A new project

These photos were from about a week ago. I just haven't had much time to look through my 'stuff' with so much on my plate.

There was quite the racket outside on our Hickory Tree. I got out my long lens and figured out what all the noise was.

A young red headed woodpecker was clinging to the bark of the tree and 'crying' 'begging' and making a huge racket until the parent showed up to feed it from insects on the bark or from something it brought from the bird feeder 20 feet away.

Below is a young Grosbeak ????? Maybe???? I didn't catch it in the bird bath splashing around, but I did catch it in the pine tree shaking itself off.

This goldfinch was pilfering sunflower seeds. Actually, I planted them there so the goldfinches would come and eat them. They are fun to watch doing antics as they pick out seeds.

I imagine they may even reseed for me.

I had to remove the Oriole feeder a week ago. The oranges attracted bees. Not the nice kind of bees that I want near my porch. They are still around and I imagine they will be migrating very soon.

This was a lazy shot. I was watching out the window to see the bee activity when I thought I'd try a shot through the window and screen.

I like the 'soft' filter it gave to the blue bachelor button. It was like adding an Orton Glow to the photo without any post process.

So as I was going through my shots from over a week ago, I glanced up and saw our Grandbaby Rory on our Frameo. She was looking at a big beautiful purple flower.

20 years ago I made a little book for Ariel with drawings, colors, plants, and flowers. A very simple to read book.

At that time I just used a printer and then put the pages in a binder. It was a great project for me.

And boom.

What about one for Rory? Flowers, insects, and birds? Wouldn't that be fun?

I mean I could do it for myself too. I did little books for my other grandkids with the adventures of Morris who they interacted with quite a bit.

If nothing else, it would be a great project to put together as I am also doing one of hubby. 

I use Blurb as my project books for photos. There may be cheaper places to do it, but so far I've had really good luck with using Blurb.

Challenge Challenge...I like Challenges

My first 'new' challenge I made up was to only use the Lensbaby lens for walking around with Ariel on the evening of the 3rd and the 4th.

We headed past the shady garden and the late evening sun just glowed on the tall phlox. 

We walked out onto the ridge where there was a nice breeze. Ariel wanted to get in some walks while she visited. We'd set Grandpa up with a TV show or two and we headed out for our walk. It was still hot and muggy, but my 21 year old 'kid' walked with purpose.

This is something she has started to do for herself. Walking. What a great idea. I haven't been too motivated these past few weeks so it was a delight to have a companion to walk with.

Below is a Lensbaby shot of a hayfield getting ready for baling. It is being cut wayyyyy late this year due to the fact that this 85 yr old female farmer has to hire out for these jobs. Some jobs she can no longer do in a timely manner.

I've always loved this view though and on the 4th, it was stunning. We even stopped and visited with Olive for a few moments as she was out bottle feeding their new calf.

Ariel and I chatted about nothing important. I'm sure I sounded like an old fuddy duddy just rambling on about farms, skies, plants, bees, flowers, dogs, and life in general. But Ariel and I have been pals since she was 4 years old and started spending overnights with us on the farm.

I think even though I am not biologically her true grandma, I am her grandma [along with her two biological ones]. I'm the different Grandma. Which is cool. I play, I hike, I like the outdoors.

When we came down the driveway towards home. We admired the way the sun was going down in the sky.

I had to try a 'sunset' shot with this odd lens.

So.
This is considered an 'Art' lens. It was probably the cheapest ever lens I've acquired. It takes effort to use it as everything has to be manual. 
I never thought of it as being a landscape lens ... but then... I really loved the shots I found just walking with my granddaughter.

 Ariel had to go home and wanted to beat the incoming rains and storms. When she left, I felt. Well. Honestly? I was like Charlie...
I wanted to pout and look out the window too.

Eventually I decided to try some more challenges after I did my normal housework and cleaned up an accident by hubby. 

Funny thing. When Ariel visits, she has a quiet calming effect on me. I feel more relaxed with her around. There are moments we can sit on the bench on the porch and not say a word...just watch the clouds, the birds, and be content. Her company is comforting. We can just 'be' together and not impose on each other.

She even jumped up before me and assisted her Grandfather with little things.

She took these shots when I was doing a fly spray wipe and clean up of the mule gals.

In the distance you can see Lil' Richard grazing on the hard to mow hillside. Charlie is watching Sundance who is pawing impatiently.

When the rains moved in, I thought I'd try getting some shots of the garden while it was raining. I could squat under the porch roof and get some shots.

Not shot with the Lensbaby as I needed some reach to get out where it was raining.

Then I switched over and had some fun mixing a Lensbaby shot with a photo that I took of the same spot with my 90mm macro lens.

