Monday, February 18, 2008

Beyond the Sadness-Life Goes on in the Woods!

The pond just before daylight!
Early this morning, as I sat at my laptop by the window, looking out on the pond, I decided to take a picture of it. Although it turned out too dark, you can see the water starting to get illuminated by almost rising sun, giving the pond a mysterious, enchanted look.

After sunrise, wild turkeys in the field!
Just a little later, but still quite early, I was pleased to see eleven wild turkeys in the field. Often, there are even more of them. Of course, the chopped corn I put out for them is why they were here. Not long ago I counted a flock of 25. I took this photo from the deck, since the wild turkeys, unlike the deer around here, are very wary, and take off quickly, if approached. But I always enjoy seeing them, even from the distance. Soon, the females will be nesting and sometimes in April, will bring their young ones to the pond, for their first drink!


And look what was hiding in the squirrel feeder, below?

Sunday morning, I was surprised to see this opossum taking refuge in the squirrel feeder, in the back. I am guessing from the looks of this possum, that it's a young female, and she obviously had an unpleasant encounter earlier. Her ear is a bit bloody. But she seemed fine otherwise, and later, when she felt she was safe, she came down and ambled off for her home in the woods. She was back, later that night, and I rewarded her with a hot dog! What can I say? I am incorrigible, when it comes to animals, but I am too old to change my ways now.


Beyond the sadness of the last few days, life goes on in the woods. And there is some solace in that.

51 comments:

Michele said...

Oh, the pond does look enchanting, Renie! Great job!

I love the turkey, too. And, the opossum is just a darling! That's a neat photo you got of him/her!

You always share the most wonderful posts!

Happy critter watching!

Smiles,
Michele

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Michele,

Thank you, my friend. You always leave an encouraging comment.

How have you been? I hope well.

Fondly,

Renie

Unknown said...

Yes, I've been well. Thanks for your comment at my blog. It's so exciting! I'll be posting soon about which books I ordered. But... now I have to wait for them to arrive! Argh. Instead of the writer's life, we should just say: the waiting life. :-)

Smiles,
Michele

P.S. Hope you're cheered up a little. Still praying for your friend, Anne.

Renie Burghardt said...

Oh, thanks so much, Deborah! :-)

I'm glad you won and are waiting for the books.

Anne said her dad looked peaceful. He went peacefully, which is a blessing, but of course, she misses him terribly. It will take a little while, but you know, with her husband Allen's help, and her daughter and grandchildren's love, she will be okay. I'm still praying for her, too.

Have a great evening!

Renie

Michele said...

Argh! Mom checked her email and I forgot to switch over. :-)

*Giggles*

Smiles,
Michele

Mary said...

Renie,

The pond is beautiful in the early morning light.

Wild turkeys are something we don't see here very often anymore, but there is a hunting season. They stay very much to themselves in the wooded areas.

The opposum is an example of the heirachy of the animal world. I imagine that another opposum let her know the pecking order. We have opposums here now and we had one living behind our garden shed. However, they are not native to this area. Seems they hopped aboard trucks to get here from the South. Amazing.

Please let Anne know I am praying for her.

Blessings,
Mary

Mary said...

PS, Of course you may say my husband is handsome. I'm glad that you enjoyed the photos of Animal Kingdom. You'd love it there.

2 LMZ FARMS said...

Loved the photos. So sorry to hear about your friend's dad passing away. Will keep her and hers in my prayers. Hope you and yours have a blessed day.
Laura

Karen H. said...

Good Evening Ms. Renie,
Oh my, the pond is beautiful even if it is still dark. Looks so enchanting. Wow, that is alot of Turkey's there. You sure are lucky to have all the wild animals come that close to you. You do take some beautiful pictures and I love looking at the ones you share with us. Makes me want to come up there for a visit. The opposum looks a bit frightened and I see the blood on her ear. That was so sweet of your to feed her. I know she appreciated it. I heard on the weather tonight that we might have some Wintry precipitation on Wednesday. Hmmmm, I left Ryan a comment and asked him if he was going to put up the milk and bread barometer. LOL. I have been re-doing my blog, so if you come over for a visit and it's not like it was, don't panic. It's my new look. Mary made the header for me. I think it's so beautiful. I am working on a page just for my Awards, but haven't quite mastered that yet. LOL. Maybe I will soon. Take care my friend and have a great evening. May God Bless You and Yours.

