The start of a beautiful thing

In honour of the onset of spring I have finally decided to start a blog. This is something I should have started long ago, but...well you know, woulda, coulda, shoulda...

So I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Kathleen and ever since childhood I have adored nature. I've always been at my happiest when surrounded by woods, wild flowers, birds and little critters.

Our home is located on a reclaimed corn field on the shores of a little river. Part of our land is a lovely wooded area that is approximately 200 ft wide by 300 ft deep which leads down to the river.

Our little forest boasts a mix of deciduous trees including a few 200 year old red oaks, many varieties of ash trees, maples, white pine, hawthorn and sumac. The ground cover is comprised of wild strawberry and raspberry bushes, small tree seedlings and a variety of wild flowers from trillium and trout lilies in the spring to goldenrod and dainty little wild asters in the fall.

These woods provide home and shelter to white tailed deer, lynx, red fox, raccoons, rabbits, skunks, ground hogs, squirrels, chipmunks and (albeit less desirable) field mice. We regularly put out seeds to feed the birds and our feeders attract around 20 different species of wild birds to our yard. The woods and river are home to another 15 or so more species including sand pipers and great blue herons.

I am reminded how lucky we are every morning when the sky is painted with the beautiful colours of the sun rising above the treetops (one of those spectacular sunrises is shown at the top of this blog). We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to live on this lovely piece of land and to enjoy its bounty.

This blog will be dedicated to the beauty that surrounds me in my every day life. From sounds like the sweet singing of the frogs in the evenings, to smells like the strong and dizzying scent of white pine that wafts by me as I walk through the woods. From sights like the glitter of snow geese as they fly overhead returning from their winter homes, to the taste of the wild raspberries that I just can't resist snacking on. From the soft touch of the fluffy seeds released from milkweed pods, to the feelings of profound contentment that I get from sitting out on my rock by the river contemplating life.

I intend to share them all with you here and hope that you will enjoy reading my stories and checking out my pictures.

Happy Spring!
Kathleen