Nature Walkabout with Coffee

Posted byGary FultzPosted inUncategorized
View from our front picture window. You can’t see the cold.

I take a sip of coffee and look out the front window.

I am at the bottom of the hot chocolate can and the coffee bean bag indicator is sitting on E. Nursing a painful neck injury has made me participate in the winter sport of drinking a hot beverage while watching the outside world through our windows. Even though nature’s winter has been -15 to -35 below zero Fahrenheit for the last week and the wind chills have reached -70 I want to participate, kind of. The smart people on TV say this will continue another few days. Then spring, yea!

A young fawn often walks the perimeter.

For now I am relegated to peering out windows and thinking strange, or at least new thoughts. Being I have the camera handy I put my coffee down and capture the local fawn of the bunch of deer gathered by the back deck

I take a couple more sips of coffee while deer watching. I didn’t think the old doe would make it this long into winter. These temperatures must be tough on her

I drink some more coffee and ponder the trees. Sigh…I never tire of tree watching

Fascinating is the architecture of trees. How the limbs on a white oak tree can hang straight out for 50+ years is wild. Gravity and fatigue defying cellular structure.

I take another sip, put the cup down for a bird picture

Our Christmas tree bird feeder

I did not take down our outside Christmas tree. The chickadee’s think the string popcorn is their bird feeder. Maybe next year every ornament will be edible for the birds. There’s a business idea for someone…how about an edible outdoor Christmas tree. If you make it…someone will buy it! I would buy it, especially if it came with a big bag of coffee beans.

I watch the sky blush slowly, winter a little embarrassed? More like “There’s more to me than cold” Coffee is getting cold “You are a bad influence ole winter”

I take my last sip of lukewarm coffee. I’m thankful.

I take a look at the camera heart stirring. Lord willing I will mend to fish again!! I begin stirring the last of the hot coco. ARGH

Gary

Published by Gary Fultz

Outdoors Man, Hunter, Fisherman, Guide, Writer / Author, Photographer, Public Speaker, Musician, Song Writer, Story Teller, Follower Of Jesus. Love God and family and total strangers

86 thoughts on “Nature Walkabout with Coffee”

  1. That’s quite a few pictures and some serene experiences for one cup of joe!

    The wind chill here in OK is a balmy +10. But most folks here don’t have the right gear to be out and about.

    A robin showed up at our bird feeder today. Sorry fella, it’s a far cry from spring. No meal worms here, but enjoy the safflower seed.

    Blessings, Gary. I hope your neck is better soon. 🙏

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    1. Thanks David. 16 oz tall cup and the camera sits handy. I just press it against the window and snap. Nice views and the deer and birds are always around. The morning and evening skies have been rose to red almost all week. No sun dogs yet. It is worthwhile to have extra warm clothes even in the south. I have been accused of pacing the floors a lot lately.

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  5. Boy can I relate to this post! Love the shot of the chickadee in flight! I need to learn how to shoot with faster shutter speeds. I hope you are soon feeling yourself again, Gary! God bless!

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    1. I’m a light weight wimp on pain Craig. It’s temporary I’m well enough to be up and around after 3 days fairly immobile.
      I’m at the looking out the window is good stage. Going anywhere doing anything not good.
      I have a 3ti canon. I put it on sports shooting (continuous shooting rather than single shot. I can take quick bursts of 7 shots at a time. it is great for birds landing and taking off if there is enough light..

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      1. It’s great you are taking everything well in stride, and savoring the moments. Thanks for the sports shooting tip, I will have to see if my camera doesn’t have a similar setting.

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  6. Great pictures and story line, Gary. Thanks. Hope your neck gets better soon. I imagine nature around there is missing you. On the other hand, it is a tad cool. You may need to keep thawing out some. Speaking of cool, some of your cool is coming down here to Texas this weekend. Of course, fifteen above may be shirt sleeve weather for you, especially when they’re biting. Later.

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    1. Thank You RJ
      My neck muscles are healing slowly. another thing not to take for granted.
      It’s only -20 right now but not much wind so it feels warm (so church didn’t call kids club off tonight).
      15 degrees sounds quite cold for down there, wow. I actually bundle up well for 15 degrees as my #1 rule is “Never get cold” It’s very hard to get warm once cold (I’m talking to the bone cold). I often ice fish half the time down to zero degrees with my gloves off but keep a heater handy when they are biting. Not macho but good circulation.
      Rejoice, it’s another day closer to spring as well as Christs return!

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  7. Having finished my heavy load housework and gardening, I made a coffee and sat down a while to read some of the WP blog stories . Yours was first one I came across, here I was drinking coffee while reading and you were drinking coffee while typing .😆
    Not sure if I worded that right but I am too tired to make sense. Maybe I need another coffee .

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    1. Thanks Stephanie, it is beautiful here. Another rose colored morning in the sky. I would rather be outside taking pictures but it’s hard on my camera batteries (and fingers) at -29. I bet you guys are cold your way as well.

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    1. Nature surely does. It’s a crispy early morning here now and it’s -29 F (-34 C) A rose colored sky with the sun only hitting the very tops of the forest. What a setting to bundle up for a walk outside and say “Good Morning Jesus”.(then come in for a hot coffee)

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      1. It is not the temperature I am trying to capture. It is the color in the sky. I have see beautiful pinks and purples as the sun begins to rise. This morning, the view outside our front door, which is a lake and a stone bridge, was all a deep shade of blue right before the sun rose. It only lasted a moment. My moto hyper phone just doesn’t capture what I see.

