Old Eagle Eye

Randy snapped this yesterday as we were heading back from the river; it's just a great shot.

Hellebores are blooming...can Spring be far behind?

Backyard Flowers

Within the last couple of weeks, the flowers have really started to pop. And they're beautiful. We never had (m)any iris on the farm when I was growing up - or at least I don't remember there being any. We had the staples that survived ND heat and wind...zinnias, marigolds and maybe a few geraniums. Mom always planted a few rows of flowers in our very large garden. The blooms looked so cheerful bobbing and weaving in the wind. There was also a row of lilac bushes and the scent was incredible. Luckily, we have one lilac tree in our yard here and I love snipping off the blooms to bring into the house.

When it's flower time, I always get the macro bug with the camera. I love getting really, really close just to see what I can get. Here are some of my favorites from this week. First, the clematis that grows on our backyard arbor.

The yellow iris started blooming last week.

The purple iris followed this week...they're just amazingly beautiful.

Of Jean, Charli and Frogs

Jean has been busy using - and getting used to - her new camera. She's still not sure if she's really sold on it but she's giving it a real workout. Since we take Charli down to the fetchin' fields almost every day, it's a great place for Jean to look for and shoot pictures of wildlife. She's been on the hunt for eagles, osprey, blue heron and ... tree frogs. Tree frogs are tiny...really tiny and very green. But they have really, really, really big voices. And they're not easy to find because they blend in with the grass. You have to be looking for them or you won't see one.

So, Jean's been looking.

And looking.

She's even got Charli looking.

There's Charli down by the slough...looking for frogs. Truthfully, Charli's not very good at looking for frogs. She'd rather just run around in the water then roll around in the grass. She is a dog, after all. Hey, Charli? What did you find, buddy? Then Jean spotted something across the slough so she braced her camera on an old post. Ready, set...just look at that concentration.Hey, where'd that bird go?

Just kidding...she knew where it was. Can you tell she just doesn't like having her picture taken?Okay, back to looking for frogs...

And lest you think she didn't find one (well, Randy found it but Jean did the photography), here's the elusive tree frog!

Great shots, Jean! (I posted these frog picture without her knowing. If she's okay with it, I'll post her amazing eagle shot and some hummingbird pictures another day.) Stayed tuned.