3 sunrises in one day

 ~~~Sunday morning~~~

That should be impossible...

But it sort of isn't.

The plan was to hike out to the large soybean field and then drop down into a bit of a dip where there are some trees growing in the water way.

But I realized that I didn't have quite enough time to get that done. I should 'time' it to see how long it takes me to walk from the house to that tree. I'll have to try it this week when I am not chasing the sun or some other monkey business. Then I can plan accordingly.

I love snowy sunrises, the ground takes on a cool bluish tone and reflects light upwards.

The ice from the night before was still hanging on most leaves and branches which were very pretty in the low light.

And the southwest sky had a whole different look to it which was filled with blues and purples.

I went to head back, but stopped at a scrub oak tree that divides the field and watched the sun make its appearance. If you look carefully, there are icicles hanging from some leaves.

I walked through the neighboring corn field and headed to the mailbox to pick up our mail.

When I turned around there it was. Another sunrise over the slight rise between the two fields.

That far off tree is a real challenge to shoot as an isolated subject. It is surrounded by thorny brush. It is another good spot to watch the sun greet the morning.

I headed down the driveway. My hands were cold but I was happy and had some hot coffee waiting for me.

Our hollow was still without the sun. It would be about an hour before it topped over the trees and shone down on our place.
Technically, it isn't another sunrise, but in a way it is as it is the first bit of sun we see each day. 

The mules started talk to me and Fred brayed for his Senior Feed.

It looked like it would be a good day...and it was.

Wandering

So I just wandered the other day. Well, I didn't wander OFF. But I just took random deer trails through the forest with no destination in mind. I would walk a bit and then stand still. 

Listening, looking and observing. 

I wonder if a daddy long legs is considered wildlife.

I stood above the creek and just listened for a while. The water was barely moving from the west side of the fence. It pooled below me and then disappeared into the grass and jewel weed that grew in the creek bed.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the green leaves and I just stood there thinking how beautiful the light and various shades of green were. So calming.

I think I may even put this photo on a large mounted board. I usually print a favorite shot each year and put it up. I think during the cold winter months, this photo may just bring me back to that very peaceful 'green' spot.

In an unexpected place in the back pasture I found a Monarch caterpillar. 

There were the hideously ugly looking brown prickly looking caterpillars too. They were interesting. I'd seen them over the years but had never bothered to figure out what there were.

Until this year.

[Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillars]

The reddish insect is an asparagus beetle. It probably has a long scientific name, but I like it fine as the red insect with black polka dots.

Monday morning found me out wandering the pastures again. The morning light was really quite bizarre.

I'm pretty sure these types of photos are flooding the social media because of the wildfires and the smoke in the air.

[I don't think the air quality is good for Rich to be outside doing work right now. So maybe the broken lawn mower is a good thing. I spoke with Mark and he'll pick it up and fix it along with a nice overall maintenance job on it.]

My thought was the sunrise seemed sort of like a Hollywood scene from some sort of Armageddon type movie.

It just felt creepy as all get out.

Most of the day was odd too. The sky wasn't blue, but more of a pale washed out color. 

I went out to move the pony and put the goat in his pen after supper. The clouds had left and there was this orange washed out odd color to the sky again.

Skies like this give me an uneasy feeling.

On a happy note....I chased a Monarch yesterday for a while. It was so shy! 

It played hide n' go seek!

Tuesday promises to be a busy day.

Backwards

I'm going to start with the end of the Saturday and work backwards. Sunshine has been coming to the gate and giving me the hard stare. So I thought we'd go for a stroll. She is just a riding mule, nothing special about her except she has a good brain and rarely gets wound up any more. 

Her favorite part was when I pulled over to the side of the road and let her graze on all that nice ditch grass and weeds. We saw a lot of deer.

You almost can't see the deer in the upper left side of the photo. Sunshine is watching deer on the other side of the road eating in freshly cut hay.

Since she is in the forest often with deer I don't think they bother her any more. Only when they pop out of tall corn as a surprise do they startle her.

Such a great way to end the day. When we went past the Naughty Dog house, the dog barked like crazy and after we passed she came out on the road. 
Have you ever seen a mule walk with her ears tilted and one eye looking back? I have. It is how she kept track of the dog. Mules can see behind them with very little effort.

Before supper...

Well, it was bound to happen. I wondered when Rich would kill the riding mower. He always trims things too close and whips it around. He did that yesterday next to one of his junk piles and a hook on a dangling chain ripped out the 'thingy' cord/wire that is used to start the mower. 

Looks like I'll have to call the shop and have someone pick it up and repair it. I think I'll have them replace the belts and blades at the same time and tune it up. I have NO idea how long that will take but I do know I have a LOT of walking behind my mower to do for finishing up this week's mowing.

The guy we purchased this from is usually pretty slow on things like this. But we've bought good machines from him including chain saws for the past 25 or so years.

Going backwards more to the morning. It was foggy and wet. Another one of those amazing mornings we have here in the Kickapoo River area.

The first shot is on the ridge overlooking crops and the second is what was once a pasture we used that belonged to the family to the east of us.

The morning was spent checking fences and enjoying the coolness before the sun burned through the fog.

I really enjoyed looking for insects that were held still by the cool morning and the heavy dew. Or those straggling flea bane flowers. 

The world is filled with a certain kind of wonder on these early summer mornings.