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    3. Oh, no phones do not capture colors in the sky. The automatic sensors wash out the color. On a camera where you can control the settings or pinpoint the sensor, you have to pinpoint on the sky or sunset so the light meter tones the amount of light on the picture way down. only then do the colors appear. I also take time exposures on a tripod (even in the house) This allows color to soak into the picture on a very low light setting. many of my best shots are at 1/3-1/15 of a second. Maybe that helps a little bit?? an older used but good EOS canon may go for $200 on ebay with 3 lens (if it’s worth it to you), then a bit of practice and you will get the same kinds of pictures capturing great color. Hope that helps.

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    1. Thanks Suzette. I am on the road to recovery. I stretched it a bit this morning at-29 I went for an ATV ride. Did you know when you blink facing the wind at that temp your eyes can freeze shut? I do now.

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  13. Amazing photos. Somebody smart once said that we give the name “nature” to a thing that is God’s Providence. You certainly take great photos of God’s Providence, Gary. And your expertise with your cam is much appreciated! Not many can preach such beautiful sermons using only a camera.

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    1. Thanks GW
      You have confirmed my thot process. I am also pleased that so many in their comments speak my unspoken words. I actually started out the blog theme as “The nature of nature” but felt led a lesser road. Ironically, a pile of readers who normally do not engage…did. Gods ways are sometimes very subtle? I think so. Light speaks volumes without words. Words often offend, light just is.

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  16. Thanks Wayne. It’s -32 right now (real temp with out wind factored in) and I am scheming about getting to the lake on my ATV without freezing my face. Once there I’m fine if the ATV will start again after fishing. it’s 10 degrees colder on the lake usually. I really do marvel at how those chickadees don’t freeze their legs off in this weather. They thrive on this cold. Hope you are doing well. you must be in a cold wave as well for those parts.

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  17. God gives us seasons for good reasons. Sounds like you’re doing well with your season: Appreciating God’s gifts through your window and lens; coffee in a warm house; hunkering down in the cold season of life; anticipating warmer times and seasons and activities; making plans.
    We got dat cold here, too. I’m just west of you, I think, and maybe south, in eastern South Dakota. We had the drizzly gray days (and days and days), now the bitter cold, BUT we have sunshine! The sun balances a lot of things out.

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    1. So true Kathy. “Seasons for good reasons” I like that. Yes, the sun is great. we will have a couple more nights in the -30’s -teens for highs and then gradually warm above zero for highs next week. Yes, you are west and south. we are where the Mississippi river begins and flows north then east before going south.
      It has always amazed me how much the weather affects us as human beings. It also affects fish and wildlife. When I see the deer moving a lot, the fish are probably biting as well. It’s like they are on a timer. But then God has seasons and time tables as well.

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    1. They found some grain I had put there for an old doe that might not make it through the winter without help. The best thing I could do for them is cut down some saplings as the buds are extremely packed with nutrition. If the snow gets over their bellies I will do that.

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      1. I think it’s awesome that you give the old doe a helping hand.

        People tend to think hunters are a bloodthirsty bunch. But I take care of my deer better than most conservationist groups.

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      1. Interesting how the definitions of cold snap vary so greatly across the world! We have just experienced first snow for a year- 10cms, enough in this part of the world, to bring Lockdown to an even greater standstill!

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    2. Wow, yes perspectives. That’s a lot of snow there. Here, everyone wants to get outside and enjoy it. We had a dusting this morning and my wife said rather wistfully “Oh I wish we could get a foot of the big fluffy stuff”

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    1. Thanks Ann. It is cold. Yesterday I walked in the woods and found holes down into the snow that grouse make to stay warm enough through cold snaps. They will bury themselves in the snow, completely covered for days and come out when it gets warmer. Now that its 40 degrees warmer, during the day anyway, they get out and about. YA, I don’t know how deer do it but they don’t seem to mind.

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  25. Reblogged this on Mitch Teemley and commented:
    My Featured Blogger this week is Gary Fultz, a northern Minnesota-based writer/photographer (brrrrr). Gary is also an avid outdoorsman, storyteller, public speaker, and many, many other things. He maintains a devotional blog site, as well. I’m delighted to follow both. Why? Because Gary’s writing, along with his stunning photography, is engaging, down-to-earth, and peppered with insights. So pour another cuppa joe and enjoy!

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    1. Thanks so much Mitch, I just hope to connect with some people. I’ve been rambling through the blogs of many of your followers and wow what a diverse bunch around the world…I’m blessed to be a part of it. I’m home bound with another accident so more material…Oh well.

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    1. I’ll share it anyway I can Ann. The earth is the Lords and so are we. I can’t help but think that seeing God’s beautiful creation may be a pathway to God for many people.

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    1. Thanks Liz, we are fortunate to live on the edge of thousands of acres of forests and lakes. We enjoy the seclusion with an occasional visitor. Lot’s of wild life photo opportunities.

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  31. I am glad you enjoyed the views Sakshisoni. I must confess, sometimes I foreget where I put my coffee, especially when a deer walks through the yard and I grab the camera. Then I pour a new cup and then end up finishing off bits of coffee here and there around the house later. It’s all good.

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    1. Thanks Steve. A sense of appreciation in my case has been a learned, intentional side effect from a long time walk with Jesus. I really know how much it is not natural nor genetic in my case. With time and use I believe more capacity comes to a deeper level. that’s my theory anyway.
      I am doing better but had another mishap and yes, anything below -10 makes stuff not work very well including fingers and toes (and cars).

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  38. This story reminds me of most of the time I spend deer hunting… thinking about tree architecture, hearing red squirrels throw a tantrum, seeing things on the land I never noticed before. I will pray for with you for neck… it’s really hard go from capable to neutral in one move!

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    1. Ah yes. Deer hunting is a time to notice the smallest details and get different perspectives. One of our hunters thought it was so beautiful that he took several pictures all around his stand. Looking later at the pictures there were 4 deer in one of his pictures.

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