In essence, I made a double exposure from two different types of photos. I really enjoyed how it turned out.

I then took a double exposure with the Lensbaby ... this was okay...

There is such a subtle difference it is hard to spot. But the one below is made to be softer and more like an impressionist photo. I did that in my old plug in of Topaz Studio 2. 

This last shot was taken on the spur of a moment. I had some flowers I picked and arranged on a large wooden spool.

I don't know why, but I certainly loved the look. 

It reminded me that on these really hot and humid days, I could be practicing some more Still Life images with flowers, vases, and maybe not toys....

I'm digging the Lensbaby because if I get it right, there is nothing else to do to the shot. 

It also gives me a new way of looking at things and a challenge to do it well.

I like Challenges.

Mules and More

Well, I finally have acquired the strength and stamina through working out at the gym to handle my gas weed whacker which can take down weeds in their non woody stage. This section below was infested with Motherwort which the equine won't touch. They have flowers and the stick-ery seeds that are spread by animals bumping into the spines of seeds.

Last year I used a scythe, this year I used my whacker. It took me hours and several breaks to get it down. By the time the fence was fixed and the weeds were down, I was ready to let the gals into this area.

The other half of this paddock is one the girls love to laze about in. A shot from last year....
You can see the roof of our machine shed behind Mica the grey mule.

The noxious weeds were taking over the east side of this paddock and it annoyed me. I knew that eventually the Motherwort would just creep across the grassy area so I'm fighting it.

Motherwort from Invasive Plants of Wisconsin

Here is Sundance watching me from the winter pasture [before I let them into the northern summer meadow].

...and when I first let them into the summer meadow. 

There is always a bit of excitement, but they always settle in quickly.

I still need to trim mule manes, but I'll just have to wait until a good day to get that done. I haven't had the opportunity to ride yet this spring either. I guess that will wait also.

My flower gardens are mostly planted but I have one little section on the west side of the house to do. IF it gets done late, that is okay too.

I stuck with all seeds this year for flowers. I didn't purchase any plants at all. I am using all collected seeds plus a couple of new kinds of flower seeds just to see how they do. 

For this summer I am thinking up some more painting projects for my Captain's Chair I got last year at a rummage sale.

Right now I am figuring out how to move things around and get rid of a few things as we plan on getting a hospital bed for hubby. I may move the full sized bed right into the living room where my cot is currently. 

We are in for a stretch of rainy days which we need and these days will give me some time to rest and recoup from the last week of intense hard work. Perhaps I can even get back to doing some still life photography and toy photography!

I still have to complete my photos from the track meet last Monday night.

Many of the action shots are my favorite, but this one is my favorite favorite.

 

Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch...

The last shot is something that used to be impossible without modern cameras.

Getting several shots in quick succession while keeping things in focus used to be nearly impossible in the film days.

Now there are cameras that 'track and focus' on whatever you choose to follow. It is quite amazing. I love 'shooting' butterflies and hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower.

I miss a lot of shots even with the fantastic modes in my camera. It may take me a few days worth of trying to get anything decent, but it is always worth the extra effort.

The Swallowtail shot consists of 3 shots blended together later in a program I use called ON1. It is so much simpler [and cheaper] than Photoshop.

Anyway. 

Enjoy my Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch.

 PS~ I did get a visit from one of the Tree & Brush Folks! Yeeehawww!

Sunday~~ day of rest???

 👇

Well, sort of. I promised myself not to do too much work. Well, that didn't happen.

Saturday I found pie at the Farmer's Market and purchased some fresh greens to eat. I decided to head out to a place where there is a Mennonite Store in Coon Valley. [Yes, that is a real name. Coon Creek runs through Coon Valley]

Years ago I got a couple of Hens 'n Chicks from a friend. I have been finding different ways to use them as they multiplied.
Since I am not a huge fan of pies ~~ baking, that is, but had many pie tins given to me in the hopes of making me a 'baker'....... 

I began to make Hen 'n Chick pies. I have added other little plants. Dragon's Blood Stone Crop and a yellow type of stone crop someone gave me. I add some soil, some rocks, and make a Succulent Pies.

I used a plastic dog dish one year and any other odd little containers I can find. Eventually, I ended up with multiple little pies and containers of cute little succulents.

This year I thought I'd try a little rock garden.

I purchased some little plants. I used Google Lens to try and ID this but really didn't get a good answer. The table I purchased this from just said: Succulents.
I liked its color so I went with it.

The next two are mysteries to me also. But I like them for their textures and shapes. So I put them in the one spot of the porch that is very sunny and warm during the summer.

