Life is Good!

This past Saturday morning as I looked out my window

I couldn't help but smile as one of our friendly squirrels

gorged itself on sunflower seeds at our bird feeders. After

eating its fill I guess it needed to rest abit and what better

place than the fence right near the feeders. After a brief

rest, it gorged a little more on sunflower seeds and rested

again in the same place. Life is good! Ha Ha!

Gray Squirrel  -  Sciurus carolinensis

Some time ago I found a cow skull on a walk in the

woods and brought it home. My daughter couldn't

believe it when I put it in the flower bed right next to

the bird feeders. Quite the tacky addition to the garden

she exclaimed with a bit of disgust in her voice, but

undaunted, I had other ideas in mind. She just happened

to be over when I caught ole lazy boy above rest abit from

sunflower seeds and then go to the skull and horns for a bit

of mineral in the form of calcium. Ahhh! The sweet taste

of educating the younguns about the ways of nature. She

didn't know that members of the rodent family which include

squirrels love to naw on skulls, horns and bones for the

calcium and other minerals that they lack in their diet.

After several more rounds of gnawing a bit of calcium,

rest awhile on the fence routine, ole bushy tail headed

for the trees and kicked back to watch the saturday

afternoon football games with his buddies. Ha Ha!

What a life! Plenty of food, free vitamens, nice safe

places to rest. Life is Good!

"You can't be friends with a squirrel! A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit."

   Sarah Jessica Parker(1965-      ): An American film, television and theater actress and producer

A Fawn in Cades Cove

There is just not much that is more innocent than a

new born fawn. I caught this one on the side of the

road in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains.

They are very curious critters and are always alert

with eyes, ears and nose. When not alarmed, their

curiosity of things around them is really amazing 

to watch.

"Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret."

Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882): American Essayist, Lecturer,  Poet

Just Singing a Song!

Caught this shot of a male Red Winged Blackbird perched on the flower stalk of a American Nelumbo plant. He was singing the prettest tune and flexing his wings and tail feathers in what appeared to be trying to attract a member of the female persuasion. Funny how the guys always flex their muscles(or feathers) when the ladies are around. Isn't love just grand. Ha Ha! 

"You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear."
      Oscar Wilde (1854-1900): Irish Playwright, Poet, Author

The Honeymooners!

Does anybody out there remember a show on T.V. called the Honeymooners staring Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden with his wife Alice back in the 50's or 60's? Well when I shot the following series of pictures it reminded me of that show I watched as a kid. Ralph and Alice were always at it with each other and Ralph ruled the house(so he thought). He was always coming up with something off the wall or his big mouth would always get him in trouble. When ever Alice would give him a hard time, he always threatened to "give her one right in the ole kisser."  As I watched the two Mocking Birds in the bird bath, I couldn't help but think of what would Ralph say to Alice if he came home from work and found her in the pool.  I think it would go something like this:

Alice-      Oh it's a nice day for a swim!

Alice-    Oh the water is just lovely!

Alice-     La De Da! La De Da! This is fun!

Alice-    Oh! Nothing like a little afternoon dip in the pool!

Ralph-   Hi honey, I'm home!

Ralph-  Alice, what are you doing swimming in the pool?

 Ralph-  Have you lost you marbles, Alice, where is supper?

Ralph-    I mean it Alice, where is supper? I've worked hard today and I'm hungry!

 Ralph-   Are you just gonna ingore me, Alice? Come on lets eat!

Ralph-   Alice, one of these days, I'm gonna, pow! right in the kisser, and it's off to the moon Alice!!!!!

 Ralph-   Now come on and lets go!!!! I'm straving!

 Ralph-    Well I got that straight, show her whose boss around here. Who ever heard of swimming this time of the day and no supper ready when I get home from a hard days work!!!!! I believe I'll soak my feet a minute or two!

Ralph-   Hey this ain't half bad, the water actually feels pretty good!

Ralph-   You know, ole Alice might have been on to something here.

 Ralph-   I believe I'll try this swimming thing out for myself!

 Ralph-   Awe, this feels good!

 Ralph-   Awe, this feels real gooooood!

Oh man, I can't believe I haven't been doing this before!

Ralph-   Boy, I better not let Alice catch me doing this after I ran her to the kitchen!

