Monthly Archives: January 2016
Found In The Vibrant Kitchen
I found my kitchen to be the source for a gallery of Vibrant color for the Daily Post weekly photo challenge! Bright colors do seem to lift the spirits, don’t they?
Happy Weekend everyone!
January 2016-The Changing Seasons V1
Old man winter stopped by this weekend. Thankfully, we only got a little over a foot of snow in this part of Virginia instead of the anticipated two feet. I know other places north of here got much more than expected.
After lots of shoveling, I was glad to see sidewalk concrete and driveway pavement peeping through the snow. The trees in my backyard were dressed in winter white and I worried about how the birds and wildlife would find something to eat. I even made a makeshift bird feeder and put some cereal out for the birds.
While I haven’t seen any birds at the feeder, I have been amazed at the huge flock of robins that have been flying from tree to tree in search of food and then rest on the snowy branches. Some of the house sparrows have joined in as well. I even saw woodpeckers but I wasn’t able to catch a good photo of them before they flew away.
I am going to place my winter gallery into Cardinal’s Monthly Changing Seasons event as a Version 1 entry. I previously made a January Version 2 post which you can see here. I was planning to stick with Version 2 only, but decided to add these photos too. That’s a good thing about the Changing Seasons challenge-there are lots of formats to choose from!
Hope you are having a good winter, wherever you are!
January-The Changing Seasons V2
January
January Haiku (Cold)
Cold January
Snowfall covering the past
Freezing memories
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Cold temperatures have settled in and we have had our first light snowfall. To take this picture of a snow touched rhododendron bud, I stood outside with my umbrella over my head to protect my camera. I don’t know if the plant budded early because of warmer temperatures earlier in the month, or if it is just part of the plant cycle. I sure hope the plant still blooms in its usual way this spring.
The rhododendron was one of my mother’s favorite flowers. We weren’t sure if the blossoms were purple or pink but agreed they were beautiful. For pictures of my backyard plant in bloom, you can look at my post Rhododendron Bonanza which was one of my mother’s favorite posts.
My mother passed away five months ago. Her birthday falls in January and that is what January has always meant to me. Her birthday was always a bright spot in an otherwise drab, cold January. My brother and I celebrated her life this month by cooking some of her favorite foods and sharing memories, now frozen in time, of our Momma.
*Posted for version 2 of Cardinal’s ongoing Changing Seasons challenge. Take a look at the flexible rules. There is always time to join in!
Fresh Style
Adorned
Adorned Haiku (Revival)
Customary style
Contemporary freshness
Old is new again
*posted for Ronovan’s haiku challenge with target words of fresh and style. I tried to use both target words and synonyms in the haiku.
Beautiful Symmetry
Walking Bridge
I have selected five photos to demonstrate symmetry for Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge this week. The beauty of bridges and walkways, cozy fireside seating, a foggy day black and white landscape, and a peaceful reflective pond is enhanced by balance and symmetry.
Walkway
Fireside
Foggy Fenceline
Peaceful Reflection
In her challenge post, Cee suggests that we are hard-wired to crave symmetry and I agree. There is something comforting about a balanced scene. It seems that so many of us are striving for balance in our lives. Finding symmetry in our surroundings may add a sense of comfort and calm to our unsettled emotions.
Peace to you all!
Railroad Tags-Alphabet
Lettering on local railway tracks and trains, including a graffiti tag.
*posted for the daily post weekly photo challenge:
Alphabet
Crystal Hope
Hope
Hope Haiku (Crystal)
Yearning to be seen
Hope sits on the horizon
Shining crystal clear
Posted for Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge with target words of Crystal and Hope
Blue Jay Series
I was overjoyed to see this beautiful blue jay perched in my dogwood tree last September. I am so glad I was able to showcase his vibrant blue feathers and jaunty spirit in this series of photos.
I am submitting these photos for JNW’s Color Your World-Blue photo challenge as my second entry today. What can I say? I love blue and I love birds. I will also place them in Lucile’s photo101 rehab clinic as my first entry of the year.
Color Your World- Blue
Blue mood undone by blue skies.
Six words to go along with my JNW’s Color Your World-Blue photo challenge entry today.
Bananas By The Bunch
I don’t remember the last time I actually weighed bananas before buying them. I usually just grab a bunch that looks ripe and toss them in my shopping basket.
It was different when I was a kid. My mom was a smart shopper. She would weigh store produce and carefully estimate the cost. She always paid in cash with a family grocery budget to keep. This was before calculators and I remember that we had a red clicker we could use to keep track of the costs as we went through the aisles, although my mom still did the math in her head!
Banana is one of the color challenges this week for JNW’s Color Your World Photo Challenge. The color match may have been closer if these bananas were more ripe.
And, since this photo shows something marked by its weight, I will submit it as my second entry (see my first entry here- Bubbles, Of Course) for the daily post weekly photo challenge:
Weight(less)
the beespeak 