Fine Feathered Friends

Multiple birds at the feeder is a common sight in January. In addition to the cardinal and goldfinches, other birds including wrens, titmice, and chickadees frequent the feeders. Unlike the birds seen in the photo, the others are very flighty, sticking around only for moments, and seldom waiting long enough for me to pick upContinue reading “Fine Feathered Friends”

Enlightenment

In the late afternoon, just before sunset, rays of light peeked through the window to enlighten my fingers as I played ukulele. I was practicing finger picking the melody lines for various tunes, which is really fun and a nice skill to develop. Curiously enough, the tune I was working on when this enlightenment occurredContinue reading “Enlightenment”

Kidney Stone

Long, long ago, hot water percolated through sediments and deposited iron oxide minerals in the form of hematite, a type of iron ore. The hematite above came from Minnesota’s Cuyuna Mountain Range, and I purchased it for my collection from a rock shop in Colorado when I was a child. The mineral ranges in colorContinue reading “Kidney Stone”

Petro-what?

While living in Wyoming, I frequently explored the surrounding desert, mountains, and canyons looking for rocks, petroglyphs, and wildlife. On one of those expeditions, I found this rock with artistic etchings in the dark desert varnish on its surface. I like to imagine a young native person centuries ago trying to imitate nearby petroglyphs by practicingContinue reading “Petro-what?”