Joyfully Green: Nature & Wildlife

Nature & Wildlife

02/11/2014

How to Enjoy the Great Outdoors...Without Leaving the House!

This post, from January 2013, just got a little face-lift for a re-post, because (1) the facts remain largely the same--the weather is c-c-cold!; (2) many of you didn't see it the first time around, as the blog was still in diapers; and (3) I'm putting the finishing touches on my nature photography e-course this week. So, without further ado...

Today's guilty confession from this nature-loving blog girl: I haven't really been outside for a week. There, I've said it. In my defense, the temperature in the mornings has been hovering between 4 and 8 degrees--Fahrenheit, not Celsius--with a bitter, bone-chilling, unrelenting wind. What I've learned from this run of really, really cold weather is that I'd make a terrible Canadian. Or Chicagoan, for that matter. I'm half-Swedish, so you'd think I could handle the cold by genetics alone, but my other half is Italian, so it all evens out.

Most of the snow has been covered with a thick sheet of ice, so simply walking around outside has become an extreme sport. When I took our books back to the library yesterday, I promptly fell flat on my back, feet whipped out from under me, on a sheet of black ice. I was somehow heart-warmed to hear a total stranger blurt out a blue streak of obscenities in raw, unadulterated concern for me as he rushed over, lickety-split, to help me up. "You're lucky that you're not an old lady--you would have been TOAST!" he gasped in relief after I assured him that I was fine.

Other than still walking the dog four times a day (not as far as usual), I just haven't had the same get-up-and-go to get out there. My blogger friend Debi at Go Explore Nature (whom I told you about in 10 Green "Gifts" That Won't Cost You a Dime) has been on a mission this month to post a suggestion every single day for getting outdoors with the kids. (Debi lives in L.A., mind you.) She has some very clever and creative suggestions, even for cold weather, and I plan on following many of them...as soon as the temperature inches up into the double digits again.

But until then, here's what I'm doing to appreciate nature...

As soon as I open the blinds, I watch the sun rising. It rises a little after 7 a.m. now---not such an ungodly hour. When I wake up the kids, they watch the sun rise with me. Peaceful.

As I eat my breakfast, after the kids have gone off to school, I watch the large herd of white-tailed deer wandering out of the woods for their own breakfasts, or cozying up along our stone wall in the back yard, shielding themselves from the wind. I saw this momma deer keeping a watchful eye on her fawn while pretending to relax. (I could relate to her.)

Another doe, pictured below, seems to have bitten into something that bit her back--a thorny bush, perhaps. See her tongue split in half and hanging out? Her tongue stayed out, flapping limply in the wind. Poor thing!

I am a firm believer in "a room with a view", so the desk in my office faces a window where I can watch the day unfolding outside. If I stared at a computer screen all day without these visual breaks of nature, I would not be a happy camper and I'm sure I'd need eyeglasses much thicker than the ones I own now.

When I do get outside for the dog-walks, I often hear Canadian Geese overhead. I marvel at their V formations and the way the leader honks to the others to guide them along, and they honk right back in response. (Nice teamwork, guys!)

When it's too cold to go out at night, we can still gaze at the stars from the warmth of our bedrooms. Tonight we found Orion, and my son re-read the story behind the constellation. My favorite constellation has always been the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, so that's the first thing I seek out. We also study the phases of the moon--my daughter is a bit obsessed. ("The moon! The mooooooooooon!" she shrieks whenever it's full.)

In the daytime, we can look out on our forest and see what's afoot or aflutter. We keep our two plexiglass bird-feeders well-stocked with seeds, so from the kitchen and master bedroom, we can watch who's flying in for a bite. (Below: Tufted Titmouse; Black-capped Chickadee.)

It's helped us enormously that we bought an easy-to-use field guide for birds of New Jersey a few years back. Sure, we already knew the Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Chickadees, but now we also know what a Dark-eyed Junco is--turns out we have LOTS of those little cuties!