Love & Hugs,
Karen H.

Mississippi Songbird said...

Beautiful pictures.. and I will continue to keep your friend in my prayers....Have a nice week..

Karen H. said...

Good Morning Ms. Renie,
I'm back again earlier than normal. I haven't been asleep yet and I don't know why I can't sleep. I haven't had any caffeine. I will get tired after while and take me a nap. Just wanted to let you know that when you had time, to please drop by. I have something for you on my today's post. They are saying we might get some freezing rain sometime on Wednesday. It will probably go up your way instead of down here. Take care my friend and have a great day. I hope you are feeling better today. May God Bless You and Yours.

Love & Hugs,
Karen H.

Merle said...

Dear Renie ~~ Your photos are lovely. So nice for you to have the wild life so close and you have a very kind heart feeding them. As you say, life goes on. I hope your friend is feeling better and it was good her Dad had a peaceful death.
Thank you for your comments on my blog and I am glad you enjoy the jokes etc. Our Australian Rules football is different to any other.
We have high Marking (catching the ball) The ball is oval shaped and we score Goals and behinds - 6 pts or 1 point. There is a lot of hand passing the ball to team mates and also long kicking. Take good care of yourself my friend, Love, Merle.

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Mary,

I have passed on your kind condolances to Anne. She appreciates the, very much, and all the prayers as well.

Loved the pictures of your trip. I have been to Florida often, but never went to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Yes, you are right, opossums do have a pecking order. I saw several out there last night.

Thank you for visiting. I hope your weather has improved.

Love and Hugs,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Stephanie,

Thank you for stopping by and the nice comment. Have a great week as well. We may have some more winter weather coming in. I hope spring is making advances into your corner of our planet.

Hugs,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Laura,

It's always so nice to hear from you. Have a wonderful day today.

Blessings,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Good morning, Karen,

I didn't get back here last night, as my son is here for a couple of days. He is leaving later today, as we do have some frozen precipitation in the forecast, and he has a long drive. But today will be a nice, sunny day, so we'll be out and about for a while.
I can't wait to see your new look. And I've been thinking of putting up and awards page as well.

Thank you for coming by, my friend. Have a wonderful day, and say a little prayer for us, so the ice misses us. Ice is something I really dread!

Blessings and Love,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Dear Merle,

Yes, I do enjoy the wildlife around here.

Your Australian football sounds somewhat like our football. I thought maybe it was more like soccer, but it's not, from your explanation.

Always a pleasure to have you visiting, my friend. Have a wonderful day.

Love,

Renie

Nonnas News said...

What a cute picture of the opossum! You have all kinds of wonderful neighbors there in the woods! LOL

Drop by my blog when you have time, I have an award for you!

Tina Coruth said...

Renie,

I love this post and photos! What a beautiful window on wildlife you have. I'm glad the opposum was okay. I know what you mean about feeding the wildlife - I can't help myself, either!

By the way, I finally made a post about the total lunar eclipse that is to take place the night of Feb 20. I guess I cut it a little close. :-( I hope the info is still helpful!

Love & hugs,
Tina

Glo said...

Bless you. I love all who are as soft hearted as me. They showed some pictures on T.V. last night of how the poor cows were treated...I know they are going to slautter...but no animal should be treated like that...I cried.
When I was a kid I took in every stray that came to town....Small town so we had alot. Not sorry I did,even if one of my dogs blessed us with 9 puppies.
Have a great day. I do enjoy all your pictures.

Glo said...

Bless you. I love all who are as soft hearted as me. They showed some pictures on T.V. last night of how the poor cows were treated...I know they are going to slautter...but no animal should be treated like that...I cried.
When I was a kid I took in every stray that came to town....Small town so we had alot. Not sorry I did,even if one of my dogs blessed us with 9 puppies.
Have a great day. I do enjoy all your pictures.

Patty said...

Dear Renie,
Hope this finds you feeling a lot better today. Sun is trying to shine here, but very cold, 17 above.

