Yesterday I sat and watched a blue heron fishing about ten yards away from me. When he didn’t find what he wanted for lunch, he took off and flew directly at me. My heart went litter patter as I prayed for good focus. For once my lens was too long but I got the mud spatter at takeoff. Enjoy til tomorrow Mj

Now seven years since my battle with cancer and chemo. And I am still here. Thank the lord. This week a small number of cranes are gathering on the meadows and this one is digging for snails and other mud creatures. Sometimes he submerges his whole head in the mud but is careful to close his eyes beforehand enjoy the cranes. I will probably wear them out before you are sick of seeing them. til tomorrow MJ

Dear Friends, Cancer, chemo and surgery were not enough distractions to keep me from my photography, so we got 2 new dogs.  This one is Bud, an English Pointer, who we shuffle in and out of the house when the temperatures fall below zero.  He is my dog and lands in my lap whenever I holler at the other dog (Trigger).  At the moment they are in the outdoor kennel and chasing ice chucks around the kennel.  They invent games to keep them and us amused. I can’t wait for spring!. Back to work, til Tomorrow MJ

Dear Friends, With this new computer finally up and running, I will try to get back to normal.  Which raises the question, what is normal anyway.  I am reminded of a  commercial on tv, that advertises a pill that treats metastatic breast cancer as the woman achieving a new normal.  Good luck with that, I hope it works. But having recently gone thru cancer stage 2, chemo and surgery, I have yet to define that new normal. So I will try once again to regain normal.  I think the secret is not in the old normal, but indeed a new normal. til Tomorrow MJ

Dear Friends, this pair of red-necked grebes are courting on Phantom Lake.  At this point they have built four different nests and lost them all, they are currently sitting on another piece of floating dirt in the middle of the lake.  They may or may not have an egg.  I will keep you apprised. til Tomorrow MJ

Dear Friends, in my last post I called the two fighting ducks Green-Winged Teal, I do know better these are Northern Shovelers and in this post I show you a more peaceful Northern Shoveler. Chemo brain is still sabotaging my work.  til Tomorrow MJ

Dear Friends, these green-winged teal males are arguing over fishing rights, there will be no blood shed but both went their separate ways, til Tomorrow MJ

Dear Friends, I have been on a long sabbatical, sorry if you have some abandonment issues, haha, I have been fighting with cancer for a year and now am cancer-free for the time being, this image of dancing sandhill cranes expresses my joy at surviving cancer, chemo and surgery without too much pain.  I am back sitting in Chex Meadows watching the God-given sights and images that are still present, hope you are still out there, love and blessings, MJ