So, yes--we are indoors for now, but we are still finding our own ways to appreciate the Great Outdoors.

Your turn: How do you appreciate nature from indoors? Please share in the comments section below.

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Don't get left out in the cold! Register now for my March photography e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You." Learn more and register here.

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Posted at 09:02 PM in Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: black-capped chickadee, Canadian geese, dark-eyed Junco, nature photography e-course, Pleiades, tufted titmouse, white-tailed deer

01/14/2014

The Wild Kingdom in Our Own Back Yard

Sometimes, it's hard to believe we live in the most densely populated state (that's New Jersey, for first-time visitors here). Especially when our house backs up to a forest and we have all manners of wildlife parading through our yard on a regular basis. We just never know what creatures will pop up looking for their next meal--it's like our own personal petting zoo, minus the petting part! After all, these are wild animals we're talking about here: A little red fox curled up for a nap in our back yard; a red-bellied woodpecker knock-knock-knocking at a tree for a buggy breakfast; a large herd of white-tailed deer making its daily commute between the forest and the neighborhood yards, munching heartily on our poor shrubs. (Yes, I know the deer have to eat, too, and my goodness, they're the picture of grace and beauty. I just wish they wouldn't gorge on my lilac bushes.)

The "Parade of Animals" is a bit like a traveling classroom. Whenever I start to wonder things like "what are those gigantic brown birds sitting on top of our house?", a Googling session ensues...

...and pretty soon, I'm learning that turkey vultures (so that's what they are!) eat almost exclusively carrion (elegant word for "roadkill"), and glide through the air on thermals (warm air drafts), sniffing out their next meal. These scavenger birds play an important role in the ecosystem, stemming the spread of disease--we've taken to calling them "Nature's Clean-up Crew." Some cultures believe they are sacred animals that release the soul from the body of the deceased animal, which is a rather poetic way to look at it, don't you think?

My Birds of New Jersey Field Guide tells me the turkey vulture is generally mute, making only the occasional grunt or groan. (Personally, I haven't heard any grunting or groaning emanating from the roof, but I'm glad I'm prepared for it!) I also learned that the reason our turkey vulture friends can stand for long stretches of time on the roof with their wings spread out wide is because they're drying themselves in the sun--a behavior that often happens after a cold and rainy day. I highly recommend getting a bird guide for your state or region, preferably one that groups the pages by feather color (such as the one linked above), so you can quickly figure out what's having a snack at your birdfeeder or sunning itself on your roof. (Kids, especially, love this little detective game.)

City-dwelling friends occasionally ask us if we're nervous about living in "black bear country", in a neighborhood where I fought off a coyote that wanted to eat my dog for breakfast. Yes, living in close proximity to wildlife has its (rare) heart-pounding moments, but mostly, it's immensely interesting and gratifying. And the heart of the matter is this: I'm much more nervous that my great-grandchildren won't know what it's like to live in such a place, with a large array of wild animals roaming freely through the back yard, making their way out of the wonder-filled woods.

Your turn: How frequently do you see wildlife where you live? What's the most unusual animal you've ever seen outside of a zoo? Please share in the Comments section below. If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

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The Birds of New Jersey Field Guide is an Amazon affiliate link. If you decide to purchase it, along with any other products on this site linked to Amazon.com, I hope you'll do so through the link; it puts a few pennies in my pocket and helps support this blog. I will never recommend any products that I don't personally use and enjoy.

Posted at 10:55 AM in Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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01/07/2014

Frozen Dogwalkers of the World, Unite!

Sometimes, it's difficult to have a blog that celebrates the wonders of nature. Say, just for example, when the thermostat reads zero degrees Fahrenheit, as it did this morning, and our precious little dog needed her morning walk. It's hard to feel joyful when I'm not quite sure if I can feel the nose on my face because my gloved fingers are frozen, along with the aforementioned nose. Sure, I try to continue the "Up With Nature!" mentality, but my winter outfit looks more like a bankrobber's disguise and the wind is positively howling through my hat.

