Unexpected Humor from a Raccoon Clown Car — TEXAS BIRDNERD

30 Jun 2019 Leave a comment

***I started a little birdnerd blog given that birding and all things nature have morphed into a big nerdy gig for our whole family. This shared post is one of the first two entries created today. The masked comedians above were caught on our game cam this weekend. No editing beyond cropping was made to the video. Aren’t these critters ridiculous in the very best way??***

It should be noted that just because one believes that she is adding a squirrel feeder for the sake of feeding squirrels does not actually mean that the target clientele will be the only visitors popping by for a snack. We also now know that not only do raccoons enjoy eating from […]

via Unexpected Humor from a Raccoon Clown Car — TEXAS BIRDNERD

Quote by Jo Price

Positive Social Media Experience – Instagram

06 Sep 2018 18 Comments

by Jo Price in Positive Energy Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by @texasbirdnerd on Instagram

I am genuinely passionate about writing. There is nothing comparable to the terrifying yet freeing feeling of putting your raw truth out for public inspection. I can handle the risk of judgement or rejection because I know that so many others need to understand that no matter how dark the moment may seem, there is always hope to be found. Breaking the silence about the harsh parts of our shared human experience is critically important so we can all be reminded that it’s not just us. That we are not broken. That we are never ever alone.

Posted by @texasbirdnerd on Instagram

However the challenge that I face as a blogger is that as much as I adore writing, I can’t turn these posts around in 5 or 10 minutes. They take a good chunk of time for me to compose, and I only seem to find that time somewhere between 11pm and 2am. Sadly that doesn’t jive so well with my 5am wake-up call and kids / work / life keep me jammed for the other waking hours.

Posted by @texasbirdnerd on Instagram

Furthermore the blogging community is so interactive that I remain in a perpetual state of feeling tremendously guilty about my inability to read 99.9% of the other bloggers’ posts including those written by my closest friends. I absolutely love reading all of them – truly. But I simply can’t keep up, and it makes me feel like a literary toolbag.

Posted by a clever young photographer (my daughter) @dragondaydreamer on Instagram

But then there’s Instagram. Although there are innumerable posts each day, you go through copious information in a few quick minutes. It’s much easier to support more of the community while leaving quick positive comments encouraging others forward. Like all social media, you can stumble into a dark bummer of a depressed you have serious daddy-issues kind of rabbit hole, but you can also kick that off your feed in two seconds once you recognize it.

Posted by @texasbirdnerd on Instagram

And on that note, please trust me when I tell you to stick with the happy, the amazing, and the educational. Don’t focus on the yuck and definitely don’t feed on the unhappy. Aim for the feel goods and the awe-inspiring. Put more good in to get more good out.

Posted by @texasbirdnerd on Instagram

While I took up photography a few short months ago, I have found myself absolutely smitten with it and always end up focusing on the nerdiest of subjects. (No, not fanboys. I prefer to marry those.) In the world of photography, I’m a nature nerd all the way. And much like writing, it makes me smile, soothes my soul, and appears to do the same for others in need of a mental respite from the racetrack of daily life.

Posted by @texasbirdnerd on Instagram

Although I will continue to write whenever I can find the time, I sincerely hope to see you on Instagram in the gaps in between. If you are already there, please look me up! I would love to support your work. And if you need tips on how to get started, let me know that, too. I would be happy to send along some tips for that as well.

Posted by @texasbirdnerd on Instagram

Best wishes and hugs to all of you!

Jo Price – Instagram ID @texasbirdnerd

Posted by @texasbirdnerd on Instagram

***All photos and writing contained herein are the sole property of the photographer / author. Use is prohibited without express written permission of the photographer / author. (c) 2018 – Jo Price Photography

Pause a Moment to Take a Closer Look

30 Aug 2018 6 Comments

by Jo Price in Positive Energy Tags: , , , , ,

***Originally posted in lifeinthespectrum.com.

world of wonder - IG

I believe that landing a lovely photograph is strikingly similar to getting to know the people around us. There is such spectacular beauty to be found if only we are willing to pause a moment and take a closer look. We constantly seek to be shown the wonders of the world, but they are already at our fingertips.

bumble bee - IGTake the smallest amount of time to notice the magic that is woven into each day that you live. Look for the beauty everywhere you go and in everyone you meet. Every shot you take may not be what you hoped for, but every now and then, your willingness to give a little extra effort will leave you absolutely awestruck.

