These times...

 

On Monday we had our updated Covid-19 boosters. And other than a slight ache at the injection sight we've had no ill side effects. That was actually a pretty nice surprise.

Tuesday was my 'hike or ride with Olive' day. Olive had texted me Monday evening to let me know she had found the Mother Lode of cool fungi in a forest that her husband's family owns. We decided to go at 10 AM because the heat on Tuesday afternoon was to be fierce.

She had found the Mother Lode!

Shrimp of the Woods was everywhere! She picked, and I photographed. We poured out gobs of sweat and hiked ...and brush busted through the woods getting full of stick tights and all sorts of nasty little burrs. We laughed and exclaimed how fun it was to find someone else as adventurous as we two were.

Apparently her husband is not into diving through the underbrush just to find dried up old mushrooms and exclaim OHHH! AHHH! Or to grab fungi from the dirt and marvel at their beauty. [However, he will eat what she cooks!]

I learned that Olive was indeed the adventurous type. After college, she took a year and went to New Zealand to hike a 2,000 mile trail. She said it was an epic adventure and she learned by trial and error about back packing. She learned about blisters, heat rash, and dealing with forces of nature.

I told her I was jealous, but admired her.

The arrow points to some oyster mushrooms she had 'seeded' with a slurry from other oyster mushrooms she'd picked. It worked!

We hiked and explored for about 2 hours before we hopped back into her beat up Subaru and headed home. We traveled both times with the windows down as her A/C hadn't worked since she'd beat up her car when she did a short stint as a Rural Postal Carrier. 

I'd taken a lot of photos and we'd covered a lot of ground. 

We both thought it would be fun to come back after the snow fell and snowshoe through the woods.

She dropped me off.

Two hours later she texted me with an urgent message. Her parents had Covid they'd been at their house on Saturday. She had been exposed but presented with no symptoms.

Well now. 

I'm wearing a mask in the house and doing all I can to keep separate from hubby.

This morning I received an update. Olive had to take her son to the ER last night and he tested negative, but has a full blown ear infection, teething, and a cold.

Her husband is negative too. So now we just wait and see while still practicing all the cautions I can...

Ever drink coffee with a straw? 

Interesting.

Section 50 Cut Off Trail

 I'm getting down to the last few trails for my Trail Challenge at Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Sunday morning I set out to beat the heat and humidity and knock off a trail I wasn't too excited about doing.

Since my pal Bill has bowed out of hiking the trails with me due to some hip issues and family obligations, I have to make loops out of these hikes. Sometimes that means walking double the distance or backtracking.

I'm okay with that.

The map has the trail as a 1.41 mile end to end trail. In order to do that I had to walk up the gravel road to the one trail head and then hike back to my car on the trail and part of the gravel road. I walked just about 3 miles to accomplish a completion of section #50.

The views walking the gravel road were pretty nice. In fact, it was prettier than I thought it would be. The sky was overcast for the most part.

Then the sun broke through as I reached the top of the hill and turned to look back...

I saw a lot of trucks parked on the side of the road and recalled that deer bow season had just opened. It was hot and muggy and all the bucks I've seen still have their velvet. It didn't make sense to hunt in this heat and in this rough terrain.

Then I heard a couple of shots that sounded like .22's. That made me curious.

I found the trail head and set off.

Fairly quickly I ran into one fellow in all camo who was huffing and puffing while he climbed up the steep hill from the roadside. 

We talked briefly. He and a couple of other guys were Squirrel Hunting. He was polite and even told me, "Have a great hike ma'am."

Uffdah! Ma'am! I told him to have a good hunt.

I'm glad I hadn't brought Charlie, the overnight light rain and the humidity would have made it hard for him. The few gunshots I heard would have reduced him to a quivering Pekenhund Puddle. I would have had to carry him.

The trails were quite muddy in some spots and slippery. However, this trail is pretty but not very challenging. It basically runs alongside the gravel road in the woods.

I walked past two fellas that were looking at the woods and talking about ... I assume bow or gun deer hunting spots. We nodded and greeted each other as we passed. I was surprised. Normally, I don't see another human on my morning hikes.

However, different hunting seasons are now open. 

The light would have been fantastic in some parts of the woods had I waited for a late afternoon sun, but I had to pick my hikes when I could get them in and not always plan for the best light.

The Sumac in some places was astounding! Near home, it has just begun to change, but here it was blazing with incredible colors.

I ended up back on the gravel road and headed downhill to where I parked at the 'other' Cut Off Trail Head. I'd hiked that section with Bill and Jason on January 8th. I have one more hike to do in the north east section by Warner Creek and I will have finished that part of the Reserve.

