Signs of Spring

It seems that everywhere I look these days people are writing about, photographing, or talking about Spring, at least if you live in the Northern Hemisphere anyway.  Spring and Summer are my two favorite seasons.  I love being able to throw open the windows, catch lightning bugs, walk barefoot through the grass, or simply sit outside and enjoy the chirping of crickets or the croaking frogs.

Each year, while other people are enjoying winter sports such as ice skating and skiing, I'm surfing the net or the horizon for any sign of springtime and warm weather.  I've always been a warm weather kind of person, the hotter the better.  I don't mind humidity, hot pavement, or having my electric bill go sky high because of  the need to run the air conditioner full blast.

This past weekend was our first real taste of the warm weather to come.  It was nearly 75 degrees with clear sunny skies, and I was loving every minute of it.  I threw open windows in every room of the house, cranked open the sunroof on my car, and put on a short sleeve shirt.   This is my kind of weather, when everything that's been sleepy and hibernating are raring and ready to go again!

I decided to make hay while the sun was shining and went outside to take a few pictures.  Because I know that if there is one thing you can count on about Maryland weather, it's that those first few warms days will not last for long.  The cold winds and rain of springtime will come rushing back, just when you thought it was safe to pack up all of your sweaters and galoshes.  Today it poured down rain and we had thunder and lightning to go along with the wind and water.  So I'm glad I enjoyed the sunshine and took advantage of the picture taking opportunity when I could.

Where we live now the seasons aren't marked so much by the weather or what is in bloom, but more so by what wildlife is here on the property.  The arrival of Canada Geese marks the arrival of Fall each year, the swans mean that Winter is in full swing, and the return of the Osprey is a sure sign that springtime is upon us.

Each year when the osprey return I have mixed feelings.  On the one hand I'm happy to see any sign of spring, but on the other hand I know it means they will be staking their claim to the big dead tree in our backyard.  It's their nest that rests way up high in the branches of the huge old dead tree and so they quickly invite the eagles to find other perches to fish from until the osprey leave in October.  Although the eagles are much larger birds of prey, they are woefully outnumbered by the very pushy osprey and quickly move on to avoid the aggravation.  There have already been a few sparing matches the last few days between these two majestic species, but in the end numbers win out and the eagles move on.

I also saw these on the creek this weekend, another sure sign that warmer weather is on it's way!

While I was out enjoying the weather, I decided to try some of the settings on my camera.  Ever since I've been taking pictures for my blog, I have this strong desire to really play around with my camera and the myriad of settings you can use.  I'm sure to the trained professional's eye these are really bad photos, but even Ansel Adams had to start somewhere!

I may not know anything about shutter speeds or apertures but I do know that I see the world through different eyes now that I've started becoming more interested in photography.

Simple things like an old dead tree

With thousands of woodpecker holes

Or gnarled bark have become art for me.

And grass, sprouting through an old chunk of brick

Part of someone else's pier which has washed ashore

Or the old rusted hinge on a bird feeder have all become things of beauty in my eyes.

Maybe it's just that I'm aging, slowing down ever so gradually and taking the time to savor all that is around me and the changing seasons of my own life in relation to the changing seasons of nature.  Whatever the cause, I'm enjoying the affect.  If it means I can embrace all the beauty that surrounds me, even in the smallest and simplest of things, I like it.  Amidst the chaos of our lives, I hope each of you are able to stop, for just a moment wherever you are right now, to enjoy the simple beauty that surrounds you.

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It's time for Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer.