In thinking about Cardinal’s monthly photo challenge, I anticipated doing what I did last year by going back through the month’s photos and trying my best to not include every single one of them in my review because 1) there is generally so much that happens each month and 2) because so many of my photos make me so happy (whether or not one might consider them “good” or not).
But, you see, Cardinal is switching up how he’s running his monthly challenge giving participants the option of pulling together a gallery of photos that represents the month (Version 1) OR of simply including one single photo (or recipe or painting or drawing, etc.) as a representation of the entire month (Version 2), so I had that in the back of my mind as well.
So, as I was looking through photos and pulling together a gallery (doing what I’d always done), I realized that it was kind of all over the place. There was sunshine and snow, ice and clouds, happy animals and cold chickens. Then there was Akuna, a beast of a dog while experiencing her first heat for a good portion of the month. I would, of course, include the inventorying of seeds (as well as the planting/sprouting of a few) and at least one shot of the mud (because holy moly, do we have a lot of mud)!
But none of it felt right.
None of it felt like January felt to me this year.
Until I found this pic…
January, though busy in it’s own way, was a sleepy kind of month.
I worked to stop the glorification of “busy”.
I planned and dreamed and schemed, but I also rested and napped and actually read a few pages in my book.
I found my iPod and actually listened to music.
I painted and took photos and allowed my creativity to flow through me.
I walked the property time and time again and allowed myself to simply breathe in the cold, winter air.
It was a glorious respite from the hustle and bustle that has been our lives for years and years now.
And yet, after months without a single egg from this gorgeous bird, she finally began giving us her pretty, pink eggs again…
Whispering of all the production (and pure, amazing, bounty) that has yet to come but is just around the bend.
And so, this sweet bird with her fluffy feathers, her dirty beak, and her sleepy eyes feels like January to me.
And so she is.
xoxo,
M
P.S. Pop on over to Cardinal Guzman’s The Changing Seasons to see how others have seen January around the world.
The hen looks peaceful in her rest. Your January sounds like a good month was had by all.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Patricia 🙂 January was a good month, indeed! Hope your week ahead is a lovely one!
A beautiful interpretation of the challenge. I really liked reading this and the photo is spot on.
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Thank you, Cardinal, for offering up the challenge 🙂
Sounds like a great month, and I think that picture sums it up nicely!
Thank you, Maridy! It was a good month, indeed 🙂
I think that sounds like the best kind of January. 🙂
Doesn’t it, though? I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