It is also the place where I like to have my fossil rocks displayed. 

I don't know if these 3 plants will overwinter in my zone and come back, but I know that the other little succulents will.

I don't know if you can see the little dog planter I found -- in the photo below.. It was just too adorable to pass up. I worked on this part of the porch while the grass was still so wet from our heavy dew and foggy sunrise.

I still need to add some mulch to the area to tidy it up and make it look nicer...

and I need to tidy up the porch next to the bench so I can take the rocking chair out there and a little table for coffee.

This is the same spot last year at this time....how things change!
I did plant nasturtiums in this area last year.

The Ajuga I have on the other half of the porch has gone crazy. One year I lost so many plants and this past year, despite the drought, the Ajuga...or Bugle Weed has come back strong. It has presented us with an amazing carpet of purple.

Next year, I may have to dig some out and share the plants with others or find a good spot that they would like. This year, I will enjoy them. They make a good border for around that side of the porch. [And the bees are really loving them!]

I had to mow the hill on the highest setting on our self propelled mower and it still plugged up. I just mowed it last Monday. 

Insane! 

The setting says it is mowing at 7 inches. I nearly gave up and thought about fencing the area off for the mules to chomp on. However, I am very grateful for the rains compared to the last two years of very dry and dusty springs.

In fact, the rain and warm weather have been providing the forest with a huge Flush of Morel Mushrooms. My neighbor found 5 lbs yesterday in a spot where we have searched before and found nothing!

I turned the dirt over in my 4 little flower gardens and then weeded until my fingers wouldn't work any more.

I wanted so badly to start planting seeds but thought it was a bit too early.

My wildflower 'beds' are ready for planting along with the area next to the house that I plant zinnias and 4 o'clocks. 

Our foggy morning seen through my infrared camera.

Sleepy mules:

Box Elder tree and fog:

Enjoy your Monday.

Princess Sara and the Frog's Quest

Ideas sort of start out randomly. I had this partial building that the grandkids had left me and wanted to try and do something with it.

I took out Princess Sara and her stick horse and set her in the building. I added another character and then just messed with ideas that bounced around in my head. [My husband says it is an echo chamber inside my brain!]

Some time ago, while bored, I watched a video about how you can extend a building for photography by using a mirror. I thought I'd try it. 

To create an optical illusion, I added flowers to the back where I took the wall down. If seen 'in' camera and slightly out of focus, the flowers and bricks seem to be part of the set.

The kids had left some holes in the walls of their build so I thought I'd try putting lights through them to make the scene a bit more interesting. These are some Ulanzi lights I purchased on the cheap for some other still life work.

What it looks like from above.

What it looks like from behind the camera.

I wanted to add a bit of atmosphere to the scene. There are all sorts of ways to add atmosphere. Photographer's Atmosphere [very pricey atmosphere in a spray can], fog machines [very pricey, but now they make hand held ones], and a simple battery operated face mister. The face mister has an arrow pointing to it....

To add the mist, I simply turned it on and lay it on its side next to the open space that the light was shining through.

The scene as it looked in camera.👆

I kept moving minifigs around and finally decided to have Princess Sara talking to a tiny frog. I mean all good stories have a Princess and a Frog right?

I swapped out the Acorn person for a Knight. Not just any Knight, I chose one female knight I call Joan. 
In this scene Joan holds Princess Sara's stick horse while she meets in the castle garden at night to speak to the Magical Frog.

I mean, why not? 

The mirror did its trick the castle garden seems to extend in the background forever. The lights and mist add mystery and Joan's eyes are watching over her Princess carefully.

The final shot:

For me, it was important to see Joan's eyes through her helmet. It seems silly that she is holding both an weapon and a stick horse, but that is the fun of toy photography. Anything you desire can happen.

After shooting this photo, I decided that perhaps Sara and Joan should go on the Quest that the Frog sent them on.

Do I know what their Quest is yet? Nope. I imagine if I follow them, I may figure it out eventually.

Fog!

This week gave us a lot of foggy mornings. When the dew point is high, the humidity is high, and the when the overnight temperatures cool off we get...awesome fog. 

The Super Duper Full Moon
I didn't get to photograph it 

as it came up.

This was at 4am.

 

Olive's place, they are 

building a

Log Henge next to 

their greenhouse.

Lots and lots of foggy sun rays. I guess that is one of the reasons I love living in this hilly area with deep rivers and valleys.

Meanwhile around the gardens the Swallowtails are going nuts!

This heat and humidity last week got to me. I even manage to pull muscles in my back using the scythe to clear some weeds. So I spent time reading and thinking of creative things to do.

You know me.

That means that toys were involved...

Stay tuned...