A truck passed me and then parked behind my Subaru. I was curious as the men inside the truck didn't appear to be hikers. When I approached they stepped out of their truck and said hello again. They were the two fellas I'd passed on the ridge.

They were from Michigan and had decided to come to "Weesconsin" to check out the Reserve for deer hunting. They lamented that if they shot a deer there would be no easy access to drag it out. The terrain was really rough and there were so many trails, they had no idea where to even begin!

We talked for a couple of minutes and then I walked down to the bridge to take a shot of Warner Creek. Which...on Google Maps is called Jug Creek. But that is wrong. 
Oh well.

Warner Creek never disappoints me and I always stop to take a shot just like this in every season of the year at this bridge.

The hike was hot and muggy, but not really buggy like I expected. The Fall colors are starting to show and are simply beautiful.

I checked my time and was happy. I'd be home before lunch and could make applesauce and do laundry.

One more section off my list!

Another nice ride

Look at Siera! What a typical mule face!

Basically she is giving me the stink eye for tossing the pad on her. Siera is my younger molly mule that I ride.

She came to our place when she was 3 years old. My hubby purchased her against my wishes. We did not need another animal! Of course, her mother was Peruvian Paso and she was gaited. Hubby saw $$$ signs in a trained and gaited mule.

 The folks who sold her to us kept her full sister who was taller and more elegant. Only to sell her a couple of years later because she was in their terms, Ill Tempered, and Difficult. They had sent her to a trainer in Iowa to be 'broken' and trained. 

I have found Siera to be rather sweet and calm. Sure she lets you know when she is a bit tentative about something that is being asked of her. And she will refuse to step into a tiny puddle. She can be a bit bull headed too.

However. She is a mule.

She was probably the easiest one I ever put a saddle on. Just two or three round pen sessions and I was riding her when she was 4. Obstacles like puddles are nothing to me. However, to her they were life threatening.

We worked in hand and under saddle together. She is one of those animals that works best when she thinks it IS her idea and not yours to cross that ditch or to walk through a puddle.

On a flat open trail she boogies in such a smooth gait. When she startles, she becomes a statue. When she figures it out, she sighs and proceeds.  

We moved over to the Hickory tree because it seems some wasps have taken up residence in the back of the trailer.

She is wearing my favorite saddle. I swapped out the western stirrups for English ones when I was doing Endurance with Badger. The ease of changing the length made this a perfect saddle for all the grand kids to use. 

Plus, the saddle is much lighter.

We headed out to ride the same trail as I took Sunshine on. It winds through the woods partly on the old 4 wheelers trail and drops into a valley before climbing again and then follows deer trails and old cattle trails just below the ridge.

Those Ears!

There are 3 dry runs or ditches to cross to circle back towards home. I planned it that way so Siera would think it would be a good idea to cross them.  When she was first ridden in these woods long ago, she absolutely refused to cross these ditches. She planted her feet if you tried to lead her across, or backed up under saddle. 

I don't think she had the confidence at that time to know she was capable.

I spent a lot of time with her and lesser 'ditches'. Eventually, I think she gained confidence in herself. Now? 

She just looks things over and then decides that heading towards home through the obstacles is a good thing. 

She got sweaty ears from worrying about being away from the others.

Our ride was quiet. I made her stand and look around several times. She wants to rush through things when she is by herself. When she is with another equine, she is very chilled.

We found no monsters and no logs or ditches that were scary. We found a lot of little stick tights though.

And ... it is always nice to take the very long way around to go get the mail on the ridge.

Oh. Remember how I said my hubby purchased her against my wishes? After I got her going under saddle I decided she wasn't leaving. I plunked down her purchase price in front of him one morning and said, "SHE is mine."

Her sister? Those folks contacted me after seeing pictures of Siera working with my grand kids. They offered to by her because they wanted a good mule. They went on about how awful her sister became.

And I often wonder if it was the way the mule was handled. When Siera balked at things I never punished or even cursed. I just figured she needed help in figuring out what I was asking of her.

I've done that with all the mules I've handled in the past. 

The trainer they sent the sister too? He was known for being rough and heavy handed to get results. Some mules could handle that I guess. Others? I think it ruined them.

I am not a trainer. Nope, not at all. I just learned through trail and error. I simply ended up often with animals that needed work and since I like to trail ride, I worked with them. 

I'd like to think that I created a bond with those few that have been special in my lifetime.

We had a great little ride and a nice chat in the yard before she went back with the others.

I love my Red Headed Mule

I didn't really think about it much, but Sunshine and I have had a pretty long history  together. She was born in my lap literally and I have posted about this before.

