couple of dry days so I can creep up onto our hillside. Once I was up there and I found a HUGE outcropping of white quartz crystal embedded in a larger mass…I want to find it!! And I'm interested to see what else is around!

Rock Tumbling Updates
My rock tumbling is coming along nicely! I decided to be very picky about what ones I allow to move from the first step of tumbling to the second step. I had a set that was all the way up to the end of the third step (pre-polish), but when I took a careful look at every stone I realized I needed to push most of them all the way back to step one--I had been too hasty. I'm learning that tumbling stones is something you just need to be patient about and the sage advice, "garbage in, garbage out" is something I think about as I evaluate my rocks. Anyway, right now I have a set in Step 1 and another set in Step 2. I will move them on in about a week--after I make sure they look ready!

Today's Pictures
It's finally starting to warm up a bit but we got several days of snow and lots of frost too. I thought it would be perfect to share one of my macros of a sporophyte with melting snow on it. I am also including a snowy footprint, a panorama of the snowy hills across the valley from where our house sits, and finally, a picture of Bird's Nest fungus which I captured a while back. It grows as a sort of little creamy bulge and then the top breaks off to reveal these tiny little "eggs" inside, which are the reproductive spores! How cool is that?! :)

Pam, if I remember correctly, tomorrow is the big day for you. My heart is all a-flutter and I'm both nervous and excited. You will be in my thoughts, as you are every day! *BIG HUGS* my dear!

Explored on 1/21/20; highest placement #1.

Pictures for Pam, Day 101: Snowflake on a Sporophyte

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:13:38 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+1 inset!) (please view large to see the snowflake better!) :D

There was a very light dusting of snow this morning which began to melt as I walked up and down the driveway. It was so nice to hear the birds doing their thing. I couldn't help hearing several Acorn Woodpeckers being loud and obnoxious but I love to hear them yelling at each other! They are so rude! :D We also have two kinds of noisy jays. Stellar's and Scrub Jays both vie for the title of "Most Obnoxious" along with the Acorn Woodpeckers. It's always fun to see them though, such pretty birds.

Today I've decided to share a couple of snowy sporophyte pictures to go with the light dusting of snow this morning. I took them a couple of weeks ago when I woke up to a world covered in white. I really hoped to get some unusual macro pictures and I sure got lucky with these images! At the time, I had no idea that I'd captured actual snowflakes until I looked at them on the computer. Two of the pictures needed to be tightly cropped so I made them into a collage. I hope you enjoy them--the buried sporophyte makes me laugh! (I provided two sizes so you can see the inset snowflakes better)

Pam, you made a beautiful snowflake artwork which I admire every time I look at it. It reminds me of kaleidoscopes, something I always enjoyed as a kid. Maybe that's one of the reasons that I love abstracts so much! I hope you are having a good day Pam!! *BIG HUGS*

Explored on 2/18/19, highest placement, #1.

Pictures for Pam, Day 98: HFF: Snowy Gate & Master Lock

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 01:09:44 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+2 insets!)

I have definitely reached the point of being tired of cold, stormy weather. I don't want to go outside at all and bundling up with a warm cup of tea or coffee is much more enticing to me right now. When I see pictures posted on ipernity of spring-related images, it makes me very happy! Several people have been howling about wanting winter to be over with and I heartily agree! I'm ready for spring to arrive!!

On top of the fact that I'm looking forward to my favorite season, you might not know or remember that I began my Pictures for Pam project way on November 9th. When I started, I *forced myself* to take pictures. I had no drive, no motivation, and my passion for everything was just GONE. I hadn't taken pictures for at least six months. However, soon after I started this project I found my passion again and my creative engine has been purring at full-speed ever since. That being said, it's been a long time since I've had the chance to take pictures of spring-related subjects and I'm so excited! Spring just can't come soon enough!

If you read my posts regularly you know today's drill: it's Thursday in the US but Friday in Europe so I like to post my Happy Fence Friday picture today to cover all bases!

Last week enough snow fell one night that in the morning I was treated to a lovely carpeting of snow all over everything. I went out with my camera and got lots of neat imagea--one of them was this picture of our gate with its chain and padlock. At the time I didn't realize how perfect it would be for HFF, but when I saw it on my computer it hit me...IT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT NEEDS TO BE!!! (I'm also including another picture I took at the same time...look at the way the snow piled up on the wire around the fence post! NEATO!) (Also a panorama of the crazy and dramatic view this morning!)

Pam, I did a search on your photo stream for "snow" and found this totally awesome picture of a gorgeous cardinal with snow falling around it. So beautiful, adorable and magical. I love it! I hope your Valentine's Day turned out nicely, Pam...we stayed in and told each other how much we love one another and talked about some of the fun and romantic things we've done through the years. *BIG HUGS FROM SOUTHERN OREGON*!!

