Continuing SC Winter Days...

Good Morning! The drabness of the winter inspires more poetry here-ha!  It seems I have to share what is in my heart and then I feel better about the gray days that linger.  And the Cardinal still graces the old Bradford Pear branches and a Yellow Throated Vireo is visiting the feeder every day!


I was able to get this shot of the female Cardinal yesterday!

Note the buds on the Bradford Pear Tree branches.  The Bradford Pear tree is a beautiful shade tree that flowers in the Spring looking like a huge bouquet of white blossoms.  It then bears tiny pear fruit no larger than a marble.  The birds love them and have something to sustain them through the winter months. They grow for the most part in a globe like shape and require very little maintenance.  Their leaves turn a brilliant red in the fall and retain their color when brought into the house indefinitely.  I keep one on my kitchen window over the sink.  These trees are very popular and are prevalent in the South.

Here is the beautiful Male.

 Another SC Winter Day...
    ©Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart

A rain is falling softly on the lake this winter morn
  And the trees are bare of their usual adorn
Save the jewel-red of a Cardinal among the branches gray
  Popping a bit of color into this gray winter day.

The garden bed is sleeping with Iris toes underground
  And Shamrock is looking frail
         though the leaves stay green year round.
The Pear tree has furry buds just waiting for the Spring
  Bluebirds checking last year's birdhouses again
And the Robin continues the hope of spring...
                         January 25, 2011

Hubby captured the beauty of the Yellow Throated Vireo in our feeder.



Yellow-Throated Vireo



Cardinal in the Rain January 25, 2011

Thank you for coming to visit today, you know you always brighten my day! Come again soon!

♥KERRIE♥
My heart to yours...  

The Colors of Winter

THE COLORS OF WINTER

     ©Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart

The color of the Mourning Dove

  Matches the gray of the sky above,

Matches the dark earth below,

  And the leaves blowing to and fro.

A Southern winter without any snow

  A drab world, I am feeling kind of low.

The greenless grass, the bare trees above

  But the birds still come and this I love!

Tomorrow, they say the sun will shine

  I hope they are right so I won't pine

For Spring days that are yet far away

  And Sunshine can brighten any day!

Thank you for the dark days, Lord

  So that I appreciate the bright days more.

Thank you for the thorns as well as the Rose

  They exist side by side, heaven knows...

We cannot have one without the other.

         ~January 18, 2011~

My little sketch colored with art pencils...

And then the beautiful Cardinals appear,

such a brilliant color in the the bare branches.



Though elusive and I could not get a clear picture of his beautiful face
He is still the punch of color among the winter branches.



Swan's Night and Morning Doves...

The Swans came last night at dusk.  Only the Male came up into the yard and was scouring for seeds that had dropped from the feeder.  I threw him a few bits of bread.  And then he wandered back to the water and disappeared with his mate off into the darkness.  You can see the street light on the street behind us...

Always the view through my window and too cold to open it up so the reflection from the room is in the glass-ha!

He managed to find some fallen seed from the feeder.

and then he bid a fond farewell and strolled into the darkness...

This morning, we were greeted by the Mourning Doves who frequent our yard.  They, too were scouring the ground under our many feeders looking for seeds.  I love their feathers and the beautiful design.

They always come in pairs and when I went to snap pictures through the window, the squirrel chased one away-ha!  He did not take fly, just waddled swiftly away!

I really do feel for you that have so much snow but I really hate looking at the browns of winter as seen in these pictures.  Snow is serene and beautiful to see...

Color your day a Rainbow !

Have a good day and come back and visit soon!  Check out http://kerrieskrafts3.blogspot.com  to

see my finished tissue box cover!

♥KERRIE♥

My heart to yours...

Today's Walk

I did not walk until late afternoon and the sun was still brilliant.  The reflections on the larger lakes in our community were like a mirror....

The day moon was high in the sky over the long leaf pine trees.  I love seeing the moon in day as well as night time!

I could not believe the reflections on the still lakes today!  They were perfect!