And then there's Delilah. She looks downright embarrassed to be wearing her little doggie coat, but without it, she shivers pathetically and refuses to do her business out there. Instead, she tugs toward the warm and cozy house. Not that I can blame her; I'm immensely thankful that modern society has evolved from outhouses to indoor plumbing. Dog-tugging struggles aside, walking the dog in freezing-cold weather is our small price to pay for all of the wonderful benefits of living with a dog--most notably, warm cuddles from an incredibly sweet, furry, little creature.

Last week, when the temperatures were a relative heatwave in the 20's, the kids begged to go outside and play in the snow. I thought they'd be back indoors in a flash, pleading for steaming cups of hot cocoa, but no, they stayed outdoors for upwards of an hour, building an igloo together and looking like they always get along famously. (Newsflash: They do not.)

Sometimes, I miss the sense of pure joy (no pun intended) that winter brought with it when I was a child in Connecticut. A whole yardful of snow that was like a gigantic container of white Play-Dough, ready to mold into snowmen, snowdogs, snowforts, snow-you-name-its. Yesterday, as snow began to fall again, my daughter reminded my son to stick out his tongue to catch the flakes. As children see it: What's the point of being out in the snow if you're not savoring it with all five senses?

As much as it's ridiculously frigid right now in the northeastern United States (I'm still not sure how our Canadian friends manage, let alone our Minnesota relatives, who've had school cancelled for the day based on the negative temperatures alone), I still wouldn't trade where I live. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I need the four distinct seasons. I grew up with them and they're a part of me. And now, as I watch my children outdoors--my daughter sitting on the stone wall, scooping a mittened handful of snow into her mouth, my son busy sculpting and chipping away at his own white fortress--I see the winter becoming a part of them as well. Someday, they'll remember playing in the snow when they were small, loving the winter and everything it entails.

As for Delilah, she has her moments of Winter Love, too.

Your turn: Are you a card-carrying member of the Frozen Dogwalkers Society? How do you manage to walk your canine companion when it's freezing outside? Please share in the Comments section below. If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

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Posted at 01:22 PM in Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: benefits of living with a dog, building snowmen, dogwalking in winter, the four seasons in the northeastern United States, winter in Connecticut

12/31/2013

You are the Curator of Your Life

Back in my advertising days (a curious and dubious profession for somebody who now writes occasionally about non-consumerism), I used to collect my favorite print ads for inspiration, and one of my favorites was from a bank (I don’t remember the name of the bank…so much for the ad’s effectiveness!), in which the headline was “You are the President of Your Life.” I had the headline pinned to my bulletin board. It resonated with me because I felt ruled by my to-do lists, compelled to complete nonsense tasks and busywork--very little of the stuff that actually mattered in the Grand Scheme of Things. But that ad spoke to me because it was about making the important choices, managing time in meaningful ways, and viewing life as a combination of departments to manage.

When one year is ending and a brand-new one is peeking around the corner, I tend to look backward, inward, and then forward--in a sort of "presidential year-in-review" combined with a plan for the future, prospectus-style. What shined in the past year, and what could have used a polish? What did I discover about myself, and what do I hope to accomplish in the year ahead?

In distilling the past year and capturing its essence, I looked through the last twelve months at this blog. These were the recurring themes, the things I learned, the posts that defined who I am and where I want to head:

This was the year I continued my journey of non-consumerism and minimalism, finding new homes for things I didn't need, and spending significantly less on new things. Although Amazon.com won't be happy to hear it (shhhh!), I learned that I made 47 purchases in 2011, 29 purchases in 2012, and 9 (nine!) purchases in 2013. I love that kind of downward spiral!

This was my year of capturing the fleeting moments, that split-second between what was and what will be. This was the year I stopped the car to really notice what I was passing.