Explored on 2/15/19, highest placement, #2.

Pictures for Pam, Day 96: Snowy Acorns

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:48:13 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

{+6 insets!}

Photography is a bottomless pit of learning opportunities. We are constantly reminded that it's easy to make mistakes but it's also easy to learn from them too.

A few days ago I went out to take pictures of the snow that blanketed everything on our property. I brought my flash attachment and had a lovely time finding fun subjects with snowy hats or otherwise adorned with snowy fluff.

I have lately been swapping between my macro flash settings and my aperture priority settings and if I'm not paying attention I will end up with dozens of garbage pictures. Like I did the other day. *groan* When I'm in my usual set-up, aperture priority, I use my index finger to raise or lower the F-stop. I take sets of pictures with a range of apertures so I automatically do this as I roam around. However, if I'm in manual mode, for flash images, that same index finger movement switches the speed, not the aperture. If I'm not paying attention, I'll take a set of pictures and what I end up getting are a bunch at the same F-stop but at different speeds, and therefore blown out or too dark. AKA: junk. The way to adjust the aperture in manual mode is with my thumb on a radial dial on the back. Once again, if I'm not paying attention, I'll use my thumb to adjust aperture when I'm in aperture priority and that adjusts light balance...to the tune of +4 exposure compensation...which, once again, equals junk pictures. Sometimes I can recover enough detail in one of those pictures that it's ok to use but there's no getting around the fact that the whites are blown out.

I am especially annoyed with myself because I got lots of really neat pictures of wasp galls, acorns and oak leaves with snow balanced precariously on top. Almost all of these pictures are disasters. It's not like it snows on a regular basis around here so I'm pretty unhappy about this. Granted, the bites that really hurt remind me not to do that again but the pictures are still garbage. I am going to see if any of these pictures are savable. We'll see. I'll finish this post later and let you see what I come up with.

Well, I managed to get some nice pictures from the pile of +4 exposure compensation monstrosities! Some turned out better than others but I'm pretty surprised that I was able to recover any of them at all. Most of these pictures were almost WHITE from careless overexposure. However, since I use RAW image format, I can recover a lot of detail. It's not a miracle worker--if something's totally blown out or too dark, there's no way to add detail if there isn't any at all--but It can be astonishing the power you get with more pixels to work with. I needed to work on the backgrounds and make sure the subjects were properly lit to the best of my ability. I know a couple are kind of "meh" but I am happy with what I came up with. :) (Of course, this means that we will get several days of lovely snow falling where I can retake all of these pictures properly…if I didn't try to fix these, it would never snow again until we moved! MURPHY'S LAW! HA!!)

I am sharing six insets to go along with the main image--a pair of acorns that decided they didn't want to fall from the tree! In case you were wondering, the background has been replaced!

Pam, as I've been wandering around in your archives, I find myself extremely attracted to your collages. From where I sit, it looks like you sometimes begin with an image that's too busy but it's got a lovely subject. So then you get to work with artistically messing with the surrounding area to soften the busy aspects, and then you add more pictures to create a truly beautiful display. I love that you aren't willing to abandon an image just because it has some challenges, and that's what I did with my pictures today too! :) I hope your day is going as well as can be! *BIG HUGGGGGS*

Explored on 2/13/19, highest placement, #2.

Pictures for Pam, Day 94: Snowy Panorama

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 02:09:05 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+5 insets!) (please view large!)

Oh what a lovely surprise when I woke up this morning! I peeked outside and OHHHHHH!!!! The world was white with snowfall everywhere!! A beautiful, soft blanket covered everything and it was sooooooo pretty!!!! I could hardly wait to get outside and take pictures! I wasn't sure if I had it in me to get my proper camera but I had my phone with me and I marched right up to the top of the hill where I take my pictures and snapped away. Such a lovely sight!

I took pictures of the pond and some other pretty views as I walked up and down the road, including the snow plow as it passed by! I decided that before I began my third lap I'd tuck into the house and grab my camera. I'm so glad I did. I marched down to the gate and got many, many interesting pictures on the way back up to the house....

Snowflakes on sporophytes... snowflakes on moss and lichen... snow precariously balanced on oak leaves that never fell from the tree... spider webs with snowflakes on them that moved gently in the morning's puff of breeze... metal posts with snowy hats... wasp galls crowned with snow... weeds capped with white... so many pretty things to capture! (I got some really nice pictures, I'll share them in the next few days!) :)

Finally my feet told me We Were Done. Awwww...shucks. My hands seconded the motion and as I made my way back to the house, they took turns yelling at me for ignoring their plight. What a bunch of babies. I feel ganged-up on by my own extremities! :D

As I sit all snuggled up in bed with blankets tucked around me, the sun is shining at 11am and the snow is melting quickly. It sounds like rain as it drips from the roof. Part of me wants to run out and take more pictures. But I haven't even looked at the pictures I took today and I also have my Macro Monday pictures to take so...NO MORE pictures of the snow, even if it's melting and...what If it doesn't snow any more this season! LOL...such a silly photographer. :)

It's later now and I decided that I would post snowy views for my pictures today and the star shows part of our "thistle army" at the top of our meadow along with a view of the Table Rocks in the distance. I have five insets that I hope you'll like which include my first track of footprints down to the gate!

