Happy Monday!

 Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"Nature is the greatest place to heal and recharge."

"Nature is not a place to visit, it is home."

"We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 629

    Welcome to Saturday's Critters! Hello and Happy Saturday!

 If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir

Hubby and I for the last 35 years ( except for 5 1/2 months living in Lakeland Florida 2016-2017) are lucky to live so close to so much nature. The forest, the lake and trails are all walking distance and surround our house.  Miney loves these walks!

Click on images for better viewing.

1. A walk on the NCR trail beginning at Freeland , we were seeing the end of the Autumn colors. I heard and saw a lot of birds, but the only birds I was able to photograph were the Pileated Woodpecker and the Red-bellied Woodpecker.  

A view from the bike trail near Freeland, Maryland. 

2. I love to trying to capture some moon photos, a walk with Miney on the fire road at Prettyboy. 

3. The Blue Jays arrive quickly when I put out some of the peanut suet balls. 

4. A walk with hubby and Miney to the Prettyboy lake. A Belted Kingfisher was perched on a log sticking out of the lake. Somehow Miney got out of her harness and ran from hubby to where I was taking photos of the lake.  She managed to get her paws all muddy from walking onto the muddy shore of the lake. Then she ran back fast to hubby, we have never let her run free.  This was her first and only chance of getting loose. 

5. The peacock even on the cold days is roaming around our yard and the neighborhood, a Hawk sitting in a nearby tree. I am guessing it is a red-shouldered Hawk and a Northern Mockingbird sitting in a near by tree. 

6. Our grandsons loved seeing the Peacock on Thanksgiving Day, it walked all around our yard.  

7. A walk to the back part of the lake with hubby and Miney, we had a dusting of snow on this morning. 

I am linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday   I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post.

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Check out  Catblogosphere.com

Here is my linky:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post! 

Happy New Year 2026

Happy New Year 2026 

 

Thanks to everyone who visited my blog, participated with my Saturday's Critters party and for all the wonderful comments the past year 2025, I wish you all the best in the New Year and I hope to see everyone in 2026. 

Happy Monday!

Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

Before the year is over, I am sharing the Common Loon! Which was the ABA Bird of the Year for 2025. 

"As the year comes to an end, don't look back on yesterday's disappointments. Look ahead to God's promises yet to unfold." I wish everyone all the best in 2026, a Happy and Healthy New Year!

"We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 628

   Welcome to Saturday's Critters! Hello and Happy Saturday!

 If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!

This is the last Saturday Critter post of 2025, I want to thank everyone who has participated this past year with the Saturday's Critter party. Also thanks to all who have commented and visited. I wish you all the best in 2026, a very happy and healthy New Year. 

Looking back at this past year, I am sharing some photos of my favorite things from my blog this past year January 2025 through December 2025. My favorite things include nature walks with Miney and Hubby, birdwatching and my adorable grandchildren. 

Click on images for better viewing.

1. January 2025, I always enjoy a walk to the Prettyboy Reservoir. This trail leads to the Bald Eagle nest and usually we can see the Bald Eagles sitting in the trees. Before Hubby was diagnosed with Kidney disease, in Dec 2024-Jan 2025 hubby had a shingles outbreak, it infected his left eye and on his face on the left side. This took months to recover from and many visits to the eye doctor. He did have the Shingrix vaccine. Our health is most important thing, I wish everyone a healthy New Year.

Our grandson Mason turned 3 years old on January 24th. 

We officially adopted Miney on January 18th.

2. February 2025, one of my favorite yard birds. The Pileated Woodpecker is one of my many favorite birds. 

Our oldest grandson Wyatt turned 4 on February 15th. 

3. March 2025, My winter birds I see in my ard are the Dark-eyed Junco and the Cardinals. 

Miney is my walking companion, there are times I feel she is walking me.  

4. April 2025, being a dog lover I enjoy see Miney playing with my neighbors dog Casey.  Casey is a golden doodle who at this time had her hair shaved off. 

Some Easter 2025 fun, spending time with the family is a joy. 

The Eastern Bluebirds are always a treat to see and another one of my favorite birds. 

5. May 2025, spring time we see the big leaf Mangnolias blooming and the Pink Lady Slippers appear off the fire road trail. 

In my yard I enjoy seeing the daffodils blooming, a cheery sight. 

6. June 2025, it was a treat to see the Bluebirds using my nesting boxes.  

My favorite thing walking Miney on the local fire road. The Scarlet Tanagers bottom left are breeders in the forest next to our home.  The forest is the Prettyboy watershed. 

Seeing our spring flowers blooming is a treat for the eyes. Below the Columbines, Siberian Iris and Bluebirds are favorites. 

7. July 2025 our visit with the family to the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve. July was the month hubby went into the hospital due to his kidney disease. It is when he started the dialysis at the hospital. 

Taking Miney for a walk is fun, I am getting exercise and enjoying nature. 

Our granddaughter Sophie turned 1 year old on July 3rd. 

8. August 2025, favorite sightings on the fire road and at the lake. We saw an Osprey who I am sure as nesting nearby and the mama deer with her fawn was a favorite sight.  

The Hummingbirds in my yard and at my feeders are also a favorite treat to see.

Another favorite is seeing all the butterflies at our butterfly bushes and to see the Peacock roaming around our yard. 

9. September 2025, it is a treat to see Hubby out walking after being in the hospital and having the dialysis treatments.

More joy for the eyes, the butterflies at the blooms in our yard. The Monarch are especially a treat to see.

10.  October 2025, late blooms along the trails and in the local park.  

Walks with Miney and hubby are a treat, nature to be enjoyed along the trails. 

11.  November 2025, the Red-breasted Nuthatches are being seen again.  They are cute birds, one of my many favorites. 

One of my favorite things, is a walk with hubby. Below we walked at the local Leister Park in Hampstead Md. I was able to watch a flock of Cedar Waxwings.  

12.  December 2025, the month is not over yet but I am sharing a photo of my grandchildren. They are hands down my favorite. It is a joy to spend time with them. 

Christmas 2025, there is nothing better than spending Christmas Eve celebrating early with our son, DIL and our grandchildren. 

I am linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday   I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post.

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Check out  Catblogosphere.com

Here is my linky:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!