Blossoms Bursting in the Forest

If you were walking in a Northern Michigan forest right now, this is what you would see along the trails. Maple blossoms have begun bursting open, deep red in color, a relief from the barren branches a resident stares at from late October until late April. That's a long time not to have the beauty of green leafage or blossoms surrounding you. But it makes for great rejoicing when spring gears up and life sprouts again from the branches and from the soil.

These bright maple flowers remind me of how hope comes to a person who is destitute but has begun to have a flicker of thought that life may once more go his way. Soon that hope begins building and sweeps across his consciousness, opening doors that were closed for so long, enriching that person's life. Soon that person's life is full, so full that the time of barrenness disappears from his thoughts and he lives again. :D Click on the image for the full effect of the photo.

On another note, I have great news. I'll have my Canon camera soon and will have more freedom to take photos. I've been on a 3 mega pixel digital that can't get closer than three feet. WOOT for the fun I'll have soon. :D

Hugs, JJ

The Baby Birch Tree Grows Up

One of the many delights I have in watching the woods mature is seeing the white birch bark emerge on a birch after several years of dark sapling growth. It's as if the birch is saying, I'm finally here! The maroon bark sheds away from the tree and flies away in the wind, but while it's attached to the tree, sunlight glows through the rich, deep color, adding to the beauty of this event. I love communing with nature and celebrating the changing forest. In autumn the white birch bark will glow in the sun while the golden leaves will crown it with glory. But I'm not hurrying that season. LOL

I thought this was a great photo to announce that I have emerged and have my first publishing deal. :D WOOT!!! I'm building a new website and will provide the link soon. Just wanted you to know that dreams do come true. Follow your passions and your heart and life will take you on a grand adventure.

Martha from Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers has given me the E for Excellence Award. Thank you, Martha! She has a great blog for those who are learning to write fiction. :D Check her guidance out. I pass this award on to all those who want it because I have waaay more than 10 viewers who have sensational blogs. I looove visiting all of them.

Hugs, JJ

Enjoying Nature with Hubby

Isn't it fantastic when you and your spouse enjoy the same things! This photo shows Jeff on our nature walk and his playful smile reminds me how special my marriage is to me. Our nature walks have brought us closer together than ever as we experience God's marvelous Creation.

It's easy to plunk down on the couch and switch on the TV by remote control...at times we can't find the remote and don't know how to turn the TV on. LOL It's easy to find activities where you aren't interacting with your spouse at all but rather absorbed in what's happening on the TV or computer monitor. It's easy to start blocking each other out.

Jeff's having fun in this photo- pulling the evergreen branch in front of his face - tells me he needs these nature walks, and I know my heart needs to see him happy like this. It's great we both love nature so much and can share our delight in it. And best of all, nature is free from electric so you aren't paying for anything while you're having a great time. :D

Enjoy the outdoors!!!

Fruitu commented:

"nice picture and a beautiful smile, for people who live in harmony, even spending time silently with each other is bliss and it means a lot."

:D Thank you, Fruitu.

Hugs, JJ

Creek Art

It was a perfect spring day. The grouse were drumming, their wings thumping the balmy air, the fish were jumping, splashing and showing their sleek forms in the tannin water, the birds were building nests all around us, and the sun's rays were creating creek art that took our breath away when we discovered it.

First, I saw the highlighted balsam fir branches and I said, "Over this way, Jeff." Then I saw the wine and tannin colored water at the creek bank that reached out to the glimmering ripples of the spring melt off. I snapped several photos and am happy to have different angles of this scene. It was spectacular, as if we had stepped into a magical forest. Beyond earthly.

God has blessed me in many ways. I thank him for the gifts around me and for having a camera. It's a highlight of my life discovering scenes to photograph. And the companionship I share with Jeff on the nature trails keeps our marriage happy and our hearts light. :D What more could I want?

Have a super Monday!!!

Hugs, JJ

Sass on a Roll LOL

Would someone distract my Mommy so she won't follow me around with a wet paper towel after I roll around in the dried grass!

It's that time of year when our cats discover they can clean their coats in the dried grasses that cover the ground. I can see cat trails after they enter the house. I caught Sassy in the act and had a forewarning. LOL She was having a time of it, moved to several different spots, mewed and rolled and rolled.

