"If we are to teach compassion for all life
in this world, and if we are to carry on a real campaign against cruelty, and against the destruction of our environment, we have to begin with reaching children." ~ Betsy Seeton |
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"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do." -- Freya Stark (1893-1993) I can't imagine my life without my passions. One of those passions is developing and designing this website for the purpose of inspiring people to care about animal & human rights. It's been a slow, trial and error solo venture, sometimes adventure since 2007. Many times I wish I had a team of co-workers to discuss content and have the extra mind power. Maybe one day it will work into that. Right now this website is a solo gig and while I actually thrive on independence and being a self-starter, it's incredibly time consuming (lots and lots of research) and my point is, that if I weren’t passionate about it, I would have folded long ago, if for no other reason than it doesn’t make any money. But that’s the most amazing thing about passion. It’s not driven by money nor deterred by the investment of time. It’s this on fire type of desire that’s fanned by its own existence and burns without burning out. It’s almost magical in that way. I love that the joy of feeling passionate is its own reward. Another passion is capturing life through a camera lens. I took the hawk pictures on a walk around a local pond. Photographing wildlife is one of my favorite things to do. When I’m out with my camera, time feels timeless. I write about this on my Art Gallery website: I know time doesn’t stop for anyone, but when photography is a passion, it’s a way of making the most of time and in the end, it’s also about being able to bring home a slice of that time picture-by-picture. Money will never buy the feeling of what it’s like to look at life through the lens of a camera. I love photographing just about anything. I especially thrive on finding animals and birds in their natural habitat. When an image gives you that feeling of hitting the sweet part of the bat, when it’s everything and more that you saw when you pointed the camera at it, it’s utterly exquisite! I love capturing simplicity. These winter scenes of grass and weeds were shot over the past couple of days. I'd rather be out with my camera any day than out shopping. I took these photos of this precious little bunny this afternoon. She let me sit down about 8 feet from her while she munched on a little snow and some dried grass. She let me take as many pictures as I wanted. There's never one time, not one moment, when I don't feel a sense of awe and wonder when I'm around wildlife. There are a lot of books out there designed to help you discover (or rediscover) your passions. If the number of books is any indication, there are a lot of people floundering around and wondering how to fill up that emptiness inside. I found 50 books just googling the word 'passion' that are how-to guides for living and/or finding the work that feeds your soul. Speaking of soul, there were over 25,000 books with that word in the title. Books specifically about 'finding the work you love' numbered over 100. My suggestion is try recalling your childhood. That's where your passions are born or at least mine were. I would bet that what you loved as a child is still with you. I feel like I've come full circle in my life. I had a deep love for animals for as long as I can remember. I was three when we brought home my first puppy. I recall every room in that house as I cradled that tiny ball of fur in my arms. I had all kinds of pets growing up - wild and domesticated. I admired Jane Goodall and imagined a life like hers. Onto the artist in me. I did oil painting renditions of the 101 Dalmatian characters and tried selling them on Main Street when I was 9 or 10. I loved anything artsy. I made candles, designed leather purses and belts, experimented with tie dye, wood carving, and more painting. A few years ago I started exploring welding in addition to abstract painting. The writer in me began in 2nd grade and a love for photography at 9 when my father gave me my first 35mm Argus. That was the same age I remember dreaming of traveling the world to write and photograph far away places, people and animals like I read about in the National Geographic. I have not made a living doing what I love, but I'm closer than I ever have been and I hope I never give up trying. In the meantime, I indulge every single one of my passions from painting, to photography, to writing and traveling. In these economically challenging times, having passion is priceless. After spending time with the adorable little bunny yesterday, I found a squirrel with a rope like tail. It's the second time I've seen this. I don't know if the fur was stripped away somehow, or if it's in the breed. It's very unusual. It was fun watching him jump through the tree limbs eating something off the branches. I know people see squirrels in the parks all the time and maybe even find them annoying. I'm curious about them and love observing everything about them. I feel that way about all animals. I've added some furry tailed ones here too. I hope you enjoy. For fun pictures of chipmunks and ground squirrels click here. I took most of these squirrel pics (above) on my walk today. The 'Winter Leaves' are just scenes from my daily walks out getting fresh air with my camera. They are just a way of sharing what surrounds me this time of year. It can feel bleak and lifeless or interesting and intriguing. It's a matter of perspective I suppose. For more bee photos from this hive click here.
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ALL PHOTOS FOR SALE AS GREETING CARDS AND FRAMED OR MATTED PRINTS. CLICK TO GO TO BETSY'S ONLINE ART GALLERY WITH HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS OF ANIMALS, NATURE, TRAVEL AND INTERESTING SHOTS. Read about life in the mountains with all these little critters and birds ... THIS IS ONE MESSAGE YOU'LL WANT IMPRINTED IN YOUR MIND SO THAT YOU WILL NEVER BE TEMPTED TO TEXT & DRIVE texting photo by Blueskkies It's a very well done video that's hard to watch, but please honor those who have died by hearing this message. I have such respect for the courage of the real life people who came forward to take part in this video campaign so that others might learn from lessons that have come at the loss of so many lives. Writing just the letters: LOL killed someone. You're 23 more times likely to get into an accident if you're texting. Please watch. Pass it on. VIDEO CREDIT:Posted by The Waking Circle
"In the last 30 years, the African elephant population has declined to about 35 percent of its original numbers." Samuel Wasser Conservation Biologist, University of Washington Get the facts about the ivory. Click the image below to learn more. I appreciate you stopping by.
The Bear (known as L'Ours in its original release) is a 1988 French film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The screenplay by Gérard Brach was adapted from the novel The Grizzly King by American author James Oliver Curwood. Set in late 19th-century British Columbia, Canada, the film tells the story of an orphaned bear cub who befriends an adult male grizzly as hunters pursue them through the wilds. The film was nominated for and won numerous international film awards. Source: Wikipedia "This 3 minutes 55 second clip is jaw dropping drama at its best." B.Seeton Wikipedia "The Bear" is an unusually involving film about animals that will give you a fresh perspective on their world. Straight from youtube: "Film Review: Storytelling doesn't get much purer than this--a film with virtually no dialogue and not a minute that isn't fascinating, either for the plot it pursues or the way director Jean-Jacques Annaud gets his ursine stars to do what he wants. The story deals with a young cub who, after his mother is killed in a landslide, bonds to a lumbering male Kodiak. The two of them then must cope with an invasion of hunters into their territory--and Annaud makes it clear whose side he's on. Aside from stunning scenery, the film offers startlingly close-up looks at bear behavior. They say the best actors are the ones that let you see what they're thinking, a trick Annaud manages with his big, furry stars." --Marshall Fine The Bear has all the marks of a classic. Lauded by animal rights groups for its respect for the integrity of all species, it manages to speak out eloquently against the senseless hunting of wildlife without having to depict killing to make its point. Instead, it emphasizes the ties that bind the human and animal worlds together. --Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat |
By Betsy Seeton
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"If we are to teach compassion for all life in this world, and if we are to carry on a real campaign against cruelty, and against the destruction of our
environment, we have to begin with reaching children." -- Betsy Seeton FOR ALL
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