Just for fun

I found these interesting items made out of brass in a box covered with dirt and dust and bird poo while cleaning the shed. The box fell apart and these strange little items were with it.

I cleaned them up with no idea what to do with them at first.

Sell them? Sure, but I am not Ebay savvy and they probably weren't worth my time.
Then yesterday I was trying to save these little Hen and Chicks that didn't seem to be doing so well.

This 'snail' was an ashtray!

How unique.

A teapot...
There is a little Hen 'n Chick inside there, I added the fake little trees for color.

The dragon seemed pleased when I put it all on the spool top I'd saved from a rotted wooden spool.

There is even a Hen 'n Chick in a tea cup.

I'm enjoying arranging and re-arranging these little items as the garden starts to take shape.

The unicorns seem pleased too. I found one occupying the rather ugly experimental fairy house I made out of a peanut butter jar this winter.

At the Hummingbird feeder......

And...then the Rumble!!!

Well, the winner stayed and the loser came back later.

I do have an Oriole feeder about 10 feet from this one.
Never the less, they are fun to watch in the morning and evening when they are busiest.

They are not the clearest shots as I shot them through two doors! But you get the idea.

Thank goodness.
This morning I woke up to find that it had actually rained last night.

Tomorrow is a planned 'Social Distance' Hike with my friend again. We are going to complete the trail we started to explore last week.

Winter Thoughts

I've always said I've loved winter.
This week I am changing my mind.

Here is Charlie with his 'walking' rope going up the driveway after our last snow storm. My wonderful neighbor plowed us out again, and that night the winds blew portions of the lower driveway in. I shoveled part of it because I figured it wouldn't be a big deal.
Boy was that stuff packed in!

Let's face it. This one person with a little shovel wasn't going to clear it. I could use the skidsteer but I am a bit leery of it now. Machines and I don't like each other much.

So the neighbor said he'd come down and clean this up before he and his family left on their week long vacation.

I was all smiles about that until I just looked at the forecast for the next few days.
3-5 inches of snow and wintery mix on Sunday? Then additional 'stuff' on Monday eve through Tuesday. Um.
Rich has a PT appointment on Tuesday. It looks like the additional 'stuff' could be significant.

Plan A.
Plow with the skidsteer like crazy and make that appointment.
Plan B.
Don't go crazy and reschedule.

Plan C.
Call around and see if I can get someone to plow for me.
I like plan C.
I think I will mix up plan C with plan B.


Truthfully, I could probably get out with the big ol' Truck in most weather, but I prefer not to drive the truck. The 'Ru can handle most things.
But it is the driveway hill that strikes fear in my heart.

I guess I will just have to wait and see what comes at us this week.
My freezer is full and we have plenty of food and milk...well, I could use some more coffee.
Must always have coffee.
Right?

If I get stuck at home I can work on the calendar I was supposed to make for us. And one for the neighbor ... a small gift for all of their help.

I can practice some still life.

In fact. Things won't be that much different than they normally are.

Except ... well.
Except I will miss my neighbors dreadfully.

But I will be doing some chores each day. Feeding the goats and chickens. Checking on the snakes, rabbits, and the Madagascar Hissing Beetles.
Basil is staying with neighbor's mom.

I guess if the weather gets nasty I won't stress out. I'll reschedule the PT appointment and carry on as I always do.

Instead I will find ways to enjoy the winter weather.
The temperatures will be just about perfect for hiking and exploring, at least there will not be a Polar Vortex this week!

Still Life on the Cheap

This is the spare bedroom. In the upper left corner is a fold up futon type bed. There is my basket of odd toys and other items.
The window is west facing and it lets in diffused light on cloudy days. I have black curtains on it for when the light is harsh, or I want to do some shots with a black backround.
On the floor is Charlie who is playing with an antler shed I found a few years ago.
I decided it was easier to have him underfoot than to having him upset at being in his crate while Rich was napping.
I collect old recycled things like the green bottle. In the summer I use old bottles and jars to put flowers in. They are my vases.

I put some Christmas lights in the bottle.

I played around with the two branches of fake pine.

It wasn't coming out exactly how I imagined it.

So I kept messing with it and decided to work some editing magic.

That was closer to what I wanted, but not anything that was super stellar

I gave things a rest and decided to go back later.
Note, the room is sort of a mess with things tossed all over.
Rich was awake and he and Charlie were watching Netflix, so I decided to try out some other ideas.

Colored pencils. Well, there you go. I just held them up in my hand and took a shot.
I worked with some ideas after the fact.

Still not anything I'd 'write' home about.

So back to the drawing board.

My favorite cracked cup.

Ahhhh....nope.

I liked this, a straight 'down' shot. The cup, the saucer and the little pitcher were all purchased for about a dollar at the flea market. The pages are from my pencil coloring book.
Nice...but...
I really wanted a different look and feel.

Edited with a preset for Vintage colors and a slightly white vignette.

This one I could live with.

~~ These are things I do when I can't get out to go hiking. I was waiting on more phone calls and watching the snow fall.

Killing me softly...

Okay nothing is killing me.
Really.

That old song "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack popped into my head this morning.
My stuffy aching head.

What is the worst thing that can happen to a person who normally never gets a cold?
A head cold that is in the sinus cavity. My face literally hurts.
I would love to rip it right off.
My eyes burn, the teeth hurt, the nose is plugged tight.

It feels as though my head is in a fog and my thoughts are lost 'out there' somewhere.

Hot tea has been my main go to drink. It seems to help. I like the herbal teas by Celestial Seasonings. The Sleepytime Sinus Soother with some honey is what I've been drinking. I know the cold is pretty serious when everything tastes like cardboard.


Rich had eyebrow/lid surgery on Tuesday morning to lift the drooping lids out of his eyes. Who would have thought such a thing was possible years ago? Apparently the lids were blocking up to 30% of his vision.

He didn't want to look at me but I took a shot anyway. The swelling was considerable and settled under his eyes.

So here I am with a fogged head, burning eyes, and sort of feeling sorry for myself with a cold.
I have to do all of the chores at least until Tuesday. Rich has weight and physical restrictions for a week.

I do have to say that getting out into the fresh air is probably the best thing for me. It takes my mind off from being miserable.

Don't feel sorry for me...I can feel plenty sorry for myself. Other folks have it much worse than I do. My stepdaughter has walking pneumonia, yikes!

More Tea please!

Still Life week 8

I am working with this self 'instructed' class to better some of my photography skills.  I was not an avid fan of Still Life before but I am finding that I enjoy it now.

I am constantly trying to come up with something interesting without getting too heavily invested in things like a light box [although I may build one myself] and other fancy studio things.

Most of the images I try to 'make' or shoot are simply done on the living room floor and with things I find around the house.

Last week I used a rug for a backround and draped it over a board. I wanted a soft white textured backround for the shot.  

This wasn't what I considered a keeper.  It was however interesting to work with the light since it was heavily overcast that day and I didn't have to deal with harsh sunlight coming through the window behind me.

I took out pages from my grandmother's old diaries and set them up with some beads, coffee and my old glasses. 

Somehow, this shot looked much nicer in black and white.  The pretty colors on the cup seemed to clash with the different colored inks in the pages.

Eventually I tossed everything on two wooden boards I'd gotten at a flea market along with my father's wedding ring.  After several hits and misses, I ended up deciding that this was the photo of the week.
I was very satisfied with it. I simply edited it with a white vignette around the edges and left it be.

I took this shot below while I was at it and loved all the patterns, but needed to mute the bright red carnations and ... well, it was almost too busy with textures.

This one in color:

This one in muted black and white:

Better but still too busy. And my assignment was for backlighting anyway so I had to go back to the drawing board.

I had to wait for some sunlight and finally we had some.  This shot was an accident.
I edited it and added a textured backround to it.

It didn't have all of the elements in it that the assignment suggested so I tried some other things.

This ended up being colorful and soft, more like what the assignment had been.


In the 8th week we are to review what we have done so far. 
Apparently I should be able to decide what sort of items work best for me and decide what I need more work on.

However I am still seeking that perfect way to take photos in the living room using available light.

I also need to mention here that I have an assistant who seems to have to inspect everything I do.

Next, I'm going to do some 'dark' work. I really like black and trying to figure out how to use simple black matte cardboard, some glass and figurines to make something interesting.

Sometimes it is more the challenge than anything else.
Thus ends week 8.  And no, I haven't found my 'niche' nor have I figured out what works best for me.

I am still experimenting because light and dark fascinate me to no end.