Observing the oddities of nature…..thoughts on squirrels and birds

Normally, I set out walnuts or pecans in the bird feeders, or on the deck rails early in the morning, but one day last week, I didn’t have the opportunity.

A squirrel scampered about the deck searching for sustenance. Skinny Squirrel (my nickname for him), hopped down from the rails and scuddled frantically about the deck. Within a few minutes, Skinny, noticed the cats inside staring at him through the French doors.

Skinny dashed up to the door and locked eyes with Pippin, one of our manx cats. Aggressively, the squirrel lunged, then pounced on the window as if he were trying to scare my cat. Pippin didn’t budge.

I laughed hysterically. Not finding any nuts or seeds, Skinny retreated to the comfort of the lush green yard.

Setting out halved-pecans on the bird feeder, Fat Squirrel quickly found the delicious treats and gorged on the nuts.

Cardinals and tufted titmice were snatching treats and taking flight. One little tufted titmouse attempted to snatch the pecan, appeared intimidated, and gave up. Instead, he preened his feathers while sitting in the center of the nuts on the ‘picnic table’ feeder. I found him extremely adorable.

Eventually Skinny reappeared and proceeded to nibble on the nuts scattered on the deck rail. He discovered ripe strawberries I tossed in the yard days ago. I enjoyed watching Skinny nibble on the luscious fruit in the shade of the deck.

For a second time, he inched close to the door. Momma cat, and her daughter, Ireland, were mesmerized as they observed nature while sprawled out on the kitchen table.

Hope you enjoy the photos of the squirrels and bird’s antics! Nature never ceases to amaze me, if we just take the time to look. Sometimes, I see myself in these squirrels and birds – often lighthearted, rarely serious, but many times searching for sustenance ….or inspiration.

Have a great day!

Peace, love, coffee and nature!

Sheree

Here’s a list of my books to get lost in!

— Coffee Coma – poems and photographs about our love affair, and life with coffee, 2021 Royal Dragonfly First Place Fine/Art Photography, Honorable Mention Poetry

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Any of these can be purchased from Sheree directly so she can autograph for you!!! Visit her facebook page at Sheree K Nielsen, Author

https://amzn.to/2VKidbP

Nature at Its Finest – The Little Things

As I reflect on the past month, I’m happy to say that I loved seeing glimpses of nature at their finest.

Seated under the Emerson lights by the fire pit and gazebo with friends, Nancy and Kim, and hubster, Russell, we watched, mesmerized, as a lime green inchworm slunk along a trail of thread overhead nearly four feet straight up leading to a weathered tree branch.

One morning, a bee, head deep in the center of a Morning Glory vine, showed his fuzzy butt to me just long enough to snap a photo.

Standing on the deck, a hummingbird sipped nectar from the lavender and red-violet Cleomes, unaware I was in his presence.

Tree frogs alighted on windows and doors waiting for the next bug that could be their dinner.

A huge spider spun its web at night using the Bradford pear tree and the Rose of Sharon bush as his boundaries to entice insects into his silky lair.

Baby bunnies munched on blades of grass in the yard.

A tiny house wren became disoriented, landing on our porch. I love animals and birds so much, I quickly drove her to a bird rescue.

All these images come flooding back over the last few days.

How powerful these tiny creatures are in their own way. Their detail and beauty, the luminescence of nature surrounds us right in front of our eyes…if we just open them to see.

Just wanted to share this with you on this 21^st day of September, eve of the autumnal equinox.

I wish you nature!

Peace, Love and Coffee!

(Tree frog photo by Russell Nielsen) All other photos by me.

__________

— Coffee Coma – poems and photographs about our love affair, and life with coffee

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Any of these can be purchased from Sheree directly so she can autograph for you!!! Visit her facebook page at Sheree K Nielsen, Author.

Searching for long-lost relatives

Aunt Mary in 1961

About a week ago, an ad from ancestry.com popped up on my phone. I started thinking about my long-lost Aunt Mary for whom I’ve been searching. I sent a letter a few years back to what I thought was a possible address. The letter came back ‘return to sender’.

