December 21st the official start of winter. It is the shortest day and longest night and signals the beginning of the difficult road ahead for the wildlife to survive on Eighty Acres. This beautiful buck managed to avoid the hunter's bullets and arrows, but deep snow, frigid temps and a limited food supply will require the deer to skillfully conserve its strength through the bitter months ahead. The Earth Mother has assisted the deer's survival by providing a dense winter coa

The lone fox walked across Eighty Acres and left his footprints in the snow. I don't know from where he came or where he went, but he left his mark upon the land. Likewise my own steps speak to my journey across Eighty Acres. At times I ran. At times I danced. At times I fell. Soon the snow will melt, new grass will grow and my footprints and paths will slowly disappear. There will be no remorse or sadness as my footprints fade away. In the days ahead others will walk the la

Today the crabapple tree's bold summer reds, subdued winter whites, and the early morning sunshine all magically came together on Eighty Acres. And the Earth Mother spoke to the land and said it is time to rest and go to sleep under a white quilt of snow. But do not fear. I promise I will awaken you when it is time for spring. #travelwisconsin #EightyAcresPhotography #DunnCounty #Naturephotography #TravelWI #Discoverwisconsin #Wisconsin #MenomonieWisconsin #EarthMother #Midwe

Far above Eighty Acres the rotund moon marched across the night sky. Just as the sun was about to chase it away, the moon seemed to pause on the western horizon. It was then I thanked the Earth Mother for this special moment and softly whispered goodbye as it disappeared over the hill. #Mindfulness #EarthMotherssecrets #EarthMother #EightyAcresPhotography #TravelWI #Naturephotography #DunnCounty #photography #MenomonieWisconsin #Moonsetting

The black snake softly hissed to me as I walked by the Eighty Acres cherry tree. I stopped and gazed into the snake's deep and empty inky eyes. Its melodious voice tempted me to taste her sweet nectar and promised me all the worldly pleasures. I reached, sipped, and now forever regret. #EightyAcresPhotography #dunncounty #Naturephotography #wisconsin #photography #Midwest #TravelWI #Discoverwisconsin #MenomonieWisconsin #EarthMotherssecrets #Temptations

Please forgive me my love for my silence. Forgive me for my distance. Forgive me for being lost in thought. Even though we are standing so close, you know I am a thousand miles away from you. But tonight I have two lovers, as the Earth Mother kisses my eyes, she softly whispers a sweet good night and promises to return tomorrow. #DunnCounty #NaturePhotography #Discoverwisconsin #Eightyacresphotography #TravelWI #EarthMother #Midwest #Mindfukness #photography #SeasonsonEightyA

The story of the crab apple tree began this spring when it awoke with an explosion of red and pink blossoms. Bees and butterflies were frequent visitors to the blossoms as they sipped the sweet nectar. Its branches provided a nesting place for the birds and shade for the hostas below. In the fall, finches and chickadees feasted on the sour and bitter tasting tiny apples. But now it is time for the tree to go sleep for many months. In April, the Earth Mother will gently nudge

Each evening the battle between light and dark begins and each time the sun loses. But the sun is very proud and somewhat vain and often times will not depart until it prepares the most spectacular exit. Like the final scene from a play, the day's curtain begins to fall, the music crescendos and the sun hurls fiery colors across the sky. People stand in awe and often times bottles and champaign glasses are lifted to the sky, with eloquent toasts made in the sun's honor. And t

The clothes line that so often holds bedsheets, flannel shirts, denim jeans, cotton blouses, and strategically hidden undergarments, now has clothes pins holding colorful fall leaves. For two days the crucified-like leaves hang from the clothes line as the breeze gently sways them to the beat of their last dance. As the hours pass, the rich colors slowly drain from their veins and the leaves turn to a nutty brown hue. Finally released, the leaves fall to the ground and become

Tonight the Earth Mother's sky was crystal clear with a thousand stars suspended in the night sky. No breeze, a deep stillness, and I knew that tonight a killing frost would slowly creep over Eighty Acres. And I wondered if the the dahlias know this night they would die? Did they huddle together for warmth? Did they fear the inevitable? Did they shout to be rescued? By morning the temperature had fallen to 29 degrees. The dahlia stems drooped and the once bright colors had

