Rubbish by Roan

Quotography and More

2012-02-20T08:41:00.001-06:00

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks ~ John Muir

I'm a huge fan of John Muir, and one of my favorite places to visit is Muir Woods. If you haven't been, I highly recommend a trip.

The next best thing is walking in the woods. Hubby enjoys making walking sticks and canes, so a friend of ours offered Hubby some new territory to search for straight-ish sapplings. Saturday turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day, a little chill in the wind, but perfect for walking.

We met up with MK and her pups, Jake and Mollie, and off we went. Meet Jake. He is 14 years old, but still followed slowly along, watching over us from the top of the hill. He reminds me a lot of Willie, but with less white hair and Willie is only 12. Jake looks much younger than his years. Must be all that country living.

He sure is a handsome fella.

Mr. Regal on alert.

This is Miss Molly. She was out and about running here and there, having so much fun, but always stopping by to check on her MK.

I really like this action shot of her picking her way through the mud.

I saw several trees with interesting lichen, like this one surrounded by moss. For Macro Monday, visit Lisa's Chaos HERE.

These were on a different tree.

MK's house is set back in the woods. The view from all of her her windows is trees and nature, far away from traffic noise and the hustle and bustle of daily life. It's the kind of place I used to long for when I lived in Dallas. Sometimes I felt like screaming, wanting to get away from people and all the traffic noise, go somewhere, anywhere, where I couldn't see or hear a car. When visiting my parents, I always made sure I could spend one afternoon in the woods, with a good book, moss covered ground, and a big old tree to lean back on. NOTE: Now I often miss all the people and noise of the city. Is this the grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side of the fence syndrome?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these daffodils nearly ready to bloom, and it's only mid February. Other spring flowers will soon follow. Yeah!

I hope you are having a wonderful day. It's a holiday for me, and I hope for you, too. Happy Birthdays Mr. Presidents.

For more Quotography click HERE.

Willie Critter

2012-02-19T08:28:00.001-06:00

Willie lay on the grass, enjoying an unseasonably warm February day, looking for a good reason to bark. "Humdy hum hum, wonder what that guy over there is doing? Looks like he is getting ready to bury a bone. Those silly humans should learn to dig with their paws. Should I scare him? Nah, not worth wasting a bark."

"What's that I hear? The Food Lady probably wants me to come inside, but I don't want to. I'll give her my best pouty look and maybe she will leave me alone."

"Oh no! Not that horrid bright thing again!"

For more Camera Critters, click HERE.

2012-02-18T18:52:00.000-06:00

I've seen a lot of different shapes of lichens, but never this color. Plus, there was a bit of greenery to add interest to the picture.

Hope you had a wonderful Saturday!
For more BOKEH SATURDAY click Here

Wednesday Waste

2012-02-15T06:40:00.001-06:00

It was snowing when I took this picture, which adds to the coldness of this shot. The door is partially open and all the windows are broken out. When I was a kid it was occupied. I always loved the color of the siding, it was a cute house. I wanted to live there. Lets just say, the urge has passed.

Only two more days until another three day weekend. Woo Hoo!

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T06:14:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday, which is my Monday this week. We have snow. We were supposed to get 1-3 inches and from the way Willie's paws sunk in the snow, I would say at least 3, maybe a little more, and it's still snowing. I'm not complaining, we've had a great winter so far.

So today is Valentine's Day. I have a card for Hubby, which is all I normally do. He is the cook in our family, so I won't be making him a special dinner or anything. I actually won't even be home until late. I'm going to a CPR class at the Sheriff's Department. We will also receive training on the—oh dear, what is that thing called? You know the thing with paddles that shocks you back to life? Oh yeah! A defibrillator. I guess that is sort of a gift, in case Hubby has a heart attack, which sadly is possible. His father had a fatal heart attack when he was 62. Anyway, I think Hubby made something for me. He's always making things for me, which makes me feel like I should do more. Guilt ridden here.

So what do you normally do for your significant other?

Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Macro Monday

2012-02-13T07:50:00.001-06:00

Today is Lincoln's birthday. When he was a young lawyer, he actually argued a case in the courthouse in this town. It wasn't the courthouse I work in today, that courthouse burned in the latter half of the 1800s, but our current courthouse was built on the same spot. Since this is Illinois, we get today off as well as President's Day next Monday. The result, two three day weekends in a row. Woo Hoo! It has been a cold weekend. I did get out for a while. This month's camera club challenge is 'patriotic' and I didn't have anything to offer. I ended up at the graveyard with a flag at my uncle's grave. He was killed 2 days after the invasion of Normandy. I never met him, since he died before I was born, but I think anyone who gives their life for their country is the ultimate patriot. It is a sad shot, yet it certainly makes you think. I doubt I'll make the winner's circle, but at least I have something to show.

On a happier note, it's Macro Monday. Today I'm posting a shot from late summer 2011. Looks a lot warmer then.

Macro Monday, visit Lisa's Chaos HERE.

Friday Fences

2012-02-11T07:10:00.000-06:00

Another cold day, then and now. I don't know what the temperature is, but we had a little snow and last night the wind was whistling around the corner of the house. Willie didn't bother sniffing along the entire perimeter of the fence this morning , he took care of business and ran, not walked, ran back to his cozy bed.

I'm a little late posting my fence this week. I'm a little late posting at all. It's been a very busy past few days. I say, better late than never. I'm not having much luck finding time to take pictures, the barrel is running dry. This is another angle of a fence I've posted before. It's a nice sturdy fence.

Happy Friday! Oops, Saturday! Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

Super Bowl Sunday

2012-02-05T06:57:00.000-06:00

Giants vs Patriots
Are you going to a party? Having a party? Watching with family? Alone? Or, are you ignoring the whole Super Bowl thing?

If you plan to watch, do you have a favorite team? Hubby lived most of his life in Upstate New York, so he is cheering on the Giants. Since those poor Dallas Cowboys are not in the game, I really don't have a vested interest in who wins or loses, but for the sake of competition, I'm rooting for the Patriots. Secretly, I hope the Giants win so the less touted Manning would have the spotlight focused on him for a change. It would be even better since he is playing on his brother's home turf.

Indianapolis isn't that far from here, but since I didn't win the lottery, we're not going. I went to Super Bowl XIX and watched San Francisco soundly beat Miami. We paid $350 each for 2 scalped tickets. Face value was $50, I think. I can't exactly remember now. Tickets for this Super Bowl start at $2500—each. Football has become a rich man's sport. I'm glad I went, even though $350 was a lot of money back then. The Super Bowl is one of my all time great memories. Of course the birth of my children ranks #1, my divorce in 1980 ranks #2, (I can still feel the urge to do the Teaberry Shuffle outside the courthouse) meeting and marrying current Hubby ranks #3, and then the Super Bowl weighs in at #4. Does anyone even remember the Teaberry Shuffle? Yes, I'm old. lol

Before blogging today, I pulled up info on Super Bowl XIX and found a highlights video. I totally forgot all about the Jet Pack Man. I did remember the boo after President Reagan gave his speech and the dense fog. At one point I could barely make out the crowd on the far side of the stadium. The atmosphere was charged, almost tangibly electric. Everyone was excited. But most of all, I remember how we sat in bumper to bumper, often stopped, and always crawling traffic when we got back into San Francisco. People would get out of their cars and jump up and down with unrestrained joy. We drove down Broadway. The sidewalks were filled with people. The police officers were out in force, on horseback. We got the full experience. Great memories.

