Warm Spring-Shine, Delight Us Today

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Most of you know how much I love Winter 
and all the beauty that it brings. 

But... there is something exciting about Spring when the snow starts to melt,
and we start to see the ground again. 
My chickens are thrilled to have mud to dig in again :) 

As the snow melts it compacts and on frosty mornings, the ice collections are intricate works of art!
I must have color in my world! 

Keeping color in my living room windows helps to keep color in my world
until the color arrives outside my windows. 
This one... she is sad.  She loves snow, and seeing it melt makes her sad. 
Her favorite thing to do is roll and play in the snow.  
Our bird feeders have been like Grand Central Station all winter.  I love watching the birds through my office window.
We have two stellar jay pairs that visit every day. 
It's comical to watch our resident squirrel battle with the Stellar jays. 
They chase each other all over the trees. And oh the chatter and sassing that goes on!

This frisky agile entertainer
Mister Squirrel in search of dinner 
Resident comedian  
Part acrobat and guardian
His funny ways are always a winner.
~ Marilyn ~

Yes, lots of sassing goes on.  I guess it's just as well I don't understand it {smiles} 
A dear friend had just gotten a new puppy, and wanted to take her out on a trail.
We hiked a local trail along the river. It was great to be out and enjoy the day together. 
It was a fun day of exploring with her new puppy.  

After our hike, we ate at a little restaurant that sits right on the beach. 

We enjoyed a delicious meal and sweet fellowship together. 

A friend of mine was going through a hard time, and some friends had teamed up to support her with a fundraiser.  I was able to purchase this precious album to support her. It is a beautiful work of art! 

A stunning sunset one evening... I never cease to be amazed at how the
Master Painter changes up the canvas each morning and night! 
We took a day trip to a local state park, enjoying the beautiful sunshine, brisk breeze, and gorgeous views. 

Here you can see the distant mountains still with some snow,
but it is exciting to see Spring making advances in our world! 

The skies were magnificent against the backdrop of the mountains.  It was such a beautiful walk along the beach! 

Some treasures found while walking the beach... love finding sea glass! 
No doubt someone had lost a hat at sea!

A brave fisherman was seen fishing along the banks of the river. 
The breeze was stiff, so I can imagine it was a pretty chilly fishing trip for him! 

After walking the beach, it was time for dinner, and we stopped at a local diner for a burger... delicious! 
As we drove home, the evening skies were beautiful, and this gorgeous layer of fog
dipped below the mountains and created an interesting scene for us as we drove. 
On my way into town one day, I saw this herd of elk cavorting in the field. 

They are very skittish creatures and quite camera shy. 
I was lucky to capture these two staring at me for a split second
before they disappeared into the brush. 


Their destination was the rocky hillside. 
Always a treat to see them, even if from a distance! 

In just two short weeks, Spring will arrive on the calendar, but in our world, it is already making an early appearance, and we are all quite thrilled about that! Snow is melting noticeably daily, and I'm making daily trips to my garden to see if I've got any spring flowers making an appearance.  So far I've not seen any, but I'm hoping it will be any day now.  

I had fun recently participating in a limerick challenge.  Have you ever written a limerick?  They are quite fun! The little poem above about my resident squirrel is a limerick.  

limerick is a humorous poem consisting of five lines. The first, second, and fifth lines must have seven to ten syllables while rhyming and having the same verbal rhythm. The third and fourth lines should only have five to seven syllables; they too must rhyme with each other and have the same rhythm.

Here is another limerick I've written about the sun: 

Oh look!  The sun has come out to play
Hurry let’s go and soak up the rays
Before the dark clouds come
Late winter winds make us numb,
Warm spring-shine, delight us today!
~ Marilyn ~


Would you like to play along? If you have a fun limerick to share, whether you've written it or not, I'd love to hear it  {smiles} 

Blessings to all :) 






42 comments

  1. Beautiful photos!

    Gorgeous blue bird!

    Sad with your puppy...oh... :( Don't worry, it will snow again before you know it.

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    1. You are right... the dogs have been very happy this past week... lots of snow, although it melts by noon. Spring is coming :) But the dogs are happy too, lol!

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  2. Beautiful photos from your corner of the world. That's a generous portion of fish on the fish and chip platter! No luck at a limerick.

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    1. And that was the lunch menu Ellen! I can't imagine what the plate of food looked like on the dinner menu. It's so sad now that one can no longer dine in there, or anywhere. Many blessings to you :)

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  3. Those skies are incredible. Love your photos!

