Wednesday's Rain Celebration 12-14-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Wednesday.  There is no need for you to zoom in and see these birds any closer - ha.  This is actually a drive by shooting (photo, of course) in the pouring rain on my way home a couple of days ago.  I kept seeing strange stuff in the trees and finally realized it was buzzards in the trees.  Usually I see these guys in the sun drying their wings, or maybe they just like holding their wings out to the sun.  But this time it was raining and I've not ever seen this kind of behavior, so, of course I had my small camera so I rolled down my window, tried to stay dry and capture a usable photo.  These guys are loving the rain.  There are many people who also enjoy being out in the rain.  I prefer to be dry, but, to each his own, as the saying goes.

I hope you had a wonderfully dry (or wet, whatever you prefer) day.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Thursday Relaxing in the Rain 05-12-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Thursday.  It's been raining and gray today, but that won't dampen my mood - not at this place.  There's still tons of enjoyment to be had even on a rainy day.  So grab a drink, your fishing pole, a chair, and relax, sit back, and cast a worm.  Whether you catch a fish or not, you're sure to catch a most relaxing time on the covered dock.

I hope you had a relaxing Thursday.  Thanks for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Raining and Fishing Wishing Tuesday 03-29-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Tuesday.  I want to go fishing.  Here, on this covered dock, I could fish anytime I want, even if it's raining.  Yippee.  What a great Tuesday this would be - if I only weren't wishing to go fishing.

I hope you had a great Tuesday and got your wish.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Flower Power Monday 11-2-15

Copyright 2015 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Monday.  There's been a lot of rain lately and I'm kind of tired of it.  I do realize that we need the rain.  Although it's like that song sung by Karen Carpenter of the Carpenters that goes, "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down".  I know she's singing about two different days - or is she?  So what happens if the rainy days are Mondays; are we doubly "down"?  Well, sometimes I am.  But then I look for beauty, and I usually find it.  This time it is a flower - an azalea.  This azalea shouldn't be blooming this time of year.  Azaleas usually bloom in spring.   I am glad that this particular shrub of mine decided to give me a couple of blooms in the fall.  I am glad for the beauty of the flower and I love the color.  I am glad for the rain that nourishes this plant and leaves drops on my flower for me to take a lovely photo.  I am glad that I am no longer "down" on this rainy day AND Monday!  

What about you?  Do rainy days and Mondays get you down?  If so, remember all the beauty in your life around you and become lifted up.

I hope you had a lovely Monday.  Thanks for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Sunny Saturday 10-3-15

Copyright 2015 AJ Horton

Happy Saturday.  Today I have for you Effie, my cat.  There has been so much rain lately, along with gray skies that there just hasn't been any sun for us to enjoy.  So I thought I'd dig into my photos taken earlier this year and see if I couldn't find something.  Well, this little cutie just improved my mood so I thought I'd share it with you.  Lying in a sunny spot taking a nap is something I think most of us can relate to,  I look at Effie and I can imagine myself lying in a hammock, enjoying the day soaking up the sun and relaxing.  So, if you've been in a rainy area for a few days, just look at Effie and imagine - and pretty soon your mood will be lifted, too.  If you've been in a sunny area for a few days, just look at Effie and imagine how you could enjoy the sun as well.  I think there's something for everyone here!

I hope you've had a sunny Saturday.  Or, at the very least, can imagine yourself on a sunny Saturday.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Thursday's Wet Shrub

Copyright 2015 AJ Horton

Happy Thursday.  So I don't usually think as leaves from a shrub that I should have trimmed weeks ago photo worthy, but tonight, as I was taking pictures from my kitchen window after it had just finished raining of a cardinal eating at the bird feeder, my camera refocused on this piece - and I liked it!  So I took more pictures.  I liked several of them but this one won out.  I see droplets on all the leaves and there's one with a drop of water that's just about to fall off.  This photo is straight from the camera.  I thought about "enhancing" it with more saturation or some cropping, but I just couldn't do it.  I hope you enjoy it.

I hope you had a great Thursday.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Tuesday's Homes

Copyright AJ Horton

It's Tuesday and here it's raining.  When it's raining and I'm all cozy in my home, I tend to think of our outdoor friends and wonder where they are and if they are dry.  Then I think back to when I was a child (not so long ago ;) ), and it was pointed out that mushrooms are fairy homes/shelters.  Yes, it seemed logical.  Little, mystical fairies need homes - places to keep them safe and dry.  What better place than mushrooms?
Even now, all grown up, I still look at mushrooms, not just as a fungus or something to eat, but as a home for the fairies - a shelter for magical, gifted and friendly beings.
So on this rainy Tuesday, let's celebrate the mushroom!  Every time you grab or open your umbrella (which you realize is probably patterned after the mushroom), celebrate this little fungal home for the fairies.  Imagine the wonderful little world below the mushroom and smile.
Have a great Tuesday.  Thanks for looking.  Thanks for imagining.  See you tomorrow.

Thursday and I need Water!

Copyright AJ Horton

My big alligator is so dry, it needs water!  Since it's so rainy here it can have some of mine.  And it's cold again, so back into hibernation it will go.  Fortunately for me this alligator lives in one of the Florida Zoos.  According to the defenders.org website, there are 1.25 million alligators in Florida!  Now that's a lot of gator.  And this one has a little lizard hitchhiking on top. I guess it's a gator wannabe.  The website says that alligators can swim swiftly because of their tail and on land they can "move quickly for short distances".  I have actually seen an alligator run.  A friend and I were riding on a bike trail in Florida when I saw it.  Thank God that part was fenced!  We stopped as all of a sudden the alligator began running toward a small retaining pond and then rolled down the small embankment before the egret could react.  I thought the alligator moved very fast that day and from now on I want to always be behind a fence when I see an alligator.  

I hope you had a great Thursday.  Maybe you enjoyed the rain.  Maybe you're in an area that didn't get any today.  Maybe you'd like some rain like my alligator.  Either way, I hope you are having the day you want.  Thanks for looking. No matter what the weather, I hope you keep a sunny outlook!  See you tomorrow.