Sassy is a lovable cat. She leaps onto the bed at night to lie on my chest while she mews the hour away, looking into my eyes with endearment every time I open them to take a peek at her. I let her stay on my chest and pet her until my lungs need air. She's one heavy cat. On the flip side, she's the most jealous of my pets for my attention. I wish she would keep her loving manner all of the time.

On another topic, I have some great news. My mainstream rough draft manuscript is almost completed. YAY! I love this ms because I have written what I know about and that made the writing of it a total delight. It's a story about living in the woods. :D

Have a super day!

Note: I know parts of the internet were down yesterday. I hope it's up and running today.

Hugs, JJ

Young Author Contest and Jonathan Friesen, Author of JERK, CALIFORNIA

I am proud to announce a fantastic opportunity for young writers. Jonathan Friesen, an amazing author of the upcoming release JERK, CALIFORNIA is hosting a writer's contest:

2008 Reclaim the Name Writing Contest
For Teens & Young Adults
Inspired by the novel Jerk, California

If you have a talented young family member or know an imaginative, budding writer up to the age of 20, please pass Jonathan Friesen's contest information on to them. And blog about it if you have can.

Jonathan Friesen

• has been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. His mother and daughter also have TS. Tourette’s affects more than 200,000 Americans, most of them in the young-adult-age bracket.

• has fourteen years experience teaching public school, which provides him the opportunity to speak at school programs and assemblies on issues related to Tourette’s and ostracism.

• is a volunteer writer and member of the Tourette Syndrome Association, which consists of 35 United States chapters, and 300 more worldwide. TSA’s “It’s Not Just for Children Anymore” young-adult-newsletter reaches both teens and twenty-somethings.

• is an active member of the home-school movement. His association with the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators connects him to over two million home-schooled children nationwide.

• has acted as personal evaluator for more than 1,000 home educated young adults over the past five years.

• has developed a blog: http://www.jonathanfriesen.com.

• has received a provisional licensure to teach young adults with emotional/behavioral disorders, including TS and obsessive/compulsive disorder.

• is a member of the Minnesota Christian Writer’s Guild.

Please visit Jonathan Friesen's website to read about JERK, CALIFORNIA and even listen to an audio clip of the book read by him.

I applaud Jonathan for his success and for his caring about the younger generation. What a beautiful heart and soul this man has! This photo I snapped reminds me of the glow I sense coming from Jonathan Friesen. :D It'll just keep growing stronger. I look forward to watching his author career.

Hugs, JJ

A Time for Renewal

Yesterday I spent in a time of wonder and renewal appreciating the gifts God has given us. It was a time of observation. I enjoyed the glowing tree trunks in the sun and the bursting maple flowers, the brightening of the bird feathers as the fowl winged around, beginning their mating season. I drank in the splashing of the waves upon the shoreline of Lake Huron and rejoiced in the glistening boulders. I am experiencing a time of awakening and know that I have a new beginning before me.

The change began happening during the long winter months. And because of it, I am more aware of photography, of writing, of my relationship with my husband, and of my connection with others. I rejoice in my time here on Earth. I love life. I am reawakening after enduring harsh times, and the great thing is that I have the same physical problems I've had for years but I now accept them and choose to continue on, instead of worrying that life will take more from me that I cannot give.

The truth is I have been afraid life would take everything from me and I couldn't risk that chance of suffering anymore. So I withdrew into a protective shell. But by God's grace and the guiding love from others, I have seen I have a strong spirit and have spent time finding ways of communication that I can do without exhausting myself to the point of no return. I am ready to see what this new day brings. If nothing comes of it, I have a sharpened awareness that lightens my heart and I continue on in life...living...not just breathing.

Have you had a situation that has kept you in a shell? If so, have you worked your way past it?

Hugs, JJ

Words of Wisdom from Swahilya, one of my favorite bloggers:

"But those are the periods of incubation just like the yolk that grows into a chick in the confines of a shell!"

The Lovely Beach

Lake Huron's beautiful beach has revealed itself after a long winter's nap. How refreshing! But I'm noticing how wide the shoreline is this year. I wonder when the high level water cycle will come? It's been low for several years. At times like this people start wondering if the rumors are true about the possibility of Lake Huron's water being sold in the future. Here's a link that discusses water export.

