Busy Day ~ Night Out

Another day with the scrappers, they filled the truck and the trailer from behind and in the little red shed.

The fella that sold this place didn't throw things away either. Imagine that. His old farm has old vehicles in the dry runs along with stoves, refrigerators, and various other things.👇

The scrappers felt they'd won the lottery. All those old mowers and mower decks... so many engines taken half way apart. 

All 'good' stuff. 

They actually dug down about 2 feet for some of the items. The sinks and toilets stayed.

 

Glen, the previous owner was a handy man that did remodel jobs as a business. 

Often the stuff he was to toss came home and landed behind the shed. I'm sure my husband did not collect over 40 mowers! Most of them were hidden in the dirt.

They found mowers, bed springs, couch springs, and buckets of big heavy bolts along with tranny covers and a few transmissions. Don was in heaven when he found a nice Pepsi sign and some 40 yr old truck plates. He will decorate his shed with them.

I worked around the house while they were mucking around in the old garage and the red shed. I did stuff that is boring but necessary to keep the house clean and clothes for me to wear.

The guys left around 12:30 and I decided to take the dogs out to stretch their legs. We hiked through our woods. 

We found that the wild geraniums were beginning to bloom.

I took these with my Lensbaby lens. I love the softness it produces.

Oddly enough, I did enjoy the little hike, but also didn't enjoy it. For years now, I've had low back pain on the left side. It is due to arthritic spurs on the spine. Normally I just get a bunch of twinges, but Wednesday it left me a bit breathless while standing up from bending over.

Hah.
I know better than to do that. I have to squat to avoid irritating that Uncle Arthur spot. Bending is not a good option ever for a back.

I hobbled home and got an ice pack out. The dogs and I sat on the porch bench and watched birds for a while.

I was surprised and please to see Siera following the red headed mules at her slow pace [she never really is in a hurry]. 

I called the Vet Clinic [this is a different one. Dr. Anderson had seen Siera years ago when she was not herself]. 

The receptionist said Dr. was pretty busy and I said it wasn't life or death, I just thought she should be looked at as she is not herself and either pulled or strained muscles and perhaps we'd need to give her some Bute if appropriate to help her move better.

Dr. Anderson saw Siera in 2014 when she 'tied up'. 

He is an excellent Vet. We had him out in 2009 when we nearly lost Cheyanne. He and his daughter treated her for dehydration with fluids until midnight. You can read about that here at: She's worth it. 

After all of that, we made out suppers. I wish I was like a dog who could just eat something simple like Kibble and get on with my day.

I made veggies with chicken and had ice cream for desert. Nothing fancy. Just eatable stuff.

I asked Charlie and Hannah if they wanted to go for a walk. They eyed me like...mayyyyy beeee....

I put their beeper collars on and we hiked out to where I am making my campsite.

We gathered sticks and made a little campfire. Charlie has been at a campfire before, but Hannah hasn't. 

This was a trial run to see how they liked hanging out with me in the forest.

Sniffing and digging seemed to be the most fun for them. The found spots nearby and dug. Hannah collected sticks to chew on. 

After that, they both wanted to sit in my lap.

Well. I will need a bench or a much larger chair. I think there is a folding camp chair in the trailer, so I'll grab that next time.

After much sniffing around and checking things out, they both wanted to sit in my lap.

My lap doesn't have much room for them.

But they were pretty content to listen to the birdsong, coyotes songs, owl calls, and hang out with me.

Smelling the forest in the evening is much better when you are on your master's lap apparently.

I intended to stay out after dark, but released that I had two black dogs that would be invisible on the walk back to the house.
Next time, I'll bring their collar lights.

This was probably the nicest evening I've had in such a long time.

The video is about 10 seconds long and includes the Eastern Towhee

singing its evening songs.

I ordered this for our next excursion into the woods to watch the sun fade and nightfall. 

This way, I can just use this pop up shelter to sit in with the pups. It is really for a beach or sitting outside out of the sun, but it is a pop up shelter. 

I think this will be easy to put up and take down. I even have a spot I can hang it from a tree limb so animals won't mess with it.

I am so incredibly happy that I had this Forest Mulching done. I plan to maintain the area. The mules can get to the pasture when the dogs and I aren't there. 

Here we are enjoying the evening. I set my little camera up with a self timer for this.

We are enjoying a bit of heaven in this world's chaos.

And yes, if you look, my hair is colored wild, just like me. I felt like doing something weird and unusual, so I did it.

