TINY seedlings, 1st bloom of 2014, joyful plants & LOTSA birds

TINY seedlings

Checked my carrots today, and was surprised to see a number of seedling volunteers.

How many newbies can you see?

Apparently, when it RAINS, things grow.

Who knew.

While exceedingly grateful for what we received,

I'm already hoping for more, more, MOAR!

Gonna get to near 70 dF this week—happy winter?

SPRINGY

Another harbinger of spring, this red stemmed filaree (Erodium cicutarium)

is the first thing I've noticed blooming this year at our house.

We'll guess and say I first noticed them 2/10/2014.

This one already dropped its petals (see them in background).

I didn't even KNOW they had blue anthers.

I only saw how cool its structure is

thanks to my lovely macro from the Darling Husband Man.

HOORAY!

And, in the greenhouse,

here are HAPPY, baby lettuce plants.

Hugs!

Don't they just look joyful? =)

I think I can hear tiny little choruses of "hooray!" coming from the greenhouse.

Like me, they know the odds of having made it into this thing called life are slim,

and they are PSYCHED they did.

BIRDS

And in celebration of the fabulosity of life,

a few more shots from

the Merced National Wildlife Refuge (January).

White-tailed kite. We brake for wildlife photographs.

You can see why this used to be called black-shouldered kite, yes?

Great horned owl, barely tolerating us.

See 'im?

White-faced ibis & American coot hanging out.

(you may wanna zoom in on that pup…)

Seems red is a popular eye color, there. I wonder why?

Geese, just a few: probably snow and Ross's geese.

Foreground is northern shovelers.

American coot, lookin' artsy. =)

How's THAT for an electric-red eye?

Good luck winning THAT stare-fight.

So, yes, I'm blogging 'cause I have a deadline and should NOT be blogging.

And 'cause I have SO many photos I don't share, and probably should.

Perhaps an intention for 2014 will be to post MORE of my photos, here.

Sharing life; sounds like a plan.

And, along those lines, 

congratulations to YOU on getting to play Life.

We are the lucky ones.

xoxobb

Rando photos w/a wee bit o' rumination...

Earlier this week, thanks to Olivia  (@squidfan) at Beasts in a Populous City,
I've agreed to take a photo every day for 365 days,
as sponsored/inspired by 500px.

 Round robin (day 2)

AND I signed up at 500 px (as biobabbler),
where Olivia already has some lovelies up.

Catfish Upon Carp (TX)

Also learned this week to see if there's ROOM
in the fridge before picking TONS o kale...

Hence kale living as bouquet, this week...

Kale glamour


Kale karbunkle?


First day of photo phun was yesterday, wherein I TOTALLY SPACED
until, "Aw, pretty sunset!"

Then remembered.
DASHED for camera and raced outside to shoot rapidly fading sunset.

But, no go: battery dead.

eep!

RAN back inside, scrambled for backup battery, replaced,
JAMMED back outside, & shot a few before the sun was done.

Phew.

Day 1:
an inglorious beginning.
However, for me, that's part of the point.

Just take the plunge, elegantly or otherwise.

KerSPLASH!

Just shoot it!
(You know, with a camera…)

Please let me know if YOU have started some new campaign this year,
or are planning on it.

When pondering Yea or Nay,
I landed on: life is for the living.
DO IT.

The alternative is SO dull.

=)

xoxobb

p.s. haven't decided when or where or which photos I'll share,
but will probably not share them all. Just ones I think are interesting,
or provide a view into my-life-at-that-moment (photo-diary style).
Already flung several on twitter (@biobabbler). xo

okay, that was weird: Steve Jobs dies, I write a 5 hr post, & get nothing done

 

Spent about 100 hours today writing a post on Steve Jobs
and life with a dad who has cancer
(been there, done that)
& now I'm not even sure I'm gonna post it.

Maybe I can chalk it up to therapy?

Short version:
cancer sucks, but if a parent of young kids is diagnosed,
and then survives for a few additional years,
it can render a good parent great
re: life lessons taught to the kid.

By example.

Long version:
is epic.
A tome.
As in the-Illiad-is-really-just-a-poem kinda long.

And no pictures.

So, not sure it'll get posted,
and now I'm behind re: work,
so gotta go grad-school, drink coffee, and work late.

Anyhow, my deepest sympathies to the Jobs family
and everyone else who's suffered such a loss.

I do know this sort of thing has changed me,
so that I stare longer at beautiful, mysterious things,

and just soak them up,

because I can.

When you plan your day/week/month...

 
... what among your options would be more interesting to read about (blog or book) or see in a film?

I think about this when I am a blob watching a movie, for example. No one in the movie is watching a movie. They are often out and about, and are always BUSY.

People generally find it interesting to watch people doing stuff. Going places. Figuring stuff out.

Adventuring. =)

Just a different criterion to consider when deciding what to do with your time.

=)

(btw, meeting in front of my hotel tomorrow at 6 a.m. to head out for fieldwork--woo-hoo! Of course, right now I'm blogging and watching the hotel tv... =) )