Now that the weather is warmer, everyone is more active.

I’m going to have to learn how to hold my camera steady. It has a neat moving picture feature, so I recorded what I found on my hike.

I could see and hear the Canada geese, but the wetlands are inaccessible, so I could only hear spring peepers and wood frogs; their calls are music to my ears.

I also got moving pictures of a small deer until the wind shifted.

Until the wind shifted, this deer hadn’t moved. I’m always amazed when I get a glimpse of wildlife. I’m even more amazed when I’m fast enough with my camera. [youtube d5LGOCx4j9s nolink]

This is the sound of spring peepers and wood frogs singing a duet when the weather was warm last month. The swamp was too deep for me to get a glimpse, but the duet is still beautiful. [youtube lCkHHWFsFzM nolink]

Where would we be without humor?

Credit for the following list belongs to lotsofjokes.com:

What a difference a week makes!

The ice has finally retreated enough for safe hiking.

This little song sparrow is usually easier to hear than to see.

Red-tail hawk stuck around long enough to get a few photos

I was lucky to get these shots before the wood ducks continued their migration

SPARC meetings are always informative and engaging.

Sandra Kissam is a true champion of Open Space. After catching glimpses of Al Gore’s testimony  yesterday, I set off for SPARC’s latest meeting. Artist Shawn Dell Joyce is one of the people trained in January to present An Inconvenient Truth slide show to local groups.

I’ve seen An Inconvenient Truth in the movie theatre and with neighbors. The images still make me shudder. This presentation includes a list of easy steps we can take right here to make a difference.

I typically write and research alone, but without the feedback and support of other writers, I’ll miss out on valuable information and take longer to reach my writing goals.

Here are some tips for choosing the writer’s group that fits your needs and goals.

I’m celebrating the Vernal Equinox (8:07 PM in my area) leading a writing workshop at our local Barnes & Noble. WriterByNature is definitely walking her talk.

This is a one-shot, but B&N has told me that 12 people have signed up.

A heavy sheet of snow fills the air, reducing visibility.

At daybreak I was actually considering a hike. One minute the air was cold and damp, but calm. The next, it was snowing heavily. A nor’easter is a dramatic reminder of nature’s power.

March snowstorms deliver dense, heavy snow. I don’t put my winter clothes and gear away until mid-April. But the paperweight scene outside my window actually has me hoping I might get to use my cross-country skis one last time.

It’s hard to believe that I was hiking in spring-like weather less than 48 hours ago.

The red-winged blackbirds have already returned.

Making comparisons is a way to increase our understanding.

Metaphor, a Greek word translated as carry something across, is a way of comparing two things without using the words like or as.

As a writing tool, metaphor can create word pictures in the mind of the reader in a number of ways. Here are a few: