Air BnB um, not...

Another Friday night out.

I set up camp even though it was hot. The 'Hickory Grove' always seems to have a faint breeze and the shade is delightful. 

Some thoughtful pup placed a bone on our bed just in case I might feel the need to chew in the middle of the night. Or perhaps she thought it would clean my teeth and brush my gums.

Of course we had a tiny little fire. That was how we had to camp, right?

The old 4 wheeler and the garden cart goes with us, it carries all of the stuff we need including the dogs. I could carry it all back to the grove, but this saves me trips.

As soon as darkness started to fall, I failed all the things I was going to do. Like read, contemplate nature, and the meaning of life. I had a little book light, I brought my tripod so I could 'shoot' the Milky Way and lightening bugs...however...
 

I didn't even make it to full dark. I'd had a full day of doing yard work and a great workout at the gym. 

In short, I zonked out as the evening slipped by.

I woke up much later when I heard a deer whistling at something close by. Then a Barn Owl called in the distance. That is a call that will raise the hair on the back of your neck. It sounds like a murderous screech.

Sometime later and much closer, 'Who Cooks for You' became the song from a Barred Owl. Two of them sang for a little while and as their songs faded, the coyotes began their hunt and night music.

Charlie and Hannah sighed and snuggled a bit closer. I listened to the night sounds and smiled inside. I wasn't getting a great night's sleep, but I was listening to the living forest around us. The dogs perked up when a tiny hickory nut plunked on the tent top. 

Eventually I fell back asleep to awaken to Hannah slowly doing the otter crawl up towards my face. I opened my eyes to dim light and her nose. Her eyes stared into mine. She tilted her head one way and another as if to see if I were alive ... or maybe she was just being adorable.

I pulled back the door flap and was surprised by faint light and a meadow of thick fog. I pulled on my pants and turned the collar light on Hannah. When I pulled back the flap two little black dogs jetted outside. --- oh, well maybe they just had to go pee!

I think they like camping as much as I do. 

Everything was soaking wet. I walked out to the meadow with the pups and trotted back into the tent for the camera.

Layers of color, layers of fog. Blue hour? Fog hour? 

I took a few exposures with my supervisors watching me. Hannah still had her collar light on. Soon, the pair was watching for rabbits and giving chase. It's what dogs do and I let them go for it.

The rabbits were never in danger. 

The photo above is part of the revamped Meadow that my Grand daughter dubbed the Merry Meadow. The name has stuck. I've been mowing it every other week so we can take multiple daily walks without the grasses and weeds being above the dog's heads. 

Yes, the gals get in there when we are not using the Meadow. They seem to like the forested area much better.

Go figure.

Waning Crescent Moon over the neighbor's meadow.

I was torn between just looking and figuring out how to photograph the scene. My two canine cohorts were busy with exploring the grass and doing their business. 

Good pups.

Below is the scene from the tent. 
Of course it was humid. I mean hu--mid! So damp that icky slugs had climbed the outer walls of the tent to get to dryer ground. 

[gross!!!!!!] 
Hannah tried tasting one and immediately shook her head and spat it out.

😝😧---> Pups!

I was in coffee deficit so we packed up the 4 wheeler and headed back to the house. Hannah ran alongside the 4 wheeler. Charlie insisted on riding shotgun in my lap.

Below: our tent and 'camp' is in that grove of trees that is fogged in.

My home away from home.

I love this place. I am at peace here.

The decision to have this area cleared with a Forest Mulcher may have been the best decision I've ever made this year.

Night out

First we had to set things up. 

Well, it took me quite a while to figure the tent stuff out. I even had some bad words to say, but I eventually got it done.

Here is the view from the pasture.

The view from behind the tent and canopy.

It took me a while to work up the courage to actually try this. I have camped once in the yard with my grand kids. Ariel and I made it through the night but it was a lumpy bumpy uncomfortable night.

I had a camping mattress I purchased last year to go on a camp cot. The dogs thought this was a perfect spot for them.

We sat out for a while and enjoyed a fire. I tossed in one of those color packets and enjoyed watching the flames perform for me.

I tried to get some sleep. We will have to work things out a bit better.

Hannah cuddled up on my chest or sat on my head. She also snores.

Oh Charlie.

He was sure that there was something under the tent. So he sat up and stared intently at the floor. I pulled him back to bed and he got up again to stare at the floor.

Sleep was evading me. So I gave it up and walked out to the edge of the woods. 

Stars, Milky Way, and Fireflies????

Wait. Fireflies?

Yes, they were out! This isn't a great shot, but I'm going to use it anyway. 

I have never been to this part of our land at night. I've always photographed the stars from the other end of this pasture.

The clouds moved off and then....The Milky Way!

I also took time to attempt a night shot of our little camp. Dang.
It looks so cozy that even I might want to camp there!

Wait.

I was!

I used a little camp light my daughter in law gave me to light up the inside of the tent and let the fire do the rest.

Just as I was starting to fall asleep nicely, I heard a bird in the forest sing a few notes. In a short while, the forest was waking up and birdsong was all I heard.

I opened the flap and stepped out. The birds did me a favor.

Good morning red and blue sky!

I checked the weather app and discovered it was going to rain in a few minutes. I must have learned something yesterday.  I took out the rain thingy and installed it in the predawn light. No curse words either!

I packed up the camera and some other things then headed to the house.

Adventure done.

I'll do it again.

Now for a nap.

[PS. No bugs.]
 

September

Here it is nearly the middle of September. 

At least we've had a few beautiful sunrises this past week! Here is another one. The old pine tree is gone now giving me a clear view of the ancient oak on the fence line to the east.
 

This was this morning over the east meadow where the spider webs were. The Orb Weavers were not out anywhere this morning.

Here is a damaged maple up the mailbox when I went to collect our mail from yesterday.