But back to the reason I signed on this morning, my Camera Critters post. Here's Mr. Chickadee out in the tree, which is budding. Silly thing, it thinks winter is over.

Anyway, whether you're watching the game in person, on TV, or ignoring it totally, I hope you have a Happy Sunday!

Friday's Fences

2012-02-03T06:14:00.000-06:00

It's Friday, finally! It's been a long hard week. I'm looking forward to some relaxation. Maybe a walk in the woods if the weather holds out.

We found this fence along a pond inside Douglas Hart Nature Center. It was our first visit, but won't be our last. I'm looking forward to going in the summer when the flowers have bloomed and the trees have leaves.

Happy Friday! Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

True Colors Thursday

2012-02-01T21:57:00.001-06:00

I always think turquoise is a hard color to find, but terre cotta was much harder. I believe there is a bit of terre cotta on the vase in this wall hanging from my dining room.

And possibly the flowers along the edge of this mirror.

How about on my Sangria pitcher? Which reminds me, we haven't had sangria in a long time.

Of course there are the empty terre cotta pots out by the garbage cans, waiting for pansies and geraniums to decorate the front steps. I think this plant had too much sun.

The challenge was to photo something odd in a terre cotta pot. How about a bottle of Chardonnay? Cheers!

Happy Thursday!
Visit True Colors HERE.

Nightmares

2012-01-31T06:03:00.001-06:00

Before I get started on my horrible night, how about a little red and white checked tablecloth for Ruby Tuesday. I understand there is a new site, but I don't have the link so I won't link up this week.

Now on to the nightmare portion of this post. I don't have any idea why, but Hubby and I had joined daughter and family in North Carolina where they were meeting all of son-in-laws family for a weekend vacation. While there, I needed to take a shower, so took off in search of one. Now you would think that the hotel or beach house we rented would have had a nice shower, but no, I ended up in some dive shower that was unclean and had lots of people. I put my purse down in the shower and someone reached under the door and took it. Of course, I didn't see them take it, so when I finished and I reached for my purse to pay for the shower, the purse was gone.

About then my daughter appeared in the dream and we spent hours roaming around the neighborhood because we didn't have money for a taxi. (I wonder where her purse was) Finally some kind 14 year old young man rode by on his skate board and gave us a handful of quarters for the pay phone. I desperately wanted to call my bank and cancel my credit cards. I put in a quarter, but didn't have the phone number, so I randomly dialed several numbers with no luck. The boy came back and told me to call the operator. OH, yes, that's right, THE OPERATOR! I forgot all about operators. So, I called the operator and she connected me to my bank.

After that, we walked back to where all the family was. I walked into the room where all my belongings were, and there was my purse. It was empty, as was the wallet, but at least my purse had been found. I don't know who found it or how. It must have transported itself back home. Now why couldn't it have done that with my money and important stuff inside?

I got all gussied up in my fancy duds and went out into the huge room where the family was busy getting their party on. The room was huge and dipped in elegance. Like a 10 carat diamond ring, the room was filled with chandeliers and gold framed paintings. It sparkled. Quite nice for a rented beach house, don't you think? Anyway, right there in the middle of the room, dancing up a storm, was Hubby. And who was he dancing with, why his ex-wife, of course. Her petite self was boogieing down in a bright red floor length dress. Hubby looked like he was having a really great time. When she flipped her head back and forth to the beat of the music, I saw lots of scalp. She was bald except for on the top of her head. She had grown her hair long enough to try to hide the bald sides and back. Akin to one of those bald man's comb-overs. I thought she had a beauty mark on her cheek, but upon closer look, it was a big, ugly, white-headed ZIT! As I watched, she went in for a lip lock, but before her lips locked with Hubby's, and as I was bullying my way through the crowded dance floor, the alarm went off.

I'm NOT speaking to Hubby today! LOL

Now for the really odd thing. I checked out Facebook posts and saw where my friend that lives in North Carolina had her purse stolen yesterday. How's that for weird?

Sunday Monotony

2012-01-29T16:35:00.001-06:00

It is sunny this afternoon, but the wind is so cold I don't like staying outside too long, so we're hanging out inside. Since I don't have any new pictures to show, I decided to dig into the archives and play Scavenger Hunt all by myself. I won't link up because I'm breaking the rules by using old shots. So here are my illegal choices.

SMILE

STAND ALONE

RUSTY/OLD
This barn works for both Rusty and Old all rolled up into one. Plus a little BARN CHARM added in. For more charming barns, click HERE.

ARTIFICIAL

REPEATING PATTERN
This is the best I could come up with. I didn't have anything that could quite fill the bill, plus this has been posted before. Anyway, I like it so I'm using it. If I'm going to be illegal, I'll go all the way. ;)

For those of you who might want to legally play or just see what everyone else came up with, go to Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Camera Practice

2012-01-28T07:26:00.003-06:00

There is a lady in our Camera Club who is very smart when it comes to using her camera on the manual setting. She took some pictures of a stuffed animal sitting beside another stuffed animal. One looked like it was really there, the other looks like a ghost, as in you could see through it. She explained how she did it, so Hubby and I decided to try. Mine turned out blurry, but ghostly. Hers was focused, with the exception of the ghostly subject. She used a tripod. I didn't. Perhaps if I try again using a tripod, mine might turn out better. At least you can get the idea behind the experiment. Hubby looks like a mean ghost. Wouldn't want to meet up with him in the dark. lol

If you want to give this technique a try, click HERE.

Speaking of ghosts, I wonder if there are any lurking in this old house. I heard there were two adult sons living there with their father. When the father passed away in his sleep, his sons didn't tell anyone for a week or more. Weird, huh?

So, have any of you seen or heard a ghost?

Friday's Fences

2012-01-26T18:57:00.001-06:00

Another shot from my excursion into the country a few weeks ago. Sure looks cold...

...so I'm warming us up with a summer sky. Too bad it's only a mural.

Happy Friday! Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

True Color Thursday

2012-01-26T06:23:00.002-06:00

So today, I'm playing the new True Colors Thursday. I liked it when Blue was the host, but seems everyone is heading on over to the new site. Anyway, today's color is TOMATO RED. I had this picture in my archives from a trip to a cute shop up in Mahamet, IL. Seems to be quite a few reds here.

And then I found this picture of some hot peppers Hubby grew in his garden last summer. They made some absolutely fabulous, and very hot, hot sauce. Particularly yummy wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla with some scrambled eggs, a little chorizo, and cheese. Now that's my favorite breakfast.

This new meme required me to chase around this tomato soup can. I normally go home for lunch, but due to the amount of work on my desk, I've been packing food. Yesterday, I decided to have tomato soup. When it came time for lunch I opened my lunch bag, and to my dismay, discovered the soup can was missing. Starving, since I failed to have one of those delicious burritos for breakfast, I went in search of my runaway soup. I found him, running up the stairs, but when I reached out to grab him, he took off faster than a Moonshiner running his shine.