It was also the year I occasionally abandoned my to-do lists, let my breakfast go cold while I discovered more delicious rewards, discovered micro worlds with a macro lens, and met some very strange-looking models.

This was the year that formerly "ugly bugs" taught me a thing or two about life and character.

This was the year I finally defined myself as "A Photographer."

This was the year I realized that I'm not just the President of My Life, but also the Curator of My Life. When you're the Curator of Your Life, you decide...

how much money to squander, and how much money to save.
the stuff you part with, and the stuff you choose to keep.
the positive people to bring closer, and the negative people to cut loose.
how you take care of things, or how you let things go.
the good memories to cherish, and the bad ones to learn from and let flutter away.

In 2014, I hope you, too, will refine your course, polish the edges of your possibilities, and redirect your vision so it aligns with what you really, truly want. Happy Curating!

Your turn: Did you have a defining moment from the past year? Were you happy with your 2013? Please share in the Comments section below. If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

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Did you enjoy these photographs? They're all for sale, framed and unframed, at Society6.com/JoyfullyGreen. Proceeds help support this blog and keep it advertising-free.

Nature photography e-course coming in March 2014! Stay tuned for details!

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Posted at 12:51 PM in Minimalism & Non-Consumerism, Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: goals for the New Year, macro photography, minimalism, non-consumerism, photography e-course

12/23/2013

Resolutions for the New Year, "More or Less"

I'm not really one for "resolutions" in the New Year's Eve sense of the word, promising to change something but instead letting the plan crumble to pieces by the third week in January. I do like to give myself something positive to aim for, though. Who doesn't have room for improvement? I love the "Self-Help" section of bookstores, although I wish it were called something like "Me, But More Awesome!" With a better name, there might be fewer people looking shamefully and furtively at the books before scampering off like frightened squirrels.

In the spirit of aiming higher in the new year, here are my "resolutions":

1. More Silence. Less Noise.

2. More Meditation. Less Distraction.

3. More Patience. Less Pushing.

4. More Empathy. Less Judging.

5. More Savoring the Moment, Being Open to Changes, and Welcoming the New.

Happy New Year! May it be one in which you aim higher, and hit your mark.

Your turn: Do you make New Year's resolutions? Why or why not? If you do, what are yours for 2014? Please share in the Comments section below. If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

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Did you enjoy this post? Get more like it by subscribing! (In righthand column.)

Did you enjoy these photographs? They're all for sale, framed and unframed, at Society6.com/JoyfullyGreen. Proceeds help support this blog and keep it advertising-free.

Nature photography e-course coming in March 2014! Email me at JoyfullyGreen.com@gmail.com to be on the mailing list for early details or to reserve your spot.

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Posted at 05:33 PM in Green Ideas, Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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12/16/2013

Winter is Here! (Or is it?)

"Is it winter yet?"

That's the question my six-year-old daughter has been asking me first thing every morning for the past two weeks, as she sleepily peers out her frosted window in her footsie pajamas.

To any logical person with pretty good eyesight, it would seem that the answer would be, "Most definitely, yes! It is winter!" There's a half-foot of snow on the ground (and four more inches expected tomorrow), icicles glittering on the branches, deer footprints dotting the hill in front of our house. Every time even the lightest wind blows, ice crystals clatter down from the trees like shards of glass. It looks like a hundred thousand wine goblets have shattered on our driveway.

Yes, it certainly looks, feels, smells, sounds, and tastes like winter out there. So far this month, the kids have had a Snow Day from school, gone sledding, made snowcones, sipped hot cocoa, sat by a roaring fire, and marveled at the Christmas decorations around the neighborhood. And yet, according to the calendar, winter doesn't officially begin here until 12:11 p.m. EST on December 21, when the solstice occurs. So it's...um...still fall? Alrighty then, tell it to the thermometer, which is edging down into the teens today.