I thought I'd find more bees in the morning on the Golden Rod, but I only found this solitary one. 

However, I did find quite a few when I went into the volunteer patch of odd pumpkins in the mule pasture.

Here is my latest haul from the volunteer patch.

I need to send a text to the moms of a couple of young kids up the road so I can let the kids come down and pick out a few to take home. The colored and odd pumpkins always go for a higher price when you go out to purchase them. 

I tossed old ones out in the pasture last fall and the mules ate some and must have stomped the seeds into the dirt. Viola! Volunteer pumpkins!

I've always loved the crazy bumpy/warty pumpkins and cool gourds. 

Hubby commented on how hard I worked on that patch.

Wink wink. 

You planted with care and then weeded and nurtured those plants!

Manure and mud. That's my secret recipe.

I'm still struggling with a few little digestive issues, but I think I am coming along. I fixed the fence, put the skid steer back on the battery maintainer, and started filling holes in the yard [from tree cutting].

Most afternoons, I still chill out with the weather being pretty warm. 

I ordered a minifig Doxxie to assist mini-me [aka sigfig] in all things fun. Isn't he adorable?

This way I can still have adventures!

Life is good.

I am on this side of the ground!

alive...

After a week of feeling like crap, I'm finally doing better.

I found out what it is like to be short of breath and feel as though I was wading through mud up to my shoulders. It is not a good feeling and I empathize with anyone who has experienced this.

This was a strange one for me. Sore throat for a day and then a fever for a day. Finally, the feeling of not being able to breath for days. I could breathe, but the feeling was horrible. 

I did get out last Friday early in the morning to see my friends the Orb Spiders and enjoy some quiet time before the tree guys came in with their machinery.

I don't think I will ever see this sort of scene without gasping. Just imagine if you were afraid of spiders, how would you react?

This is about 5 acres of meadow and it all looks like this when the Orb Weavers are busy. They actually are around in the spring, but they are tiny. They mature in the fall and the Females build large webs, the males sometimes build webs too.

More about Orbweavers here from the BugLady who writes for UWM Saukville, WI. Her site is full of cool information about insects. She actually has a featured blog for Bug of the Week.

A small Orbweaver according to the BugLady's latest news on Orbweavers, this could be a male...

Beautiful webs...

All I know is that I had to carefully poke my lens alongside one web to photograph this spider from the side. I was looking to get the dew drops on its body and the amazing maze of webs behind him/her.

This year has been pretty sad for butterflies. I saw one Monarch flutter by this week and am hoping that my Zinnias attract more! I spent one afternoon chasing a Swallowtail earlier this summer on the Bee Balm, but haven't seen one since late July.

When I look back on my archives on I noticed that I didn't get a lot of shots of Monarch until the start of September. So perhaps I need to be patient and keep an eye out for them. I had shots of Monarchs from September 1st through October 2nd.

A shot from last year:

In the meantime. I'm going to be grateful I can breathe much easier and I actually feel like making supper.

No more spiders today. Maybe I can find some awesome and cool looking fungi this weekend now that I feel like doing something again!

Oh Deer...it is that time of the year

The leaves are gone from the trees and the foliage in the woods has died back making the spotting of deer easier.

This doe was feeding under one of the apple trees on the other side of the driveway. She and three others walked alongside the fence and up the driveway to investigate what my neighbor's woods had to have for munchies.

The photo below is part of the reason why electric fencing is awesome and awful. During the rut, the deer just tear it down.

The hot wire will be removed as none of the mules bother the fence any longer. This hot wire kept our elderly mule from jumping the wire fence and crossing into the neighbor's land. It is disconnected like all of our valley fencing is right now. 

 Then there was this guy yesterday morning who was scanning the meadow as does were busy eating around the apple trees.

At first I couldn't figure out what I was seeing. I thought it was bare branches of a dead tree and with the long lens I was able to see this magnificent buck. No matter how much I dislike what deer are to cars and crop damage, ...

there is nothing like seeing a buck like this.

He was built like a beef bull. Thick in the neck and everywhere else.

Eventually the chase was on. I don't know if any of the girls were actually ready for him. But they ran across the meadow and disappeared into the woods below.

I went back out in the evening and sat in the little tree stand I'd made this summer. For a long time nothing happened until I saw these does at the apple tree.

This doe seemed to be enjoying the afternoon sunlight.

This one across the meadow walked along quietly browsing. I can generally see them walking this route late in the day.

As the sun went down some little ones came out into my meadow.

Then a little buck came through browsing and sniffing the air. He walked along as if he owned the world then dipped into the woods.

This is the time of the year where I get to enjoy the movements of the deer. There are a LOT of deer this year. 

I don't hunt for venison but I never turn down the meat if someone gives some to us. I like it. If I did hunt though, I imagine I could feed the two of us well. When Rich hunted, our freezer was always stocked.

Right now? I'm happy photographing them and watching. 

It is November!

In the past, I've complained about November and the time between the gorgeous fall colorful leaves and the ick yuck of barren trees. However this year I intend to find a way to enjoy it visually. Miss Aurora said I needed to go out and find the beauty of November for there was a lot to see.

Okay. I'm in on this. The month of November will be a search for beauty in this time of the year. I'm committed. What will I look for? Fungi? Tiny things? Landscapes? Skylines? Moss? 

Nature's Artwork that we don't see when the leaves are full?

I'm going out on a mission to find beauty in November.

There is something to be said to be able to go out and enjoy the sunrise and the brilliant colors of the morning. Especially since the sun comes up at such a reasonable time these days!

There is still time to get out and take a nice walk before the weather turns...

or just get outside and enjoy some nature.

I'm determined to find things I like about this brownish-russet season.

It will be a change in my thinking but I'll give it a try.