By the time I made it up the steps he was gone. I searched the second floor and found him in the courtroom.

He was presenting a Perry Mason-like argument in front of an invisible Judge and interrogating an invisible witness. When he saw me, he took off through the door behind him.

I was about to give up and have a banana and call it lunch, when I found the little devil hiding in the law library. He thought he was blending in with the old books, but I wasn't fooled. When he tried to escape, I grabbed for him. In my crazed attempt to have lunch, I knocked over a chair or two, bruising my left knee and skidded to a stop in front of the exit door. He was cornered. Although he pleaded not guilty, the invisible Judge ordered the death penalty. I popped the top of that tomato soup can and poured the contents into a microwavable bowl. After adding a few crackers, my tomato soup was Mmm Mmm good. Yes, that's what Campbell's soup is, Mmm Mmm Good.

Happy Thursday!
To find where other tomato soup cans are hiding, visit True Colors HERE.

Wednesday Waste

2012-01-24T06:23:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I'm a day early. But I've a busy night tonight, so I'm posting Wednesday today.

Like old falling down buildings, houses, barns, and fences, I also love railroads. I like taking pictures looking down the tracks. This addiction probably stems from my childhood. I grew up on a farm with an Illinois Central Railroad right across the road from my house. From the time I was old enough to walk, my brother and I would run outside when we heard the train coming. We would wave at the engineer and he would toot the whistle. He eventually even starting blowing the whistle when we were not outside, and then even in the middle of the night. The train was so loud we would always wake up anyway and then to hear that low moan, knowing it was meant for Bro O and me, was so much fun. We used to walk up the tracks to get to town which was about 2 miles from us when we needed to return or get a new book from the library.

A train plays a pivotal part in the tween novel I'm currently writing titled The Dirt Foot Gang. The story is set in the 1950's and is about 4 boys who hop a train they think is going to slow down enough for them to jump off, but doesn't. I'm always looking for what I think might be a good cover shot for the book, so take pictures of railroads when I cross one.

I kind of liked this shot of the railroad in Lerna, the small town I blogged about a couple of weeks ago, but might try it again when the trees are green.

And a charming barn...or not so charming, but it works. There are lots of cows using this building for shelter. Oh, and it isn't related to the one in the picture above. They are about 5 miles apart.

For For more barns, visit Barn Charm HERE.
Have a wonderful day!!!

Camera Critters

2012-01-22T08:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday!

For more Camera Critters, click HERE.

Ice, Ice, Baby!

2012-01-21T07:59:00.002-06:00

About 7:00 last night when I let Willie outside, he took one step onto the porch and fell. What looked like rain-wet concrete was actually ice. I helped him back in and threw several towels in the dryer on high heat. Once they were heated through, I spread them over the steps to give the Will some traction. Why not use ice melt you say? Well, he doesn't like to walk in it and tries to find alternate routes to come back inside. I wonder if it stings his feet? Anyway, the towels worked well. No more spread eagle dog, and at his age that's a good thing.

It's still icy this morning. Daughter and clan planned to come for a visit today, but now I'm thinking they may want to postpone. We'll see. At 7:30 a.m., it's only 19 degrees. The sun would need to come out and the temps increase significantly for me to get outside, and I think the expected high is below the freezing mark, so I'm thinking it will be a day of laundry and inside chores. My fingers are crossed, hoping for a heat wave.

Since work is keeping me busy, haven't been out to take new pics this week, so I've a few odds and ends to post. First I'll post this beautiful reflection from vacation last October. I've posted several shots of this little pond before. I think this is a different angle, but I am old and forgetful, so if you've seen it before, move on down. ;)

For Bokeh Saturday—two little birdies sitting in a tree. No, not K-I-S-S-I-N-G, but waiting rather impatiently for Hubby, who is off camera filling the feeders.

Now that I've moved to a desk with a window, at work, I decided to decorate with pictures of the grands. I found a frame which has room for 5 pictures. Now it so happens I have 5 grandchildren, one for each opening. Since I see daughter's children more often, I have lots of pictures of them, but son is a different story. He is self-employed, which leaves little time for vacation, and lives in Tennessee. He believes the trip from Tennessee to Illinois is about as lengthy as a transatlantic flight. So, if I want to see them, I'm usually the one traveling there. Since I didn't go last year due to my broken ankles and gallbladder removal, I wanted a new, more current picture. How to get one, well call up son and tell him I need a picture of grandson, explaining about my new 11X14 frame with 5 openings, perfect for my grands. I'm thinking a nice closeup shot like I have of the others. I assumed Son would think closeup, too. Son promised to email me a current pic of his beautiful, no longer so baby, boy. This is what I got. Now I'm not complaining mind you, I like this one. It's taken at the Parthenon in Nashville and it is a rather fun shot, but once I make it into a 2 1/2 inch by 3 inch picture, who will know what Grandson looks like? That's my boy! Now to try to explain to him what I really need. Wish me luck!

Continuing on with my potpourri post...The best gifts are unexpected. This beautiful cutting board was such a gift. The husband of one of my workmates made it for me. Now we don't normally exchange gifts, so this was an absolute surprise. He brought it into the office the last day of work before Christmas and presented it to me. Honestly, I felt like one of those women who gets flowers delivered at the office. But this gift was much better than flowers, he couldn't have given me a more wonderful gift. It's big enough to chop all my ingredients without getting them all over the counter. I love it and it goes well in my kitchen. Made my day! Thank you J!

Well, it's time to think about making breakfast. I hope wherever you are, you don't have ice. If you do, be safe and walk carefully. Have a wonderful Saturday!

For more WEEKEND REFLECTIONS, click HERE.
For more BOKEH SATURDAY click Here

Friday's Fences

2012-01-20T06:19:00.001-06:00

There is a miniature horse on the far side of that gate. This is a drive-by shooting. I wanted to try and get a better shot, but there was a car coming up behind me. That's the trouble with drive-bys. I thought he looked cold.

This newly installed fence is the result of a Hatfield and McCoy type of neighbor feud. Their houses are 2 blocks down the street from me. During my broken ankle wheelchair days last summer, I was sitting in the car waiting for Hubby to get the wheelchair out of the trunk and heard men yelling at each other. I looked down the street to see a crowd had gathered. After much yelling and profanity (which I could hear clearly) the fists started flying and the cops arrived. I don't know what the feud is all about, but there certainly is one—thus the fence which appeared 2 weeks ago. Obviously there hasn't been a resolution to their problem. The guy who built the fence lives on the right side of the picture. If I had a shot of the other side of the fence you would see a long line of those black background, bright red lettered signs that say KEEP OUT! Not a very pretty view. I guess this is why I don't like getting to know my neighbors. I might not like them, and then I would want to move, but I like my little house.

Happy Friday! Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

True Coloured Thursdays - Primrose Yellow

2012-01-19T06:40:00.001-06:00

Before I get started on my color post, I must brag just a tiny bit. Last night was our monthly camera club meeting. In March it will be 1 year since I started attending, and in that time I have had 1 first place winner which was for the Door/Window assignment. This was my only 1st place shot.