Pam, I hope this day has treated you well. How fun it would be to wander around in the snow together and take pictures of the cool things we see. I thought about your dogs and how much fun they would have in this snow. And of course I thought about our dear Moosie and Zoey and I sorely missed them as I remembered them frolicking like silly fools in the snow. Sending a snowball fight and a big *HUGGGGG* your way!

Pictures for Pam, Day 93: Snowy Porcupine

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 10 Feb 2019 00:38:45 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+5 insets!)

As I type now it's 8:45am and SNOWING! When I first got up at 7am it was only wet out but no rain. As I got my day started I looked outside at about 7:15am and huge, soft, puffy flakes were drifting down from the sky. I could hardly wait to get out there to experience a heavy snowfall!

Have you ever walked in falling snow? It is a delightful experience. Soft flakes come down and land on your clothes and in your hair. If you're lucky, you can stick your tongue out and catch a flake there too! Depending on the dryness of the snow, you can often wipe it off of you before it melts. This morning's snow was extremely fluffy and though I had my umbrella with me, the flakes drifted down and under it and I got snow all over me! The snow was falling so thickly that I couldn't wipe it off fast enough before I was covered with snow again. It landed on my umbrella with a steady fluffy patter of "plump-plump-plump" and piled up so that I could actually feel my umbrella getting heavy with the snow sitting on top!

I walked up to the top of the hill where I take my panoramas and somehow managed to hook my umbrella into my clothes so it didn't fall to the ground while I held my phone and took pictures. I hoped the pictures would show the falling snow…and as you can see from the insets, I was successful! (The last inset I just took a few minutes ago--late afternoon--there is snow on the far hillsides and snow is coming down too!)

Walking down the drive to our gate, I considered turning around and going back inside because I would be soaked in no time if the snow continued to fall heavily. But 30 seconds later the flakes became much smaller and no longer drifted under the protection of my umbrella. I loved walking along this way, looking out at the snow falling down across the property. There is a very special peace when you walk in the snow. You hear the squeak of snow as it compresses under your feet but other than that, it's silence, serenity and a sense of peace in this beautiful scene. I discovered a long time ago that if you want to truly experience a type of weather, you must be in it--not merely looking out at it. Every kind of weather has a different feeling. Walking in snowfall is the most special feeling to me because of the peace that comes over me. It's similar to walking under an umbrella in the rain but 10 times better. :)

After returning to the house, I kept an eye on the snow which continued to fall for the next hour or so. Then it stopped, the sun came out and just like that the snow melted and disappeared. We are supposed to get more snow in the coming week and maybe it will finally begin to stick. I would love to be able to walk around in drifts of snow. A proper snow shoot would be super but I'm not holding my breath. It's not getting cold enough and not likely to. But I really enjoyed my adventure today and walking in the heavy, fluffy snow was magical!

Today's main picture was one I discovered in my archives the other day. I really love the way the pine needles look like a porcupine! It's another one of those surprises that makes you wonder how it wasn't processed to begin with! In fact, the whole folder is full of snowy gems and hope to get at least some of them finished for show-and-tell. :)

Pam, speaking of porcupines, have you ever seen any around your property? I haven't but I know they're out there. When Molly and her puppy found their way onto our property, we didn't immediately make them indoor dogs. We fed them and provided a very comfortably furnished Dogloo on the porch to sleep in. The pair would sometimes wander onto the BLM property nearby and one day the 8-month old pup came back with a bunch of porcupine quills on his nose and a few on a paw. Thankfully we were able to remove them ourselves. Until that day we didn't know there were porcupines in the area. It's amazing how many animals live around us that we aren't even aware of. Well, I sure do hope this is a pleasant Saturday for you my dear! *BIG HUGGGGGGS*!! :)

Explored on 2/10/19, highest placement, #3.

Pictures for Pam, Day 92: Kung Fu Moss

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 09 Feb 2019 00:41:23 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+1 inset!)

There's a big storm brewing in southern Oregon...I looked outside this morning and found ominous signs of heavy clouds overhead. Last night I read a report that warns of heavy snowfall over 2,000 feet for the next few days. We are at 1,500 feet though and it's doubtful that we'll get snow. But the forecast does suggest snow probability for the next week. Who knows. Predicting the weather is such an iffy proposition.