My toes don't like this "autumn in a masterful disguise" and my ears aren't so happy about it either. But my goodness, with all of the sparkling snow, glittering ice, and a fresh coat of clean, white paint on this neck of the woods, it's amazingly pretty out there. No question about that.

Your turn: What's the prettiest thing you've seen this season? Please share in the Comments section below. If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

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Holiday Gifts! Some of the photographs featured on this blog are available for sale as high-quality framed or unframed art prints in my web shop at Society6.com/JoyfullyGreen. I hope you'll visit it and treat yourself or somebody you love to a pretty picture! (Added perk: It keeps this blog advertising-free, and don't you just love that?)

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Posted at 08:28 PM in Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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12/10/2013

Five Ways to Find Beauty in Beastly Winter Weather

The past week here on the eastern coast of the U.S. has been a smorgasbord of "bad" weather--fog as thick as pea soup (more like mushroom soup, based on the color), chilly rains, snow flurries, ice storms. It's enough to send a person into hibernation. And yet...it's a photographer's dream! When the weather is a drama queen--a diva to put even Mariah Carey to shame--it's the best time to seize the camera and get out there.

Although I often post-process my photographs (one of the things I'll be teaching in my upcoming photography e-course), the colors in the photo above are unaltered. It was the combination of thick morning fog and a gray sky that gave the ruby red leaves their super-saturated glow. And those shapes! I loved how the tiny leaves of the Barberry bush acted like little spoons for the droplets.

On a sunny day, you simply cannot get a view of a magical world turned upside-down inside a raindrop...

This snapshot of a tree reflected in a raindrop reminded me of a snowglobe. It was one of those happy accidents, discovering the inverted image of the tree inside the raindrop as I was clicking away.

Aside from experiencing winter through a camera lens (that's #1 on my list for finding beauty in beastly weather), here are four other ways to enjoy the season:

Experience winter through the words of a poet. I've always loved Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Seek out more poems about winter (like Winter-Time by Robert Louis Stevenson), or put your own poetic impressions to paper.

Experience winter through music. If you celebrate Christmas, carols are the obvious answer "when the weather outside is frightful." And it's hard to be a grump listening to The Nutcracker Suite or Vivaldi's Winter overture from The Four Seasons, this one set to a montage of famous winter paintings.

Experience winter by reading novels set in the season. Here's a fine list of books with a winter setting, although my first recommendation would be The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It contains one of my favorite winter scenes ever, when young Lucy pushes her way through the long fur coats in the wardrobe and is shocked to find the snowy wonderland of Narnia on the other side. Every time it seems like the whole wide world is glittering with ice crystals, my mind drifts back to Narnia.

Experience winter through the eyes of a child. Remember the excitement of a "snow day"? Children are bursting with positive energy in winter. Two mornings ago, after an ice storm during the night--each branch and every blade of grass encased in ice--my daughter ran to me squealing, "Mommy, the whole world is in disguise!" On snowy days, the first things that kids think of are snowmen, snow angels, snow igloos, and snowball fights. Why should there be an age limit attached to any of those things?

So, embrace the season as a child would, or try to see it through an artist's eyes and be inspired to create something beautiful out of it--anything from a snowman to a poem, a wintery song to a photograph of a bright red cardinal in the stark branches, with the backdrop of the crisp, white snow.

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Your turn: What's your favorite winter poem, song, novel, or painting? Please share in the Comments section below. If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

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SPECIAL NOTE: Some of the photographs featured in this post are available for sale as high-quality framed or unframed art prints in my web shop at Society6.com/JoyfullyGreen. I hope you'll visit it and treat yourself or somebody you love to a pretty picture! (Added perk: It also keeps this blog advertising-free.)