Big hugs to all.  Jo

 

bumble bee 2 - IG

***Originally posted in lifeinthespectrum.com.

It’s Too Hot for this Chickadee

19 Jul 2018 12 Comments

by Jo Price in Positive Energy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

birdbath - chickadee1

Is the entire world melting or is it just Texaa? Don’t get me wrong. It’s a nice change of pace to be able to blame my perpetual sweaty glow on on the weather instead of my standard hormonal beatdown. Some refer to this female physiological anarchy as “The Change” but if you use those words in my presence, you will visibly see me throw up in my mouth a little. Seriously people. Blegh!

Stop. Calling. It. That.

Let’s all agree that it shall henceforth be known as “Advanced Creaky Hoo-hah Syndrome” and be done with all other terms (scientific, irritating, or otherwise). Okay?

As a quick side note for my fellow birdnerds, adding a birdbath to your yard is a sure way to attract more feathered critters. I should also mention that if it continues to get hotter and hotter, it is quite likely that you will see me splashing around in your new aquatic feature as well. You have been warned.

😉 Jo

birdbath - chickadee2 - IG

Life in the Spectrum – Nature Photography vs. Travel Anxiety

16 Jul 2018 8 Comments

by Jo Price in Positive Energy Tags: , , , , , ,

***Originally posted on lifeinthespectrum.com.

black skimmer - IG

It’s no secret that I don’t do well when I have to travel solo. Despite my issues, my company is located out of state, so solo travel lands on my calendar multiple times a year. In order to redirect my nervous energy this past week, I opted for a series of random after workday adventures. A couple of those days included the coolest of activities. Happy hour? Chillin’ with my team at the bars? Dancing the night away?

snowy egret seafood - IG with logoOooooh nooooo. Think cooler. Much much cooler. That’s right.

Nature. Photography.

Aaaaaah yes. Haters gonna hate, but I couldn’t stop the unmitigated badassness that came with lugging around a lens so ridiculous that it made my forearms ache to hold it. As an added bonus, I was able to respond to inquiries from curious passersby who repeatedly asked, “Do you get incredible photos with that camera?” with my sly response of “It’s a hit and miss given that my limited camera knowledge is derived from the patient people at Canon customer support and Google.”

landing - IG

I told you. Mad. Skills. My anxiety faded away as my native nerdiness returned to the forefront. But it made me happy, and it did calm me down. I send heartfelt thank yous to the many California locals who suggested several beautiful places for capturing lovely nature shots and to those who pointed me in the right direction once I arrived.

seal in la jolla - IGKindness is so very powerful. We often don’t realize that the people around us are struggling deeply, and the smallest of benevolent gestures can mean more than we could ever know.

As is the norm, I actually had a wonderful week. Despite a few questionable moments (to be discussed later), I survived relatively unscathed. And now I’m home once more. Back to Texas. Back to my people.

Back to me.

osprey - IG

Big hugs to you all!  Jo

*My instagram ID is @texasbirdnerd for any other nature photo nerds. Find me so I can see your pics, too. Those always make me smile.  🙂

acorn woodpeckers - IG

***I would love to know what you do to take down the stress level when you are feeling overwhelmed. Feel free to tag your relevant posts in the comments, but keep in mind that this is a family show. Please keep it G / PG rated. Sorry, but I don’t need to read any of your PG-13 and above ideas.  😉

And on the 8th Day, God Created Tall Boots

24 Jul 2017 39 Comments

by Jo Price in Positive Energy Tags: , , , , , , , ,

And this is why those tall boots are so important…

 

My daughter and I shot this little video during our nature walk yesterday (watch the tree trunk).  It’s interesting at a distance, but we maintain a firm rule on the distant location requirement.

Save your nonvenomous speeches.  That may be true in this case (and it looks like an eastern coachwhip so it probably is harmless to everything but our sanity), but we have multiple venomous varieties as well.

One last little personal note to my new tree-climbing pal the snake – What the heck dude???  Couldn’t you have just stayed on the ground like every other snake that still managed to creep us out without scaling large stationary objects that we also like to scale?  Why show off those mad climbing skillz?  You have made trees terrifying for me.  Trees dammit!  You know – those overgrown plants that made me so very happy up until the exact moment you came along!  Now every time a branch grazes my arm in the woods, I am going to react like I’m the star in a dorky live reenactment of the tomb scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Thanksssss.  Jo

Breaking Free

22 Jul 2017 17 Comments

by Jo Price in Positive Energy Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

butterfly4aYou wouldn’t think much to look at it.  And of course that assumes that you would have even noticed it in the first place.  Many people would walk right by and yet it would remain unseen.  They don’t recognize the magic.  The wonder.  The amazing.  It’s all within view if they can simply look a little harder.

