Nature as therapy

So I’m blowing the dust off this ol’ blog again. Not because it’s a new years’ resolution (it’s not).  But because I need to get back to it. Looking back at the last 6 months of things worth blogging, it just doesn’t mean as much when it was so long ago, ya know?  But alas, I will trudge on.

Here’s a favorite of last summer: nature.  Yes, it was the worst drought ever (no exaggeration), but it actually brought out the wildlife more, which I enjoyed.  Because of the incredibly dry conditions, I decided to set up a bird bath, bird feeder, and hummingbird feeder in my yard, just outside my dining room window.  What I didn’t realize was how this would bless me so!

 

I have learned that blue jays are really mean. They don’t share well. Which is why I had to get a photo of this blue jay meeting his match with the woodpecker.

See, he’s mean!

These guys (not sure what kind they are, anyone?) are so cute. Their mohawks are the best.

 

One day I left the container of seed out and look who figured out how to open it and help himself.

Woodpecker. He later worked on our house, getting bugs out.  I guess he’s showing some appreciation.

And I just cannot get enough of all the hummingbirds. I think I put the feeders up just in time for their migration through our area.

We have a cardinal family, too.  This is the male. The female had babies in a nearby tree. Their babies just started making appearances this week (6 months later).

 

This one is BEAUTIFUL. This picture doesn’t even do it justice. His colors are so striking!

In September we actually had rain, hooray! So I enjoyed doing some long exposures from our upstairs bedroom window.

I have a herb garden in front of the dining room window. When it rains I put all of the plants outside to enjoy the rain. When I brought them back, I found this guy hiding out. (Preying Mantis. Do you see him?)

Nature, and nature photography are so therapeutic to me. When I’m overwhelmed or overthinking something (which is often), I just grab my camera and explore my yard. 

So thankful for all that God created for us to explore; creation is a marvelous thing!

And here is why I have to refill the bird seed every.single.day.