Folklore has it that I am not supposed to be able to fly. It's something about my weight, wing size, air resistance and number of wing beats per second. But I am here to tell you that I fly just fine! My wings beat 200 times per second and I will travel over a mile just to find a sweet nectar source. Oh by the way, did you know the Earth Mother didn't give me any ears? But maybe that's a good thing. If I had been able to listen to the naysayers and all my critics I may have

Trust me I have never lied. But can you imagine my surprise, when in my lampshade I spied, where the largest spider in the world did reside! At first I was dubious... and soon furious...but then I became curious. It was all so mysterious. Was the spider in the lampshade malicious? Or even worse vicious? As I approached the beast it seemed quite calm and oblivious. But what if it was carnivorous? Did it view me as delicious? Do I need to quickly become religious? But to be ser

I dream I am lost in a sea of gossamer. A shrouded world without direction, and I pray for a lighthouse to steer my direction home. Far away a dog barks. A crow's wings slice the fog just above my head. Somewhere a church bell rings. I am trapped and stumble in this smokey vapor. Footsteps are near and panic grabs my soul. Wake up! Wake up! I don't want to dream anymore. #travelwisconsin #EightyAcresPhotography #Naturephotography #photography #DunnCounty #MenomonieWisconsin #

To those of you who ponder whether your glass is half full, and find beauty only in a full moon. I simply say...be mindful and thankful that you have a glass to drink from, and that the Earth Mother has given you a moon to guide your steps in the night. #Mindfukness #SeasonsonEightyAcres #EarthMother #TravelWI #MenomonieWisconsin #Discoverwisconsin #EightyAcresPhotography #Naturephotography #Midwest #DunnCounty #photography #Thankfulness #Wisconsin

Today I will sit quietly in the sunflower garden. Mindful of my deep breathing, I will bring sunshine into my lungs and soon my heart will be calm. It will be a magical day and I will wear a bright yellow scarf and softly sway as the wind moves the the flowers above my head. Under the yellow canopy I will listen to the sunflower's songs and stories and I will be at peace as I whisper a thank you prayer to the Earth Mother. Today will be a special day. #Mindfukness #travelwisc

Over the past week I have spent a considerable amount of time attempting to identify the swallowtail pictured above. To me the world of swallowtails is quite confusing. There are hundreds of swallowtail species and when I attempt to navigate the subtle differences in their appearances I become confused. So I decided I would just be mindful of the butterfly's beauty and enjoy the moment as it rested upon a coneflower in my garden. But, if I had to take a guess, I would say i

The house wren sang it's last song this week. This tiny bird with a gigantic song only sings during the nesting season. Here you see the mother calling to her young, encouraging them to launch themselves from the nesting box, and trust that their tiny wings will carry them to a safe landing spot. How quickly the summer is passing and the wrens will soon depart Eighty Acres to begin their journey south. After they are gone I will remember their songs. I wonder when we are gone

I often lose track of time as I walk the trails of Eighty Acres. Each day's trek is a new adventure as I listen and learn the stories from the Earth Mother and her land. As I exited the dark woods last evening, I see the house lights have been turned on for me. Like the north star, the lights are a beacon pointing me home. I quicken my pace knowing she will welcome me with a smile and as always ask, "see anything?" I must hurry home. Someone there loves me. #Mindfukness #

Over the past several years, the birds of Eighty Acres have gifted me their feathers. I kept many of them in a paper bag not really sure why I was even saving them. While cleaning my garage this week I discovered the bag of feathers and decided to create a feather bouquet. Pictured above is the colorful feather bouquet that now sits on my kitchen table. There are two big benefits of a feather bouquet. The first is simply the beautiful colors. The second is no watering req

When the sun says goodbye to you at the end of the day, it is not the time for loud voices or idle chatter, Rather let us enjoy the wonder and peace of the moment, simply be mindful of the beauty and softly whisper "oh my." #Mindfukness #Discoverwisconsin #EightyAcresPhotography #MenomonieWisconsin #Naturephotography #Midwest #DunnCounty #EarthMother #sunsets #TravelWI