Friday Fotos ~ Flora and Fauna

 

I had a doctor appointment down in Albuquerque the other day and after the appointment was over, I did something I rarely ever do:

Go someplace fun all by myself.

I usually always take my kidlets with me so they don’t miss out on any new adventure, especially if the experiences might be educational in nature. We have a family Bio Park Membership which allows us to visit The Rio Grande Zoo, The Albuquerque Aquarium, and The Botanical Gardens whenever we like for an entire year. You can be sure we take full advantage of that privilege.

When I was a Volunteer Docent for the Rio Grande Zoo over 14 years ago, I would often head to the zoo on my off-days, just to sit and observe animals, or I’d bring a book and sit in the shade, surrounded by hummingbirds and peacocks, and the sound of lions roaring while I read. I sometimes miss those days.

So, on Tuesday, after my doctor appointment, I headed over to the Botanical Gardens to stroll the flower lined paths and sit and admire butterflies. Of course I brought my camera, which added to my fun adventure for the day.

I often feel guilty doing a photo shoot while my kidlets are along with me. I love going places with my kidlets as they are very observant and I enjoy our talks together, and we always have great fun. But because we homeschool, sometimes I feel as if I rarely ever have time just for me.

(Do you see the frog in the upper left of the below photo? I didn’t see it until I viewed the photo on my computer. How funny is that? I wonder what other little surprises I missed that day?)

And when I want to delve more deeply into my hobby of photography I sometimes feel rushed when I’m out with my kids……not because they say or do anything to rush me, of course. It’s mostly just my own Mommy Guilt that creeps in. All three of my kidlets are usually very patient, but I know they get bored if I take too long taking photos. Heck I probably would, too. lol! 

But during my four hour Botanical Gardens visit on Tuesday, I took my sweet time setting up shots, trying different angles, experimenting with light and shadow, and playing with my camera settings. And sometimes I didn’t take any photos at all. Sometimes I only strolled along the garden trails or I just sat and enjoyed the beautiful flowers, koi fish, geese, ducks, hummingbirds and nature.

(Those chairs were very comfortable and I sat for a very long time just enjoying the peaceful nature views, the sweet scents of flowers, and the whirring of the hummingbirds above my head.)

Do you know how difficult it is to photograph a tiny little bird who is still for less than a nano-second?

 

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed my day that I spent all by my little lonesome! It was sublime and I don’t think the smile left my face all day. lol!

Here are a few of the photos I took on Tuesday:

 

This pretty flower reminded me of a soft powder puff waiting to fluff the loveliest shade of pink blush upon your cheeks.

Walking among these playfully fun purple puff balls reminded me of walking through a field of purple lollipops.

 

Gus the Goose and I became fast friends after I told him about my new flock of chicks that will be arriving in just 21 days. We felt like kindred spirits with a love of all feathered creatures.

 

I was fascinated with all the unusual flowers.

Even the usual flowers made me pause.

 

My poor. dry, wind-blown and sand-scraped eyes, weary of only seeing shades of brown and the dull green of a sea of juniper trees for many months during our serious drought conditions, was refreshed and overjoyed to see so many breathtakingly beautiful explosions of fabulous color.

Gus the Goose, in his Yoda voice, told me, "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm. Mmmph. As well you should not, for my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the force around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere! Yes, even between the land and the ship."

 

I was starting to understand what he meant and soon began to feel like I was on the planet, Pandora (Avatar)

All of the weird and wonderful plants finally made sense to me and filled me with wonder.

 

I began to notice the tiny details around me, above me, and even at my feet. Like these tiny footprints, perhaps left behind by a masked marauder (raccoon)?

The sight of water refreshed my desert weary mind. I couldn’t resist standing beneath the misters and feeling the sacred moisture quench my desiccated skin.

 

Seems to me that creating an imaginary planet with weird and unusual plants isn’t even necessary when  they already exist here on our real life planet.

 

 

Every bend in the trail revealed some new and magical surprise.