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Posted at 08:30 PM in Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: Barberry bush, famous winter paintings, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, The Lion, The Nutcracker Suite, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Winter-Time by Robert Louis Stevenson

12/03/2013

Overcoming SAD in the Gray Days of Winter

{Sigh} The incredibly vibrant and multi-colored leaves of autumn are gone, which is especially jarring here in the Northeast, where this year's fall foliage was particularly spectacular. Pretty much all of the leaves have fallen from the branches; now, only the brown, dried-out, and crinkled ones linger. Is it any wonder that Seasonal Affective Disorder has the acronym "SAD"? My least favorite weather is gray. Providing I'm not driving, I'd rather have rain, snow, sleet, and even hail, all of which lend a certain drama and interest to the day. But gray? Just no. However, this blog is not called "Joylessly Gray." So, here's a list of what I'm doing to keep my spirits up until the snow arrives. I think most of the following things are not as much fun to do when the weather is sunny, summery, and gorgeous, so why not take advantage of these timely pleasures now?

Curl up under a warm throw in a cozy corner with a good book. Need ideas for a good read? I'm always ripe with suggestions, so here are three of my all-time (and very different) favorites: Waiting by Ha Jin; Roman Fever and Other Stories by Edith Wharton; and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend.

Take extended cuddling breaks with a velvety-eared dog. Don't have a pet? Now might be a good time to open up your heart and home to a furry friend from a local shelter. (Try Petfinder.com for starters.) Is a pet a lot of work? Yep. Is it worth it? YEP!!!

Make homemade bread, a hearty soup, mulled cider, cookies--anything that will fill the house with a scrumptious and irresistible scent. (And the more helping hands in the kitchen, the merrier!)

Schedule time with friends. Don't just shop for them, be with them!
Hit the theaters. There's something so delightful about sitting in a warm, cozy, crowded theater when it's blustery and bleak outside.
Seek out the fireplaces. If you don't have a fireplace of your own, visit a restaurant, pub, hotel, or even a library that has a crackling fire and nestle beside it. (The public libraries in Chester, NJ and Mendham, NJ both have lovely fireplaces. Yet another reason to love the library!)
Appreciate the stark beauty of the bare branches--the delicate articulation of the limbs, each branch reaching for its own view of the sun.
Read Fletcher and the Falling Leaves to the kids, a heart-melting reminder that although we've lost the leaves, the glittering snowflakes aren't far off.

Here's to making it beyond "the gray times" by creating happiness, warmth, and hopefulness within.

Your turn: Do the gray days of winter affect you? What are you doing to ward off the wintertime blues and raise your spirits this season? Please share in the Comments section below. If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

For high-quality photographic prints from this blog (framed or unframed), please visit my web shop at Society6.com/JoyfullyGreen.

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Posted at 08:54 PM in Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: Edith Wharton, fall foliage in the Northeast, Ha Jin, homemade bread recipe, Roman Fever, S.A.D., Seasonal Affective Disorder, Waiting

11/26/2013

In the Season of Giving, a Giveaway!

With Thanksgiving just two days away as I write this, I think it's appropriate for me to give thanks to you for reading Joyfully Green and to let you know how much I appreciate your kind support, encouraging comments, and in many cases, your friendship. I've gotten to "know" many of you through this blog, which is a lovely fringe benefit of blogging that I never expected. (Whoever said the internet is a cold and unfriendly place obviously never traveled to this warm and cozy corner of it!)

I also want to thank you for guiding this blog in a new direction: nature and wildlife photography. The overwhelming majority of the feedback I receive (so sweet--you're such a friendly bunch!) is about my photographs, so you've literally guided me to the next steps. Specifically, this week, I'm launching my own shop of photographic art prints (framed and unframed) on Society6, a company that produces and mails out the prints for me (which is quite a bonus for me, as I have an almost allergic reaction to waiting in line at the post office!).