I was disappointed that she was never going to be more than 14 hands or that she was just red. After she was weaned we put her up for sale. There were never any takers for this smart not quite 14 hand mule. I started her under saddle when she was two and then let her be a mule for 2 years before we really started any work.

I did the ground work and the round pen work, hubby did the in saddle work. Together we worked with her trying to make her into a Grand Kid Mule. She was too quick however for a novice rider and so we scrapped that idea. We decided to keep her and then the offers rolled in from places we used to ride her.

Like Badger, she ended up showing us an unusually smart mind. She learned to give to the snaffle we started her in. 

Ever heard of a one rein stop? It is supposed to work.

Not with this gal. I did a couple of wild rides when she was young when something odd happened and she took off in a beeline. Did you know a mule can canter with her nose at your knee?

I swapped over to a Mule Trammel bit and set her up for a run off. She bolted 3 steps and I lifted the reins for the trammel to bump her nose. I've stuck with that set up from then on. We've never ever had another run away.

Surprisingly. This mule had NEVER bucked me off. My soul mate mule, Badger, had bucked me off several times. 

So that bit of info registered this week as Sunshine and I were getting ready to head out to do an old gnarly trail in the woods.

At first there was some Spa Work. [Now you know why I am anxious to have the pasture clipped! Burdock!]

Then I put on her saddle which was a handmade saddle for mules. The seat is contoured for my butt!
[Pardon the dirty trailer, I had hired Molly to wash it for me. Yeah. That didn't happen, but I DO need to get around to washing the lichen and moldy stuff off the shaded side.]

The Bell around her neck keeps us from walking up on any bedded deer in the forest.

The shot below was taken when I got off to check her cinch before heading down a tippy toe hill. Steep is an understatement. She never bats an eye at this but just takes her time and deals with it.

We live in a land of dry runs and ravines. The photo below is from about 10 years ago, just before we crossed this dry run. I generally let her pick her own way as she is so calm and calculating about things like this.

Annnny wayyy....

This mule recalled the old cattle trails we used to ride. When I couldn't find the trail that Charlie and I hike the day before, she just helped me out. I knew if I let her have her 'head', she would locate the way we should go.

I've ridden this mule in this forest for 20 years [well, not much in the last year or so because of one thing or another...and because I'd been diagnosed with severe osteoporosis, I figured I'd have to quit riding. -> Nah..., I love it too much and I have two excellent mounts]

I picked this section of the forest because the undergrowth is a bit less than the other areas that are covered in multiflora rose and other nasties.

Sunshine took some time looking around and we watched a buck in velvet bounce away. 

Don't mind her messy mane. I may clip it again or not, I don't like the mane to be too short when cold weather comes our way.

I was surprised by a Gaggle or Herd of Turkeys that ran through the trees beyond this photo. She sighed as if to let me know...

SHE knew they were already there. DUH.

So, I didn't take a lot of photos while we were riding because I was concentrating on just enjoying the moments with my little red head that no one wanted until we kept her.

She is in her 24th year with me. When I did the mental math, I realized that she has been with me longer than her half brother Badger. And that she is one of the main reasons I feel comfortable riding again.

When we got back out to the ridge road, I dismounted and walked with her back home. I didn't want our time to end.

In fact, I sat in the yard later with her and had a long conversation with her.

She may be a bit small in stature, but she is huge in personality and temperament. She is without a doubt, smarter than I am in so many ways. She has a great homing beacon built in. 

She knows how to keep calm and navigate difficult terrain without any missteps. 

And?

We adore each other.

She has never been to a show, but she has done KVR, Prairie du Chein, Duck Egg, and Wildcat Mountain trails. However since hubby doesn't drive anymore and the truck is dead. We enjoy what we can in the neighbor's wild woods and hay fields.

I rarely have any folks to ride with. But she and Siera seem to be good at taking care of me.

And we seem connected in some way. 

Sunshine takes care of me. 

And how could you not love that?

Weird Dreams!

Do you ever have dreams that just do not make sense at all?

How about this? 

I was shopping in town and a storm was coming, when I got to the parking lot my youngest son was standing in the rain with his two young kids, a huge Jeep, and a motorcycle. 

He said to me, 'Mom, take the kids, I have to go to court!'

I just asked him why didn't he take his Jeep? [He doesn't have one] 

And he says the kids like the motorcycle better and the Jeep quit. [He doesn't have a motorcycle either]

For whatever reason, I got mad and slammed the drivers door shut hard.

And my car tipped over in the mud.

So yeah, I woke up then and wondered 

Where in the heck did that come from?

Squirrels, seeds, and Charlie

Charlie's nemesis is back. The squirrel[s] are going 'nuts' under the hickory tree. Charlie believes that it is his duty to chase them away. 