I wanted to ask, do you have internet like RoadRunner or DSL or do you have dial up? I wondered, since you seem to live out in the woods if you have access to something other then dial up. I know dial up takes forever when trying to get on the internet.

Want to also thank you for stopping by my place and leaving comments. Also hope your week will start turning around for you and you'll feel more cheerful again.
Hugs,
Patty

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Nonna,

Hi Nonna,

Thank you for the nice comment and visit. Another award? Why, thank you, Patti. I'll be over to pick it up soon.

Have a nice evening!

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Tina,

Thank you kindly for the nice comment. I love my window on wildlife! And oh the stories I could tell about all my encounters and adventures in the woods!

I have visited and read all about the Lunar Eclipse. Wish I could see it and take pictures, but Mother Nature will not cooperate tomorrow night, unfortunately. I was so looking forward to it, too. Oh, well, I'll come by and see your beautiful pictures of it.

Thank you for the visit, my friend. Have a great evening.

Hugs,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Glo,

I have always been a softy as well when it comes to animals. The cats and dogs I have now have been strays dumped off in the country, finding their way to my house, somehow.

I saw that in the news about the poor cows, too, and cried! We need to be kind and compassionate to everything that lives-people and animals. My dear Grandpa had that philosophy, and I guess it rubbed off on me.

Thank you for visiting, my friend. Hope you're not getting the weather we're to get starting tomorrow night!

Hugs,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Dear Patty,

I feel much better today. For one thing, my son was here for 2 days, and his visits always make me feel good. I am so fortunate to have him living close enough to come and spend time with me more often, and do many of the things around here I can't do anymore.

We had a nice day today, sunny and 45, but a mixed bag of wintry precipitation is in the forecast starting tomorrow night and for the following 3 days. The freezing rain is what scares me the most! Hopefully, it won't be too bad.

Patty, I do still have dial-up! My ISP says I'll be able to get broadband very soon. I live 10 miles out of town, and very much in the sticks, which I love, but would also love to have High Speed Internet! Yes, dial-up is slow! Sometimes, so slow, that I give up on visiting for the time being, and go back and try again another time, when I have more time!

I always enjoy your blog! It's a pleasure to visit. Thank you for visiting me, my friend. Have a wonderful evening!

Hugs,

Renie

Unknown said...

Oh how I miss having such wonderful wildlife coming on in where I used to sit for hours at a time just watching from a safe distance when I used to lived in away from the city life.

Now every once a while I get the pleasures of seeing some city wild life instead from Racoons to Red tail hawks.

Enjoy your blog very much. Thank you.

Karen H. said...

Good Morning Ms. Renie,
Well, I'm here about on time for our morning coffee. I have my first cup and it sure taste's good. It's not quite as cold here yet. It's 43 degrees right now. I'm watching KAIT8 and I see where yall are under a Winter Weather Advisory already. They are still calling for freezing rain tonight and tomorrow for here. I just hope it doesn't get too bad. I hope you are well stocked on everything you need just in case it does get bad. Our local grocery store is just right across the highway here from us, so if we have to walk and get something, we don't have far at all to walk. Hope you are feeling better again today. Take care my friend and have a great day. May God Bless You and Yours. "THANKS" for the coffee this morning.

Love & Hugs,
Karen H.

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Rosy,

Thank you for visiting and the nice comment. Hope you visit again.

I hope you are feeling better today!

Best wishes,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Good morning, Karen,

We are under a winter weather advisory, but nothing is happenning so far. I think it is to begin tonight, and continue on for a couple of days. Hopefully, it won't be too bad. Better days are coming over the weekend, though.

Thank you for coming by. Coffee sure tastes delicious, doesn't it? Have a wonderful day!

Love and Hugs,

Renie

Margaret said...

Lovely Photos, Very sorry to hear about your friend,
Cheers Margaret

Merle said...

Hi again dear Renie ~~ Thank you for your kind comments. Glad you enjoyed
the Blessings Prayer and th ejokes. The children's answers were very funny. The one about Monotomy could be right in many cases. Take care,
my friend, Love, Merle.

Talk..to..Grams said...