Although it wasn't horribly cold (32 degrees) I did my 15-minute minimum walk this morning and dashed inside before I was overly affected by the temperature. It's nice to retain feeling in my fingers and toes! I did managed to take a picture of the storm clouds and you'll see this as one of my insets today.

I spent a very pleasant morning visiting contacts here on ipernity and then I finished up some sporophyte and moss pictures I'd taken a couple of days ago. Isn't it wonderful to find lovely subjects in unusual settings? The combination of sporophytes, moss and snow was very exciting to me. Even better, many of my pictures turned out well! Even though I do my best to post quality pictures, I'll be the first to say that I delete piles and piles of images for every one that is a "keeper." Those pictures are crisp, have proper focus and the potential to be an eye-catching image when I'm done with it. Sometimes I'll work on a picture and realize that it's not worth the effort to process. More rarely, I'll go to delete a picture and discover that it's actually quite special. I love that. So often we are taken by surprise at our pictures!

Today's image is something unusual...I call this one Kung Fu Moss! As I was cruising around taking pictures of sporophytes and bits of snow, I kept my eyes open for moss that I could capture. I was hoping to find something different and interesting and then...look at that! This moss was growing in such a unique way and I loved its funny shape! I was reminded of the classic kung-fu stance with arms up, legs spread and ready to leap into action!

Pam, I was reading about left-side neglect today...I am guessing that the exercises they suggest haven't helped you at all? I wonder if, over time, you will find improvement. I sure do hope so. The only thing that's happened to me where I can relate to you in this regard is the optical migraines I get sometimes (I haven't had one in a few years). They only happen when I am under a lot of stress and very exhausted. I become aware of a rapid shimmer in my vision that becomes more acute over about 10 minutes. I then notice that my peripheral vision is just GONE. It's terrifying, especially the first time it happened because I didn't know what was the matter with me. This blindness lasts for 30-45 minutes but usually doesn't include a headache at all despite the name of this affliction. Whenever this happens to me, I immediately stop what I'm doing and go to bed. I take an hour-long nap and when I wake up I'm ok again. The difference is...yours isn't going away. It really sucks, Pam. I hope that you will eventually get your sight back...I feel so sad for you my dear friend. *big, big HUGGGGGGS* My thoughts go out to you.

Pictures for Pam, Day 90: Plywood Knot with Snow

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 04:12:45 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+7 insets!) (please view large!)

Last night I poked my head out our upper deck door and couldn't believe what I heard. Frogs singing. It's below 30 degrees out there and there are so many froggies singing at the pond that I can hear them loudly all the way up here! I told Steve and he didn't believe me until he opened the door and listened. We are amazed. Those frogs just don't care if it's ski season for them, they're determined to find dates for Winter Froggy Prom!

I woke up today and looked out to see a lovely dusting of snow over everything. How beautiful it was. And COLD! It's not supposed to get over 40 degrees today, and when I stepped out for my walk it was 27 degrees again, brrrrr!!!

At the beginning of my walk I took a picture of the snow in our meadow, the golden glow of the sun trying to warm the world up. You'll see this as a panorama inset which I thought turned out very nicely!

It was so pretty to see the snow lightly blanketing everything as I walked up and down the driveway. I was only doing three laps today because it's just too cold, but I also knew that I needed to brave the cold for another 15 minutes. The fact was that I really did need to take pictures. Snow is forecast for several more days this coming week but I've noticed that reports are usually wrong. So, if I wanted pictures, I had to take them right away. Even now, at 8am, I could see that the snow was already melting. I didn't have a moment to waste!

I was ready to go in five minutes, swapping my shoes with my rubber boots and adding knee pads. I already had my macro flash on my camera in preparation, so out the door I went, bee-lining it to the burned shed as I'd planned.

My my my...all the cool pictures! I scoped the scene and immediately found a screw with a snowy hat! Snow balanced on a burned hole in the plywood! A lovely whorl of knot-centered plywood with a dab of snow balanced precariously on an edge...a rusty nail sticking out with a frozen droplet on it...many other wonderful things to take pictures of too, it was fabulous. I will need to go back for more, many interesting opportunities but not enough time!

Time...fifteen minutes came and went...and I was away in my photographic dream. I knew I'd passed my time-limit when my toes started yelling at me.

But...I heard the gentle call from the sporophytes rising out of the moss on the nearby Oak trees...and I couldn't resist them. I strayed from the shed and drifted into the woods...so many lovely pictures to take...so many wonderful scenes to find. My toes were hurting more with each passing moment but...there were little mounds of snow on the moss with sporophytes topped with droplets! How could I not take pictures?

