Hannah/lost and found and more

Sunday morning I checked the weather and it looked perfect for another campout. I took the dogs with me to set up the tent, they saw my backpack and ran next to the car and sat.

I had to laugh and imagine me explaining that No, they were going to help me set up camp.

I usually struggle a little bit in putting up the tent, in the end, I get it done. Instead of using the rain cover, I tossed a blanket over the top vent to keep our body heat in overnight.

I turned around and there was only Charlie sitting on the old camp cot I have. No Hannah. So I called, whistled and hollered. I tried her 'beeper' collar. She always come running to that as it means she gets a treat or a pat on the head.

Nothing.

I grabbed Charlie and took him home on the 4 wheeler and put him in the house so I could run down through our woods and call for Hannah.

I spent 45 minutes calling and then realized that since we are surrounded by 600+ acres on the east and 200+ acres on the west, and hundreds of acres of fields and forest to the south and north -- she could have gone anywhere.

I stopped running around. Hannah knew the lay of the land. She'd either come to camp or go home eventually. When Rich and I would lose a hound while hunting, we'd take our coats off and lay them down at the last place we'd been with our hound. By morning, the hound would have made a bed of our coats and we'd pick him/her up.

I got back to the house to grab my chore flannel off the porch and check on Charlie. He was happy to see me and then he ran to the porch door. I asked if he had to go out when I heard a very quiet 'woof'. It wasn't Charlie.

Hannah was laying on my insulated flannel in the sunshine on the porch. I wanted to yell at her and tell her she was bad bad bad and wished she could tell me what happened. 

I didn't. She was so overjoyed at seeing me. She launched into wiggles and smiles. Yup, she draws up her lips while wiggling and shows her teeth in an awkward smile.

I hugged her and gave her a treat for being so smart as to come home and lay on the porch.

We eventually got back to the campsite and got set for an October camp. It was going to be a chilly night with temps dipping into the low 40's. I figured if we got cold, we could just walk home and go in the house.

We left at 5pm and spent quite a bit of time sitting on the old junk cot watching the fire and listening to the forest around us.

At sunset, I walked out into the meadow and took this shot looking east with the pretty pink clouds and the neighbor's meadow. The line of fog is actually smoke from my fire lingering in the woods far off.

Once it got dark, the temperature started to drop. That is when the first group of coyotes started to sing their hunting songs. Not too far off an owl started to call. It was a different call than the 'Who Cooks For You' but it was a Barred Owl --> I think.

The fire had burned low so I banked the coals and we retired inside the tent. It was only 7:30, I cracked open a book and started to read. My cohorts made a bed on my jacket and some blankets and seemed to be interested in what I was reading.

Around 8:30 I decided to check on things outside before calling it a night. I walked out with the dogs and had them do their thing while I looked at the stars.

I couldn't believe my lucky eyes. The Milky Way had not quite set yet. I kept the dogs collar lights on and grabbed my camera out of the backpack.

I thought that time had run out on seeing the Milky Way, however, it hadn't quite set yet.

I was so tickled and happy, I did a little jig and Hannah did one too. Charlie huffed and went into the tent to make his bed. Apparently he was not impressed.

I could see my breath in my headlamp so I know the temperature had dropped again. I thought I'd take a couple of night camp shots so I could remember our 'night out'.

So the night sounds we heard were really quite beautiful. We heard raccoons chirping in the forest. Yes, they do make chirping sounds! A buck not too far off was grunting which sounds hilarious. I am guessing he was chasing a doe who he thought was in heat.

We heard from the coyotes a few more times but they didn't come our way.

The coolest sounds we heard were from the Barred Owls or perhaps they were Great Horned Owls. The songs were odd but definitely an owl of some kind. It sounded as if a Barred Owl couldn't quite get it right and was trying to sound like an adult.

They kept at it every once in a while until nearly dawn. 

I enjoyed the night noises so much especially the owl 'talk'. It was one of the highlights of my night!

By the time 6am arrived, the dogs and I were buried under layers of blankets together. I got dressed and had to convince the dogs to leave their warm blankets and walk home with me in the predawn. 

We walked through our meadow towards home and listened to the group of Robins that were chattering. They were migrating through and gave us more 'songs' to enjoy on our camping adventure.