We all fell sound asleep by 9:30. Hannah snuck onto my old jacket I'd dropped onto the bedroom floor. I let her sleep there. She surely is coming along nicely. I'm so very lucky to have these two friends to keep me company.

Cookie sheets and other stuff....

I'm always searching around for new ideas to use in Photography. I found a Lego photographer on IG that used an old cookie sheet to 'make' a pond for his Legos to go swimming in. He set it in his wife's garden and shot some amazing photos that I swore were shot in a real pond.

My old sheets have been abused and marked up for years. I purchased new nice cookie sheets for the gal that loves to make hubby cookies on her Respite days.

I took the old ones and spray painted them black glossy. I would have preferred flat black, but I didn't have that.

I picked some Lily of the Valley flowers and Bleeding Hearts and stuck them in a tiny vase. I used one cookie sheet for the background. The second sheet was put flat underneath.

This is how the set up looked before I brought out the Lensbaby SOL 22 lens and shot the photo above. I actually was surprised at how much I liked the extra reflections brought about by the glossy paint.

The 3 days of cold rain, I was stuck inside which allowed me to do some indoor work. 

So. Hmmm. What if I tried to make a pond indoors for my toys to play in?

It ended up being easy to 'make' the pond and set it up. Photographing it so their were 'water reflections' was a bit harder.

But....

And of course, with the black background it seems a bit dark...but it worked!!! Now I know I can take this 'pond' out on the porch or into a flower garden to do the same thing.

But just one 'pond' shot is not enough. I had to get Glenda out in her Kayak and see if she'd like a spin through the pond.

I had to dry out the moss afterward, but gosh, it sure was a fun experiment. I could have worked harder with the lighting but I didn't do anything but use what was coming through the windows. 

I like to find the simplest way to photograph my projects. I didn't use the Lensbaby lens for these shots as I wanted most of the scenes clear and concise.

The day before it started to rain Charlie and I took a walk through my favorite forest 'next' door to see what the loggers had been up to.

I won't lie. I actually shed a tear when I saw this.

The loggers take the straight tree trunks and leave the tops lay where they fall. This particular spot is a place where I started my quest for local wildflowers in 2009. At the base of an ancient oak I found my very first Blood Root and the search began for wildflowers from March to first frost that year. All the flowers were photographed on my land or this 600 acres. 

I carefully logged the date and place I found each wild plant and flower. I spent hours studying the Wildflowers of Wisconsin and Great Lakes Region.  I did this without Google Lens and without the internet. 

That was the second year I worked as a Security Officer at an old Nuclear Facility  as it was being decommissioned.

It kept me busy on those overnight shifts and weekends when there was not much traffic in and out of the plant.

I made a photobook with notes for myself at the end of the year. It was one of the most satisfying projects I've ever done. I walked the land surrounding my cottage each day and learned to recognize places by the trees.

And now? My trees [not really my trees] have been taken down and the landscape has changed drastically.

I thought to myself, how can I use this? 

Of course, I can work it into my Princess Sara Saga. After all, most all the photos for this on and off again story occur in this forest.

Remember the Rock Monsters who stole the Magical Dragon Egg and hid it? They were going to open the egg and kill the Legendary baby dragon and steal the magic for themselves.

Princess Sara and the Forest People along with others had been assembling an army to save the Egg ....

Of course the Rock Monsters want to make things harder. So they are blowing up Trees and terrorizing the Forest to ward off Princess Sara's army.

[Well, that's how I imagine things anyway.]

The beauty of the forest may be diminished for now but with all the fallen logs and branches, I imagine new worlds of moss and fungi will grow and be out there to explore.

Even with all of the mess, I was able to find wildflowers blossoming and defying the ruin of the trees.

I'll be home for the Holiday Weekend, we don't generally go anywhere on bit holidays. We'll leave that to everyone else.

The Early Hiker...

Gets wet feet...

Actually the early hiker avoids the heat and enjoys things that generally most others don't see on a regular day hike.

Fog~

Fog wraps the morning
In a soft and silent hug
A gift from the skies

 I knew I'd get wet feet but it was only a 3 mile hike and part of it would be on an old road. Part of it would be mowed and part of it would be mostly dirt.

The sun came up just as Charlie and I hit bridge # 13. It is a historical bridge and it one of the few remaining original bridges through the valley.

Picture from 2022:

The view at sunrise....with mists coming off the water.

We made great time enjoying the cool air [50 degrees F!] and birdsong.

Charlie and I got to the first turn off at this Ho Chunk Bridge.

This trail was nicely mowed but my boots still got wet from the dew.