Hi, Kelly hooked up the keyboard for me before she left for work and I'm out visiting my friends!! Karen took the laptop to be fixed yesterday and I will be so glad when we get it back!! Love and Hugs Grams

Unknown said...

My first visit to your blog and I am impressed and inspired.

I will visit again soon.

Be well.

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Margaret,

Welcome! So nice to see you here. I hope you visit again.

Best wishes,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Dear Merle,

Always nice to see your smiling face, my friend. Have a wonderful day!

Love,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Grams!

Good to see you again. I'm glad Kelly hooked up your keyboard, so you can visit your friends again. We missed you!

Blessings,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hello David,

Thank you kindly for the nice words and visit. Please visit again, soon.

Best wishes,

Renie

Hope said...

Hi Renie,
It's so good that God gives us little things to be happy about even in the midst of sadness. Still praying for Anne, that she will find comfort in her memories.

I have lived in and around woods most of my life and I've never seen a wild turkey. Can you believe that? I've heard them many times though. Now I have seen a possum (as we call them here).

I love the sunlight on your pond and your critter pictures!

Hugs,
Hope

Deborah Wilson said...

Possums are scary looking! lol

Karen H. said...

Good Morning Ms. Renie,
I'm late in visiting this morning because I had trouble with my internet and I had to call the Cable Help Desk and they had to reset my Modem. Hope you have some coffee ready. It is 27 degrees with a windchill of 14 degrees here this morning. We got a little freezing rain overnight, but nothing major. The School here hasn't been closed yet. Please pray that my DH will be able to make it home today. I talked to him around 5:25a.m. and he was about 30 miles from Topeka, KS. He will be coming down thru Kansas City and Springfield and then down thru West Plains on to home. I don't know how the roads are up that way, but hopefully he won't have to shut down and can make it home today. I hope yall didn't get much Ice up your way. We are still under a Freezing Rain Advisory until noon today. Take care my friend and have a great day. STAY INSIDE and stay warm. May God Bless You and Yours.

Love & Hugs,
Karen H.
"THANKS" for the coffee again this morning. It's always good to enjoy a cup with you.

Renie Burghardt said...

Ho Hope,

I think possums are just about everywhere. I do enjoy having the animals around. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

Renie







Deborah,

Possums aren't too scary looking, but they are one of the homelier creatures for sure. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Good morning, Karen,

Have had a busy morning here, and just got on here. We've only had a little sleet so far, but freezing rain is still in the forecast for today and tomorrow, so we'll see. But the schools are closed around here. I have already been out and filled the feeders, and had no problems.

Oh, I pray that your DH makes it home safely today! And I'm glad you have your Internet back. We sure miss it, when we can't get on, don't we? LOL.

Have a good day. I'll be over to visit a little later. Thank you for stopping over. Coffee tastes good on a frigid morning, doesn't it?

Take care and God bless!

Love and Hugs,

Renie

Jmkdreak said...

Nice post and pictures as usual!
The opposum is actually cute, lol.
Glad you're feeling a little better.
Enjoy the day and stay off the crunchy stuff.

xoxox

Renie Burghardt said...

Thanks, sweetie!

xox

Tina Coruth said...

Renie,

I just wanted to let you know that I just posted my photos. Since I couldn't use my telescope, they are not as close-up as my October 2004 photos were. But I'm just happy I got to take some because this was a prettier eclipse!

I'm sorry the clouds rolled in on your sky. I look forward to seeing your photos!

Hugs,
Tina

Mississippi Songbird said...

Just checking in. I hope all is well, Ms Renie.. Take care and bunches of hugs!

Renie Burghardt said...

Tina,

Your pictures are beautiful! Very professional looking, unlike mine. But I did enjoy seeing the eclipse. As you said, it was quite beautiful!

Thank you for letting me know, so I could take a peek. I'm hesistant to post mine now, as they are not very good.

Have a great evening.

Hugs,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Stephanie,

It's always nice to see you here! Thank for for your return visit. You are a dear. Besides the sleet and freezing rain today, I am doing well. I hope you are, too.

Big Hugs,

Renie

audrey` said...

(((HUGS))) Renie.

The pond is very lovely.
The animals are so cute.

Renie Burghardt said...

Thank you, dear Audrey!

Hugs,

Renie