... or maybe a couple of new things.
This "new thing" challenge is kind of surprising me. In a week that didn't amount to much - it was terribly cold and except for one outing early in the week (I'll share in a moment), I only poked my nose out the door a couple of times. And yet, new things showed up! It's actually been really nice to not have anything much to do - especially when it snowed yesterday and I spent hours enjoying winter nature from inside a cozy den.
This week's first new thing is actually something I've done twice now, but this week it occurred to me that it counts as a new thing in this new year.
My friend, Dory (she and her husband are our small group leaders at church) has opened her home the last few weeks (and I'm thinking the open invitation is indefinite) to come by during a set time on a set day to craft, work on a puzzle, or just sit and chat I'm guessing because that's what we mostly did the first time I came by. It was fun, and a sweet time to get to know a friend better.
This past week, the time was just as sweet, and two other people came (our associate pastor and his wife). We spent several hours pouring over a jigsaw puzzle and felt such satisfaction finishing it.
Dory is also a wonderful wordsmith, deeply spiritual, and is open and honest about challenges in her life. I'll let her tell you about it. I have an updating link in my sidebar, but here's a link to make it super easy for you to check out her blog. I've only recently become acquainted with her blog, but I'm now soaking it up for all it's worth. I consider it priceless.
Okay, I've given you the link. Why are you still here?!?
~~~~~
Hoping you'll come back (or maybe you're going to check out Dory's blog later), let me share some pictures of the other new thing - our first accumulating snowfall at our new home. It's so tempting for me to pick the photos apart. While there are a couple I'm super pleased with, I'm thinking some are a bit overexposed because they looked much better against a dark background on my computer. And there's "fuzzy" happening too often. I can only blame my injured hand for so much, but it is challenging to hold even a cell phone camera still for minutes on end, and one-handedly turning the focus ring on the heavy DSLR camera - I probably did myself no favors doing that.
With my excuses out of the way, I hope there is something to enjoy below. I'll mostly let the pictures speak for themselves...
That hump in the center of the picture and in front of those evergreens
is a pile of leaves waiting to be burned.
Hopefully, this will be a garden this summer.
Is it just me, or does that bird look angry?
In case, you're unacquainted, above is Mrs. Downy
and below is Mr. Downy.
and below is Mr. Downy.
And that's 7 new things in 2022!
So that's where our gold finches went!
ReplyDeleteI think we have ALL of your finches. In turn, could I interest you in some starlings or even a few sparrows?
DeleteVery nice photos! You have a good variety of birds.
ReplyDeleteThanks, May. I'm eager to see what spring and summer brings.
DeleteI'm glad I got to be part of one of your new things. The pleasure was all mine!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dory! :)
DeleteThank you for the link. The post from Dory was exactly what I needed to read today. God is good. Your bird photos are awesome. I am just a teensie bit jealous of you having cardinals in your in your yard. It is the one bird we never see here. Oh, that puzzle looks so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI have passed your comment onto Dory, Marsha. The puzzle made me think of you. ;^)
DeleteThe birds must be so happy. How fun to get together to put together a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteHi Stef! I wasn't terribly interested in the puzzle until the end was near. And then I kind of loved it at that point.
DeleteThe photos of the snow and birds are amazing! You have such a variety of birds!
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved the idea that your friend Dory had to open her home on a set day, at a set time, for people to just come and fellowship. What a wonderful idea! This is something I think my hubby and I may give some thought to doing. It sounds like such a sweet time. We are beginning to work on a merger with another church and -- although we know most of the members fairly well -- it would be nice to get to know some of them even better. Plus, there are already new folks coming in. It's still going to be a small church, but we are seeing visitors who return week by week.
I also enjoyed a brief visit to Dory's blog. It looks wonderful! I will put it in my sidebar so I can visit easily again.
Dory is an inspiration in many ways. Her word craft amazes me.
DeleteThese are great photos, Becki! I couldn't see the "comment area" at first :) My favorite one is the house finch halfway into the feeder hole! I hope you are enjoying them as much as I do! What kind of camera are you using?
