Pileated Woodpecker by the pond

A Different Kind of December Gifts…

Mother nature has been giving us a different kind of December gifts this year.

The weather continues to be unusually mild for Minnesota in December, with temperatures in the mid-40’s today and yesterday. The snow that fell earlier this week is rapidly melting. Lakes around the Twin Cities are still open water instead of being ice-covered, and cross country skiers, ice skaters, and ice fishing fans are sad.

But for me, this mild December weather is a gift I treasure. I am not an avid lover of winter, so the milder temperatures make the winter more bearable.

“The years spent with
Susie, a keen photographer, had fine-tuned Nikki to the beauty in a scene and especially patterns
of light and dark. As day transitioned into evening, she marveled at the multifarious light
coating the
coastal landscape.”
― Christine M Knight, Song Bird

This afternoon as I gazed out the window towards the pond in the backyard I spotted a beautiful Pileated woodpecker on the log beside the pond. These birds are so large, powerful, and beautiful. I love watching them and at the same time hope that they find plenty to eat in the trees around our area instead of making big holes in the cedar siding on our house.

What a joy it is to see natural wonders like this bird in my own back yard! Another December gift that cannot be found in a store!

We are beginning to become more accustomed to our treeless view in the back yard and planning what trees we will plant to replace those we lost in the past few years. I am enjoying watching the light on the pond ice at different times of day and seeing the day-to-day changes on the pond. The ice has been freezing, melting, then freezing again, creating a variety of different shapes and colors in the process.

I have been working through some health challenges for the past month as well as working part time doing bookkeeping and office work for a friend so my camera outings have been almost non-existent during this time. But I am still able to find time and energy to pick up my camera and make photographs through the window of the light and ice on the pond.

Still another gift I am thankful for!

What gifts are you experiencing this December?

May you walk in beauty.

Pileated Woodpecker just starting takeoff

In flight

During snowfall earlier this week

Reflections in ice melt today

The light just after sunset on the pond