Heedless of the Wind and Weather

Back in October, I was planning a post in honor of the second anniversary of Puppy Day – the day that this funny little dog became part of our family.

Ozzie has a long tongue for a little dog

But time got away from me. And then today I read this lovely post by Wenderly called Winter Wonderland. Go, read it now. I’ll wait.

Isn’t that lovely? And that was actually a lot of the point I wanted to make in my Puppy Day post. You see, an unexpected and pleasant side effect of owning a dog happened when I made the commitment to walk him every single day, no matter the weather. And this is coming from somebody who hates the cold. And the rain. And especially cold rain and/or sleet. Or freezing rain. Ick. Oh and humidity. Not a fan.

The neat thing that happened is that I have really developed an appreciation for the beauty around me. Even when it is cold and wet. So much so that I frequently try to capture the beauty. Someone once said that the best camera is the one you have with you and the one I have with me every day is the one on my cell phone. So, they aren’t the best pictures, but maybe you can see anyway why I took them.

Did you notice the moon at the top of this photo?

I've seen more sunrises in the last two years than in the previous 37 combined

Spring, of course, is glorious. That’s the easy season to appreciate.

My neighborhood is lined with crabapple trees that bloom all in concert for a lovely week or two in late April or early May

I'm not sure if this is a dogwood or a magnolia but it's pretty!

Summer’s not too shabby either, except for the humidity. And the bugs. Little gnats that fly in your eyes in the summer can actually make you prefer to walk in the winter, bundled up like the little brother in A Christmas Story.

Why don't my hydrangeas look like this?

I’ve also seen all kinds of wildlife in my neighborhood, like this fisher cat! Eeeek! Those suckers are mean. If you see one, go the other way. That’s what we did.

I saw a beautiful fox just last week but it moved too fast for me to get my phone out of my pocket. I used to hear wild turkeys gobbling in the distance in the early morning hours, but I haven’t lately. That might be due to the coyotes I’ve seen more recently. Or the bears my neighbors got on tape. It’s like a Mutual of Omaha special around here some days!

Sometimes I just take pictures because what I see amuses me, like this pumpkin, half frozen in a creek. It just looks so deliberate yet out of place.

I saw this on New Year’s Day. Someone had a little party in the street the night before. Must have been one chilly party!

But there’s just something about late fall and winter sunrises. Maybe it has to do with how far away the sun is and how low in the sky, but the colors are often brilliant and I just want to save them in my pocket.

And even I can admit that the new fallen snow, still clinging to the bare branches is something to see, and even more beautiful when you are out there in it. Not that there’s anything wrong with observing it from a safe distance through a window in the house by a fireplace with a hot beverage either. I really do feel more like I appreciate it though these days.

So, thanks, Ozzie! He brings me joy everyday, in more ways than I ever expected.