The outside temperature at the house was 38 degrees F. Hmmm. We survived!

And, I got a pretty good night's sleep!

[I also want to say that Hannah is a huge scent driven dog. She can track me if I hide from her, a playful trick I used to do to all of our hounds. Charlie doesn't have that sort of scent drive, but he has also learned to stay close over the past 8 yrs.]

Night of the Fireflies

Miss Ariel came to visit for a short weekend. We went out to lunch, then decided to 'do' downtown Viroqua. The vinyl record store, used book store, second hand stores, and a couple of other downtown shops and the crazy old mall that was once a car dealership.

I picked up a couple of things and fell in love with a gypsy type skirt of wild colors and a pair of gypsy pants. I don't know why I needed something like that, but I did.

I found a t-shirt I couldn't pass up.

Happy me! A new store is opening downtown.

It will be buying and selling used Legos! 

Also other games and of course a gaming club I think!

Yes!!

We spent our downtime teaching Hannah the ins and outs of fetching and 'leave it'. Hannah was entranced with Ariel [Charlie loves her also]. So I had her doing some of the repeat work with her.

Hannah learned that you get a treat once in a while when you 'leave it'  or drop the ball in a human hand.

We did multiple doggy walks and enjoyed the cool air. Ariel wanted to get her steps in. I wanted to exercise the pups. 

When the sunset started I ran inside and grabbed a camera. The colors were incredibly intense.

The pine trees are in front of the house which you might be able to barely see in the bottom right corner.

It wasn't so dark that we couldn't see around us and as the color faded from the skies we started seeing hundreds of fireflies.

I set up the camera during the blue hour and started to use a computational thingy on the camera called LiveComp which records any change in light every 4 seconds or whatever you set it too.

I was super happy with the driveway photo. Ariel watched with some amazement too. I doubt she ever stood and just let nature flow over her like that in the semi dark. I pointed out that the lighting bugs often stayed off the gravel and stuck to the long grasses on each side of the driveway and in the forest.

I turned the camera to the neighbor's meadow which hasn't been grazed or mowed in over 10 years.

I let the camera go on for 20 minutes compiling flashes of light.

Long exposure with moving clouds...

30 seconds of the same area.

It was like the insects were doing a special dance just for us and all we had to do was watch. One even landed on my hand and another in my hair.

You could say I was immersed in it.

As was Ariel.

The pups were sleeping in the house when we finished.

Well

Hmmmm hmmm, hmmm. 

I've had an amazing week with so much taken care of! I checked off gobs of things I needed to have done here. I even built a paddock in an area for the mules in the winter to have another choice of hiding in the woods and brush. I may not let them be in there for deer gun season, but it will work out nicely if we have one of those easterly winds that come with bad ice/sleet events.

Here is a couple of leftover shots from the previous day's walk.

Friday night's sky made me feel calm and relaxed. It was stunning.

Saturday morning's drizzle ended and we had thick fog.

The neighbor's meadow developed fog that grew and changed and moved across the ground as well as rose through the trees in the valley.

Foggy mornings are amazing for Infrared Photography. So, I carried that camera with me also.

The Chrome Filter in IR turns leaves and any plant that have chlorophyll in them to a reddish hue depending on how much light they are absorbing and reflecting. The skies generally stay blue and the highlights can get very tricky.

However, a lot of trial and error can produce the results above. 

An acquaintance of mine via Flicker has lenses he uses to attach to his apple iPhone to take IR shots with it. It is a combination I think of a lens filter and perhaps an app? I don't know, but I know he prefers that over carrying his camera these days.

The things you can do these days with a cellphone camera!

Ariel came on Saturday morning and we are going to do some craft shopping. We watched some videos last night about acrylic paint pouring for Christmas Ornaments. We may try it, it sounds like a fun experiment to do. 

I like the abstract designs that pouring creates. Making a mess might be fun.

Michaels is having quite a sale on some items, so we will take the drive and do some girl shopping together along with a lunch date. Ariel is preparing supper so we'll have a nice evening doing fun stuff to celebrate her birthday.

January is Done...

January wrap.
The first of the year was mild and not very wet. I was able to get into the furthest valley in our area and hike along Black Bottom Creek.