When my father passed, it got me thinking about his sisters…all spread out across the United States. Aunt Anne in California, Aunt Jewel in Indiana, and Aunt Mary in Florida. Contacting them was difficult. After Mom sold the house, it seems the address book she so cherished, got lost in the fray.

I remember long road trips to visit Aunt Mary, Uncle Buddy, and my cousin Buddy in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dad, Aunt Mary, Uncle Buddy

They owned a pet parakeet, that loved to perch on my right wrist when I brushed my teeth. This silly bird enjoyed moving side to side and up and down as I brushed. If you wore sunglasses, be prepared for her to perch on the top rim and stare into your eyes. She was a bit of a voyeur…peering down at you from the shower rod.

The sun room became my sleeping room. Since there were no curtains on the windows, I awoke to the radiance of the warm Florida sun embracing my young skin. I woke up early.

Most days, we’d head down to Jacksonville Beach where Dad, cousin buddy and I built sandcastles or dug holes in the sand.

The guys often went crabbing in the evening, returning a few hours later with their bounty. A crab boil ensued in an enormous outdoor pot over a roaring fire. The way those poor crabs would cry…

cousin Buddy and Dad

Anyway, I wrote Aunt Mary a letter this week to an address I found on white pages. I sure hope I find her soon…she’s about 102 years long.

Wish me luck.

Have you ever thought about long lost relatives?

Peace, Love, and Sand dollars,

Sheree K. Nielsen

____________________

Sheree is the author of four books…soon to be five

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Her newest book, Coffee Coma – poems and photographs about our love affair, and life with coffee is due out by Shanti Arts Publishing!

Any of these can be purchased from Sheree directly so she can autograph for you!!! Visit her facebook page at Sheree K Nielsen, Author.

Planting Seeds – Part Two – Hope in Bloom

 

In mid May, I found some flower seed heads in a clay pot that had been sitting in my garage for several years. I planted the seeds in two cute ceramic containers – one the color of butter, the other a biscuit hue. A couple weeks later, I checked on them, and they were flourishing…packed together in one space. (See my first post titled Planting Seeds)

At the end of May, I set them free in the garden.

On June 23, I snapped these photos.

Their daisy-like neon blooms of blood red orange, magenta, and tangerine brought a smile to my face. The intricate star-like pollen florets (technical name) and long spider-like stigmas were no doubt, crafted by God’s hands. I spotted my first monarch butterfly sipping their dulcet delight last week.

As I take respite in my wicker recliner on the front porch, my sweet little zinnias are always within eye shot. That makes me happy!

What are you doing to bloom this summer?

How have you found hope in nature?

Peace, love, and zinnias,

Sheree

 

 

 

 

Sheree is the author of four books –

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Planting Seeds

From my front porch, the mellifluous sound of a steady summer rain rustles through the Bradford pear and maple trees, tip-tips on the leaves of a Rose of Sharon bush, and gurgles through the gutters. Rain’s constant melody reminds me of standing on a Caribbean beach, getting caught in an unexpected shower, water embracing my skin, soaking my hair, and trickling into my eyes.

The morning sparrows and warblers sing their song in harmony, as if to ask, “More rain?”

A cool, yet warm breeze stirs the rose bushes, lavender and tiger lilies. If he could talk, I’m certain even the garden frog statue would say he’s refreshed.

I love rain, as long as I’m not driving in it. It reminds me of growth, and promise of new hope…a cleansing.

A few weeks ago, I found some old cone flower seed heads in a clay pot in my garage. Heaven knows how long they’d been sitting there – maybe three years. I planted the seeds in two cute ceramic containers – one the color of butter, the other a biscuit hue. I just wanted to see if they’d grow.

Well, they’re flourishing. So many of them now packed tightly together in one little space. It’s almost time for me to set them free in the garden…give them more room for those beauties to grow. This week, I’ll be replanting them. I can’t wait to observe their beautiful bird-like leaves and soon-to-be buds sky bound. I’m sure I’ll be surprised by their color.

What ‘seeds’ are you planting now that will change your life…someone else’s life?

Seeds to provide sustenance to your family in the form of flowers, fruits or vegetables?

