Hi Ken! Raspberries to you, Joan, for rubbing in our TEMP! LOL Everyday like this - we hope it is the last one for the season. Tomorrow should be much better. Spring is only a month away! Joan, your pictures are beautiful -- But, that first one almost looks like the sun reflecting on snow (that nasty four-letter-word!) Some people we know at our church, just came home last night from Orlando, where it was 85*. At home here it was -20*. That is a 100 degree difference! That's enough to shock a body! LOL

Yes, Topaz is a lot of fun. My DS and DIL gave it to me for Christmas. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range--the goal being for the lightest and darkest parts of a photo (and everything in between) to show up with equal intensity. (That's over-simplifying it, but it's the best I can do.) You can do this to a degree with Topaz, but the more ambitious photographers take several exposures of the same subject and then blend them together. I wouldn't be surprised if Nicole's DH has done this. (Nicole?)

Alisande... I can only guess...but those pellet like "things" may be engorged ticks. When I zoomed in on your original postings...I saw them then. They seem to be aligned alone her back spinal area. She's been through the wringer for one reason or another and her immunity defenses may not be what they should be. Being weak, she'll become an easy host for almost anything. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be so visible [in your yard] on such a continual basis...and if those are ticks...she would have rubbed them off long before they reached that size. She's there because neither you nor your pets have threatened her and she needs a safe haven for her twins. She's probably bedding down with them in your tall grass areas and provided she has a water source nearby...she'll stay there until her twins are strong enough to survive on their own. Those wounds, if we're right, are not that old. If they were, we wouldn't be able to see them so easily. I'm glad you brought mama cat in for a while. At least until she's strong enough to run fast and climb. Most cats have enough sense to run from a bear. Dogs want to defend their territory often to their own demise. It must have been a terrible experience for you. I know it would have been for me. If possible...could you post photos/progress reports from time-to-time? It's hard to tell her age from photos but if she's a liability, her own kind will shun her...and I hope she makes it.

Great picture. Wish I had your horizon. We got so many lines that it destroys any nice sky pictures.