Mid month we got walloped by two huge snowstorms. Next came the cold temperatures and wind chills. These are all normal events for January in a sense. But the winter has been warmer than usual due to La Nina.

For the past two weeks it seems that we've had nothing but fog, rain, dampness, and more fog. At first I was pretty excited about the fog. I could walk in it and enjoy the ethereal beauty of it. 

After a few days though, that wore off. 

Then we had a dense fog freeze advisory. I spent an hour walking around looking for frosted plants and leaves.

If I'd had my MapMyWalk App on, it would have shown me going back and forth and around in circles. I wanted to find some exciting and beautiful frost formations on plants.

The key word was 'exciting'. I didn't really find anything spectacular.

I went back out right away after hubby was up and had his breakfast. I wanted to take Charlie for a walk while the snow was still firm and he could walk on top of it.

I grabbed my snowshoes and off we went on a jaunt to the creek. The deeper we got into the forest, there was less frost.

By the time we got to the creek, I had to take off my snowshoes and carry them. Since the creek has so many little springs in it, the temperatures can be much warmer near the water. The difference is startling. You walk in mud and green grass as opposed to a foot of snow. 

I set my little camera on a log and took a photo of Charlie and I walking along the creek.

Our trekking area.
This is the spot where I always stop to admire the little trout. Since the last flood that cleaned out the creek bottom, trees have been falling down across the creek and through out the area.

Our walk becomes a bit more adventurous by having to negotiate around fallen trees and nasty multiflora rose.

The only times I can easily walk through this area is early spring, winter, and late fall. In the summer, it is impossible. The weeds and plants grow so high here that they are taller than I am.

When cattle grazed on this land, it was easy to get around. But the cattle have been gone since 2005 and the land is not managed very well. So it has a lot of invasive plants and it has gotten very wild.

Once we got out of the creek, I had to put the snowshoes back on. We followed the old deer/cattle/4wheeler trail which is growing in now too.

We climbed the hillside and went out to the meadow just east of our property and headed back home. Charlie was such a champ. The only time he asked to get picked up was when we heard a big boom far off.

We came up through the back of our land and walked through the area where the mules had dug up snow and had browsed during the the snowstorm.

This photo shows the back of our shed and the long hill driveway. The mules really dug things up, I was surprised at how much the snow had melted in this particular spot.

However!

The sun came out late in the afternoon to provide us with a stunning sunset.

I was pretty excited since we haven't had an evening with a beautiful sunset in ages:

Let's see what February brings!

December Colors?

What colors does December offer in

the dullest of all the months

of the year?

December is known for being the most overcast and dark month of the year. Well, at least for those of us in this part of the world.

The days are cold, dull, overcast...and the days get shorter and shorter. What beauty can be found outdoors in this month? Last month I challenged myself with November. Now? Maybe I'll challenge myself with December.

At least that will be easy for moment. There have been some great morning and evening skies to admire.

A long time friend that used to be a neighbor and I went with her son on Thursday evening just after sunset for a night hike along old 131 trail in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.

When we dropped from the ridge to the valley, the temperatures dropped at least 10 degrees. My friends commented on that and I suggested we walk up and out of the valley. We did. As we walked, we were able to catch glimpses of meteors streaking across the sky. This was at 6PM when the meteor shower was not supposed to be at its peak. 

We were able to find the Milky Way and searched for any other stars or constellations we could recognize. I'm not very good at that at all. We found the Big Dipper on the northern horizon and the Milky Way stretched overhead from East to West.  I wanted to take a couple of shots, but that takes time to do.

I asked Briar who will be turning 12 next week to be my model. He was cold but he agreed to stand still and look up into the sky with a headlamp on.

This was a one shot deal and thankfully, I got it!

Those guys were chilled, so we hiked back to the car and drove to their house where we visited for a while before I left.

I got up early the next morning to continue my early morning walks with Charlie. I normally hike across the fields so I can watch the sun come up and enjoy the quiet sounds of the rest of the world waking up.

I was not disappointed at all. The skies lit up like fire. 

I set the camera in the cornfield and put it on a timer. I trotted out a little distance so I could capture myself enjoying the show.

It sure was incredible. And it seemed as if it were never ending.

Charlie and I walked back towards home and noticed that the only sounds we heard were a few birds and some dogs barking off in the distance.