Finally after about 45 minutes my feet refused to go anywhere but towards the house, yelling and screaming all of the way. My hands were also cold, though the rest of me, bundled up nicely, was comfortable. Immediately upon entering the house the boots flew off and I stuck my feet on the heater. If they had a voice they would be groaning with pleasure to feel that warmth directly applied to them. I know, I know...I should be ashamed of myself for being so mean to my poor frozen feeties! Well, they warmed up just fine...it took fifteen minutes of frying them on the heater but finally they were warmed up again. Heh. I'm horrible. But what can I say? Sometimes I am but a mere puppet controlled by my passion, without a choice in the matter! :)

Today I'm sharing a bunch of pictures from the burned shed--I hope you enjoy the show! (I got some wonderful sporophyte pictures too, but they will have to wait for another day!)

Pam, I bet you know all about what it's like to lose yourself in your passions. I can see the "creative crazy person" in many of your presentations...when we make things like this I think you have to lose yourself in the moment! It's a wonderful feeling though, isn't it? To just "become" part of the passion that drives you...it's a delicious thing. Kind of like being on a different level or dimension...I don't know. It can't really be described in words but all creative people know what this is and we all crave it!

I hope that you are able to get some creativity into your life, Pam...the conditions have to be right but I sure do hope you have them or get them sometime soon! *BIG HUGS FROM SOUTHERN OREGON*

Explored on 2/7/19, highest placement, #2.

Zoey in the Snow

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 03:20:25 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Pictures for Pam, Day 89: Snow on Thorns

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 03:06:08 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+3 insets!)

It's really and truly snowing outside this morning! I checked during the night but only rain greeted me and I wondered what I would see upon arising. Peeking out first thing...nothing but a wet world. Boo. Still, it was going to be extremely cold today and there were storm clouds overhead. The perfect recipe for snow.

At a freezing 27 degrees, I decided that I'd only do my minimum walk of 3 laps (15 minutes) today. I'm tired of returning to the house with frozen fingers and toes no matter how hard I work to keep warm. There are days that I feel cold for hours unless I take a long, hot shower or sit in front of the heater for ages to warm up again. It's no fun to feel so uncomfortable. I do love those showers though--except for the part where I have to get out at some point!

If you can believe it, frogs were singing their hearts out down at the pond! Perhaps they didn't get the memo...IT'S FREEZING OUT HERE! The fact of the matter is that they are on an evolutionary timer and they know it. Our pond dries up at the beginning of June so they must find mates and produce eggs as early as possible. Those eggs must then hatch, the tadpoles must grow up and transform into froglets before the pond evaporates. Frogs who sing the earliest have the best chance of finding mates sooner, and thus, the best chance that their babies will grow up and produce the next generation. Survival of the fittest is a real thing and out here in the "sticks", we see the reality of living and dying based on tactics like these. Still, I must say it's pretty incredible to hear frogs singing when it's snowing!

By the end of my 15 minutes there were itty bitty flakes falling and I was happy to get inside because I was already getting very cold despite marching up our hill three times. After another fifteen minutes the snow was coming down in bigger flakes and managed to cover the ground somewhat. I enjoyed looking at the contrast on the tree branches of white against dark brown. The snow continued for maybe half an hour and then petered out. The sun tried to break through the clouds and though it failed, the warmer temperatures melted all of the snow and now I look out and wonder...did it really snow or did I just imagine it?

I didn't get any snowy pictures today except from my phone and they aren't worth posting. So I decided to dig around in my archives and process a few images I'd taken a while back...I have so much photography which deserves my attention. It's just incredible the piles of pictures that I don't have time to process!

My main image is a snow and droplet-covered rose cane in heavy silhouette. I also found a picture of a day we had heavy snowfall a few years back. And I couldn't resist posting an adorable picture of our dear Basset Hound, Moosie, when he was just over a year old. How we miss that sweet boy. A picture of Zoey is here too, our adorable Boxer who we think of every day...our home feels so empty without them. :(

Pam, has it been snowing much your way? Hopefully the weather isn't too bad. We're expecting more snow in the next few days but it won't be much. I did a search on your stream for "snow" and found a picture I loved of your beloved Flicka on his birthday. Maybe our dogs have met over the Rainbow Bridge. Our sweet pups…how we miss them. Sending *hugggggggggs* your way!

Explored on 2/6/19, highest placement, #4.

snowy-landscape

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 03:05:52 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Pictures for Pam, Day 47: Joy & Peace

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 23:09:37 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+1 inset)

Just like any child the world over, Pumpkin woke up at 5am this Christmas morning and entered my fluffy, comfortable dream.

"Peep!"

I kept on sleeping, but wondered what that odd sound played in my narrative. Who knows was I was dreaming about but I could surely say that the next announcement woke me up.

"Burble-burble-burble-burble…PEEP!"

