Monday Mondays...can't get me down...

Good Monday morning. 

[Yes, a day late but I was unplugged yesterday.]

Some mornings I get greeted by this friendly crow. Well, I'm not really sure it is the same crow each time. But there you are.

Crows often appear as

tricksters...

The light was terrible Monday. Dull and dreary. Nothing at all like Sunday which was sunny and bright.

I got things set up for the big ice/wintery event that was supposed to happen.

The birds were quite happy when I refilled the feeder.

Below is a female cardinal. I've been trying like the dickens to get birds launching off the branches and in flight. I use rapid shot mode and most of the time I fail. However it was fun to see that the cardinal launches herself willy nilly towards the ground and opens her wings to slow to a graceful landing at the last second.

Here is Charlie's nemesis eating a hickory nut he/she dug up from the base of the pine tree. Charlie can't see the squirrel unless I lift him up to a window or let him out.

He enjoys the chase.

When I do chores with him he hunts in the big shed for rabbits and chases them out. He has never caught a rabbit or squirrel but he sure tries. Voles are his specialty. He is quite good at laying like a cat next to a hole in the yard and patiently waiting for the vole to poke its head out.

The Chickadees have been absolutely crazy at the feeder. 

I had pushed the shutter speed up and still didn't get the wings of this Chickadee. It looks like a fuzzy missile.

I moved the mules to another wooded area that is not icy. It is another section of their wooded pasture and since they haven't walked on it all winter, it doesn't have compacted snow which has turned to ice in their winter area.

They took a break from eating hay and all but the 37 yr old bucked, farted, and took snow baths.

I was making breakfast so could only shoot at them out the back door.

It was a grand time that lasted about 20 minutes and then they all went back into the woods to work on their hay.

They were delighted with the change of scenery. 

Today looks like a snowy mix of stuff. Some places have reported Thunder snow and hail!

Have a great day and stay safe in whatever you are doing.
 

Why we do we decorate for the Holidays?

November is nearly over. And here comes the Brown Icky Dreary Season.
The clouds are low and grey, last night it rained nearly one and a half inches. The rains pelted the house and blew in from the north and east.

From down in our little hollow we can hear the winds whipping this morning through the bare branches on the ridge. It sounds a bit ghostly. A mist or fog is moving in to make things look even more dreary.
This would be a good day to stay indoors and read a book. Or nap.

Yesterday started out wonderful. The frost came off the land in a beautiful fog. The sun peeked into our hollow and shone brightly. It was warm, it was nice.

This is a view of our place yesterday afternoon after I'd walked up to the neighbor's and checked on their chickens and goats. 
I also walked their dog Dexter.
I am startled by the difference in the remodel and I am not used to seeing it this way yet.

Our porch lights will light up the hollow in the night and can be seen from the ridge now that the leaves are down.
Today though it is yuck. Super Yuck. The sort of day that you want to pretend is over.

So I started to get out some Christmas Decorations. Rich walked into the house and saw some bags of decorations next to his computer desk.

"Decorating already?" He wondered.
"Well, thinking about it." 

I know why people decorate in our neck of the woods right after Thanksgiving. The gloomy days set in and a person has to have something to brighten their days.

No one else really comes to the house and enjoys our decorations. Our Christmas Eve and Day are generally spent with just ourselves or we go visit Rich's mom so she won't be alone.
I don't mind really.

I went out and got the Christmas Chair. The horrid ugly chair that I found buried in the garage a few years ago. It needs refinishing, gluing, and ... well. It should be just tossed out into the rubbish pile.

But. I like to take ugly things and pretty them up.

It will be interesting to see what I come up with this year. I try not to let any two years be the same.
Well, except for the ugly chair.

Let the fog/mist/rain/grey/dreary stuff roll in. Deer hunting is over, the blaze orange can be put away. The fall decorations can be stashed.

It's time to decorate and brighten the indoors up.

Stay tuned. The broken down chair will be transformed again this year.

And just in case you didn't know. I love to take Still Life shots of the decorations.

No we didn't

...skip Thanksgiving.

We just had a quiet early dinner with my mother in law, some nice home made pie, dressing, corn, and chicken.

It was delicious and we sat around with no TV going and enjoyed each other's company and just visited.

The rain kept coming down outside.  This morning the weather service said we'd had over an inch of rain in our area.

Well that makes things quite muddy.
So this morning we slept in and got up when we felt like it.

I have a couple of things I should pick up in town and an errand for my mother in law.  After we finish chores hubby will probably go hunting while I take care of errands and then make deliveries.

When I get back from that I'm going to do some extremely exciting things.
Like clean the house and drag out some decorations.

I've already created my Christmas cards on line and they will be ready for pick up next week.

I've already ordered one Christmas gift and am pondering what to get for the others.  

I'm not a black Friday shopper and I don't get into all of the crowds and crazy shopping.

~~~~
I got some things dragged out and some cleaning done.  But man am I worn out.

Get Crackin'

I've been putting it off and it looks like this is the week to start getting things done.
I have my Christmas 'shopping' to do and I've been really lazy this year.

Hubby has expressed an interest in the brand new Mercedes Benz.  I'm thinking I should just run out and get one for him and stick it next to the Christmas Chair.

I wonder if they still make MatchBox cars?

I saw an ad while watching a program on Hulu for a little blue card that said I should get it so I could 'see the world'.
Yep, that is what I want!

Dang, someone would have to pay for it though right?

Christmas ads are really something.  Since I don't have normal TV and live stream some programs, most of the time we avoid the commercialism of the season.

I pretty much have most of what I want and need.  I got to visit with family this past week and that is a gift that goes beyond any surprise that can be left under a tree.

However I would like the weather to change just a wee bit and it looks like I'll get that wish sometime tonight.

It has been dreary and foggy for 4 days!

The dreary part is going to stay and become rain.  Later rain/sleet/snow-ish mixtures.

That means I'll be confined to the house ... 
so I guess I'd better get working on the calendars for those who wanted them!