To kick off this launch, I'm giving away one unframed photographic print, and I'd love for it to go to YOU! (Yes, YOU!) To enter, take a look at the 30 choices of prints in my Society6 shop (make sure you check out both pages for the choices), linked below, and let me know in the Comments section below the title of your favorite one. If you're the winner (picked via Random.org, a random number generator), that's the print I'll have Society6 send to you. Sound like a good deal? Okay, then, have a peek at your choices and make your pick before this Monday, December 2, when I'll pick a random winner at 12:00 noon EST. One entry per person, please.

In the spirit of sharing, I hope you'll pass on this link to your own friends and family--in case they want to enter the giveaway, or are panicking for holiday gift ideas, or are just looking for a pretty picture (or two, or three!) to adorn their walls. (Please note that stretched canvases are not available for my work, despite Society6 telling you that they are--it's a glitch in their system. I'm selling framed and unframed art prints only.)

Good luck--and have a delicious and joyful Thanksgiving!

http://society6.com/JoyfullyGreen

(If the link isn't clickable here, please copy and enter it in your browser.)

P.S. Early in the new year, I'll be offering an online photography course, so you can learn how to take lovely photos of your own (even if you can't shoot straight!)--but more on that another time!

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Your turn: Enter the title of your favorite photo from the Society6 link above for your chance to win it! CONTEST NOW CLOSED: The winner is Katie--congratulations! Thanks, all, for your sweet comments on the photographs.

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Posted at 08:42 AM in Nature & Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: holiday gift ideas, holiday giveaway, nature and wildlife photography, Society6

11/12/2013

Embracing the In-Between Season

We awoke this morning to the first real flurries of fall-into-winter time, the children wishing the flakes were bigger and icier to bring on a Snow Day, a respite from school (no such luck!). There was a thin coating of powdered sugar on all the rooftops, crunchy crystals on the fallen leaves, a stillness in the air that comes only on certain gray days when winter is slyly peeking around the corner. But within a couple of hours, not a trace of white flakes--all melted, despite the chill. We are perched right on that crisp, familiar edge between the seasons. For me, the true excitement in life is all about the edges, the new territories we enter, the things we leave behind to make room for growth.

This blog is right on the cusp of new things as well. When I began Joyfully Green in July 2012 (has it really been that long?!), I was writing it as a "green blog." Rather organically (pun intended), it has altered its course. Why? Without a doubt, the thing I hear about first and foremost (in the comments section and in "real life") is the photography. And perhaps not coincidentally, that's the part of blogging I now enjoy the most--finding the "perfect picture" to bring to a post. Yesterday, I was invited by a fellow blogger/new friend in Austria to be a part of her upcoming e-book on iPhone photography. Seven out of the ten posts at the bottom of this page are about photographing nature. More and more, I'm finding my footing and hitting my stride among photographers--mostly people I've never met "in real life"--because we share the same favorite space: behind a lens, looking out into the world.

Is this still a "green blog"? At its heart, yes. I follow the school of Richard Louv, who believes that in order to encourage people to "save the world", first you've got to give them an appreciation of nature. They need to see (and love) what there is to protect (or lose). So, although I will be concentrating mainly on nature and wildlife photography, there still will be the occasional post on purely "green" topics of conservation, minimalism, non-consumerism, unplugging, simplifying, and substituting more eco-friendly options into our homes and lives. Too often, unfortunately, I think "being green" in these times has a political fight written all over it, and this is not a political blog. Yet I hope everyone can agree that there is heart-stopping, skin-tingling beauty to be found out-of-doors, if we care enough to look for it.

A few posts ago, I said there would be some big photography news ahead. This isn't it. But you will hear it soon here, I promise! For now, since you know my course is veering a bit and I'm entering a new territory of what this blog will focus on (quite literally), I hope you will welcome the changes and join me for the journey ahead. Because I'm so grateful that you're here with me, right now.

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Your turn: What photography sites and blogs do you enjoy? If you are reading this post via email subscription or mobile device and would like to leave a comment (please do!), click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com from a computer to see the comments and leave one of your own. (Don't forget to click the box for subscribing to comments so you can follow the conversation.)

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