Gazing Into A Wintry Landscape of Wonder

Though the wintry landscape palette is not as colorful as other seasons,

 the raw sky does spread out a bright cloth with vivid rose and lavender hues 

each early morning and just before night.

Winter's beauty can be mesmerizing, though wind chills of -13 F do challenge the spirit.

Somehow we all adapt.

We are all creatures of habit. 

Late afternoons and early mornings, I often find our resident Red-tailed Hawk perching 

on the same branch, in more or less exactly the same location, within a stately Oak, 

which solidly stands in a clearing dotted with native blueberries not far from the forest's edge.

The Red-tailed Hawk stands out in a striking way within a foggy, snowy landscape.
Its underwing white mirroring that of the powdered coating etched upon the Oak's limbs
and shrouding a forest of Hemlocks and White Pines.

Winter's white and light can be beautiful and we acclimate to its frigid ways sometimes longing for warmer days.

A Day In The Clouds Part Two ~ Sunset Sky Second Day of 2012

No Mistaking ~~ Red-tailed Hawk

this was the ending

second day of twenty twelve 

a day in the clouds

earlier sunrise

directly above mountain

here but a mirror

eastward reflections

a westerly setting sun

swathed in vivid hues

a cloud filled sky dome.

The images in my last post and this one reveal the beauty of a cloudy sky . . . millions of water droplets reflecting light and color throughout one day . . . from sunrise to sunset . . . high above Flower Hill Farm.  

The second day of a new year . . . waves of clouds toss the waxing moon about in a sea of constant change. 

Remember to always look up and witness our amazing sky.

Now to remember the beauty and peace around us . . .  visit Sweden and Katarina's Roses and Stuff to view many garden remembrances from around the world . . . celebrating the first 'Blooming Friday' of the new year.

A Day In The Clouds Sunrise Sky Second Day of 2012

I hope you all have enjoyed welcoming in this New Year. 

I missed the fireworks in Northampton while attending a few special concerts of First Night, and dining in between, but yesterday's sunrise made up for my loss. I cannot begin to write any lines of Haiku . . . the beauty of the sun rising above the Mount Holyoke Range and into the large mantle of clouds still has me speechless. 

Moment to moment the sky painting becomes more luminous and wondrous . . . ever changing. The fiery sun acting like a painter or a conductor calling for light here . . .  then there and everywhere . . . chords reaching a crescendo . . . dramatic chorus of colors. 

My stick gardens are rather boring right now but the winter skies have been staggering. 

I am not alone when I open the door to this remarkable view. A solitary Bluebird sings from atop the Black Cherry and a buteo soars . . . it truly is his sky! 

This was just the beginning of the day in the clouds . . . there will be a part two featuring more of the Red-tailed Hawk, the waxing moon and the setting sun of the second day of the new year. 

I will be looking back over the gardens and wildlife of 2011 in upcoming posts.

May all of your dreams come true in 2012. 

Wings of Chance Taking Flight Alighting in the New Year!

MAY YOUR FLIGHT INTO THE NEW YEAR BE LIGHT . . .  FULL OF GRACE AND PROMISE! 

Pileated Woodpecker

May you be blessed with strength to hammer through any difficult times. 

Red-tailed Hawk

May you fly freely finding your way towards goals leading to your fulfillment.

Young Red-tailed Hawk

May you spread your wings fully with joy and may the air around you be light-filled and fresh.

Northern Harrier

May you contently soar through the coming days and seasons!

Red-tailed Hawk

May you adjust with ease to the twists and turns of life.

Peregrine Falcon

May you alight safely into each new moment!

Scarlet Tanager 

May your imagination rise gliding into a lightness of being a beacon bright inspiring others.

Indigo Bunting

May the layers of blues that surprise you take a turn towards unknown flights that free you.

Eastern Bluebird

May you be dazzled just enough to add sparkling smiles enriching your spirit and all those around you.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

May the tiniest simplest moments be held like ephemeral jewels . . . 

knowing they are but fleeting thus held more preciously within.

I am wishing you the Happiest of New Years on this New Year's Eve 2010. It does sometimes seem as though the days, months and years just fly by so quickly. We gardeners are lucky to be able to measure this time by what is growing in or visiting our gardens. 

Gardeners or not . . .  we all measure time according to a calendar. Beginning many years ago with the Babylonians and their lunar calendar. I actually think it makes more sense to begin the new year with spring or the first crescent moon near the Vernal Equinox, as they did some 4,000 years ago. Our Gregorian calendar honors the date of the Roman Calendar, where Julius Caesar decided on January 1 as the beginning of the new year. January being named for Janus a god of doors, gateways and beginnings. He is sculpted with two faces . . . one looking towards the future and the other looking back into the past. Pope Gregory XIII refined the Julian calendar, thus in 1582 several countries decided to follow the Gregorian calendar. Changes had to do with leap years and lunar cycles and a few other customs and festivities of the Catholic church. Many peoples across the globe still do not celebrate January 1st as the New Year, even though they may follow the Gregorian calendar. There are also Muslim, Jewish, Chinese and other calendars that honor traditions and festivals throughout their calendar year.

It is fascinating how we humans mark time and honor certain age old traditions.

 We sing Scotland's Robert Burns poem  'Auld Lang Syne' to salute old long ago friends, while drinking  champagne to the final minutes of the fading year and popping a cork to the new one we are entering. We eat black-eyed peas, pork, green lentils and long noodles (to name but a few) on New Years Day, to bring good luck, prosperity and long life.

Time flies by regardless of our customs. We each will step into a new day or new year in our own unique way.

I tend to mark most Fridays as 'Blooming Friday' to honor lovely Katarina's meme. If you visit her Roses and Stuff you will delight in seeing the New Year celebrated in Sweden and other countries. As tomorrow is the first of the month and 'Muse Day' . . . a meme of yet another lovely blogger Carolyn Choi's Sweet Home and Garden Chicago , I will offer Robert Burns poem as my contribution a day early. As for plans and wishes I may have for this coming year, a universal wish for Peace and Justice and the awakening of people the world over, to the needs of our Earth . . . I wish wholeheartedly these wishes may come true. For myself . . . I will continue to try to keep my feathers fluffy and to fly into what life has to offer me. I must get more organized too! All the birds seen above were sighted here at Flower Hill Farm. 

Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for being part of days, weeks and months adding up to nearly two years of blogging. Your support is a great gift to me. 

Robert Burns (1788)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

  And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

  And auld lang syne!

  Chorus.—

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!

  And surely I’ll be mine!

And we’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet,

  For auld lang syne.

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,

  And pou’d the gowans fine;

But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,

 Sin’ auld lang syne.

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,

  Frae morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid hae roar’d

  Sin’ auld lang syne.

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!

  And gie’s a hand o’ thine!

And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,

  For auld lang syne.

    For auld lang syne, my dear,

      For auld lang syne.

    We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

      For auld lang syne.