Beautiful Landscape Photograph

Gorgeous photograph of a Montana landscape. via

Wonderful Cat Video

Wonder how this photographer got this shot of his cat? He was under a glass top table, and he had spread something delicious on the top for the cat to lick.

I just finished watching all three seasons of "detectorists" on Acorn TV. It is also available on Amazon Prime. It is full of charming characters and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this award winning BBC production and hope you will too.

Snow Covered Steps in Montréal

Montréal, Quebec, Canada by Akhil Verma

Now I don't feel so bad about the snow that's coming my way. Be safe and be careful. xo

via

Mourning Doves at My Cottage Today

I took this photo in the morning before it started snowing. It was cold as you can see by the puffed up one on the left and I am thrilled that the one on the right is turned to show his true colors.

I got a nice frontal profile on this one. The first snow was just a nice dusting that I could sweep away with the greatest of ease -- my favorite kind. xo

Flicker Family ~ Beautiful Birds

I had two families of Flickers on my property this summer. I love these large colorful birds. I wish I could have seen their tree nesting spots and I was thrilled to discover this photo today. Both couples brought their babies to feed in my back yard and drink from my birdbaths. I feel confident they will return next year. xo

Fantasy Cats

I love this photo. I found it here with no explanation.

Birch Forest in Fall

Could anything be lovelier than this birch grove in fall? I think not. via

Gorgeous Cat Wearing a Sweater

She wears it well and that color is purrfect. via

Urn Topiary in France

 Jardins du Bâtiment, Thiré Vendée, France by Denis

This urn within an urn is beautiful.

Hoar Frost with Sheep

It's coming says Jack Frost. I do love a good hoar frost and a winding path full of sheep. The autumn leaves on these massive old trees have yet to lose their leaves so warm days are still possible. Found on Instagram @wolfypic  He photographs in Scotland and England's Lake District. This is probably the Lake District where Beatrix Potter raised sheep. xo

Fall in The Country

I adore this photo. The old 1909 barn on the edge of the woods is painted a deep maroon red that is set off by the evergreen tree and the overgrown straw colored grasses in the foreground. Fall is such a great time to be outside with a camera. via

Young Red Headed Woodpecker

This is adorable. I would be thrilled to see this little guy in person, with or without my camera. Too cute! via

Bees Coming Home

Worker bees lining up to deposit today's pollen collection for the hive. I love this slow motion photo. via

Window Shade Love

The natural light in this photo is amazing. Bring back the roller shade. I have always loved them. via

Landscape: 'Duned', Zeeland, Netherlands By Nico Brons

Read this great article about a contest for iPhone photography. I love this one. Have a great weekend. xo

Chocolate Cake: Pears Inside: Recipe

This photo stopped me in my tracks. I searched google for the source of the image and found it. It's called Pear and Chocolate Loaf. The recipe is included in the link above and there are more beautiful photographs of this delicious-looking cake. I think it's stunning.

Save this recipe for fall when pears are in season. 

xo

Before and After Townhouse Vines

The vines that adorn this beautiful townhouse in winter let the beauty of the architecture shine through while still providing interest. via

The first spring blossoms are spectacular, aren't they, and well worth the wait. via HAPPY MAY DAY!

Bird on Barbed Wire

I love this. The fields in the background are beautiful. Looks like this little birdie got the memo about social distancing. xo

My Bluebirds are Building a Nest and MORE

It's a good day when the first thing you see when you first wake up is a bluebird sitting on the edge of a birdbath. His mate was entering my birdbox and they both have been busy since then setting up housekeeping. I couldn't be more thrilled. There are birds of all kinds scurrying around the lawn looking for worms, mostly robins. I have seen bluejays, cardinals, house wrens, mourning doves and chickadees too. The photo above is from Instagram and I've been saving it on my phone because I love it.  See my previous posts about bluebirds here.

My oven is preheating, the oatmeal is soaking, and I'm almost ready to stir up another batch of Oatmeal muffins that are getting rave reviews. I added 1/2 cup raisins this time.

This recipe really is forgiving. Somehow I turned off the oven when turning off the timer for the 15 minute soak. When I was ready to put my heavy vintage blue enameled cast iron muffin pan in the oven, the temperature registered 176° but I put them in anyway and turned the oven on and set it to 425° and set the timer to 25 minutes. They turned out fine and I took them out before the timer went off. I left them in the muffin pan for 10 minutes just in case. They are so good with the raisins!

This made me laugh.

Found on Instagram @retrieverloverz

Teddy Bear Portrait

This is an old jointed teddy bear that usually sits in an antique child's chair in my cottage. I didn't notice that his left ear was turned back until I got back in the house after his photo session. I was just playing around with Portrait Mode on my iPhone 7+ and it is so easy and so much fun. It's an overcast gray day here at the cottage and pretty warm (55°) for February with rain coming this afternoon and continuing for a couple of days. Maybe I will get caught up on the three episodes of PBS programs I missed on Sunday night: Howards End, Sanditon, and Vienna Blood. I am enjoying all three.