This Great Blue Heron was soooo large, that at first I thought he was a Wood Stork!  I just kept snapping and the quality fo the pictures are not as good as I would like, but it still shows how large he was.  The muscles in his legs were so powerful!

It was so cold out that I had to wear my scarf and my winter jacket but well worth the effort.  There is nothing like sunshine and fresh air to clean up your attitude and get the cobwebs out of your brain-LOL! 

To see my latest Crafts and hubby's layered baskets, visit Kerrie's Krafts 3.  For a Christian message, visit Kerrie's Home Journal.  And if you have time, also visit Two Happy, our original and oldest blog.  Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting.

♥KERRIE♥

My heart to yours...

FRIDAY'S WILDLIFE AND QUICK PHOTO SHOTS

I usually feature the little lake behind our house but with the ice on it, none of the regular visitors have come in a few days.  BUT, I ventured out into the beautiful sunshine today bundled up and armed with my digital camera and visited all the Lakes in the neighborhood.  Here is what I snapped before the batteries died. LOL!

Great White Egret fishing near the bank.

2 Female and 1 Mail Mallard on an island

A beautiful lake near the front of our Community

This little Dock is on one of the largest Lakes and many people put a dock out so that they can sit over the water in the warmer weather.  I would love that but Hubby is not well enough to take on a project like this!  There is something magic about being near water.  My friend, Doris Strum has a beautiful lake that she visits and takes stunning pictures.  Please pop over to see Doris when you can.  She also crochets the most delightful things and has an Etsy shop where she sells them.

There are many little islands in the Lakes in our neighborhood and the Mallards, Egrets and all wading birds find great resting places there.

It was certainly a perfect day for snapping pictures!  I saw the little hooded ducks again that I cannot identify but my camera batteries had died and they quickly swam away from my spying eyes-ha!  They look like a hooded Merganser but their heads are completely black and black and white are the only colors on their bodies.  One day I will get a good picture I am hoping.

Thanks for stopping and do come again soon.  Please visit my other blogs that are linked in my sidebar.  My Christian blog is Kerrie's Home Journal.

♥KERRIE♥
My heart to yours...

ICE ON THE POND...



Greeted this morning by hungry Blue Jays, freezing temperatures and Ice on the Pond!


It looks warm, but it is not!!  No aquatic bird visits today with the ice on the pond.  I miss the Swans, Egrets, Great Blue Heron, who all hang out at the larger lake in our community where it is not covered with ice because it is deeper. And yet there is beauty in the ice with it's bluish color and stark whiteness...

My little frog figures that my cousin painted for me are a comical contrast to the ice in their skimpy bathing suits-Ha!

I am so wanting our usual, more normal SC temperatures for this time of year to return!  I know that Global warming is a real problem looming over us but it is hard to believe it exists with the whole U.S. having freezing temps and only Florida without snow!  Hmmm!

Thank you for visiting and come back soon.  I miss you when you do not come.  We can have a nice hot cup of coffee, cocoa or tea and chat awhile.  And I can always find something to giggle about, how about you?

♥KERRIE♥
My heart to yours...    

Yellow Throated Warbler

Yellow Throated Warbler

The Yellow Throated Warbler (s) have been hanging around every day in the feeders and we love watching them! Hubby made this log feeder by drilling out circles in the log and then filling the holes with peanut butter and seed. All the birds love this and come all day long. It was only 23 when we got up this morning and is now only 28 degrees. If it weren't for the beautiful sunshine, it would be a depressing day!

Monday when the snow was falling and dusting the shed roof, the little sparrows came to the shed feeder in groups!  Here they are below with one in mid-air as I snapped the picture through the window.

I am wanting Typical wether to return for SC for this time of the year.  We thought we left this cold winter weather in NYS when we moved here 22 yrs. ago! Ha!  Hope you are staying warm wherever you are today.  The news said Florida is the only State not having snow but it only has temperatures in the 30's!!

Come back soon to visit, thank you for stopping by.

♥KERRIE♥

My heart to yours...