I cringed when I saw the time. "Peep-PEEP!" Nope. I wasn’t going to answer. Without shame, I pretended I didn't hear her. However, she knew it was Christmas and there was no stopping that little beaky of hers from chiming in another "Peep!" every 5 or 10 minutes. *whimper* I felt as one with all parents on the West Coast right now…all of us trying in vain to get our children to allow us another few moments to sleep. At least my child wasn't running all over the house and sneaking peeks at the presents Santa brought! Memories of joyful Christmas mornings as a child brought a smile to my face.

However, I wasn't going to get up at 5am. Nor would I arise at 6am or even 6:30am, thank you very much! Pumpkin finally lapsed her "snooze" feature to 15 minute intervals and eventually I dragged my bedraggled corpse out of bed at 6:45am. I stumbled, zombie-like, into the bathroom to start the day. Once I was up, of course, all was well but I certainly wore a pair of very heavy-lidded eyes to begin with!

As predicted yesterday, this morning wasn't rainy and it wasn't terribly cold either. As I started my walk, I watched the sun lighten the sky and colors appeared. My present from Mother Nature was a spectacular sunrise full of lemon, orange, purple, blue and magenta. All against lovely cloud and fog formations that whispered around and over the Upper Table Rock in the distance. (See my inset!) The lovely show continued well past the end of my walk, and Steve would go on to mention the beauty of this day. Colors bounced off the clouds. Fog crawled up and down the valley, socking in our property and then falling back again to reveal the valley beyond. Wisps and tendrils of mist created delicate lines into the sky like a diaphanous curtain. It was wondrous.

The birds gave me their present too. Early off on my walk I heard the resident turkeys down in the woods making themselves heard and I enjoyed every note. I heard a pair of acorn woodpeckers calling back and forth to each other. Many little song birds--finches, sparrows and juncos--twittered in nearby trees and flew together from tree to tree.

As I started my last lap I looked up and was overjoyed to see the flock of turkeys near our shop. I stopped for a moment to listen to their lovely contact trills and purrs, smiling happily. They pecked at the dirt, relaxed and comfortable as they wandered towards the hillside. I resumed my walk, hoping I'd see them when I returned back up the hill. I didn't see them at first but I did hear them and watched as they appeared from the rear of our shop.

Quietly I padded up the hill, knowing they hadn't seen me. They wandered up the side of the hill just on the other side of some thick brush next to me. I stood, totally captivated. For the first time I was very close to them as they were vocalizing their beautiful, intimate purrs and trills. Such soft notes was like sweet conversation among a loving family. It was so wonderful to hear them cooing so sweetly, and blissful moments passed as I drank it all in.

The flock climbed up the steep hill and disturbed a trio of mule deer does. They trotted away and stopped to turn and stare at me. They could see me, but the turkeys hadn't, or if they could, were far enough away now that they weren't bothered.

I heard some deep flapping and tried to spot the birds through the trees. One of the turkeys was putting on some sort of wing-flapping display, and with that, all of the turkeys began making a lot more noise. In fact, they were making such a ruckus I tried to record the racket on my phone--to no avail, unfortunately. The flock was obscured by trees but it sounded like they were having a turkey convention up there! No alarm "gobble-gobbles" but all kinds of noisy calls…it was completely crazy! After a while I crept back down the hill to the house, thoroughly delighted by the amazing Christmas present I'd been given by Mother Nature. I am so happy!!

Today's picture is another holiday card! I thought it would be perfect because today is Christmas here in the United States. It also gives me the opportunity to share another picture from my "Birds in the Snow" folder! I spent some time looking through the hundreds of pictures and found lots of really neat shots. I'd set up our 100-300mm lens so I could take multiple pictures in succession, a technique which I have a love-hate relationship with. I love the many choices you get this way but it also means an absolute GLUT of pictures and you must look through them. UGH! The most horrible thing of all was that I discovered that I hadn't processed a single picture from that photo shoot. What a shame, but now I am sharing the second picture. YAY! :)

Pam, I hope you had a very merry Christmas! I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you enjoying ipernity more these days. I know you'd like to be 100% better but gosh, you're doing so well! Let's hope you keep seeing more and more improvement…you sure do deserve it. Many, many great big *HUGGGGGGSSSSSS*!!!

Explored on 12/26/18, highest placement, #5.

Pictures for Pam, Day 46: Happy Holidays!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 17:58:27 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(originally posted in 2018 on Christmas Eve)

It's Christmas Eve here in southern Oregon! If it was cold like it was a couple of days ago, snow would be falling heavily right now. Instead it's raining hard and has been since I got up at my usual crack of dawn. It's a bummer because I was hoping for a white Christmas but it's not going to happen. And, even though tomorrow will be cold enough for snow, the day will be clear so we are out of luck...phooey! Oh well!

The rain clouds held back the lightening sky so it was almost dark enough for a flashlight when I stepped out for my daily walk. Splashing down the driveway I peered around for possible stray cats and dogs falling from the clouds—boy was it coming down! The noise on my umbrella was so loud that I couldn't have my usual internal conversation about thoughts for the day. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to just walk along and look through the pouring rain and into the forest and meadow. Actually, it was quite Zen. No distractions, just Being. Very peaceful.