The assignment for last night was photographer's choice. I picked still life. Since it is always difficult to pick which picture to present to the club, someone suggested we bring 3 pictures and let the club choose, by a hand count, which of the 3 to enter. We always lay our photos face down so no one knows who took which pictures. These were my 3.
#1 Moonshine

#2 In the Cupboard

#3 Fresh Apples — Okay, I'm not good at coming up with titles for my pictures.

Which of these 3 would you have picked? Let me know your answer. My top pick won 1st place by a landslide. Patting myself on the back here. lol I'll post the answer after my True Colours post.

Unable to actually determine what color Primrose Yellow is, I'm posting yellow. And since it is a biting, cold morning, I'm posting flowers again. The orchids are from the Arboretum.

This flower is from last summer in my Sis-in-law's flower garden.

For more True Coloured Thursdays, or to play along, visit Starting Over.
Drum roll....and the winner is...#2. Is that the one you picked? Next month the assignment is 'patriotic' anyone have any suggestions?

It's Wednesday — Time for Water

2012-01-18T06:39:00.003-06:00

Speaking of water, wow did we have a storm Monday night. Thunder, lightning, and Willie (my wonderful dog, well, most of the time) panting in my face and pacing the floor—at 3:00 A.M. That was it for sleeping. It got up to around 60 degrees before plummeting to below freezing. This sure is an odd year. We still haven't had a significant snowfall, merely a dusting or two. Bro O just got back from Hawaii in time for the below freezing part. Poor thing, suffering from the cold after sweating for a week. lol

So today I'm going to post a picture I took a couple of weeks ago. This nature center is recreating the prairie from long ago. They are growing several varieties of prairie grasses native to this region. This is one look out into the swamp area.

The traffic on I-57, way over on the horizon, kind of ruined the whole 'feel' of the area. Fortunately those tractor trailer rigs didn't show up in the picture, unless you choose to enlarge, but we could see them and hear them from our vantage point. Otherwise, this would have been a peaceful place.

I apologize profusely for not stopping by to visit your blogs more often, but about as soon as I post, I'm off to work—going in early some days and staying late others—and still trying to find time to do the mundane chores around the house, spend time with Hubby, and write. There are not enough hours in the day. I hope ya'll have a great day!

Barn Charm

2012-01-16T21:22:00.000-06:00

This old barn is still standing, but who knows for how much longer. I drive by this barn all the time and don't remember it leaning this much.

For For more barns, visit Barn Charm HERE.

The Weekend is Here—A Three Day One—Woo Hoo!

2012-01-14T07:01:00.000-06:00

I haven't been out with my camera this week, so I'm posting from last weekend's nature trail walk. There was a small pond at the far north end of the trail. This shot was taken while still in the trees. There was a very thin layer of ice, which added a little something to the reflections.

This shot was taken from the south looking north, after we came out of the heavy woods. The sky was a nice shade of blue. It looks a little warmer, even though it wasn't.

And this, my brokeh offering, grew along the same path. We saw lots of dried out plants and seed pods.

Camera club is this week. The assignment is potpourri (or pot-pour-ee as my daughter used to pronoune it), which I'm told is not meant to be pictures of the stuff you put in a bowl to make your house smell good, but the photographer's choice. We are to bring three pictures with a similar subject of our choosing. I'm thinking of doing dilapidated buildings. I already have a couple that I took last weekend, just need to add one more. Looks like I'll be braving the freezing cold out there in order to finish the project before Wednesday night.

Wishing everyone a warm, fun-filled weekend!

For more WEEKEND REFLECTIONS, click HERE.
For more BOKEH SATURDAY click Here

It's Friday, Time for Fences

2012-01-13T06:52:00.000-06:00

Winter has arrived here in middle of nowhere Illinois. It is a cold, blustery Friday with some snow. I think it is supposed to end today. So far it isn't bad, but the sidewalks are icy. I'll be walking very carefully. I wouldn't want the year to start out with any broken bones.

This week I'm posting fences around houses. I liked this one with trees in front of it.

And this one with a house behind it.

Yesterday was Lillia's last day at the office. This will be my first day working her desk without anyone to answer my questions. I'll be fine. I'll be fine. I'll be fine..... Yesterday was a very emotional day. Let's just say a big thank you to Kleenex. Lillia and I are actually related. We didn't know it when I first started working there, but she reminded me of my grandmother, so I asked about family names and viola! we found a connection. Her great grandmother was my grandfather's sister. Now that we've worked so closely together over the past 6 1/2 years, she is not only a relative, but a friend. I will miss her.

Happy Friday! Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

True Colours Thursday

2012-01-12T06:37:00.000-06:00

Aqua Blue is not an easy color for me. It isn't that I dislike this color, I think it is a nice enough color, I just don't seem to take pictures of anything aqua blue. So, this is the best I can find.

I thought this might be a safe bet. With all the colors in these socks, surely there is some aqua blue somewhere.

This dragonfly from last summer also seems to fit the bill.

As does this garden decoration.

How about this wall decoration at our local Mexican restaurant, Del Sol?

For more True Coloured Thursdays, or to play along, visit Starting Over. Next week's color is Primrose Yellow. Primrose yellow? That might take some research.

Wednesday Waste

2012-01-11T07:11:00.000-06:00

Lerna, Illinois is a tiny town north of here, with about 300 residents. It has a bank, post office, and maybe one or two other shops like a parts store and something else farmers would need. No other shopping of any kind, not even a diner. The only people who go there, live there. The rest merely drive through on their way to somewhere else. I kind of like driving through occasionally. An aunt and uncle lived there once, and I had a crush on one of their neighbors. We had one of those embarrassing adolescent kisses in the post office lobby. The post office was closed. We were probably 14 years old. That wasn't my first kiss, it was my second. My first kiss was a boy named Dennis in first grade. We were in the coat closest. He was my neighbor. I moved away, but saw him at a party when I was in high school. He wanted to pick up where we left off, I didn't.

Anyway, I always liked the color of this building. I think it was originally a telephone company, you know where the operator sat inside and connected wires, and then maybe a mechanics shop. These days it is abandoned to the elements.

Sadly, since all the factories moved to that other country and Wal-mart moved in, a lot of the small towns in this area are looking more and like this one. Lots of crumbling remains. Sad, but I like taking pictures of buildings such as this one.

vvv

Barn Charm

2012-01-10T06:39:00.000-06:00

I took this picture 2 weeks ago when it was snowing. I never see any critters around there, so don't think it is used anymore, but found the color combo interesting. Perhaps the owner had some old paint to use up.

For For more barns, visit Barn Charm HERE.

Tuesday

2012-01-10T06:12:00.002-06:00

So today is going to be the day from h-e..well, you get the idea. I loved my job 2 weeks ago, but I have been assigned new responsibilities which have raised the stress level to a new height. I would have loved to turn down the suggestion, but there isn't anyone else to step in right now. So, I may be commenting even less than I have been due to extra time at work and worrying about work, but I will try. Last night I came home, ate dinner, and went back. Of course, dragging Hubby back with me. I'm not fond of hanging out in the courthouse after dark. Too many weird noises. Hubby went around taking pictures, hoping to find a ghost face in one of the shots, but no luck. Anyway, blogging is one of my favorite stress relievers, so I hope to find time to continue.

I found this pine cone during our walk last weekend. I really like trees and these were the only ones left, besides a few cedar trees scattered here and there. I'm always looking for color in the winter landscape.