Ralph-   Awe yes the coast is clear! Man I just about broke my neck on that one!

 Ralph-   I believe I'll try snorkeling. This head under water ain't too hard!

 Alice-     Ralphhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Is that you in the pool???? One of these days, Ralph, POW! I'm gonna give you one right in the ole kisser and it's off to the moon for you Ralph!!!!!!!!

Ha Ha Ha! LOL!  I took 74 shots of these two over a matter of several minutes and I just had to show you these 21 shots so you could get a good idea of the antics these two played out. These shots are as they were taken, I just left out a bunch all through the sequence. It has been really hot here lately with the temps in the mid to upper 90's and even the birds have enjoyed an afternoon frolic in the bird bath. Isn't nature just dandy and all of God's creation a blessing to behold.

"Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without."

James Dobson(1936-       ): American Christian author and founder of Focus on the Family

Tenderness!

After a swim in the lake, this brood of ducks hit the bank and immediately decided it was siesta time. The mother mallard duck stood over her brood until they were all sound asleep and then she decided to lay down also. But when she sat right down on one of her babies, she immediately tried to nudge the little one out from under her body. It didn't seem to mind as it continued to sleep through the whole ordeal.

                                                     Nikon D90 75mm at 1/500s    f5.3   ISO 400      (Click for a larger view)                                   

"A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them."

Victor Hugo(1802-1885):  A French Poet, Playwright, Novelist, Essayist, Statesman      

Beauty Created!

No matter what your passions may be, you can't look at this baby mallard duckling and not see a thing of beauty. Don't you just want to pick up this little fuzz ball and just cuddle it for a while?

                                        Nikon D90   300mm at 1/500s   f5.6      ISO 1400     (Click for a larger view) 

"Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art."

         Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882): American lecturer, essayist and poet.

A Wise Ole Buck!

(Photo taken in Oct of 2010 in the mountains of east Tennessee)

If you are going to photograph nature and wildlife, you better be quick to get the shot because often times, you don't get a second chance. I snapped this shot of a nice mature whitetail buck before he went behind a slope and out of site! As bucks get older they get wise to the ways of man and usally become more nocturnal, choosing to move and feed in the relative safety of darkness.   

"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) : 16th American President

Opportunity!

                                                                        [ Shot Last Fall ]

This Red Squirrel, aka, Chickaree, Spruce Squirrel, Mountain Squirrel, Pine Squirrel, Boomer and Fairly-Diddle came running through the woods from nowhere and jumped up on this tree trunk giving me an instant opportunity. Just as I got my camera up and snapped this shot it tore off in another direction. Thankfully I was prepared and had this one in focus.

"It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared".

Whitney M. Young, Jr. (1921-1971): American Civil Rights Leader

At Ease!

It appears this turtle has encountered a little hardship somewhere in it's past as the left rear of it's shell and leg look to be damaged.

 "Try to be like the turtle-at ease in your own shell."

       Bill Copeland(1929-      )

Getting Attention!

We all need a certain amount of attention, some of us more than others. But sometimes it doesn't pay to draw attention to ones self unless you can handle the consequences! When this Cougar looked directly at me, I wasn't sure I wanted the attention! For some reason, I suddenly felt like dinner. Ha Ha!

I took this shot at the wildlife habitat at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina.

"To get the attention of a large animal, be it an elephant or a bureaucracy, it helps to know what part of it feels pain. Be very sure, though, that you want its full attention."

Kelvin Throop-Fictional charactor and pseudonym for R.A.J. Phillips(1922-2003): Canadian Author

Dumpster Diving Squirrel ?

Well I pulled up to the park the other day just in time to see this Grey Squirrel go dumpster diving for lunch. Now I know this sounds weird but look at the pics above and see for yourself. I guess this squirrel has just gotten tired of eating acorns everyday or maybe the acorns have all been eaten since there is a rather large population of squirrels in this park. Either way, I was amazed to watch this squirrel  come out with a chicken wing of all things. I was even more amazed as it climbed the nearest tree and gnawed off the rather sauced up meat. It just goes to show what I always say, "That you just never know what you may see in nature!" Sorry the shots are not the best but I pushed the limit of my lens to just get these. While not the best photos, they do represent the rare opportunity to see nature uncensored.

