"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

January

 

Let me start by sending all of you warm wishes that this finds you with sunshine and a warm cozy place during these cold January days.  While many of you have been under a thick blanket of snow and ice, 
we have had just a light dusting of frozen ice from our first hard freeze a few weeks back.  It sparkled in the sunshine as if diamonds had been scattered across the grounds. 
We remained dry but did experience temperatures that were down to 7 at night and only up to 22 in the day.  I am so thankful that our power company did not turn off the power as they had done to us in 2021.  
So we remained in our house on the harsh, windy , cold days, and embraced the sun when it came out to shine. 
How can I complain when I have a pink cotton candy cloud sky?
or
a moon just rising in a pink/blue late afternoon sky?
In the corner of the yard, a tough , determined sunflower bloomed.....in January!
A lone coyote has been coming up to the yard to drink from the icy water container as it goes along
hoping to find something to eat. It's coat looks so soft and silky in the sun.
In that same water, a little wild bird enjoys it's bath
and then sits for awhile to enjoy the sunny day. 
As most of you know, I love these "pincushion" devils claw cactus that I have dug up from the woods and planted into a dry garden. Some I plant into containers.  They are all doing well 
and I am thrilled to discover that there are many little cactus now growing in the same garden.
I have some plans for making some more dry garden spaces and for making some prettier flower gardens this year.  I hope this finds that you are thawing out if you have been under snow and that maybe some sunshine has come into your day. 
Wishing you all warm and pleasant days ahead!



















13 comments:

Julia said...

You sure are having a very mild winter that cacti are growing and a sunflower is blooming in January. We've had a mild winter with some very cold spells but we have very little snow so far. Today is -4 C. or 24.8 F. Pretty mild by our standard.

Lately, we have had cayotes coming around and they are pretty bold to come near the barn in the daytime. We have raccoons and foxes who are very bold too. They killed a lot of our farm cats.

I love your positive attitude in seeing beauty in everything.
Thanks for leaving a comment on my much-neglected blog. Wishing all the best for 2024.

Take care, hugs.
Julia

Nancy J said...

Sparkling frost, beautiful, and bonus plants are always so welcome. Hope you keep warm, as at long last we have a cooler day starting at 16C, after scorching up to 34C in the verandah. I have no idea how the tennis players manage .Meantime you will be enjoying longer daylight hours, slowly we are creeping darker in the mornings.

Granny Marigold said...

The coyote looks in good condition considering it is January. We rarely see any here and when we do they look skinny. That little sunflower is amazingly determined to grow. I'm excited to think of Spring and like you I have ideas of things I want to do. If only the energy allows 💚 GM

Marie Smith said...

The only coyote I have seen up close looked scrawny. Yours looks healthy and has a beautiful coat. Your January weather is mild compared to ours. Lovely.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

Kathleen, I love your diamond frosted grounds, your marshmallow fluffy clouds and colorful skies. I even am enamored of your spiky little cactus! Thank you for sharing your world through your wonderful photos!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Kathleen, sending you best wishes for a wonderful 2024, and it was indeed nice to find this post to start off a new year. Glad you weather has been "mild" compared to some places, also that the power stayed on. We are having a bit of light snow today, but temps are in the mid 30s so it will not last long. That coyote looks like a beautiful animal, but I know what havoc they can wreck to those with live animals, like chickens. Hope it only takes a drink and does not attack any critters near your home.

rebya said...

We are coming to this area soon.

Lady Locust said...

Your pictures are always so gorgeous. We've had our fair share of snow which is just trying to melt in spots. I told a friend in ND last winter, your eyes get hungry for color. She agreed 100%. Thank you for that morsel of color.

Prims By The Water said...

That is a beautiful cotton candy sky for sure. We were in the deep freeze for a bit too. So glad you did lose power. Janice

Bonnie K said...

The cloud picture is my favorite. It is so peaceful. Great coyote and bird bath photo. Good luck with your cacti. Their blooms are beautiful.

Debra said...

The coyote photo is fantastic. Do you think you'll get another dog? I sure miss my Sam goose. It is hard for a long time after a loved pet departs. I'm so glad you like the painting I did of Sophie....

The Wykeham Observer said...

Beautiful coyote. Thanks for the good post, as usual. Phil

Faith said...

I do love a sunrise & sunset, clouds are my personal favorite. No two alike, and will never be seen again. as for sunrise/sunset. I love watching clouds and those first in the morning with the sunrise are a double header for sure.