We were in a nature park where some of the trees were labeled, but this one wasn't and it was the oddest one of all. It had these little pine cone like objects...

...and these dangly things all on the same tree. Anyone know what it is?

Macro Monday

2012-01-09T06:23:00.000-06:00

This tree mushroom kind of looks like it has been breaded, fried, and stuck back on the tree.

For Macro Monday, visit Lisa's Chaos HERE.

Camera Critters - Squirrel

2012-01-08T09:15:00.000-06:00

This guy was lurking in the woods yesterday. He seemed happy to hang out on this limb until I raised my camera. Lucky me, I was able to get this shot off before he hopped down...

...and stared at me from the ground...

...before giving me the moon, climbing a tall tree, and disappearing from sight.

For more Camera Critters, click HERE.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

2012-01-08T07:36:00.007-06:00

Although, as I've said here many times, I am NOT a poet, I do have favorite poets and poems. I think Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken is right up there at the top of my list. Yesterday we took a walk through the woods and although there are not two roads converging in this picture, this shot reminded me of that poem.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~~~

Or perhaps "Road at Chantilly" by Paul Cezanne. Hmm....

A little farther down the path, there was a stand of sycamore trees which reminded me of this painting of a young Mr. Frost. (Artist unknown to me)

It was a beautiful day for a Frost filled walk in the woods.

Am I Old or What?

2012-01-07T18:00:00.002-06:00

I saw on Facebook people were posting the song which was number 1 on the charts the day they were born. Blue over at Starting Over posted the number one song on the day she was born, so I decided to play along. Now I still thought of myself as a youngster, avoiding reality when it comes to my age, until I found out my number one song. Man does this ever make me feel old! However, it is what it is and I post it willingly and without coercion. I'm not familiar with the zither, but you know what, I kind of like it.

The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Wells, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score. The screenplay was written by novelist Graham Greene, who subsequently published the novella of the same name (which he had originally written as a preparation for the screenplay). Anton Karas wrote and performed the score, which used only the zither; its title cut topped the international music charts in 1950, and was number 1 on the US music charts on the day I was born.

Friday's Fences

2012-01-06T06:32:00.001-06:00

It's Friday, which means fences. Last Monday I drove around looking for some and found this barbed wire fence. When I stopped to take the picture, instead of walking toward me, these two horses turned away. Now you all know how animals like to show me the moon, well, I deleted the next couple of pictures I took after this one. Not only did he moon me, but that horse raised its tail and...well, you can figure it out. The animals are getting testy! Why or why don't they like me? lol

A couple of farms down and I found this fence, which isn't designed to keep anything in, it's merely decorative. It once was shiny new, but now it is old, weathered, and leaning in a few places. I think I like it better now.

So far, this is the most snow we've seen. Could we dare hope this is it? Yeah, I didn't think so.

May all your animal pictures be from the front side. Happy Friday! Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

True Coloured Thursday - Ruby Red

2012-01-05T07:04:00.002-06:00

True Coloured Thursday has always been my favorite meme. So, I'm happy to see it is back this week and Ms. Blue indicates she has resolved to blog more in the new year. This is one New Year's Resolution I hope is kept. Welcome back!

I found this RUBY RED STAR on one of my ventures down a back road. It's just down the road from where my parents lived. I like to drive down their road occasionally and see the trees my dad planted with my son on one of those summer vacations the kids spent with my parents. Those trees are no longer saplings, but full grown trees.

Wheel was our December camera club prompt. This isn't the wheel picture I used to get 3rd place, but I liked the odd color. I think it works well for today's color.

And then there is my RUBY RED soda, or I mean So-Duh, bottle. This is a long story. A few years ago, the Judge handed me a bottle of Kick Yo' Ass hot sauce and asked me to write a Christmas poem about it. He was giving it as a gag gift and the gifter had to give a poem with the gift. As I've said many times before, I am NOT a poet, but I wrote something anyway. This is it. It is not meant to offend anyone. If you are easily offended, perhaps you should skip it. ;)

Kick Yo’ Ass Christmasauce

Frosty the Snowman

Jingle Bell Rock

Twelve Days of Christmas

It’s all such a crock.

Shopping and wrapping

and cooking, no way.

Bah Humbug to Santa,

his reindeer and sleigh.

What could be more thrilling

than drinking lots of beer?

While outside grilling

drinkin’ more Christmas cheer.

Hiccup

So, grab a bag of Kingsford

and turn up the heat.

That Kick yo’ Ass hot sauce,

Whew! Nothin’ can compete.

Oops, spilled it in the pup mix.

The pancakes have a kick.

Don’t spill it on your fingers,

you might forget and lick.

French fries and burgers

are said to be first class.

With just a hint of hot sauce

they’re sure to kick yo’ ass.

So, grab a bag of Kingsford

and turn up the heat.

That Kick yo’ Ass hot sauce,

Whew! Nothin’ can compete.

Anyway, he got a few laughs out of it and I got a bottle of Kick yo' Ass hot sauce for my next birthday. Since then we have been giving odd gifts to each other. One year I got a Dang Root Beer. I gave him a bottle of Kiss My Ass wine, blush of course. For Christmas this year he gave me a So Duh. So I have the Dang So-Duh featured prominently on my desk.

I'm thinking of giving this hair color a try. What do you think?

For more True Coloured Thursdays, and to encourage a continuation of this meme, visit Starting Over.

Biaggi's for Lunch

2012-01-04T07:04:00.001-06:00

Monday was a holiday for most of us, so we took advantage of a day off to get together with family. Tex and Cutie met me, Auntie G, cousin Junie, and her daughter CH, who was here visiting from Texas for the holidays, at Biaggi's. We live about 2 hours apart, so we met in the middle for lunch. This is the second time we've done this over the holidays and have decided it is a good tradition to try to keep.

As I was leaving home, it started snowing. It snowed really hard for a while, enough to make me wonder whether or not I should turn around and go back home, but it stopped about 2 miles after I took this picture through the windshield. I think that might be as dangerous as texting, but I made sure there were no cars around and came almost to a stop.

I worried for no reason, there wasn't any snow at our destination.

No matter how hard I try to be on time or even a little late, I am chronically early. Of course, Tex and Junie seem to be always late. Fortunately, I have learned to bring a book to read while waiting. So I sat in the car and read until about five minutes before our reservations when I got a call from Junie and decided to go on inside to let them know our party was running late. So now instead of sitting in the car reading, I found myself sitting inside the entry hall, waiting...

...and waiting.

I was a full 30 minutes early and they were ten minutes late. If I made new years resolutions, I think I would make mine to try and be late to every event this year. I'm glad I don't mind waiting that much. Eventually, Junie and Tex and crews did arrive and we had a great time. The food was good. I ordered tenderloin sliders and sweet potato fries. They came with cucumber salad. Yummy!

We were busy chatting away when someone noticed it was snowing outside. Really snowing hard. We started getting nervous about the weather and the roads, so we wound it down and called it a day. As we left, the view was a bit different.

The roads were a bit worrisome for a couple of miles, but they were clear the rest of the way. A fun day with family, the best way to spend the day.

Ruby Tuesday Has Ended, But...