Seeds of hope in someone’s else mind? Seeds of kindness in their hearts?

How have your seeds grown lately?

Feel free to share you story below –

 

Peace, love, and sand dollars

Sheree

Sheree is the author of four books –

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Offering a Seed – Cardinals Feeding Rituals

 

While preparing my Irish oatmeal this morning, gazing out the window, I noticed a sweet sight that brought me to tears.

Two cardinals, one male – crimson berry red, and one female, pale reddish-brown were perched on the deck rail. The male selected a pecan bit that I scattered on the rail, hopping back to her, offering her the snack – beak to beak. He repeated the process seven or eight times. Before he offered her the sustenance again, her tail feathers shook and ruffled. I couldn’t detect if something was wrong – was she sick, blind, unable to care for herself?

The resident squirrel hopped up on the deck rail, which startled the male cardinal, causing him to take flight, abandoning the female. She seemed agitated and upset – her head tuft was at attention. Looking around, she flew to a magnolia tree branch for refuge. Eventually the male returned, snatching a few pecan pieces from the deck rail, feeding the female.

I was concerned about the female, so I did some research online, and this is what I found  –

One the website http://www.sciencing.com, I discovered the male cardinal offers the female cardinal a seed (or in this case a nut) as part of the courtship ritual even before the two establish a nest. He will continue to bring her food before, and after she lays eggs. Males are especially attentive, and have even been seen feeding their young, in addition to other species of birds.

After the female lays the eggs, the male continues to bring her food, so she can remain on the nest. After the chicks have hatched, the male may continue to feed the female, and the young for almost two months.

The male cardinal just happened to be feeding a juvenile cardinal! I have never seen a baby cardinal before! (Compare my photos to this link of a juvenile)

Both parents continue to feed the young, until they can forage for themselves. This way mom can keep an ever-watchful eye on the nest. Cardinals are monogamous, and typically have two broods during their lifetime, building a new nest each time, when mom is with child.

I find this fascinating, nurturing, and so sweet. Shortly after this scene unfolded, mom hopped up on the deck rail, and daddy and baby bird flew off.

Wouldn’t that be lovely if our mate prepared dinner for us every day during pregnancy, and for two months after? Just a thought.

(Full disclosure – I have animal kids.)

What do you moms and dads think?

Peace, love, and sand dollars,

Sheree

Hop on over to the books tabs on my blog, and check out my publications! I’m in the midst of editing my fourth book!

Halloween in St. Louis – A Night of Laughs – Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

I sent this funny story to my cousin Joe Palazzolo, for his feature article on Halloween a few years ago – St. Louis style, in the Wall Street Journal. Because we’re related, he wasn’t able to publish. Ashame for it to not be heard, so here you go!

I remember as a kid, I’d trick or treat with my schoolmates at Resurrection of our Lord Grade School. And I vividly remember the Halloween I was about 10 years old. Things were alittle different…

I can’t remember what I wore that year — I might have been a ghost. The kids I hung out with that evening decided to egg cars; something I’m not particularly proud of.

My Dad mentioned that when the people doling out the candy ask us to do a ‘trick’, tell them a joke instead.

I explained I wasn’t very good at telling jokes, and he said “Not to worry…just tell them THIS joke — Why did the chicken cross the road?”

”Dad, I already know that joke!”

“I bet, it doesn’t have the same punchline that you think.”

“Okay, Dad, what’s the punchline?

“To lay it on the line!”

“What does that mean?”

“You don’t have to know what it means, just tell the joke.”

I felt really confused, but yet I took Dad’s advice, and when asked to do a trick, I’d pipe up and say, “Why did the chicken cross the road?”

At the first house, the nice thirty-something couple (holding a pair of red wax lips I so dearly wanted), asked, “Honey, why did the chicken cross the road?”

“To lay it on the line.”

“Ahhh.. Smart kid”, they both chimed in. “That deserves two pieces of candy.”

I kind of half-smiled as I held out my queen-size white pillowcase to accept the desired treats — wax lips, and some multi-colored candy buttons on long strips of white waxy paper.

I repeated this joke over and over, as we hopped from house to house Halloween night, and received the same positive response from all the adults. I was pretty puffed up and proud — like a chicken.