After about an hour the rain finally let up and I put my umbrella on the porch. It was light out now and the world seemed like it was happy to take a break from the relentless deluge. I listened to my podcasts and enjoyed myself.

On my last lap, I was walking up our hill when I noticed an odd filament on the road. Something about it was really strange and I kneeled down to take a closer look. It looked like a 1.5-foot/45.72cm piece of really thin wire coated in a creamy brown color. "Well, that's weird..." I thought to myself. "What is that?" I wondered if Steve dropped an odd piece of wire on the road, or maybe it was a stripped root of some kind.

It moved.

In a combination of horror and excitement I yelled, "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!! IT'S ALIVE!" I stared in absolute disbelief at the strange filament that was ever so slowly coiling and waving around on the road. As I stared, the weeks spent studying invertebrates in my Zoology class a zillion years ago came hurtling into my head. "WOAH!! DUDES!! IT'S A WORM!!!"

I could hardly believe I was doing this, but I reached down and ever-so-gently picked it up. It was like holding the thinnest snake I'd ever handled, but I managed to sort of drape it over my fingers as I would a snake. At which point it slid off and landed on the road again. I tried again. This time it didn't slip off and I held it up to my face to get a really close look. Which was its front end? Hmm...one end was a bit squared off, and I guessed it might have actually been longer at some point because it appeared to be cut off there. The other end looked like an extremely miniature version of an earthworm's head. I exclaimed in delight, "SO COOL!" Suddenly, I had a mission.

Carrying my umbrella in one hand and my bizarre wormy buddy in the other, I made my way hastily up our hill. Steve needed to see this! It will blow him away! As luck would have it, Steve was walking out to greet me as I neared the house.

"STEVE! I FOUND THE WIERDEST THING EVER!! LOOK!!!" He came over and I held out my hand so he could see the strange creature. Suitably impressed and fascinated, Steve pointed out its shortened back end. We both wondered how long it might have been originally. 1.5-foot/45.72cm seemed awfully long already. Kinda creepy.

I walked over to the meadow and gently placed it on the dirt. Part of me was totally grossed-out, but I was really happy to find such a strange animal on our property. I wondered what kind of worm it was. However, one thing I knew about worms is that there are a LOT of them. We're talking over a MILLION. The odds of me identifying exactly which one seemed unlikely but with that Earthworm head, I thought I might have a chance. To my great surprise, it only took about five minutes to discover what it was--a Horsehair Worm! (And they are in the same family as Earthworms!) And, though they are normally as long as 14"/35.56cm, some be 6.5 feet/2 meters!! UGH! The good news is that adults don't eat. Only the larvae are parasitic and go after insects.

Oh dear, I hope I haven't disgusted everyone! Please forgive me...wildlife of all kinds fascinates me so I hope you haven't lost your lunch on account of my unusual animal discovery!

Today's picture is a minimalist snowy holiday card! A few years ago it was snowing and I set up our 100-300mm lens in our doorway and took pictures of the birds that visited our feeders. This darling is an Oregon Junco and is among my favorite birds. Did you notice how huge and fluffy it is?! AHHHHH!!! SO CUTE!!! :D

Pam, I hope that this Christmas Eve finds you doing as well as can be and better than you have been doing. Every little step forward is progress, no matter how small. I hope that my healing energy finds its way to you and gives you a burst of energy! Thinking of you always!

Explored on 12/25/18, highest placement, #1.

7/366: A Pair of Sporophytes in the Snow

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 01:09:54 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Here's a magical scene that I discovered on the first day of my 365 project back in 2013. Walking around in the snow that day, I found so many lovely subjects to capture...such a wonderland. This pair of sporophytes--which are the reproductive parts of moss--were peeking up out of a mound of snow, complete with a melted droplet on top! :)

5/366: Pine Needle Topped with Snow

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 02:01:47 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

On January 1, 2013, I began my 365 Project. I remember the day so clearly. How excited I was as I wandered around on our snowy property, looking for just the right picture to be my very first. Along the way I found a snow-covered pine tree and managed to get this image!

353/365: "Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found." ~ James Russell Lowell

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 04:11:07 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

2 picture above in a note! :)

Today it was much warmer than it's been for weeks, about 35°F, oh my! :D It's amazing how long the snow has stuck around, since we got nearly 4" about two weeks ago but none since. It's been cold enough that it hasn't melted in the shady areas, which I like because it's pretty.

I went out without the dogs today and headed down to our dark and shady lower forest. I really hoped that I'd be able to find some mushrooms, but quite frankly, I was pretty sure there was no chance because it's been so cold. So instead, I thought I'd just cruise around and check things out.