2012-01-03T06:27:00.003-06:00

We had a little snow yesterday and the temps dropped to well below freezing. Brrr! Can't wait to get out in it on this early Tuesday, which feels a whole lot like Monday since Monday was a holiday. On my way to meet family for lunch yesterday, I saw this Ruby Red train stopped on the tracks. Unfortunately, it was on the passenger side of the car, so had to make a u-turn and go back. I pulled off to the side of the road to snap this pic. I'm used to seeing black train engines, not bright red ones. I don't think I've ever seen a Canadian Pacific train in these here parts before.

Ruby Tuesday is no more, but I still feel like I should post red on Tuesdays.

Monday

2012-01-02T08:33:00.002-06:00

Taking advantage of a sunny day, even though the wind was fairly strong and cold, we bundled up and went for a walk in the woods. You can tell we have had a mild December by looking at the blackberry whips. They are starting to get leaves. I believe they will come to a frozen end before too long. The temps have now dropped and it is snowing outside, although we are not expected to have accumulation. Thank goodness!

For Macro Monday, visit Lisa's Chaos HERE.

Looking back up the hill to the barn.

Linking to Barn Charm
I was fairly surprised at how much green I saw. The grass in the meadows was spring green.

The blue sky made a nice reflection on this the tiniest of Bro O's 3 ponds.

He has made a wide path through the woods, which makes it a much nicer walk. No fallen trees or underbrush to find your way through, although there were a couple of creeks to hop over. Fortunately, they water wasn't too high so we made it without getting wet feet.

I suspect this will be out last walk in the woods until spring, unless we have some warmer days. Have a wonderful week!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T08:59:00.003-06:00

Are you busy thinking up your list of resolutions for the new year? Not me, I never kept any, so quit in order to save myself the guilt.

Hubby is preparing a meal of finger foods to go along with mulled wine. We'll spend the evening together at home, and try to stay awake to watch the ball drop. Probably won't make it, we usually don't. I quit going out on New Year's Eve the year my son decided to walk across the top of the monkey bars and fell onto the asphalt below. It was New Year's Day and I had a horrid hangover. Hangovers and broken appendages do not make for a good start to the year. Although I must admit, I don't remember any bad experiences that year, so maybe we just got all the bad over with on the first day.

As I do on every January 1st, I will be wondering what the new year will bring. I wondered the same thing last year. For me, 2011 brought with it 2 fractured ankles, gallbladder surgery, Hubby's teaching position was eliminated due to budget cuts, a co-worker of mine gave notice, and the worst, the death of a good friend. 2011 also brought good health for my family, three of my short stories were published, and Willie, our beloved mutt, is still with us. Basically we are now healthy, not so wealthy, but we are somewhat wiser. After all, 2011 is the year Hubby filled out all the paperwork for Medicare and Social Security. Now if that doesn't make you wiser, I don't know what will. At least by the time I get to that stage of life, he will be able to help me fill out all those forms.

Tomorrow we will all open a brand new book, its pages blank. This book is titled Opportunity and the first chapter begins with New Year's Day. How the book ends is a mystery, but here's hoping its pages are filled with everything wonderful. Happy New Year!

Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

Friday's Fences

2011-12-30T07:47:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's Friday already! Love those short work weeks, plus I get yet another 3 day weekend. Woo Hoo! And an added bonus--the weather is supposed to be great tomorrow. Perhaps I can get out and find some fences to take pictures of. This shot was taken Christmas Eve morning. The frost was still on the ground.

Happy Friday! Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

Wednesday Waste, Certainly not Wordless, More of a Wordy Wednesday

2011-12-28T06:41:00.006-06:00

Do you like the title? Wednesday Waste? Get it? Rubbish - Waste? Wow, I'm way too funny this morning. Or not. I'm having trouble finding things to be funny about. We learned Friday we would be losing one of our gang at work. She's moving on. It's hard to imagine the office without her, or (let's get down to the all about me part) how we will get her work done in addition to our own. At least we have until mid-January before she is gone for good. She will be missed, and not because of the additional work load, because we like having her around.

Continuing with my downward spiral into un-funniness, (for those of you who can't seem to find that word in the dictionary, it means the act of NOT being witty or NOT funny at all) Anyway, back to the bird below. I tried to get a picture of this sparrow out on a limb. He looks like he is glaring at me, and then promptly turned around and....

...gave me the moon, before flying away. He enjoys our free meals, the least he could do is smile for the camera.

The Downy Woodpecker posed a bit better. Sadly, he's either jaundiced or the evening sun gave him a yellowish tint, not sure which.

After Christmas dinner, I tried to get some pics of the grands, since my daughter can't seem to remember to give me school pictures, I'm reduced to taking my own. This picture is indicative of the results. Yes, they fear me, can you tell?

So, I think part of my problem this morning is I dreamed about my high school boyfriend All Night Long. I remember the dreams as if they were real. And before your mind goes there, they were NOT that kind of dreams. Oh well, hopefully the day will get better, after all, it isn't even 7:00 a.m. yet. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Ruby Tuesday

2011-12-27T07:06:00.001-06:00

My tree is still up, so chose this little snowman for my Ruby Tuesday shot. He is one of the ornaments bought when we were waiting on G-daughter to make her appearance, twelve years ago. Of course she waited until after Christmas to show up. I have stories about a lot of my ornaments. Some are getting too fragile to put on the tree, but I keep them and go through them each year while decorating the tree. They bring back so many fond memories.

Christmas Eve morning, on the way to the grocery store, I took a detour to spend some time with nature and de-stress. I saw this fire hydrant in the edge of the woods. It seems like an odd place to find one, since there are no houses anywhere near, just the covered bridge. Appears it was placed there to help protect our landmark.

This morning at 3:15 a.m., Willie decided he needed to go out for a stroll around the fence. I'm standing at the back door, shivering, when I noticed it looked a little foggy outside. I looked closer and realized it was snowing. Our little world is covered in a layer of white this morning. I'll take my camera to work and see if I can find some good Christmas card shots for next year. This picture was taken last year, but I like the splash of red in an otherwise blah shot. Happy Tuesday!

Macro Monday

2011-12-26T08:32:00.000-06:00

With Christmas over, I'm trying to ignore the urge to take down my tree today. Most of the time my tree is already down and put away by now. What about you? How long do you leave your tree up?

For Macro Monday, visit Lisa's Chaos HERE.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T07:29:00.001-06:00

No, we don't have snow. This is a picture from last winter. But snow looks better on a Christmas card, don't you think? Anyway, Merry Christmas from our house to yours.

2011 Reading Challenge

2011-12-24T07:33:00.000-06:00

In January, I signed up to meet Home Girl's Book Blog's reading challenge. Due to my busy schedule, I chose to read 25 books during 2011. Below is my list.

1. Dog Lover's Treasury by Caroline Foley
2. Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
5. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
6. Juliet by Anne Fortier
7. White Field, Black Sheep by Daiva Markelis
8. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
9. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
10. The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
11. The Year She Fell by Alicia Rasley
12. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
13. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
14. Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts
15. The Violets of March: A Novel by Sarah Jio
16. Before I Go To Sleep: A Novel by S. J. Watson
17. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
18. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
19. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
20. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
21. The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean
22. The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan
23. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
24. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
25. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

I met my challenge...WOO HOO!