To this day, I still can’t figure what’s so funny about the chicken joke, but it went over well with the “big people”. I guess that chicken’s water broke, and she just couldn’t hold the egg in any longer. Good thing she was smart enough to lay it on the line, not in oncoming traffic.

The bright line down the center of the road is kind of a safe place, if you think about it. Whether we’re driving, or crossing the road, it gives us boundaries.

So be safe this Halloween.
Keep an eye on your kiddos.
And watch out for those chickens crossing the road.

The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of the Morning….

As I walk the paved path at a nearby park with my blue-eyed girl and cinammon-colored boy fur babies, I am reminded of the familiarity of my surroundings.

Hens and drakes skim across the lake, a killdeer sings her song of distress least anyone disturb her nest, and the cicadas low hum remind me of a small fan motor.

I bump into Jan and Ralph, a cute couple, out for their morning stroll. They always surprise my curious canines with crunchy Milkbone treats. Today is no different.

Nearing the end of our walk, the dogs hop in the car. I quench their thirst by pouring water from an empty milk carton into their pink soft-sided bowl. Girl dog sloppily sips water from the mouth of the jug before it trickles into the bowl.

We make our usual morning coffee run to Starbucks, where I know the all the barristas names.

Lincoln greets me at the counter, and says, “The usual?”

“Tall cap, non-fat, ristretto, extra hot, with one pump of mocha, light whip and salt.”

“Dry?”

“Yes please.”

“Haven’t seen you here in awhile,” Sarah says with her cheery smile, who is busy making my beverage.

“Yeah, I know.”

I love hearing the sound of the espresso machine as it screeches, before the dark caramel-hued liquid drops into the shiny shotglasses.

I head back to the car to find Boy dog sitting in the driver’s seat, or Girl dog posed in the passenger seat.

As I drive away, I roll the windows all the way down, so my animal children can feel the cool air caress their soft fur like an ocean breeze hugs warm naked skin.

As I turn down the gravel road to my home, cardinals chirp, squirrels carrying nuts scurry, and bunnies scamper. The oak, walnut, and maple trees are dressed in celery greens and corn-maize yellows ready for their fall fashion show.

Opening the door from the garage to the kitchen, I tell Boy dog to “push it,” and he gently nudges it open with his nose.

Girl kitty is waiting for our arrival home, talking in her best ‘quack’ voice that we’ve been gone way too long!

As I pen this note on the deck, the dog children rest nearby – one sleeping, the other pensive and curious about the sounds and sights on our property.

The Cleomes, bathed in shades of lavender, are favorites of the hummingbirds. I study their lacy blooms that fan out in a helicopter-like pattern.

All is right with the world.

Pleasures await you by the seashore…

This summer I had the opportunity to sit and observe nature while on vacation in Sunset Beach, North Carolina.

I love watching birds, their graceful movements, and sometimes silly actions. I wrote a poem on this cold winter today which actually fits quite nicely with a fortune cookie I received awhile back.

Here’s the poem – I hope you like it. It’s called “Pleasures at the Seashore”

Six little sandpipers
dip long spindly legs
and feet
in the shallow mud flats
and
watch tourists
on the shore.

Preening, gleaning
angel-like wings
and brown-tufted bellies,
resting idly
at ocean’s door.

A gentle wave
pushes foamy surf
across wet land
in a lover’s
lullaby
of the sea.

And the feathered
reflections of nature –
six mirrored silhouettes,
dance on the glistening sand.

© Copyright Sheree K. Nielsen 2015

Silver Springs and the Summer of ‘61

One of the best things about summer as a kid, were family vacations with Mom and Dad.  Vacations allowed me to (1) be a free spirit, (2) explore, and (3) wade in the tepid waters of the Gulf or Atlantic, and sometimes tip-toe in the Great Lakes’ frigid waters.

Oh how Mom and Dad embraced Florida! From Jacksonville’s soft sand beaches and Aunt Mary’s crab boils, to St. Petersburg’s old forts, and Miami Beach’s Art Deco District. Mom and Dad loved it all.