We turned before the second Ho Chunk bridge at Indian Creek and headed up into the pines.

The equine trail joined the all use trail and this coyote was out enjoying the trail also.

Multi use trail means we all share the trail! No, I wasn't afraid for Charlie at all. I yelled out good morning to the coyote and he/she took off to the west through the tall grass and into the forest.

We entered the last let of the trail which goes through a thick forest.

A beam of morning light lit up this geranium.

It was pretty neat walking through the deep forest with the morning light shining through in places. The leaves look fresh and happy with the sunlight...

I felt fresh and happy.

I always stop at this Maple Tree when I hike this trail. I have tried time after time to get a shot of it. The tree is simply stunning and will stop a person in their tracks...if they appreciate trees.

I think this may be the winner. It looks magnificent with the morning light coming through the forest at an angle.

Charlie and I headed down the slope and hiked back along Cty P to where I'd parked.

Section # 10 and Section # 33 could now be marked off from the map.

3. 29 mile in 1 hr 36 minutes. We didn't hurry and we stopped for a snack. We enjoyed the hike as it was still cool when we got back to the car.

I do really love summer mornings!

Spring Madness and fun

Nothing like feeling like a 'One Armed Wallpaper Hanger' in a rush to do a room!

That quote was something my Grandfather said when he felt busy and overwhelmed. Well, actually, he added a lot of cuss words to go along with that saying. I won't include any direct quotes here though.

Spring has been raging through the woods and it is fall in reverse. I try and find the trees leafing out and the blossoms that appear and disappear along with the urge to try and 'see' every ephemeral flower before it disappears.

Whew. The faster I go? The further behind-er I get?

Jacob's Ladder 
5 17 2023

Devil's Urn aka: 

Urnulacraterium

5 18 2023

Charlie with 'Wish Sticks'
aka Dandelion Seeds on him.

5 20 2023

Morning Dew
Garden Phlox

5 19 2023

 Wild Geraniums

5 20 2023

Sweet Cicely
5 20 2023

Trillium

5 20 2023

Trillium with Pink!

5 20 2023

Ajuga which gets such an ugly common

name:
Bugleweed

5 22 2023

I fenced off my meadow to try some rotational grazing. It may work or be an exercise in futility. However leaving the girls in one section at a time has so far made each section look a bit nicer. The draw back is that I have to walk them into the area and then late in the afternoon, bring them back to the front pasture for their minerals and water.

[That walk is about a quarter of a mile through some woods and gates to the meadow. But the girls understand this routine and follow until they hit the meadow.]

So far it is working. I get a lot of running, kicking, and farting from the girls in the morning as I lead them to their spot for the day.

But they quickly get down to business.

I had to make a list of to do's for each day this week as I have 'so' much going on. Don't laugh Miss Merry, you have a crazy busy life!

I crossed out the most of the work for Wednesday so Charlie and I can take a break and head out to KVR in the early morning to walk a trail known for its woodland flowers.

I have to be nice and sociable sometime this weekend too. So I need my down time. 

Apparently, so do the girls.

Update: :(
I have to put off the hike. Seems like once you make plans and look forward to them, things get messed up. Though it is no one's fault. I'll just go I 'hope' on Saturday??? 

Have a wonderful day...

Wild Flowers and Still Life

A quick walk in the woods with Mr. Morris the other day during a brief hour or so of sunshine revealed another change in the woods.

Gone were the Virginia Pinks ~ they had faded into the forest floor. The black berry bushes were leafed out and hidden among them were wild columbine. I stood still and simply looked around carefully. Wild columbines were everywhere dotting the forest floor.

Morris and I moved along at a quick pace. At one point Morris went off somewhere by himself. He normally doesn't do that, but now with the greenery in the forest much taller, I have a hard time keeping an eye on him.

The little Stinker!

I found the May Flowers blossoming. It is no mean trick to get down under those leaves and get a shot though.

Yesterday was more of the cold wet monsoon season. So after morning chores I came in and dried out. Then I set some things up in The Creative Room and thought I'd try a bit of Still Life.
I hadn't done any of that in a long while.

I experimented with a speedlight as if was so dark anyway that I'd have to add light one way or another.

I then decided to move to the kitchen and wake up my husband. He'd been resting after a rather few very busy days.

His work gloves caught my eye.

Particularly the ... tag that says "Genuine".

Today is lined up to be busy also despite the rain that is to come off and on.

The farrier is coming to trim donkeys. As soon as it is warm enough again, all donks are getting baths and haircuts. It has been a wicked winter and a mucky spring.