Appalachian winter – Page 5 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Turning A Page On My Natural Calendar

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “American Goldfinch 12421a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The snow falls softly on my mountain today. Old Man Winter is feeling generous as January comes to a rest. As I look up from my desk I see that my feathered friends are celebrating their good fortune around my feeder. The party started with just 2 chickadees a few months ago and now includes 3 blue jays, 2 song sparrows a Carolina wren, a mated pair of Cardinals, a downy woodpecker and about 6 or 8 Goldfinch. Last month I posted a photo of a Goldfinch at my feeder and noted that they don’t get their color until they come into the breeding season.

Image Titled “Breakfast With Friends 122320” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

It’s very subtle but I can see a difference in the color between the 2 images. In fact I expect that by the end of March that we will have a dramatic difference in the color of the Goldfinch. I have also added this change to my natural calendar. Every day I notice little minute changes to the world around me. A sprig of green here a color change there and a slight shift in the direction of the breeze. All of these things add up to keep me encouraged as winter passes. A friend and were discussing the length of the day and how it feels like a renewal when the days are noticeably longer. I’ve been mentally keeping track of when the automatic lights come on for weeks now. Every day we gain a few extra minutes. Before we know it I’ll be posting pictures of the beautiful Dogwood bloom and the redbud in season. It was recently said that we were in for a long dark winter but the natural calendar says otherwise. It says that in just 6 short weeks we’ll have the official start of spring and with it will come a glorious daybreak.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement:

I am adding additional social media to my network. Eventually, I’ll be leaving Facebook behind for a multitude of reasons. Even though the Lloyd’s Lens Photography page is strictly non-political I have been restricted from interacting with followers with no explanation for why. But it’s not just that. For years now Facebook has throttled content providers in general. They encourage us to grow our audience and then want to sell us back the access to them. In addition, they collect and sell the data from our interaction. So Facebook has become an entanglement of thorns. In response I have created the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe. We can still interact directly on the blog but starting today I’ll be looking for more platforms that respect the privacy of my followers and don’t limit who gets to see the post.

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Lloyds Lens Photography web link — Click here to visithttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

Witch-hazel and folklore

Color Photography, wildlife

Witch Hazle 10521a — Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Witch-Hazle 10521a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The January sun burns cold in the open sky as the big blue truck takes me to my familiar haunt on Salmon Run Road. It’s so close to the highway but teaming will wildlife. In the distance a woodpecker laughs knowing that he’s once again escaped my lens. But just barely for I did manage to catch him distracted for a moment.

Woodpecker 121220 — The woodpecker was so busy that he didn’t notice me until I got out of the truck.

But as soon as I opened the door of the truck he took to the wind and disappeared into the branches.

Even though it’s January the bright yellow witch-hazle is still blooming strong. In fact I think that they’re in better shape now than they were a few weeks ago.

As I approach the tiny clusters of frilly golden bloom I noticed the forked branches. Now a normal person might look at those forks and think of a slingshot. But I think about dowsing rods. In the 90s I had the opportunity to attend a gathering of the American Dowsing Association where I learned that witch-hazel was one of the preferred woods used for finding water, oil and minerals. There is a trick to how to hold the stick. You point the stick to ground and hold it by the fork with your thumbs pointing to the sky. Rotate the wrists inward until the tip of the stick comes up to a 45 degree angle to the sky and when you’re over the target the stick twists in your hands to point out the water just like a compass pointing north. It’s not just an Appalachian tradition. Variations of this is used worldwide. But does it work? Well I was skeptical but as soon I was over the target that stick twisted. I tightened my grip in an effort to stop the rod. But it just kept turning downward. I was convinced. But sometime later I realized that we never actually drilled to see if the stick was right. While I’m open to the possibility that there could be some trick of physics that just hasn’t been explained yet it’s going to remain a mystery. Life needs a little unknown element to remain interesting.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Frozen Solitude Actively Finding Peace

Color Photography, Landscapes

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Frozen Solitude 120220a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

There’s not many scenes more peaceful than that of a winter forest. I look into the snow covered trees and think about what it would be like to live in a world where only the basics are needed. A companion, food and water and a warm fire. I’ve done my share of winter camping and there’s something almost magical about being comfortable near the fire but yet fully immersed in the season. The occasional flicker of movement in the bush signals that the songbirds are out foraging the rich harvest of wild seeds. Every so often they stop to sing. Their movement is quick and agile. In spite of being very small the cold never seems to bother them. Perhaps they find their comfort in their flock and the fire in their souls. Or, maybe it’s just the natural state of life to be happy at every opportunity. A few days ago it occurred to me that “Nothing can be given unless it is also received.” It been on my mind ever since. What if things like joy and contentment were ever present but when we don’t experience them it’s because we’re not actively receiving them? Receiving is an activity. I could lay at your feet the fortune of a kingdom but unless you accept it you can never have it. Love and acceptance might surround us constantly but if we reject it then it’s never felt. The same is true for peace. Winter is a harsh season but that is merely circumstances. The ability to be comfortable under those circumstances is within our grasp if we simply make fire. But it’s our activity that changes our circumstances. We can’t always avoid conflict but we can have peace of mind in conflict and that gives us clarity of thought and clarity of thought helps us resolve the conflict. We are an active part in our own peace.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Looking Forward 2020-2021

Color Photography, Landscapes, winter

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Looking Forward 120220” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The new light lingers on freshly fallen snow as I stand on the tracks and gaze along the steel ribbons. The perspective brings to my mind the flow of time as humans perceive it. The cross ties represent the seconds, minutes,hours or whatever unit you wish to break it down to. What really matters is the steps we take in the right direction. Over the past day or so I’ve been engaged in a conversation that has me looking at my past history and trying to explain how I got to be the person I am today. Of course there was a lot of missteps that affected my destiny. Places were stumbled and fell. But I got here.

I’ve tried to avoid the whole 2020 thing on my blog because I want this to be a place where we can come to enjoy a moment of peace. But whatever 2020 is it’s undeniable. I’m reminded of the picture that hung in one of my college professor’s offices. It was of a battered knight in dented armor with a broken lance and a chipped sword that had the quote “Some days the dragon wins.” That’s been 2020 for certain. However it hasn’t been all bad. I’ve had a lot of pleasant experiences in 2020 and I think if you try you’ll be able to name a few yourself. I have a friend who has decided that along with with 2020 she was putting some closure on her own past. She posted a picture of her journals in a bonfire. Symbolically cleansing herself of the person she used to be. She’s resolved that 2021 is going to be her new start in life. I think that’s a great idea. I’m probably not… no, I am definitely not going to burn my past but I think I just might in a small way put some closure on a few things that have been holding me back. It’s almost as if my foot is stuck in a few of those cross ties. Until I resolve a few things I can’t move forward to wherever those rails will take me.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

The Heart Of Winter

Color Photography, winter

Snow covers my mountain as I search for that little piece of nature that speaks to me. Occasionally I see a clump of snow fall from a branch only to see the birds disappear into the wilderness. I close my eyes for a moment to listen for the sound of tiny claws scratching sides of the trees or kicking up the leaves but all is silenced by the rushing wind. But when I looked up a bright red heart was fluttering in the breeze. It had been covered by ice and snow but as the elements shook it it became unencumbered. Sometimes the wind that’s shaking you that sets you free.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/