Another Nova Scotian, Grace at Graceful Yoga, passed on a Meme Blog Award to me over the weekend. Blogging is always full of nice surprises.
In accepting the award, I have to reveal 7 things about myself and pass the award on to 7 other bloggers. Since this blog is a nature journal, my 7 revelations and recommendations will have to do with nature.
I became interested in stamp collecting many years ago when I taught at a small private school that had a stamp club. Philately (the study of stamps) can open up a whole new world of ideas. I collect topicals (stamps on specific topics) and my preference is for postmarked stamps. Here are some of my favorites with a nature theme. I’ve used them as a focal point for a handful of favorite things and blogs.
Francis of Assisi is regarded by many as the first ecologist. His love for nature made him regard the flowers and birds as his brothers and sisters. I find the relationship between nature and spirituality quite fascinating. Kathy at Opening the Door, Walking Outside wrote a story on this topic yesterday entitled Open the Door? Close the Door? Open it up Again?
Christmas stamps that have the Star of Bethlehem on them are one of the topicals I collect. I especially love this one because it has a seashore theme that includes a beautiful white cap and a crab.
Although she’s on the other side of the Atlantic, like me, Jessica at Nature in Focus lives near the seashore. Her scientific background and amazing photographs make her blog especially interesting. A post about a little crab can be found at Another Pennant’s Swimming Crab.
While growing up in Northern Ontario, I spent a great deal of time playing among White Pines. They are still my favorite tree. I planted one in my front yard many years ago when Scouts Canada were distributing them in the neighborhood.
This beautiful evergreen is the state tree of Michigan where Gerry of Torch Lake Views resides and writes about life in her neck of the woods. A recent post, Babs takes you behind the scenes at JRAC, shows how one artist has employed natural materials to express what it means to be a Northerner.
We had so many pets in our household when my kids were growing up. A bright blue parakeet was one of them. This stamp of colorful birds reminds me of the day he flew out the door to a tree at the end of the driveway. I was so afraid a bird of prey or cat might get him, but he flew back in when I called him.
The stamp is from Japan where Wind of The Quilting Sword resides. His most recent post is about Taxonomy and Taxidermy and shows some wonderful photos of a natural science museum in Tokyo.
Red Squirrels are probably my favorite mammals. Their antics provide an endless source of entertainment. I grew up around Chipmunks and didn’t get to know these squirrels until I moved to Nova Scotia.
As much as I love squirrels, Steve at The Red Squirrel in Germany is even nuttier over them than I am. He has names for all his regular fluffy-tailed visitors. A recent post, Who are these squirrels? is worth checking out for the awesome close-up images.
This Christmas stamp from the Isle of Man shows a tree decorated with snow. The islands I’ve dreamed of living on usually have a more tropical climate. I’ve visited a few islands (Ikaria, Malta, Gozo, Mackinac Island and Prince Edward Island) but never stayed for more than a couple of weeks.
Anne at Nova Scotia Island Journal lives on McNutt’s Island off Nova Scotia’s south shore. She writes about the different facets of island life and her natural setting. A recent post about wild sheep can be found at The lambs are two months old now.
Love stamps issued by the USA are popular with many stamp collectors, myself included. My love for stamp collecting was an activity that I shared with my children when they were young. They’ve since moved on to other interests.
Jeremiah now shares my love for blogging. He writes about personal fitness at Digital Trainer. He’s taken a break from blogging this summer while on a training course that often finds him in the woods, but hopes to resume again in the fall. One of his posts from earlier this summer discusses foods eaten by top performing animals in Diets of the Earth’s top athletes.
If you have a chance, check out one or all of these blogs. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
