Joy in Nature

"Thank you for the lovely photos of flowers and nature. It makes a great start to my day."

this is the comment left on my post about Wild Flowers in the Mountains. It made my day. Now I know I have helped at least one person have a few moments of joy in nature. I hope it helped calm, relax, or give peace to who ever it was, since they didn't leave a name. It was the best post I think I have ever had.

Yesterday on the news I saw a report about how calming and relaxing it is for people to get out and just walk or sit in a park with lots of trees, flowers, and nature around them. It helps a lot of people get on with their day. Some said they couldn't get out so looked on the internet for nature photos to give them the same feelings. I know I get these relaxing feelings by being in nature and seeing photos of nature.

It is good to know that maybe I am helping people by taking the time to put all the photos I take on my blog so that some people can see them and have a little joy in them as I did in taking them.

NM Skies and Flying

Thanks Hilton for your comment. Your friend has a great job flying our beautiful southwestern skies. But when the weather gets bad I know it's not fun. I hear of frequent plane crashes near here because of weather. I can see the lights from the small Double Eagle 11 Airport, and we have airliners fly over our house depending on the weather. It seems like each time I have flown into Albuquerque it has been a heck of a bumpy ride over the Sandia Mountains and into the International Sunport Airport and the reverse, flying out, can be even worse.

More Flowers

Pink morning glory, wild sunflower with ants on it, marrigolds, zinnias, and poppies.

More Clouds

Everyday there are these pretty, white, fluffy clouds but no rain. Sometimes we even get the dark, ominous, threatening clouds that give us lots of lightening and thunder but still no rain.

Morning Sunrays

From the Garden

I got a basket full of tomatoes and cucumbers the other day. Enough to share with the neighbors. The watermelon aren't quite ready yet. The butternut squash won't be ready for about another month.

Playing on a Ladder

Rain Clouds

Recently it seems like everytime I look out there are beautiful clouds in the sky. I can't take photos of all of them and this is just a few. The first one shows a curtain of rain as it moves across the desert.

Posting Stats

When I started this blog several years ago I was dismayed that there didn't seem to be anyone looking at it. Now when I view the Stats I see that there are more and more people looking at it and especially at the photos I put on it.

The photo of several Bradford Pear Trees that I took near the Rio Rancho library has been the post that has received the most attention. I have no reason why it is so popular. There is at least one person each day that looks at it. I am glad but still wonder why. This was posted on April 17, 2010 just about a year and a half ago. In that year there have been 1,192 hits on it as of today. There were 17 this week and 4 today. The only reason I can think that so many people want to see it is those wanting more information about Bradford pear trees. This is an ornamental pear tree (no fruit) that has beautiful white blossoms on it in the early spring and nice yellow leaves in the fall. It is popular as a landscape tree here in New Mexico. I have 2 in my yard but neither is this big but they are getting there. If someone cares to they can leave a comment on why they looked at this photo. Comments on all my photos and post are appreciated.

After the Fire

This is how it looks now after a fire was stopped right here at this road through the mountains about 3 years ago. Some aspen seedlings are starting to grow and a few wildflowers but still lots of dead trees. Standing dead trees, commonly called 'widow makers' can be dangerious to walk near as you never know when one is apt to fall down. This fire had come across the top of a ridge and down into a rocky area that helped stop it as well as little rain.

Wild Flowers in the Mountains

I hope I am correct on these names. Purple is Bee Balm, then a type of ragweed, cat tails both a new green one and a dryed one, black-eyed-susans on the fence and later with grasshopper on it, small white is Queen Anne's Lace, larger white is bind weed (wild morning glory),

purple thisle (a new one and one that is fully open), milk weed seedpot, and a cone flower.