Heidi
Charlie
click pic to enjoy a closer look
As I was walking towards home, I just happened to look up to see this fine fellow -- a Long-eared Owl. Another gift. After I snapped the photo, I just stood for a long while and observed and appreciated him. He also stayed still without blinking and observed me. After a few minutes, the dogs came looking for me and disrupted our observation time, and Long Ear flew off. He looked much larger when he was flying than he did in this picture. I think they "skinny" themselves to look like a limb on the tree -- the true camouflage.
After a warm, calm day, it sadly ended with winds whipping up around chore time. We put all the sheep into their sheds and gave a little extra feed to the cows. It sounds like we may not get near the snow that was predicted, but the winds are still on the way. Some folks to our east are expecting upward of 12" of snow with high winds. Blizzard conditions.
Perhaps, after all, our best thoughts come when we are alone. It is good to listen, not to voices but to the wind blowing, to the brook running cool over polished stones, to bees drowsy with the weight of pollen. If we attend to the music of the earth, we reach serenity. And then, in some unexplained way, we share it with others. ~Gladys Taber
You described my morning snowshoeing with Ella. Except we saw lion tracks instead of owls and rabbits. I hope the snow misses you!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen barb wire that was beautiful but the snow spikes made it so.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome that you saw that Owl and it stayed long enough for you to get a good photo.
That owl!! You and he were sharing the serenity, I think.
ReplyDeleteThis does look like a serene walking place. I love the owl! School was cancelled here in northern Minnesota this morning. First time this year! There's not that much snow, but we got freezing rain last night, so I guess there's ice under the snow we have. And we are getting those winds you spoke about! The snow we're getting is blowing sideways. Ah, spring! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat shot of the jackrabbit hightailing it out of there. Whoa! Look at that great owl. How wonderful to see it. The dogs sure look excited about the jackrabbits. Fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful descriptions you have of snowshoeing in the snow. I would love to see a long eared owl. I would love to learn to snow shoe. Thank you so much for your lovely comment. We have rain in our forecast now for a week. I am so relieved. Have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely quote from G. Taber. I'm glad you got your quiet snow walk. And that first photo is really a stunning one!! Truly - if you didn't already have a fabulous banner photo, you might think of switching to that one. It is a picture that looks like it wants to tell a story, if only it had words.
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