Stirrings! :)

Just about this time of year I begin to yearn for signs of life and color! The vibrant colors of summer have long been replaced with muted tones and alot of browns and grays. It's always such a lift to my spirit when nature starts stirring from winter's slumber! :)
One of the first to stretch and shine are the snowdrops! They bring cheer every year! :)

I was surprised to see this little one out taking a stroll in the sun! :)

Many flower bulbs are now stirring and reaching up to the light! Soon they'll be displaying the bright colors we're longing for!! :)

This cherry tree is just one of many who's buds are swelling as it readies itself for activity! :)

The Flowering Quince are already forming thier blossoms within their new leaves! Feb.' is nearly here, and come March they'll be displaying inviting blooms to the hummingbirds who are always eager to pollinate in exchange for refreshment! :)

The Climbing Hydrangea is also showing signs of stirring from winter's slumber! :)

The chives are eager to get growing, not minding the cool temperatures! :)

The blueberries look eager too! :)

I'm always thrilled when the rhubarb starts spouting new shoots! There's only two containers left in the freezer of this tasty delight, and I'll be anxious to harvest more! :)

Of course one of the first signs of nature stirring, each year, comes from the Witch Hazel! How I love it's flower's citrusy, earthy aroma! Yumm!! :)

'Won't be long now untill we see the "stirrings" develope into full-blown activity!! I'm ready!! :)

Lights Out! :)

Today we finally were able to take the Christmas lights down and get them put away! Most of the time we've been waiting on the rain showers to stop long enough to let the lights dry out, but today was sunny and dry so the lights dried too! It feels so good to have that last Christmas task taken care of! :)
So untill December comes again, ... Lights Out! :)

January Jesters! :)

I don't know about you, but Jan. seems a little early to be seeing bulbs pushing up through the soil! It's not just one type I'm seeing, either! As well as grape hyacinths there's ...

a few daffodils or tulips, (too soon to tell which), ...

Crocus coming up that I only just planted during the fall, ...

the Garlic, ...

and one of the new peonies! :)

Now that the new year is here, and the days are beginning to lengthen, I admit to feeling a bit anxious for Spring, myself! Even though I feel some concern about winter frosts still to come, I can't help but feel some excitement about seeing signs of Spring! :)

As you can see, I didn't get that last goal, of spreading beauty bark, done before winter came, but it will yet get done in this new year! I'm still adjusting to the realization that it is 2010! :)

Answer to the Orange Or Grapefruit Question! :)

I'm guessing that there are no more answers forthcoming, so will go ahead and post the answer!
... It was a Really Big ORANGE!!! :)
When I first saw them in the store I couldn't decide if I was looking at a bag of oranges or grapefruit! They are the size of grapefruits, and more yellow than the typical orange, but the bag was marked "Bee Sweet - California Oranges"! It had a nice orange aroma so I decided to buy a bag and see how they tasted! :) They get an All Thumbs Up rating at our home for being sweet and juicy! :) If anyone lives near Kelso, WA and wants to give them a try, they are at Safeway, by Three Rivers Mall! :)
I always like to give recognition when it is due, and these deserve praise! And we've Never seen oranges that big before, untill now!! Thought we'd share the photos of the largest orange in the bag we bought, that was literally the size of a grapefruit ( in last post ), for others to see too! :)
Thanks Susie for playing along! :)

Orange or Grapefruit!? :)

Just For Fun, I've taken a couple photos of a this large yellowish-orange citrus! It is either an orange or a grapefruit! I've added a few other similar objects as clues to aid you in this decission! :)

The smallest citrus in this photo is a mandarin orange! I added a pen since that is often used as a standard measuring tool! :)

I will wait a few days before giving the answer! Do you know what it is!? :)

Beauty In Bare Bones! :)

While I love all the color and life of spring and summer I also have a love for the beauty we only see in the winter, when all is bare! I particularly enjoy seeing the water droplets dangling from the bare branches! These dainty orbs capture the light and give the illusion that mother nature has dressed all the trees in strings of white lights! Once the leaves begin to grow they hide the orbs from view and we don't enjoy them untill winter comes again!

The first photo was taken with my Power Shot, but the rest of these were taken with my new cam'! I was eager to see how my world looks through it's lens! :)

Again I encourage you to try clicking on the photos to see if they'll enlarge for better enjoyment! I hope you can see the beauty in bare bones, too! :)

Christmas Cam'! :)

Of all years, this Chirstmas I felt the most satisfied, relishing the joyful feel in the air, and felt no gift could add any more to the celebration than what I was already feeling in my heart! :)
I could relate with the Whos down in Whoville who sang even when the Grinch stole their Christmas! "Christmas came, just the same!" "It wasn't about boxes, packages, and bags!" "Christmas wasn't something you could buy in a store, - Christmas, it seems, was a little bit More!!" :)
So imagine how I felt with the Added joy of receiving My Dream of having a Canon camera with the 300 lens capacity to take actual close ups on birds and wildlife!! :)
I've been eyeing this digital camera for awhile now and even though I'm out-of-my-league, with something this fancy, it doesn't keep me from wanting to give it the old college try!! :) I'm very eager to see what I can do with it!! :)

All the buttons and fanfair, and fancy lenses, is a little intimidating, however, and I feel a little less able to rush into taking photos, the way I did with my Canon Power Shot A1000! I only hope this Canon is as user friendly as my Power Shot cam' is! :)

So this little booklet of 195 pages is going to get good use as I try to learn enough to forge ahead! I hope to be sharing photos with you that I've taken with my Christmas Cam'! If I'm successful, you should be seeing some bird photos this coming 2010 year!! I Am a "bird-brain", after all!! :)