Crossing the tiny, seasonal stream that's dry, I approached a fallen oak tree that I'm very careful around. You see, the top half of the dead tree broke off and fell to the ground, but it was caught in two younger trees on the way down, and this monstrous thing hangs precariously in the air, with much of the weight held up by its dead branches that fork the ground like legs. The two, much smaller, unfortunate trees which have been holding up the rest of the weight are strained and groaning under the mass. It is only a matter of time before gravity wins and the 3-foot thick, 10-foot long trunk come crashing down. So, I am careful to keep my distance.

Today I approached warily to look for interesting subjects to photograph. The first thing that caught my attention was an interesting insect egg case which looked similar to a praying mantis but wasn't the same...very fascinating! It was adhered to a pair of poison oak stems clinging to the main tree trunk. (I will show pictures of the case another day. :) After that, I continued peering around, looking at the branches, the trunk and the leaves. When I followed the main tree trunk down to the ground, I saw a patch of snow at the base of the main trunk. Then I did a double-take because I could hardly believe my eyes! Smack-dab in the middle of the snow was a mushroom poking a hole through and looking around! MY WISH WAS GRANTED!!

The fact of the matter is that I've been hoping to find exactly this sight since I began this project. I have a tiny, snow-capped mushroom that is actually my very first 365 image, but I have always wanted to find the opposite: a mushroom in a field of snow. And today I found it. It's a dream come true and I'm so happy I can hardly contain myself! :D (I am also including another picture to show the mushroom at a slightly different angle so you can see the hole it's poking through!)

When I worked my way around to the opposite side, and got the picture you see here, I saw a flash of beige on green and took a look: NO WAY! ANOTHER ONE!! On one of the branches that was holding up the massive trunk, a wee mushroom was growing in a sea of moss. HAPPY DAY!!! And in fact, there were even more mushrooms on the ground, but I already had pictures of these two and it would have taken a lot of work to clean up the area. More importantly, it would have meant spending a lot of time near this potentially deadly area, and there was no reason to put myself at risk. Literally, this trunk must weigh hundreds of pounds--and I don't want to be around when it falls!

James Russell Lowell (/ˈloʊəl/; February 22, 1819 – August 12, 1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets. These poets usually used conventional forms and meters in their poetry, making them suitable for families entertaining at their fireside. Wikipedia: James Russell Lowell

Explored on December 20, 2013. Highest placement, page 5.

Leaves on the Frosty, Melting Pond

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 05:06:49 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

These leaves are laying in the remnants of snow on the icy pond, and the spots you see are melting droplets from a tree's branches above the pond! :)

Snowy Oak in the Icy Mist (one inset image!)

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 04:20:13 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

1 picture above in a note! :)

I looked out into the meadow this morning and saw the frosty mist rising up around the lone Oak there. Even though I have taken pictures of this tree in the mist before, I thought it would be wonderful to have a picture where it has snow on its branches and very few leaves! :) (roll your mouse over the image above to see the other misty Oak picture I posted a while ago!)

342/365: "There are two kinds of light - the glow that illumines, and the glare that obscures." ~ James Thurber

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 05:17:52 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

2 more pictures in notes above ! :)

Today's surprise was waiting for me when I looked out our bedroom back door, which opens up onto our tiny upstairs deck. The eves were bristling with icicles and they were brilliant with the sun shining on them! I was so excited I ran in to tell Steve so he could see too. Both of us had a lot of fun taking pictures!

James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American author, journalist, cartoonist, and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in The New Yorker magazine and collected in his numerous books. One of the most popular humorists of his time, Thurber celebrated the comic frustrations and eccentricities of ordinary people. Wikipedia: James Thurber

341/365: "There is no definition of beauty, but when you can see someone's spirit coming through, something unexplainable, that's beautiful to me." ~ Liv Tyler

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 05:07:54 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

2 more pictures in notes above ! :)

We didn't get any new snow, but it's so cold that none of it melted, so I spent some time walking around our meadow looking for some fun pictures!

I found this leaf laying in the snow just as the upper forest begins at the base of our hill to the ridge. One look was all it took for me to say, "Picture of the Day!"

Liv Rundgren Tyler (born Liv Rundgren; July 1, 1977) is an American actress and model. She is the daughter of Aerosmith's lead singer, Steven Tyler, and model Bebe Buell. Tyler began a career in modeling at the age of 14 but, after less than a year, she decided to focus on acting. After her film debut Silent Fall (1994), she appeared in supporting roles in Empire Records (1995), Heavy (1996) and That Thing You Do! (1996). Tyler later achieved critical recognition in the leading role in Stealing Beauty (1996). She followed this by starring in supporting roles including Inventing the Abbotts (1997) and Cookie's Fortune (1999). Wikipedia: Liv Tyler