ReplyDeleteHi Judy! I'm glad I included that picture. I thought it was cute. A few pictures were taken with my android phone camera, but the better ones were taken with a Nikon D5000. It's got some age on it, and I sometimes wonder if the focus issues are with the camera. I'm going to try more before giving up. I enjoy having a DSLR, and experimenting with aperture and shutter speed, and trying different light options, but it's an expensive camera to replace.
DeleteWow what great bird pictures!! You really put a smile on my face! Thank you ❤ was just thinking of you wondering how you were 🥰
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you, Elizabeth. You are kind to think of me. Doing pretty well. 2021 was a challenging year personally, but I'm gaining some clarity and spiritual perspective. Hopefully, that progress continues.
DeleteI do like the bird pictures Becki! So different from what we have here.
ReplyDeleteAnd - in honor of and timely for your picture - Happy Puzzle Day!
LOL! I had no idea today was Puzzle Day. Thank you, TB.
DeleteHow wonderful to get together with a group of like minded people and spend the time in gentle pursuits and engaging conversation. I will check out Dory's blog. There is nothing wrong with your photos Becki, it's hard to get perfect pictures of snow but yours are beautiful, how lovely to have such a variety of birds and wildlife on your doorstep. Have a peaceful Sunday. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. Gentle pursuits - I like that. I've noticed the pictures look better on a phone, than on my larger computer screen. The pixels have more space to spread out. ;)
DeleteWow! You have so many birds and such beautiful ones. I don’t know where my birds have disappeared to, but I only get a few now. I’m still thankful for those that show up. I love the idea of opening your house to ladies coming in to socialize and hopefully be encouraged. I will now head over to that other blog link, sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruth. We're pretty amazed at how many birds come dine at our feeders. We used to talk about the expense of feeding three boys. Now we're paying to feed birds!
DeletePuzzles and bird watching, two of my happy things to do during the winter. Sadly our feeder broke, and we haven't replaced it yet. I really enjoyed your pictures of the birds and squirrel.
ReplyDeleteBlessings~
Thank you, so much. :)
DeleteSuch a lovely week! Developing deeper relationships and enjoying God's beauty.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful week.
Hi Christi! For a quiet week here, it turned out pretty well. :)
DeleteI LOVE the birds; not so much the squirrels because mine keep me from having birdfeeders! Great job with the photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bob. We couldn't keep the squirrels off our bird feeders at our old house - I think because a tree was too close and the squirrels would jump from the limbs onto the feeders. They don't have tree access here, and I don't think they can get past the baffle on this feeding station if they try to climb the pole, so they seem happy to just glean from what the birds drop on the ground. Squirrels gotta eat, too. ;^)
DeleteHow delightful to receive the gift of true hospitality, where you can be yourself and talk and share (tea and food and life) without restraint! It sounds as if Dory knows how to give that gift!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. So many bird friends have found you already!
Yes, Cheryl! This is hospitality at its finest. Making it such that people feel completely at home and welcomed.
DeleteOh my! Those bird photos are amazing! I don't think you should complain about your photo-taking abilities because those look great. Wish we didn't have permanent screens on our windows and could get photos too.
ReplyDeleteYour friend is definitely doing a huge community service, particularly now that we've been so long without outside human contact.
Thank you, Mary Anne. It would be interesting to know who reads blogs from their phone and who uses a larger computer screen. For me, the experience is different on the two different devices.
DeleteI don't know for sure, but I'm guessing in Canada, the restrictions have been more strict, and long-standing than many of us here in the US are experiencing. In our area, people are allowed to make their own decisions about gatherings. I tend to count the cost of risk of COVID exposure vs the value of whatever gathering I'm considering. I've wondered if when we (the world) moves beyond this overly cautious place with COVID, many of us will probably continue assessing risk of all sorts of illnesses vs the value of an activity or gathering. Or maybe that's just me getting older and having less time to waste being sick. :)
Good points on the advisability of attending gatherings. I think we all will tend to be a whole lot more cautious in the future. I think wearing masks is with us for a long time to come.
Delete