Daze of Summer

We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful area. I have to drive or walk to the ridge to see a sunrise view like this. I can also see a more limited view in the meadow north of our house.

We had a dense fog warning on Wednesday and I thought it might provide me with an interesting landscape.

It was pretty neat. As the sun rose, the fog got more intense. I wished I was on the bluff watching this, but I knew the drive to there would have been horrible with the low river valley fog of the Kickapoo. Driving in semi darkness in thick fog is no fun.

There was the sun...and then...it got very thick!

One of the cool things that occurs where I live is that I can go to the highest ridge point and watch the sun rise up. Then drive a quarter of a mile and watch it rise again. When it is done on the ridge, I can go home and watch for it to come over the trees. 

Thursday morning I noted that there were supposed to be some clouds in the sky early. I took the 'Ru and headed towards the end of the dead end. This spot is generally pretty nice for sunrises in July and through early October.

I am thrilled to say that this year the fields to the North and East are planted with soybeans. That means I can watch sunrises unobscured by 9 foot or taller field corn.

The gnats were absolutely vicious even with the gusty winds. I was able to jump into the car to avoid them and then jump back out to take a shot.

Finally I decided enough was enough and headed back home. I stopped just before I left the ridge and as always, was pleasantly surprised.

The swallows had awakened and were getting down to business!

I rarely go up to the ridge any more in the evenings which I used to do when I rode every night with my mule Badger. 
I miss those summer nights of me sitting on my big mule and watching the sun go down.

I do however, enjoy those mornings when I get out and enjoy the world as it wakes up.

There is nothing quite like a new sunrise to raise the spirits.

Wild Things

These are not my photos but photos from the Trail Cam I have set up on a trail in the woods.

As you may be able to tell, we all use the same path right here. It is the only way around an old oak that fell across the 'ridge road' as we call it. I had someone who said he'd clear it for me. Yeah, that didn't happen. More about that on another post perhaps....

So we walk around it.
I was surprised by the 'critters' I caught coming through here. 

The blur in the second shot is a Robin!
It is interesting too, to see the temperatures on these days. I don't know exactly how accurate the readings are though.

This looks like a young coyote or one that is a bit scrawny. Interesting to see it in the midmorning hours.

And a few minutes later....

Then I come through with the kids.

That evening a doe and her fawn pause for their photo to get taken.

I used to have the camera lower on the tree. It seemed that every critter had to put their nose on it to sniff it. I had a lot of smeary photos of globs last month. So many mule and fawn globs!

I think this is a good spot for the camera now.

And here comes a nice little buck that we've seen on the other camera. I think it is pretty cool to see their antlers growing.

I think this is the same fella.
My old camera only takes in Infrared. That camera is about 8 years old.
It still works and has a good position in the Buckthorn Forest on a very well used trail.

I have an appointment with the young Entomologists today again. 

My young charges want to go 'buggin'. 

Uffdah. This morning it was like walking in pea soup. The temperature and dew point are nearly the same with humidity at 90 something. My grandma would say that the air is Heavy.

We had an orange sunrise and fog laying across the meadows. The air movement is zero....

Lessons from a Teddy Bear

We had a great thunder boomer and downpour on Thursday night/Friday morning. Some areas had hail. Luckily we had no hail.

Well before the storm arrived, I walked out to the meadow and thought I'd take a 'gander' at things. If it was moving in swiftly, I'd vacate the area. 

When I saw lightening, I packed up and hustled back to the house. I have a pal that is a storm chaser. He goes out to bluffs and gets the most amazing time lapse photography along with some fantastic lightening shots.

I'm a wuss. I'll photograph a storm from my porch but never out in the open.

2 years ago lightening struck a tree in our donkey's pen and literally blew a tree up. The hot wire fence was fused part of the way around the pen. I lost Thor about a month later, his donkey 'tude just went away. The Vet said he probably got electrocuted. 

Any...way.... so yeah, I fear lightening. 

The thunder was so intense later that Charlie become a quivering mess. I snuggled  with him on the couch. 

Well fast forward to Saturday. I had Big Plans. I wuz gonna go to KVR for a morning hike and rock climb.  I looked out the window to see a thunderstorm brewing to the Northeast. 

Instead I grabbed Bear, coffee, and camera and took off up the road. Maybe the clouds would produce something interesting and maybe they wouldn't.

The skies were mostly bleh. Bluish greyish, and a bit of color tossed in. I decided to be like Bear and sit down and be patient. The sunrise itself was hidden from view.

It was a flop. So I grabbed Bear and headed towards the car. I forgot my coffee and walked back when something interesting started to happen.

So, I decided to watch a bit more. Bear hollered from the car:

I TOLD you to be patient!

Bears!

Then this happened...

"Wow! Would you look at that!" I exclaimed.

Told you so.

[See, it is like this. Bear goes with me so I can have a conversation with him. Otherwise I just have to talk to myself and that surely would be very weird, right?]

Finally I looked at the time and decided to start home.

Uh. Ummm.

Bear was right. 

Be patient.

Happiness

Not your normal Christmas theme, but hey why not?

While dealing with my MIL and her dementia and other health issues, I've discovered that happiness is not necessarily 'stuff' or getting gifts or things accumulated.

Two of the happiest days I've had this past month have been days that I did something for someone else.
The day I Christmas Cards with my MIL.

And then yesterday, opening more cards with her and then going back to her room to take all the cards off the bulletin board and look through them again.

I moved her tiny tree into the sunlight and we admired how the snowflakes reflected the light.

I moved the snow man around and put her tiny Santa Teddy Bear on her night stand next to her candy.

And then I put the cards and photos back on the bulletin board.

She announced that she was ready for a nap and I helped her to bed and covered her up.

I asked if I could give her a hug and she said, "Off course!"

When I got home I told Rich that I'd had the best Christmas present ever and he asked what I meant.

I said, "A bit of Happiness, brought on by making your mother smile today."

And I realized something. That hour of doing for someone else was exactly the type of feel good gift I was looking for.

It touched that part of my brain that spread a bit of glow all around me for the afternoon.

There is no physical gift that could ever give me that same feeling.
And I gave it to myself by sharing.

Now time to make coffee.

Find some happiness today.