Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Looking Beyond 80 – the second three months

Last August 3rd I turned 80 – and in so doing I consider myself to be extremely fortunate. H and I are still happily together after 57 years, our kids and grandkids have become responsible adults and I can still walk in forest and field virtually every day (just not as far or as fast as I could 50 years ago). Two of my friends, both younger than I, died in the last year so I consider every day a gift to be savored.

Several years ago, inspired by a renowned nature photographer’s article in a major magazine, I undertook a project to take at least one good, or at least interesting, photograph a day. That one project became three (all posted on In Forest and Field) and now a fourth – it began on my birthday and will continue for the year. The first quarter’s photographs were posted here, this post is a collection of the photos from the year’s second three months (photos from a camera trap are indicated by #). Herewith the photographs –





 




 








 


 

 



















 










































 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 




















 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 


And so here we are, winter's two-thirds gone and spring's just around the corner soon the first migrants will be arriving, the first flowers of spring will be poking up through the soil, and trees’ buds will be bursting.

It matters not what humans think, the cycles of the natural world go on although we are messing them up to varying degrees. They have done so since before there were humans and will do so long after humans are gone from the earth. For now I'll keep taking a photo a day to post in early May.


#  from a camera trap


Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Frosting on the Windowpane

There's frosting on the windowpane

                                                 John Denver: Goodbye Again

It’s winter and whenever the temperature gets down near or below 0°F the storm windows on the outside of some of our windows have beautiful frost patterns. Occasionally when the temperature is -5°F or below the frost develops on the inside window. Unfortunately, as the climate changes days with temperatures low enough for our windows to develop those beautiful displays are becoming rare.

This winter we’ve had a couple of days with morning temperatures low enough that we had frosting on the windowpane. Fern fronds, feathers or trees take your pick –












 


Frost is ephemeral, vanishing as soon as the temperature rises a few degrees. With increasing wintertime temperatures we may not see these formations in the future. If you live where frosting develops on your windowpanes, enjoy the beauty – if you live where it never gets cold enough, you have my sympathy.