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    1. Thank you Marie, I appreciate your faithful visits and kind comments!

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  4. Well, I won’t try my hand at writing anything that should rhyme and make some sense at the same time. I do love your photos. Just such incredible beauty. Snow is slowly melting around here as well,

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    1. Thank you Ruth. Spring is coming, but winter is putting up a fight. We've had snow every day last week. But nicer weather coming this week :)

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  5. Hi Marilyn! I love seeing the elk! The birds are all so pretty, too! Is your dog an Australian Shepherd? Our daughter has one and he's lovely.
    Happy Spring (very soon!)

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    1. Yes, Riley is an Australian Shepherd. She is so precious to us. Happy spring to you too!!!

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  6. Hello Marilyn, I've seen several elk the past few weeks. They seem to be fairly brave this year. As always, I loved seeing the photos of your area. What restaurant had that delicious looking fish and chips. Dennis loves them and we may take a drive sometime to get him a plateful! :-)
    Wishing you a wonderful evening my friend.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. It was a delicious plate of fish and chips. I indulged that day after our hike! Oh my... I'm glad I did. Now one can't even go to a restaurant to dine in! So sad. But soon, hopefully maybe we can meet there for a nice visit :) Much love to you dear friend!

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  7. Oh such beauty there Marilyn. It never ceases to amaze me... and remind me of where I used to live! I love the lake pictures with the mountains in the distance, with snow scattered here and there. And you made me so hungry showing me those fish and chips! I can't eat them as they are ALWAYS breaded, at any restaurant I go to (gluten in the breading), so I can only look at pictures and drool! I bet being on that lake in the wind was indeed chilly! I can't for the life of me think of a limerick! I'm usually pretty good at putting one together at the spur of a moment, but tonight my brain is pure mush. Yours are very cute! So glad Spring is coming to your part of the world... we've had some nice days and was 74 one day last week - it almost got me in the mood to do some yardwork, but not quite. I did go out and prune down the raspberries and a few plants, and cleaned out my Iris bed. That's a start anyway. Before we know it, summer will be here. In Madras, we jump right from winter to summer it seems! Take care! Marilyn

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    1. Oh that was a good plate of fish and chips Marilyn... I definitely enjoyed every bite, and took much of it home too. I understand about the gluten thing. It is very tough to have to worry about where the gluten is found in restaurant food. We have had snow for the past week, and I'm ready for spring weather to return, lol! It is time to get out and do yard work here too. I've got seeds started in the greenhouse, so looking forward to that time of year for sure. Trust that you are staying safe and well with all that is going on. Much love to you!

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  8. The brushstrokes The Master Painter paints in your skies are amazing. He does it here, too. It won't long till you see some happy flowers smiling at you. My, those blue birds are so pretty. I am always amazed at the colours of your birdlike over there in the States; so many gorgeous colours. Sublime photos, Marilyn, of your landscape.

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    1. Thank you Kim... I am blessed to share the beauty in my world, God's creative designs never cease to amaze me! It was feeling like winter here all last week, as we had snow almost every day, but I think spring is going to make an appearance this week, and I'm grateful :) Many blessings to you!

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  9. Your limerick made me smile, Marilyn, and of course, I'm always blown away by your fabulous photos. Spring really is coming early for your neck of the woods! Enjoy every moment, my friend.
    Blessings!

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  10. Your photos make me want to come to Northern Idaho now. I love the mountains and I would hike that trial along the river for sure. I remember making my girls write limericks when we were homeschooling!

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  11. Oh, your photos! SO gorgeous, as always, dear friend! I am sad, along with your sweet dog. I love winter so much - the stillness always calms me. It is hard to come out of it and get back into the busyness again, but time marches on, and we have to go along, don't we? Sending much love to you today!

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  12. Stunning photos as usual!

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  13. Beautiful photos, smiles. It is a glorious 55* here in western NY today...I am so hoping no more snow...I think I am ready for sunshine and tad bit warmer temps. smiles

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  14. Hi,
    I am the same as you, I enjoy Winter. But at the same time, when March rolls around, I am ready for that peeking out of Spring.
    I enjoy your photos and your poems. :-) Keep on sharing your world with us. It makes me smile.
    Love,
    Carla

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  15. It is always such a joy to see your photos, and makes me wish I could be there!
    What a lovely splash of colour in your tulips.