Friday! The Day Before the Day Before

2011-12-23T06:34:00.001-06:00

I've posted this shot before, but it's been a while. I think. I am getting old and forgetful, though. I absolutely love this shot. It expresses a longing to be on the other side of that fence, running free on a warm summer day.

Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

Jim Pony doesn't look too excited about walking around the ring. I'm sure he would rather be outside with the other horses, but oh well, it's time to practice posting instead.

For more WEEKEND REFLECTIONS, click HERE.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-20T07:12:00.004-06:00

Happy Tuesday! These shots were taken a few years ago. The Will a.k.a. Willie, is a lot grayer now, but no new Christmas pictures have been attempted. If you have time, read the story of this photo event below. You will see why. Merry Christmas!

This week's True Colour Thursday - Red

Each Christmas my little mail box down on the corner brings greeting cards from friends and family. There is always an assortment: religious, winter scenes, cartoon characters, and my favorite, family photo cards. Most families are color coordinated, some are not, but each is posed with that all important Christmas card in mind.

Last year I decided it would be nice to send personalized photo cards, yet being a single lady, I didn’t have a family to photograph. It might look a little strange to see a solitary me staring back after ripping open the all-important envelope. I would most certainly be positioned in whatever uncomfortable pose my ‘mistaken’ mind came up with. Contorted so as to hide those extra pounds and better show the super model side of me that lurks inside my brain, certainly not the sane part. If I were to send a card with me on the cover, instead of hanging it beside their other cards, people would immediately send it hurtling into the deep dark recesses of the garbage can. Obviously, I wasn’t a good choice for the front of my custom-made Christmas card, not one that I would actually pay money to mail anyway.

I tried to let go of the idea of sending a personalized card, but I couldn’t. If I wasn’t suitable for the cover, surely there was someone or some thing to suffice. I could always detain a grandchild or two, stick them in some red and green outfit, and plop them down in front of the fire place. Of course they would fidget, but I could always threaten to feed them my homemade Christmas cookies if they didn’t sit still and smile. The down side, they would also be on the Schaff Family Christmas card, which would be like getting two of the same card, and that’s always disappointing. So who?

As I sat there, quietly contemplating my Christmas card dilemma, Willie decided it was time to go outside and bark at a few squirrels. Deep in thought, I didn’t notice him, which wasn’t acceptable behavior for Willie’s human. As I stared at the fuzzy Santa hat dangling from a hook by the door, Willie lifted one of his monstrous paws and almost displaced my left patella, effectively gaining my undivided attention.

As the pain lessened, I looked from the Santa hat to Willie, from Willie to the Santa hat, and back again. Willie. Lots of people love their pets. I could take a picture of Willie…in the Santa hat. Maybe I shouldn’t have acted on such an insane idea. What is that old saying? Hindsight is twenty-twenty…ah yes, that’s it. Even though I knew Willie wouldn’t cooperate; I grabbed my trusty digital camera and snatched the Santa hat off the hook.

Willie, realizing something was up, immediately plopped down in the middle of the floor. He rolled over onto his back, watching me with that “whatever you’re up to, don’t” look in his eyes. As I limped toward him, he curled up into an 85 pound ball, effectively blocking any attempt to place a hat on his head. This wouldn’t do. I looked around for an alternate plan. Willie enjoys food, all kinds of food, his favorite being bark ‘n bacon and mama had a brand new bag.

Before I dug out the treat bag, I decided to pick a background for the photo shoot. Outside he would run away, inside the only place he liked to be was the forbidden bed. At least the bed had three sides to block his escape. It was decided. I fluffed the blankets and arranged the pillows before opening the cabinet door and bringing out the bacon. Willie uncurled and hopped to his feet. With his ears at attention and his tongue hanging out one side of his mouth, he swallowed, wagged his tail, and bounced toward me. Bark ‘n bacon had effectively erased all caution.

I hurled the bacon onto the bed and, as he always does when food is involved, Willie followed. Before I could ready the Santa hat, Willie snatched up the bacon, turned, and jumped off the bed. Unaware Willie wouldn’t accept my gift of a lazy afternoon on the bed; I stood between Willie and the floor. Make that I lay between Willie and the floor. All eighty five pounds of muscled animal sat square in my middle. I was pinned down. All I could do was lay there while the scent of bacon breath wafted over me and a dog-spit, drenched tongue lapped the makeup off my face. He loves his food lady!

Once I was able to extricate myself from beneath the dog, I decided to rethink my strategy. This time I fed him an entire bowl of Science Diet laced with a can of Alpo, a formula which guarantees fatigue and results in an afternoon of loud snoring. While Willie was gobbling food, I moved that nice, neutral colored comforter over to the dog bed, added a few decorative pillows, and readied the Santa hat.

After an ear scratch, a few pets, and an air kiss or two, I admonished Willie to go “night, night”. He strolled over to his bed, eyed it warily, before looking up at me. He gave me one of those looks. You know the one. Those huge brown eyes looking sympathetic, as if certain his food lady had gone over the edge. I could almost see him shrug as he decided to take advantage of my stupidity and lounge on his cushy new dog bed.

I turned on some elevator music, which I keep around in lieu of sleeping pills, and sat down to wait. At the first hint of a snore, I picked up my trusty camera and crept across the floor. Being careful not to wake him, I placed that Santa hat atop Willie’s head. Just as his eyes popped open, I snapped the picture. I was sure to have a few bruises the next day and Willie wasn’t smiling, but my Christmas photo was in the can!

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, and have a wonderful New Year!

Monday

2011-12-19T06:40:00.001-06:00

Monday is here again. However, this Monday is a bit special, it's the last Monday before Christmas. The countdown is on!

Friday evening, as Hubs and I were headed for the grocery store, we saw a deer in a field not more than 25 feet from the road. I reached for my camera only to remember I decided to leave it at home. My reasoning, it would be dark soon. It seems like every time I leave my camera at home I see something I would love to take a picture of. Lesson learned, dark or not, next time I'm taking my camera. Anyway, back to the deer. Hubby stopped, she raised her head, looked directly at us, stared for a bit, and went back to grazing. Hubby honked the horn, she raised her head, looked directly at us, stared for a bit, and then went back to grazing. I could have had the best deer picture I've ever taken, if only...

I wasn't caught off guard when I saw this White-Breasted Nuthatch on the tree in our back yard. My camera was at the ready. Not sure what it was at the time, I started snapping pictures.

He flew from the tree to the pole holding up the bird feeders...

And then chased a Chickadee away to have a snack.

The Chickadee mooned me from the Bradford Pear tree...

And then flew down to the feeder, chasing the Nuthatch away. They played this game for quite a while, providing me with lots of entertainment and 90 pictures. What you see are the best. All were taken through the storm door glass. I didn't want to chance their flying away if I opened the door.

Hubs filled all the feeders Saturday morning and by Sunday night, they were all empty again. I think we may need to take out a loan to feed those little beggers this winter.

Happy Monday!