How interesting that this shoreline always changes. When Jeff and I first moved to our location, the beach was all crunchy stones. as you can see in the photo, now we have a sandy shoreline to lounge on while we wiggle our toes in the warm grains and read a good book.

From this beach we see a lot of trolling boats fishing for salmon during the summer months, and we watch the tall masted ships and freighters travel by. Catching sight of a lighted freighter on the dark water is awesome. It makes one wonder what life aboard a ship is like when the bright lights twinkle back to the darkened shore.

Have a super Sunday!

Hugs, JJ

Beautiful Creek Reflections

I stood on the damp, bleached grass at the edge of this stream meditating one day and it took a while for me to see this beautiful reflection of the creek bank in the tannin, flowing water. But once I saw the shimmering inverted evergreen images, I couldn't take my eyes off them. They held me spellbound.

How beautiful! And I would have missed this sight if I had not stayed at the creek as long as I had.

How many great things am I missing in life because I am not taking the time to recognize them? This reflection reminded me of the gifts that may have been given to me that I may have passed by. In this instance, I was busy noticing the overflowing creek edges that have turned the surging water into a river, and I was busy listening to the spring roar as the water moved swiftly to Lake Huron. I was inhaling the cool vapors and filling my soul with nourishment. There was much to take in and treasure.

This spring I'm going to take more time to notice what is around me. Search for hidden art in the obvious. And search for a deeper understanding of who I am as I am doing it. I want to shimmer in other's eyes as this image does and live up to my full potential.

What's the last thing you saw that amazed you? Did it give you pause to think?

Hugs, JJ

Which Planet is This?

Can you guess which planet this shot is from?

Bob, from Blackholes and Astrostuff, has me dreaming of the Universe around us with his fantastic astronomy blog. Imagine my surprise when I found similar terrain of another planet on Earth. :D

This beach shot was taken last weekend as the ice retreated from the Lake Huron shoreline. It reminded me of the Handiwork that had gone into making the Universe. And this reaffirms my belief in the Creation.

I respect everyone's belief in how our world was formed, but the more I am out in nature, photographing her, musing over the patterns I see, the stronger my belief in the Creation becomes. I sense God's presence around me like a warm shall and always walk away with an uplifted spirit that makes me realize I am here on Earth for a reason. Everything is connected. We are all connected. God loves us. And this gives us the ability to love others.

Smiles are the light the world needs to begin the healing process. They are God's gift to us. How dreary the world would be without that sunshine.

I love the thought that everything has a connection. It fills me with a sense of peace.

Hugs, JJ

Note: NASA Galaxy Wallpaper.

Early Spring Sky Photo

The early spring sky enchants me as I watch it break through the remaining dark clouds that still can bear snow. Each day the sky becomes bluer, the clouds lighter and fluffier because they have dropped their weight and want to float around instead of lumber by.

The air has filled with bird music...I love the robin's song best... and migrating birds have begun returning. Yesterday Jeff and I saw a Great Blue Heron sitting on a tree limb, his silhouette dark in the setting sun. When he flew from the tree, his head and long neck dipped down, and then he soared to the creek where he can find his favorite tasty frogs and begin his stay on our land.

Jeff and I love communing with nature, watching every change that happens, listening to our world waking up around us. Breathing it all in, knowing the future holds promise.

Have a super day!!! May your tomorrows bring you the dreams you have not yet realized.

Hugs, JJ

Jeff Builds a Kayak

With spring here, Jeff has opened his shop again and has begun finishing the wooden sea kayak he is building. He is more than halfway done with gluing on the wooden strips. I snapped this photo when I went out to see how he was doing. I loved how the open door had light pouring in and was happy when I saw how this photo turned out.

Jeff has the promise of many great times of gliding through the Lake Huron and Lake Superior waters while he watches for wildlife. He prefers the quiet pureness of nature to the inhalation of gas fumes and loud motor sounds of a boat. So do I!!!

Jeff figures the kayak will cost him only two hundred dollars completed. Waaay cheaper than buying one. This is his first kayak woodworking adventure to figure out the bugs of building. After it's completed, he's going to build a tandem so I can go along for the ride and snap photos. Wish I could help paddle but carpal tunnel has snuffed that dream. How amazing Jeff thought of a way I can enjoy kayaking too! What a special husband he is. :D

Hugs, JJ...click on the photo for a better view. :D