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  16. Oh my goodness my friend, these pictures of the elks makes me happy :) I have not seen any this last winter but can now have a beautiful picture of them to make me smile !!! Love you bunches !!!!!

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  17. I always love seeing your beautiful area in the photos you take. I can't imagine seeing elk in the wild like you do.

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  18. Gorgeous pictures! I may be most drawn to the photos of those meals you’ve enjoyed.

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  19. Your beautiful pictures are always so breath taking to me. LOVE! Girl...that burger looks sooooooo good! But I am starving so a can of sardines might look good huh? LOL! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  20. Pretty pictures and words!! The sun came out in our neck of the woods yesterday and the crocuses bloomed. It was wonderful!!

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  21. I loved, loved, loved those pictures. That sceney is beautiful!
    And that food made me hungry!
    Oh and the limerick you wrote is very funny! :D

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  22. Happy Hen says it all, don't you think? Your pictures in all seasons are always magnificent. I love them all. That's a great little limerick. I would give it a try, but I just must go "soak up the rays before the dark clouds come..."

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  23. Beautiful pictures Marilyn! We too have a resident squirrel that I love watching. I am so excited for spring! I have to have color in my world too and right now it comes in the farm of yarn and fabric. I enjoy working on crochet and sewing projects that are full of color when all the colors outside are still pretty neutral. God is so amazing how he still provides us with color in this season with the stunning sunrises and sunsets! What a blessing.

    The limericks you wrote are so cute and fun. I think we probably wrote limericks back in elementary school around St. Patrick's Day. I just might have to try and come up with one myself. :)

    I hope you are having a lovely Friday sweet friend!

    Love,
    Annie

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  24. Lovely photos, Marilyn. All seasons have beauty and you find that beauty in them. Soaking in the sun's rays is a good thing in early spring. Today cold Arctic winds are making being outdoors not very attractive. Inside there is soup to make, laundry to do, and a house to clean. Also good things.

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  25. I always LOVE your photos, no matter what the season...they are always breathtaking!! You do live in a most gorgeous part of the world! Even if it is cold and the winters are long! Love that you are seeing signs of spring. I know each season is special for you. As for limericks, I'd have to sit and think a while, and my brain is just not into that right at the moment. But I should challenge myself to do it...I will think about it and let you know when I do! Enjoy your beautiful days.

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  26. Oh Marilyn your photographs are wonderful, a lovely variety and all so beautiful.
    I enjoyed your limerick.

    Carry on enjoying these beautiful days.

    All the best Jan

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  27. You live in a beautiful area.

    I taught Language Arts and loved my poetry unit. Limericks were not on the list, but now you have me trying to write one. If I succeed, I'll let you know.

    And thanks for the sweet comment on my latest post.

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  28. Marilyn, thank you so very much for the beautiful card and treasure you sent! I love them! I am afraid I have no limericks at the moment. Love seeing all your photographs! And the food looks so tempting! xo

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  29. Always a delight to visit your blog and see what you've been up to. Wonderful photos here. That food looked so delicious and I loved seeing the Elk. - Our winter was pretty mild and we've actually had Daffodils blooming since mid-February. I miss being able to get outside though since this "virus" stuff took over the world. Hope you are well. Thank you for the lovely card you sent.

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  30. Oh the beauty of springtime! I love to see all your pictures and the journeys you share!
    Great limerick! I'm terrible with poetry.

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  31. Stunning photos, as always, Marilyn! Even the fish and burger made my mouth water...and my belly is full! It is finally spring here in TN. Now if we can hold the rain off to just once a week....lol! Stay safe and healthy, dear friend!

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  32. Yes dear friend, good words and thoughts. Like spring wakes up after a long winter's sleep, may our hearts be responsive to the Lord and obedient to His calling! Appreciate your visit, may the blessings of the Lord be abundant in your life :)

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  33. Oh...wow! I am amazed at the beautiful landscape you have the ability to see. It brightened my day to see some of God's beautiful creation in the photos you've captured. Thank you for sharing! I, too, love having some color to brighten the home. I am spending some time in Canada right now, and am beginning to feel how greatly I am missing seeing colors. Spring is slowly coming here also, though, so I look forward to seeing some of the first blooms. :)

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Your comments are blessings to me, and I appreciate each and every one, they are precious to me! I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my blog... this is what makes blogging worthwhile! Have a blessed day!

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