Your Daily Breeze

Photographs by Ulrika Kestere.

A good friend introduced me to this unfathomably imaginative beauty, Ulrika Kestere.

Ephemoral things are often hard to depict, yet, with one short series of photos, we are transformed to another reality, the one we can appreciate already, and the one we can create within our minds. It has been a long while since I dreamt of Horses, grasses, and oceans...it was spectacular. Join me tonight?

Also, check out her Animals and Landscapes section, even portraits so diverse (yet so focused)!

 
Photographs from TheMorningDistrict.com.

If you have a 40+ lb. (18kg) Dog and happened to be blessed with snow this season, you may want to look into "Dog Skijouring"...simply because: there are few things in the World as lovely as gliding through the snow while your Dog revels in their own happiness and fitness. It's GLORIOUS!! (Note: can be done with willing Horses too).

Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic.

Check out more about this Kermode Bear, photographed in British Columbia. They crawl high and low for their meals, which include Lupine roots...how versatile!

 

Photograph by Betti Na.

If you have time today, browse around Flickr.com...because...just like the World itself, there are so many wonderful surprises awaiting you!

Yay! Thank you to all you loyal viewers who have continued to use YDB during our break! Here's our next installment of many more posts to come.

You may have seen it already, but this walking Octopus warrants a second, third, and fourth look! What will his/her offspring evolve into based on this one moment? How many other amazing things happen when we're not looking? Oh, Octopi...you make me wonder so.

Hello lovely Readers,

   YourDailyBreeze is on hold until the outdoors stops being so awesome! We can't pull ourselves away from the amazingness nature has to offer and engourage you to do the same. Now! Get off this computer and go have fun outdoors, that's an order. Yay!

  (But, if you simply can't tear yourself away from the screen, there's over 600 YDB posts to look through, all of which are enormously entertaining and are eagerly awaiting your viewership.) Happy Day!

A nice video to enjoy, includes an inquisitive young Elephant Seal. Ah, relaxing...from EarthTouch.

Photograph from OnePennySheet.com.

Yay! Throughout years of legal battles, law changes, broken words, and battling with our own government to keep roads out of the Tongass National Forest (our last remaning temperate rainforest), there has been a major positive development! NRDC and EarthJustice, among others, have succeeded in displaying the importance of keeping roads out of pristine ireplaceable land preserves. Phew. What a relief. It's good to know there are still some sound judges out there, keeping our future in tact. Thank you to all who signed petitions, who fought against corruption, and who stood up for what's truly important in life. (Life itself).

Photograph from EndangeredBeesGallery.

Doesn't it make you happy when you see the Bees around your yard, or...are you worried about their rapid decline? Do you want to attract Bees but don't think a hive is viable for your location? Well! Check this out! I found out about it in "Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century", and I'm going to put three 'Bee Houses' up this week, how exciting!

Hippos wallow in the water as a storm approaches. I love EarthTouch!

Photograph by TheGardensBlog.

This summer, cut down on the time you spend lawn mowing by replacing your lawn (or a portion of it) with a well-planned garden! If you've ever wanted the pleasures of your own food, beautiful trees, or a varied view, here's one thing to think about if the little devil on your shoulder complains about the amount of 'work it takes' to have one. Say to him: "Dude, all it takes is a minimal amount of time (compared to say, less productive things like watching TV) and a minimal budget to plant something that will be benefiting your surroundings every second it grows." He'll be glad you listened to your good shoulder because he and you will live longer because you'll be healthier from the various benefits one gains from being outdoors, touching soil, and eating truly fresh foods or looking at pleasureable landscapes. Even if you chop it down at the end of the year (Romaine Lettuce to Christmas Trees), let it grow while there's the opportunity. Plant often, plant well (with good soil), and care for it if it looks sad. Everything wants to live, it's our opportunity and responsibility to ensure it can for millions of more years to come.

Happy chemical-free planting this week! Tip: Make sure any seeds you buy are gmo-free, organic, and preferably local to your area. You definitely do not want any gmo seed on your property (or your neighbors).

The male Club-winged Manakin may beat his wing feathers twice as fast as a Hummingbird, and in doing so, creates a lovely song!

Photograph found on AnimalsVoice.com.

Sea Turtles and Albatross have something in common, they eat strange, brightly colored floaty things in the sea. For the millions of years their species have been around, anything strange and floaty tasted good and gave them nutrients and life-giving energy. However, lately, they've been innocently munching on our refuse (like bottle caps, twist ties, even cigarette lighters). It has lead to millions of Animal deaths, mostly from slow starvation as the plastics inside cannot pass through their bodies or allow real food to enter.

How can we help them? 1. Never litter, even little pieces of plastic should be contained. If you can't recycle it, make sure it's secure in your trash bag or don't buy that item again (get bonus points by writing to the company and suggesting a packaging change). 2. If you live by a road, consider taking a trash bag on your walk and getting all the stuff that will someday make it from the road, to the drain, to the ocean. 3. Tell your friends, we want happy, healthy ecosystems (and need them to function properly if we are to continue our normal way of life). Tell everyone who will listen how cleaning up after ourselves can be fun, rewading, and easy. Yay! Let's save some Turtles and Birds!

Photograph by Ali Paul.

Another great bunch of photography tips! This time, from PictureCorrect.com.

I wonder how many Animals I've passed along my routes that have disguised themselves as well as this Potoo Bird! (shown here by David Attenborough).

Photograph by Frans Lanting.

This spring plan out your backyard activities on a toxin-free lawn! If you have weeds sprouting from your walkway, an old trick is to pour boiling water on them a few times, or pull them out the old-fashioned way. Most weed killers have toxins that can alter many Animals' DNA, especially Amphibians, who are disappearing at an alarmingly familiar rate (similar to the Bees of the World). To help all our fellow Animal friends, use natural treatments (you can Google "natural cure for [anything]" and find a great, workable alternative to commercial weed-killers, fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides). For instance, did you know placing a fake Wasp nest around your porch will deter any real Wasps from moving in? No stinky spray needed, how cool?!

Photograph by NaturesMoments.

Who would have thought saving your old styrofoam cooler could come in handy for camera storage?! Check out more great tips at NaturesMoments.com.

Photograph by Sparky Stensaas.

A unique concept has taken hold in Texas. Apparently, 97% of Texas is privately owned, and in order to raise awareness and promote conservation of these privatized lands, regional businesses donate a whopping $90,000 to the winner of the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photography Contest. A willing ranch in Texas opens its doors, or, in this case, 'scrub', to a willing Photographer, and the results are increased awareness of the local fauna and flora, increased conservation and even restoration of these beautiful and, now well-documented, Texan habitats. Genius!