I feel this way sometimes.  I am invisible.  Hidden in the roles I play.  Camouflaged in a daily routine.  Surrounded by a beautiful facade.  At times I want to fault others for their failure to see what I have to offer, but then the realization slams into me.

The others aren’t the ones who are missing it.  I am.

I am the one who can’t see who I truly am, and I am the one who can’t recognize what I have to offer.

butterfly3aHow often do we degrade our perceptions of ourselves based on where we are in the moment?  We criticize our physical appearances.  We curse our life circumstances.  We replay our sad choices and moments of humanity in our minds and declare ourselves unworthy or unlovable.  We twist reality to meet our misconceptions and insecurities.  We assume that the world sees us this way as well.

But that doesn’t make any of those judgements true.

It is human nature to seek validation from every external source we can find.  The irony is that the wonder and mystery of our lives is not what happens on the outside.  It is without question that the experiences and individuals outside of our physical and spiritual selves are there to be enjoyed, loved, and appreciated.  They complement our human experience and allow us to grow on countless levels.  We develop with these external elements, but the true miracle that is embedded inside us was there long before they came along.

Something deep and beautiful and mysterious lies dormant within us.  It waits to break free of all that we create to keep it locked away.  We must push past our fears if we are to know our true beauty and purpose.  We are so much more than we allow others and ourselves to see.  Wake up.  Reveal your beauty to the world.  And break free!butterfly1a

Love to all of the beautiful miracles out there!  Joanna

Dormant

***pic 1 – monarch chrysalis hanging on a lemon plant on our patio
***pic 2 – monarch caterpillar having a nap before chewing up more milkweed
***pic 3 – monarch butterfly that had just emerged from another chrysalis on our patio this morning

Stop Aiming for Normal

21 Jul 2017 43 Comments

by Jo Price in Positive Energy Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Picture_20170721_210115536

This is a swallowtail caterpillar nibbling on parsley on our patio. There’s a smaller one to the upper left in the pic, too.

I’m not normal.  I know this.  Apparently it’s all the rage though because I constantly hear people saying how they just want to be normal.

While we are on the subject, would someone mind clarifying for me exactly what that means please.  Also I would like detail regarding why so many people are dead set on achieving the whole being “normal” distinction.  If possible, please provide specific examples of the actual normal people in the world so I can have a template to emulate.  I don’t think that I’ve personally met any of these normal individuals just yet, but maybe I can’t recognize it since I’ve never fit the mold.  On that note, do they sell that mold on Amazon, and if so, it is available with prime delivery?

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This was not a normal caterpillar.  He took a nap and then grew wings and started to fly.

Stop aiming for normal.  No one is normal. That’s not a thing.  And even if it was, why would you want to achieve thay anyway?   Spread your wings.  You are different, unusual, and unique for a reason.  Own it!

Love and light and epic abnormality!  Joanna

Unusual

The WP Challenge word I referenced above is unusual. The writers and photographers I share with you here each display this element in their own beautiful, unique, and magical ways. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.

https://mavimet.com/
https://magickmermaid.wordpress.com/
https://horseaddict.net/
https://outanabout.com/
https://roseelaineblog.wordpress.com/

Fuzzy Around the Edges – Pixel Pix

17 Jun 2017 16 Comments

by Jo Price in Positive Energy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m typically speaking about myself when I use the phrase fuzzy around the edges but not this time. While I have a wonderful eye for quality photo opps, my actual talent at executing said shots could be put on level with that of the Blair Witch Project.  Probably less.

Although I am photographically challenged, I’ve playing around with the camera on my new(ish) Google Pixel XL phone to see if it can overcome my human limitations.  I have been rather wowed with the results and wanted to share for any other shakey-handed Sallies out there who might be in the market for a phone in the near future.

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I am intrigued with the mixed levels of focus in this shot.  The only areas in focus are the ones that were actually moving.  This spinner was turning wildly when I took the picture.

 

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The front was rolling in very quickly, and it was almost totally dark.

I took this picture while looking up at the branch that was 20+ feet above me.  I was standing in its shadow, and the sun was shining from behind it (because getting the sun to shine from beneath the branch seemed to be definitive no as the sun doesn’t work like that).  The camera still picked up the detail of the bark.

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It’s a lovely shot (if I may say so myself), but the truly impressive detail is that it was taken from a car window while bumping down a little highway at 70 miles per hour.

This week’s photo challenge is to show your favorite in-focus and out-of-focus moments. Click below for instructions on how to share your awesomeness with your fellow WordPeeps.
Focus

***MoJo***

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