2011-12-18T08:43:00.003-06:00

I'm still working on getting all my chores finished before Christmas. Yesterday I cleaned the carpets. This afternoon, I will wash floors, dust, and rid the rooms of those spider webs that seem to have collected over the last month or so. Then the fun begins. I'll wrap the presents and put them under the tree. Then all I have to do is decide what I need to bring for our Christmas Party at work, a dessert of sorts, and Camera Club on Wednesday. I love baking and cooking for Christmas So, after today, all I have left to do is fun stuff. How about you? What is your favorite part of Christmas preparation?

Again, I'm unofficially playing Scavenger Hunt Sunday. The rules state the photographs be new, with the exception of one which can be from archives, but since I haven't been out and about, I'm using all photographs from archives, so I won't link up. However, I encourage you to stop by and check out the official site HERE.

WHAT IS IT? Do you know? Scroll to the end to find out.

SLEEPING

JOY

WINDOW

HALF

What is it? Remember those old peachy colored Corningware baking dishes? If not, you're way to young. Sadly, I'm old enough to remember my Grandma's. This is an exhibit at the Corning Museum in Corning, NY.

Happy Sunday!!!

Friday - TGIF

2011-12-16T07:13:00.000-06:00

I love Fridays! But this week I may not be loving Saturday so much. I must give the house a thorough cleaning in preparation for Christmas visitors. But I will put on some good Christmas music and get in the mood! Is everyone ready?

Another fun thing about Friday is Friday Fences. I love old falling down fences best, but they are getting hard to find around here. Farmers generally take them down and don't put up new ones. Livestock isn't a big thing around here, mostly crops.

This fence, and I swear there is one in there, photo was taken in October and is one of several I took that day. I posted a different view a few weeks ago.

This is a partially new fence around the sheep at Lincoln Log Cabin. I didn't like the new wood mixed with old, so played with it...

...and came up with this. It reminds me of some old pics of when my mom was a little girl.

Happy Friday everyone!!!
Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

True Colour Thursday

2011-12-15T06:40:00.001-06:00

I planned to post green or Christmas colors of green and red as my color today, since there seems to be lots of those colors about this time of year. Like the canopy over The Bumble Bee Boutique. However, I liked the lighting and decided to go with the glow of white/yellow lights. They are supposed to be white, but when they are turned on at night, they are definitely yellow. The other building houses our local newspaper, The Toledo Democrat. It was a gloomy, rainy night. These were taken at 4:00 p.m. as I left work for the day.

This close up of the Bumble Bee lets you see the beautifully decorated windows. Our little town doesn't have many places to shop, so the Bumble Bee is a flower shop, gift shop, and hardware store all rolled up into one.

After work, we went to the Fillin' Station for a Christmas celebration, just the girls in the office where I work. The 4 of us enjoyed a good meal and conversation. Next to the Fillin' Station is the Village Hall, also decorated for the season.

Before I went inside the restaurant, I turned around and saw that the cleaning lady was working in the courthouse after we left. I rarely see it from the outside with so many lights turned on, so I snapped a pic.

Happy Thursday!!!

Thursday

2011-12-14T21:50:00.000-06:00

An old pair of ballet shoes resting on the floor in the early morning light. Playing with pixlr.

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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-14T06:48:00.000-06:00

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Ruby Tuesday

2011-12-13T06:49:00.000-06:00

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

A salesman, who is trying to sell us on scanning all of our files into the computer, brought theses cookies in to our office. Yes, we can be bribed with food. There were more, but we ate several before I thought of taking a picture. I liked Rudolph. He is made with a ginger bread man cookie cutter, but decorated to look like Rudolph. Who would have thought?

So how is your Christmas preparedness coming along? I'm finished shopping for family, but still have a couple more gifts to mail. At work we have a kitchen towel exchange every year. Who can't use a new kitchen towel? The big decision is whether to buy a Christmas towel or a regular towel. It's easy and inexpensive.

I haven't put up my tree yet, but I will this weekend. We were trying to decide if we would have Christmas here or at my daughter's house. We've decided to have Christmas day here, which means I'll need to decorate for the kiddies. It won't take long. I have a 3 foot tree that I put on a little table. A few ornaments from when my kids were little, homemade and otherwise, and one strand of lights and I'm finished. Oh, we have a flashing star for the top, which actually still works after about 30 years. The tree wouldn't be the same without it.

I get fewer and fewer Christmas cards each year, even though I've still been sending one to those on my card list, but this year I'm cutting back. Do you still send cards? I'm making my own this year and have sent out the first one. Of course about as soon as the postman picked it up from the mailbox, I discovered one word is misspelled. Embarrassing! At least I discovered it before printing the rest.

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Monday

2011-12-12T07:18:00.000-06:00

I finally got out for a while yesterday. The sun was shining, but it was still cold. I think all the critters were hiding because all we saw were a few sparrows and this guy w-a-y out in the middle of a field full of scrub. Not a good shot at all, but with cropping you can kind of make him out. I think it might be a red tailed hawk, but haven't dug out my bird book yet.

He looked this way and that, trying to keep an eye on us, I'm sure.

And then he flew away. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Saturday

2011-12-10T08:03:00.002-06:00

It's really difficult coming up with new photos these days. Right now I don't want to go outside, it's too cold! Brrrr...I think I spent too many years in Texas. So, more shots from Lincoln Log Cabin two weeks ago. The sun is out, so hopefully it will warm up enough to lure me from my cozy warm house. If not, I'll bake.

A different angle for these.

And a brick chimney reflection.

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TGIF

2011-12-09T06:38:00.002-06:00

Another shot from Lincoln Log Cabin Historical Site.

Linking to Friday's Fences HERE

It's been a tough week. I, for one, am glad it's ending. I lost a very good friend to pancreatic cancer. Her funeral was this week. I was feeling great, two weeks post surgery, and then stupidly picked up a twenty-two pound, bulky, awkward box. Whose fault was that? Dumb! The temps went from an almost balmy Thursday, to this morning which feels like 25. The weather man warns the temps will continue their downward spiral to reach the expected low of 15 by tonight. Yes, I'm a pansy. I would much rather be vacationing. A nice walk along the beach would be a great way to spend the day. I hope I haven't sent anyone spiraling downward into my pit of negativity. Here's hoping for a more positive attitude for the weekend!

Thursday Color

2011-12-08T13:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I noticed there was actually color in front of the courthouse. These bushes almost seemed to glow in the morning sun.

Thursday Challenge

2011-12-08T13:30:00.000-06:00

Thursday Challenge - Communication

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Wednesday

2011-12-07T07:07:00.000-06:00

The pond still had some green when I took these shots of the cattails. I was playing with a new lens Hubby gave me. This one is 400mm.

This one 300 mm.

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In Memorium

2011-12-07T05:32:00.001-06:00

We will never forget. Rest in peace, my friend.

Ruby Tuesday

2011-12-06T07:17:00.001-06:00

A Ruby Tuesday window frame. Another shot from Lincoln Log Cabin Historical Site.

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Sunday

2011-12-04T08:41:00.000-06:00

Again, I'm unofficially playing Scavenger Hunt Sunday. The rules state the photographs be new, with the exception of one which can be from archives, but since I haven't been able to get out and about, I'm using all photographs from archives, so I won't link up. However, I encourage you to stop by and check out the official site HERE.

Portrait

Nostalgic

Time

Full of Light

Motion

Have a wonderful Sunday!