"The peace of nature and of the innocent creatures of God seems to be secure and deep, only so long  as the presence of man and his restless and unquiet spirit are not there to trouble its sanctity."
      Tomas De Quincey (1821-1856): English Author and Intellectual

Armadillo

Well these are not one of my favorite critters but they are one of God's creation. I just don't see why God made some things and this is sure one of those. Ha Ha! So I guess we just have to put up with their digging in our yards and making a passel of doodles and mini potholes all over the place in their search for grubs, worms and other insects.

"If God has created the world, his primary worry was certainly not to make its understanding easy for us."
          Albert Einstein (1879-1955):German born Theoretical Physicists and Nobel Prize Winner



Persistance!

Well I dubbed this little puff ball "Carrot Top" but it is actually a Ruby Crowned Kinglet. It was hard to get a picture of this little jewel because he just wouldn't be still long enough for a shot. He was so persistantly going about his business of searching for food without giving me much notice. The persistance he displayed in turn gave me the persistance to keep watching him until I finally captured these couple of winners.

"Energy and persistance conquer all things."
      Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790): Scientist, Politician, Writer

Gray Squirrel

I stopped by a local park today to eat a quick lunch and this little gal came by acting a bit curious, so I threw a few sunflower seeds on the ground and she wasted no time joining me for lunch. This is a gray squirrel but her tail is more red and white than what is the norm for gray squirrels. That being said, it reminded of a squirrel I watched several years ago while sitting in a deer stand about 20 feet up a tree. That squirrel was also very unique and I wrote the following poem while watching him.

The Fox Squirrel

I saw a fox squirrel
So different and unique
It was not head nor body 
Nor was it his feet.

Of people who are different
We label them a thing
But of this fox squirrel
I believe him a king.

Was it age that changed
Him ever so much?
No I believe it was God
Who granted this touch.

No he was not normal
In our sense of the word
But to me he was beautiful
And just then I heard

The scuffling of feet
In leaves down below
He was looking for food
And how did he know

There was acorn under leaves
Fell from a tree
And as he ate it swiftly
He looked happy to me.

He was neither large nor small
And not very strong
But because he was different
Was surely not wrong.

To his enemies he stood out
Like a beacon light,
But to his kind
He was surely a knight.

To ever be cautious
He must not fail
This beautiful fox squirrel
With the solid white tail.
        Randy J. Schultz

Hope!

This little sparrow is perched on a limb braving the cold north wind. It is puffed up to help conserve its body heat and it must be hoping for spring and much warmer weather!

"Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops.... at all."
        Emily Dickinson (1830-1886): American Poet

White Pelicans!

"God gives every bird its food, but he does not throw it into the nest."

        Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819-1881): American Novelist, Poet

What a treat to see a group of White Pelicans on the Tennessee River in North Alabama.

The Fisherman!

Just happened to catch this Great Blue Heron going in and pulling up a fish for lunch on the Tennessee River near Wheeler Dam in North Alabama.

"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethern, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And He saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
           Matthew 4:18-19 King James Version Holy Bible

Prosperity with Adversity!

"In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider"

            King Solomon Holy Bible-Ecclesiastes 7:14

As in the picture above, food is plentiful, but the frozen snow makes getting it difficult if not impossible. How many times do we find prosperity at our finger tips only to be denied because of adversity? Many times things that come too easy for us are not recognized for their true value. A little work sometimes helps us understand the value of having something! To have things within one's reach does not always mean to have things in one's possession.

Harsh Hand of Winter

Grey Squirrel scratching in the snow for a few sunflower seeds. I wonder what critters think about snow when they see it for the first time? I know critters don't think like we do but you have to wonder what they experience when they encounter snow covering their world. Life suddenly gets alot harder just to keep warm and find food.

 "In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."
       Albert Camus (1913-1960): French Algerian Author, Philosopher, Journalist

Elk of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

What a thrill to see a huge bull Elk in the Cataloochee Valley at the north end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The last native elk was killed in North Carolina in the late 1700's and in Tennessee elk bulged no more after the mid 1800's. Thanks to the efforts of a lot of people and organizations, the elk are here once again.

"Once again the bugle of the bull elk is heard across the mountains. With every heave of his great lungs, his breath glistening in the early morning light of a crisp fall day. And all is as it should be, as it once was."
            Randy J. Schultz