I told Rich that we should build a ramp for Charlie next to the kitchen window so he can watch all the activity going on in the yard. The poor little guy is so short he can't see unless he is sitting on the porch.

Morris used to lay down on a step in the open stairway so he could view out the windows. Charlie hasn't mastered the stairs which are not carpeted any more, but are wooden. His long body and short legs make it hard for him to go up and down the stairs.

Charlie likes it even better if I put up the little hammock and let him sit in my lap so he can watch the tree above him. 
I have one of the old hammocks with the wooden ends that he will actually lay in on his own, but that is such a pain to put up and take down.

He is really quite happy on nice days to sit on the porch and watch the yard. I have a tie out for him that is a boat anchor. Everyone chuckles at that but in truth, it works so well for him!

He normally lays on the bench and watches the world go by.

As the zinnias start fading now, I am collecting seed heads for next year. However, the Marigolds that reseeded themselves by the porch along with the Nasturtiums are exploding in brilliant colors.

I will plant Nasturtiums for sure again next year, they really added mounds of beautiful greenery and flowers all around the porch. 

I should be able to collect a lot of seeds from these. I have a large board that sits on the old trunk in the kitchen with several bowls. Each bowl has different seeds that I have been collecting. I can recall my Grandmother doing the very same thing each fall. She'd put her seeds into envelopes that she'd saved from her received mail and then carefully label each envelope for her flower garden the next year. She repurposed before her time.

I would love to take out one of those old metal wagon wheels next year and add morning glories to my tiny side garden.

I think this coming winter I will really miss having a flower garden. Most of all, I'll miss the mini gardens I created this summer.

This morning it was cool enough to turn on our heat for a bit. 

Time to get moving with the rest of my day.

Play time

My tomatoes are simmering, and all the outdoor work is done. Thank goodness I found some movies for the other half to enjoy while I have some time making things up and learning about this A.I. Stuff.

In my opinion, A.I art is interesting and I am curious as to where it will go. I really love the experience of going out and creating a mood with a photograph. So I am not saying it can take over the feeling of actually going out with a camera and creating a scene.

However, with the AI art, it is fun to type something up and insert it into the "Neural Engine" and see what appears.

Pennywise the Clown as an Octopus:

What love looks like:

[This reminds me of the profile of The Little Prince in the movie made in 1974, not the new movie.]

I swapped over to another program called Nightcafe. It uses 3 different methods of AI all of text based.

Knowing art styles is pretty helpful. I think I used 

Indigenous Native, full moon, clouds, epic sky the last one

as my prompt. This result was a surprise. I liked it in an abstract way. 

With all AI, there is a very steep learning curve and a lot of Geek Talk that I will never ever figure out. People discuss using 'servers' and what not.

I just stick with the basics and learn the language for making things up.

I'm not even sure what I used here, but it included futuristic, horror, moon and stones.

Talking of horrors! The sprayer on the sink wouldn't turn off! I didn't know how to fix it but went to bed dreaming of a sink that would attack me with water. I let that worry me until I fell asleep. I was sort of put out because I just got that set up in April!

But for fun I put this in the text:

Madness of a sink blowing colored bubbles.

The texts don't even have to make sense. 

Wait When Are Humans Going To Ask Me To Do A Drawing So I Can Demonstrate My Ability To Laugh monsters, witches, bats, and crows detailed matte painting 8k resolution holographic astral cosmic illustration mixed media by Pablo Amaringo

The image sure doesn't make much sense at all but I liked it anyway. I can see a hooded figure, a fly, misty stuff, maybe something electrical and it is moody.

I edited the text to read 

 

Skull in a cave with  monsters, witches, bats, and crows detailed matte painting 8k resolution holographic astral cosmic illustration mixed media by Pablo Amaringo street art

I was insanely surprised at the moody dark and kind of scary scene it gave me. It felt like I was going over to the dark side.

Some of the creations are pretty. Just that, nice and pretty.

Fall as I see it in my mind but never in reality.

There is something addicting to be able to 'create' images from words and then watch something appear on the screen before your eyes.

I've worked with Fractal Flames and Mandelbulb 3D works and experienced the fun of watching what transpires as a person uses different colors and formulas.

So while I have some time to myself, I thought I'd explore this new wave of art. It is fun and I don't know how it will fit in with other forms of art in the future, or how it will affect photographers and other artists.

It is fun, and I am enjoying it.

Oh...

And I fixed the sprayer! I watched a YouTube video on how to take apart a Moen sprayer and clean its guts to make it work right.

Yippee to me!

No more gushing water to dream about.