Recently, I found a black and white photo of Mom and me posing on a concrete bench at Silver Springs, Florida.  A glass-bottom boat was the background scenery.  Mom and I wore matching white leather huarache sandals. I loved those sandals.  (My brown leather softies purchased as an adult, even outlasted my first marriage.

I was eager to discover the underwater world at Silver Springs, a popular tourist attraction.  My white huaraches and I stepped foot onto a glass-bottom boat for a tour of the Silver River, lead by an official ‘Captain’.  With glistening views of the sandy bottom and sea shells, the day was unforgettable.

Shortly after I discovered the snapshot in my cardboard box of memories, I read a story the St. Louis Post Dispatch ran by Alan Youngblood of the Ocala Star Banner.

The exact same boats I remember in their heyday, appeared as the backdrop for the photo in the Post, with cypress trees, bushes and a park bench in the foreground.

copyright Alan Youngblood, Ocala Star Banner

In the 1960’s the popular TV show Sea Hunt was filmed at Silver Springs, as well as countless movies. The attraction recently reopened as a state park. The article mentioned the glass-bottom boats are still a feature for park visitors.

Over the past year, millions were spent to preserve the springs with different anti-pollution projects.  Apparently, the water clarity disspated due to nitrates infiltrating the spring water.

I’m curious to see now, if the springs are pristine, clean and full of interesting fish and bird life — the way I remembered them as a child.

And I’d like to think that the same concrete bench — the one Mom and I sat on, decades ago – is still waiting for me….to make new memories.

(I’ll need to buy a new pair of huaraches for the trip.)

 

 

 

 

Winter’s Kiss – A poem

On this wintry weekend, I remembered a poem I penned after taking a walk with my mini Australian Shepherd a year or so ago.

The poem stirred up memories.  It also made it to publication this year in Well-Versed Literary Works 2013.

Please enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter’s Kiss

The cold kiss of winter brushes my rosy cheeks

and snowflakes drop like confetti.

Five gaggles of graylag geese soar overhead

north to south

in the hazy cotton sky.

I stand reticent,

listening

intently

to their cackling,

as if I were multilingual.

They settle in the field nearby,

graceful

as an experienced aviator

sideslipping a glider in for a landing.

 

When a White Dove Crosses Your Path

After a wonderful afternoon strolling Main Street St. Charles with hubby, Russell, and our two canine children, we made the trek home in our SUV on I-70.  Russell cast his eyes to the sky and a perfect white dove flew overhead.  The dove, immediately in our line of sight, crossed paths at the specific moment we were traveling down the highway.

Coincidence.  Maybe?  Or Maybe not.

This stirred up memories of a service at O’Fallon Christian Church many years ago.  I’d been searching for a church for several months – one my husband and I could attend together.  The service was uplifting with joyful music.  Listening to the song, “I Surrender”, the Holy Spirit filled me with an unexplained emotion and vulnerability.  I was baptized shortly after.

Over the last few days, a series of events happened – my husband lost his aunt due to a heart attack, it was suggested I get a biopsy for a recently diagnosed medical condition, and the stress of working on my book caught up with me.

After seeing the dove, I felt calmness throughout my body, and peace.  God was telling everything was going to be just fine.

Wikianswers gives this explanation:

“A white dove in your path is not by coincidence. Your awareness of its presence, calmness and beauty is also a gift. You were meant to see this dove to remind you to focus on the peace you have in your heart and that is always present all around you, and in your life.”

Wikipedia says,  “In Christian Iconography, a dove also symbolizes the Holy Spirit, in reference to Matthew 3:16 and Luke 3:22 where the Holy Spirit is compared to a dove at the Baptism of Jesus. The early Christians in Rome incorporated into their funerary art the image of a dove carrying an olive branch, often accompanied by the word “Peace”. It seems that they derived this image from the simile in the Gospels, combining it with the symbol of the olive branch, which had been used to represent peace by the Greeks and Romans. The dove and olive branch also appeared in Christian images of Noah’s ark…”

So no matter what the explanation, my thoughts turned to God at the sight of the dove, and that’s what’s important.

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and all your soul.   Proverbs 3:5