They say you only have 10 seconds to make a first impression.

I always say, don’t judge too quickly.. I am a bit more “deep” than that.. or should I say.. Less shallow.

I work in the out doors, and outside is not always a  clean and neat place.

I was raised on hard physical labor and find value in it.. Have shook hands with men who’s fingernails are  more manicured than mine, and who spend more money on hair products and shoes than I did my Jeep.. and I have come to believe that “these” are the kind of people that believe that you can make an accurate judgement of someone in 10 seconds or less.

Things are not always what they seem

I have run into my share of dirty, grimy, men.. mud to their knees, toren jeans and ragged old hat.

But I was also raised with the ability to tell the difference between work dirt and filth..

and trust me, there’s a huge difference..and not all filth is easy to detect.

For the most part I would be relieved to run into one of these men/ or women covered in work dirt any day.

Work dirt builds character and integrity.

On the other hand, I have also witnessed a local business owner, pressed black slacks and white starched shirt, roll up his sleeves and climb up into the engine compartment of a truck, because he knew there was work to be done, and he didn’t become the owner of that company by being scared to get his hands dirty..

Now back to that 10 second impression.. most of you glanced at the photo of the antlered deer above, and like I did, assumed it was a strange looking little buck.

But I sat there and waited and my first impression was proved so very wrong, not only is this deer, not a buck, but “she” was a mother.

I tried to get a photo of her fawn nursing but it was not meant to be.

I have seen “stags” before, and I was even  lucky enough to photograph a cactus buck a few years ago.

But I was under the impression that they were all sterile.

Once again Nature provided a valuable lesson.. sometime things are not what they seem.. people and nature are not as simple as you may think, and most of the time, it takes longer than 10 seconds to learn  the truth about  either one..

Everyone and everything has a story..

Next time you are out, don’t be so quick to judge.. you might be surprised what you learn..

about others, as well as your self.

 

 

 

 

We had so much fun with the last two “name that post” photos I added..

I thought I would see what you all come up with for this one~

 

 

 

 

just a few of my favorite things.. actually I add photos of my favorite things to this web site every day..

I love nature, I love wildlife, and all things involved, but I love my family more…

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”~

I have sat here this morning and written several different posts that would all fit with this photograph..

But, for me, what this photograph boils down to.. is the grace and beauty of this doe..

No matter what you face in life.. no matter if the scars are visible for the world or hidden on the inside..

Everyone has a story.

 

 

 

Can’t wait for the bucks to start showing some new growth.. photographing bucks without antlers gets kind of boring.

I did notice last night that the sand hill cranes have returned, so maybe today I will take a little trip and see if I can catch any dancing, cranes, grouse, or maybe turkeys too..

Wouldn’t it be fun to look for shed antlers in there,  if they didn’t cut the corn down?

Every once in a  while we all need to just slow down and take a moment to find, and appreciate the beauty that is around us~As we get older… every day, month and year seems to just zip by, leaving us wondering where did the time go. Well,  I am on social media sites quite a bit, blogs, Facebook and Twitter, and I see a common theme.. every day I see at least a few people post about how they can’t wait till the weekend, and on Mondays they are all complaining ~ back to work and come on Friday~  Can’t wait for the weekend.. etc, and so on.. the weekends are only 2 days long…. what about the other 5 days?  A typical work day is only 8 hours.. what about the other 16 hours of every day?

Well, today is Monday and I am up and working..I’m very blessed to be able to work from home, but still,… it’s Monday.  I watched a beautiful sunrise this morning over the Mountains to my East..I don’t see the elk on the ridge behind the house this morning but the sun dancing off the soft sage and yellow grasses on the hills around the house is stunning.  I am sure if I go look,  I would be able to see the mule deer, perfectly camouflaged feeding along the ridge and If I step outside and listen I know I will hear the lonesome call of the chukar as he searches for a mate~Yeah, it’s cold outside this morning and I have things to do..but that is life, a life I choose to live to the fullest..  You don’t have to work from home to slow down a bit, it doesn’t take much time to acknowledge the beauty that is all around you, and once you do, you will be amazed at how much more will be revealed.  You don’t have to live in the country, look around you, look up.. I saw a saying one time that said “In life ~you will find, exactly what you are looking for.”  If you choose to see every day as a burden, it will be.

This saying works for life as well as those you live and work with every day..

For me, I choose to search for  the good in all things~ and I can usually find it.

I took this photo of the tall summer grasses last spring~ my question for each of you is.. how much beauty can you find hidden along the road you travel every day?

OOps!

 

These last few weeks  of morning frost have transformed  the landscape, shades of orange red and yellow illuminate the forest. A ring of ice along the clear streams announces winter is not far off. The bugle of a bull elk echoes through the clear mountain air as a V of Canada geese slides gracefully through a blue cloudless sky.

Squirrels busy themselves with collecting enough cones to fend off starvation through the long cold of winter months. Whitetail deer shed their red summer coats and don the warmer grey winter hair. This time or year is truly magical.  Nature slowly dies off  and prepares for a long rest before beginning anew all over again next spring. The tawny coat of the doe in this picture reminds us of summers warmer days, while the turning leaves and her new grey guard-hairs remind us that change is imminent.

The world is always moving.   Nature is  busy with the simplicity of a turning leaf, a frozen stream edge, or the ritual of a rutting bull deep in the wilderness.  As the doe slips silently through the undergrowth, I close my eyes and listen to nature’s soft voice. Quietly she sings an ancient song of constant change, and through understanding I hear all she wishes to share!

~Hawk