More of Planet Earth’s weird and wonderful flora.

Perfection and personality in every dainty, fragile curve.

 

These poor trees reminded me of my dry, flaky skin that not even multiple layers of lotion, applied several times a day, can completely eradicate.

The many layers of ivy wrapping around this castle turret was akin to a Hawaiian girl’s grass skirt.

 

Every bridge beckoned me to cross and every door and gate tempted me to enter, welcoming me to discover the treasures that were hidden within.

I met many alien creatures along the way, like this friendly fellow that seemed very curious about my camera and spoke to me in a foreign language that I wish I could have understood. Perhaps he was only asking if I had a snack to share. Alas I did not. But I decided he deserved a name and I called him Bilbo Baggins. It just fit.

 

I continued on with my journey, crossing bridges made of rock, walking in beauty as I fell into a trance caused by the babbling brook beside me.

There was always time to pause to contemplate the complexity of life and the simpleness of nature

All of my troubles, cares, concerns and responsibilities faded away as I only focused on the sights, scents, and sounds of the beauty all around me.

 

The sound of water soothed my soul and I was pleased to see a water crossing opportunity present itself to me that would require removing my shoes so I could christen my tired, achy feet in the cool, refreshing creek.

Afterwards I was reminded to look down and I realized I had left behind my own brief impression of the freedoms felt that day.

Is there anything more care free and relaxed than a bare foot?

And as I sat beside the water, immersed in a Zen-like moment……………

A wet and wise voice spoke to me with a Japanese accent, saying “Kachou Fuugetsu ~ Experience the beauties of nature, and in doing so learn about yourself.”

 

I have taken this sage advice and plan to do so more often.

And you should, too. It’s good for the soul.

Happy Fish

I'm so happy that our koi fish survived the winter. At one point, before we added a stock tank heater, their pond was almost frozen solid! All 6 of our fish survived the freeze and thaw! yay!

Just a typical Winter Day

(Blogger is being painstakingly slow today. It took me off and on, most of the day to get this post logged. I actually had to upload only one photo at a time. And, for those of you that visit me here, you know that I love to take photos and share.
So, I haven't even typed anything yet, and I'm wiped out! haha)

I just wanted to share how I spent a typical day (with snow) recently.(click each photo to make it bigger)

I woke up and opened the blinds. Wow, that's mucho snow on my balcony!
After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I spent a few minutes watching the birds at our feeders.
Then I headed out the door to let the dog out and realized what a warm day it was. It was time to let the chickens out of their house and enjoy the day. "Boy! That's quite a bit of snow to shovel!"

On the way to get the shovel, I noticed how the fish pond looked like the Black Hole.
After shoveling a good sized area in the coop for the hens to move around, the girls tentatively made their way down the ramp.
Our flock was eager to eat their breakfast. This is a unique picture, in that ALL of our chickens are in the photo at once.
I drank my morning tea with the girls, then mozied on up to let the llamas and goat out to their pasture. Then it was time to feed Baby Doll, who was nickering at me for some hay and a water refill.
I sat out on a stump in her paddock for a while, enjoying the warm sunshine. She kept coming over for scratches and cookies. I like this picture with the hay hanging out of her mouth, like a farmer with a twig of straw in his mouth. hehe

They Live!!!

Thanks to John's hard work and quick thinking, ALL 6 of our fish are ALIVE! We are completely amazed that they survived the deep freeze, hammers(including an ear-blasting bullet nailer), and bouts of hot water, followed by the quick thaw with the electric de-icer! (You can click any photo for a larger view)

They are quite fond of the de-icer.
We guessed that at the very end of the pond freeze, the fish only had about 2"-3" left to swim in. Their time was limited. But the largest koi and even the pretty white koi survived!

I was very worried about the safety of the fish around the de-icer, but they swim in and around it and are not harmed.
The big deal now is that the fish are very active and seem to think it's Spring. But the groundhog is claiming that we should expect another 6 weeks of winter! (And it feels like it, too)