We had the whole world to ourselves.

Tonight we are supposed to have patchy fog and rain. Sunrise on the ridge tomorrow morning might be worth looking into. Fog always makes things much more interesting.

The colors aren't just in the sky for December. I hope to find something exciting in the forest also.

Looking for colors in December.

A good challenge.

Thanksgiving Day....

Here is what I dreamt it would look like!

I decided to do my first ever Turkey for Thanksgiving supper. 

I chose the Jennie-O breast that looked like even an idiot like myself... who can make Rubber Chicken.....

could successfully cook in the oven. 

Step 1: Take it out of the outer bag
Step 2: Slit the inner bag
Step 3: Put in in the oven and bake for two hours until it is done.

Stove top stuffing. Easy peasy!
Cornbread! Yup, I made it too!

Veggies from the garden....

and our feast was complete. 

 Meanwhile my woodland critters gathered for their little get together:

The neighbors to the east of us are hunting the meadow relentlessly for a very large buck. I hope the monster buck makes it through this season. I'd like to find his sheds.

[This shot was taken two days ago on our land by our trail camera. The fence can be seen behind the buck that separates our land from the neighbors]

I'm still stuck indoors. Grounded because the guys in the meadow are hunting and hubby doesn't want me anywhere in our woods. 

I carried on a Thanksgiving tradition of my own. 

Purging, vacuuming and cleaning the little basement. It is a job I won't do unless I am forced indoors. 

Success! I cleaned out 3 large totes! Hubby would have a fit, but I cleaned out all of the old hunting clothes that were merely blood stained rags and light overcoats of blaze orange.

They were full of holes from 40 years of hunting. Many of the jackets had rips all over them and were passed down from the days his father hunted. 
I save the good jacket but bundled up all the old stuff.

My motto is that if it hasn't been used in years? Well ... it is gone! None of these items have been used in over 7 years. 

Let's just say that I filled the back of the Subaru Outback with old items that even wouldn't make good hand-me-downs.

I vacuumed up and swept and purged and cleaned.

The past few mornings and evenings have been amazing as far as color. The shots below were taken from my porch or through the windows. 

Last night as I finished doing dishes, hubby's daughter called and they had a nice chat. It is good to see my husband smile.

Whew. So far I've survived deer hunting season and Thanksgiving. 

Next up....

Wonderfully Full Sunday

 Early morning text:
Hey, when Aiden wakes up and has breakfast, we are so Up for a Birdie Hike!

A walk with Olive and her little boy was what I'd been looking forward to for a while. Aiden's reaction when he sees a large bird now is a riot. When he sees or hears a goose, he becomes so exuberant that it seems as if he just discovered a live dinosaur.

The morning was chilly and overcast, but we went anyway. Aiden rode in a backpack that mom wore. Aiden adores it, he is up where he can see everything we can see. Here is 30 seconds of fun with Aiden. We even got to hear Peepers!

The photos are nothing to write home about, I just took them to put together some bird photos for Aiden to be able to see.

Apparently he loves bird videos, so mom or dad plays them for him when he needs a distraction.

It was too nice in the late afternoon not to be outside, so I headed up to the little pasture above the Buckthorn woods and started to work on two large dead limbs that had fallen a couple of years ago. 

The wood was dead enough for me to use my machete to bust things up and pile it for burning on top of the weeds I'd pulled.

When I finish with this, the mules will stand under this tree again for shade on warm days. They can catch the north breezes and stay cool.

Piles of weeds and branches to burn.

View looking north on a section I still need to work on.

I think I have actually made some progress over the past 5 years that I've been working at this. It is a lot of hard hand work, but 6 or 7 years ago, you could not see through this section because of the overgrowth of Elderberry trees and Burdock.

Somewhere I have a photo of mules threading their way through the Elderberry forest that shaded the ground in the spot. You will just have to imagine it. This year, I plan on picking both elderberry flowers and berries. 
Apparently they make great tea for your immune system????

Olive was looking for some access to them last year. 

So I got way off track. 

Sunday's sunrise and sunset were stunning and I guess that is another reason I like these longer and somewhat more temperate days.

And that's a wrap.....

Looking west from the porch:

Looking north from the back door: