I know that I may have let some of my fellow bloggers down by not writing about my fun and crazy adventures with mules.
This year I haven't ridden any mule since March. Most of my free time is spent taking a little breather while hiking with my cameras.
I hadn't even been on PeeWee's most of the summer. I went for a stroll last weekend and decided to try another 'corn tunnel' shot.
I was happy to find just the right spot and take this shot.
PeeWee's is now so horribly overgrown that it is very difficult to hike through.
I've had to go elsewhere to get hiking in.
Thank goodness for our wonderful county parks and nearby state parks!
So yesterday I was doing chores when I came across several little surprises....
I found these little mushrooms popping up overnight after a 1 1/2" rainfall. They lifted the acorn right off the ground.
I noticed these while feeding the hounds and went back to my house to grab my camera with the micro/macro lens.
I was fortunate enough to catch a couple of shots of the King Solomon's Seal after the rain, the berries are black under this graceful arched plant.
The bright morning light was diffused through the oak canopy and I couldn't resist squatting under the plant to catch a shot of the wet seeds.
I sort of wonder why I haven't noticed them before this spring. Perhaps I was always too busy getting ready to go do something else and not really looking around at things behind the shed.
After all that portion of the property is pretty unexciting.
Well, until the other day!
This time of the year is fairly busy for unexpected guests in the form of ground bees and other interesting insects. I found this guy pretty content to sit on the side of our trailer and let me try to get a decent shot of him.
However to get a look at the ground bees I used my long lens. Normally I just avoid these aggressive bees, but they are occupying a hole in the dirt right under the south side door.
I guess one of the things I really dislike about September is these horrid little fellows.
If you leave them alone I guess they will eventually go away. They are using a mole or vole burrough to build their nest deep underground. These little nasties are yellow jackets and will sting you with a vengeance if you disturb their nest.
I was able to sit very quietly and adjust my camera to grab a few very quick shots of these going in and out of the hole.
Sometimes we just need to step out of 'life' for a moment and seek a bit of solitude where we can let our minds wander and not think about the pressing issues of the day.
That is what I do when I go out on an excursion to do some photography, or if I go riding my mule, or take a walk.
I don't do my clearest thinking during these times because my mind gets cleared of all the cob webs and uninvited thoughts.
Instead I am left with the task at hand. One foot in front to the other. What exposure should I use?
What lens would do best. Will the fog rise up or will the fog hang in there.
These are the simple things that went through my mind when I went to Jersey Valley before the break of dawn.
The fog was very thick and on top of the ridge the sun burned brightly.
However I found the fog an interesting challenge to work with.
Some aspects of Jersey Valley became much more interesting in the thick fog.
It was looking off into 'nothing-ness'.
The fog really was much more suited to black and white photography.
The benches were covered in heavy dew drops yet they looked out onto...nothingness.
Along the shore was a different matter, I was able to find some interesting color.
This may be purple loosestrife and if it is, it is an invasive species. Although I could see why it would be so hard to pull. The colors are outstanding.
This may be 'wild' chamomile. I can't be sure so I'll need to send a photo to my neighbor for an ID on it.
Just before I left the sun began to 'try' and burn through the fog.
I checked my watch. It was already 7:30 am and time to head home. One of these days, I'm not going to be constrained by time.
But the visit was well worth it. The mists and the sounds of fish jumping in the lake were peaceful.
When I came out of the valley, it was broad bright daylight. Such a change!
I could see the fog hanging yet in the tree tops of Jersey Valley as I drove away.
Interestingly enough, the fog was still intense over the Kickapoo River Valley, so I stopped on our gravel road and took one parting shot.
I probably should have stayed near home and watched the sunrise over this foggy valley, but the excursion to Jersey Valley was well worth it.
Besides, I had to pass through town to get there and back. I was able to get gas and pick up that milk that we needed at home!
It was a beautiful, peaceful, quiet time.
I'm thinking to seek out a sunrise at the overlook at Duck Egg. I think it would be well worth the hike with my camera and tripod.
I had no warning, no notice that I was going to be invaded over the past weekend by a...puppy.
Surely my very own 'little people' didn't do this on purpose!
The first thing we had to get done was to go for a walk together. We went to a hay field and decided to get acquainted.
I know people think this is rude, but this is absolutely the quickest way for dogs to get data collection and information about the other dog.
I have yet to see a human use this method to quickly get an idea of what another human has done and other useful information.
It was hot and muggy but both of us felt like romping in the tall grass. Angel,... the Beagle had much more energy than I did though.
She literally ran circles around me.
Oh the wonders of being a puppy! Some days I'd like to have that back and then I think I am sure content to sleep on the couch...
When she needed a rest she just flopped down in the grass and took a breather.
Everyone seemed taken by her beautiful face and floppy ears. Okay, she was pretty. And pretty annoying too. Although outside and off the leashes we had a pretty good time.
I even think she was kind of cute in a way.
She even gave me a... 'kiss' !!!
I guess I liked it, I didn't bite her or even growl. Maybe I was just too worn out?
We really did enjoy each other's company while hiking.
Inside the house it is a very different story. I don't like another dog invading 'my space' and I admit, I think I was jealous that my little people got a little dog of their own.
Hurrumph.
Angel was very well behaved and SHE and Farm Guy were all gooey over her.
I do know that I got worn out...
And she did too!
I heard that Angel and Ariel had to go take a snooze after one of our hikes.
I guess she can come again. I'll try not to be grouchy about it, but I am an old man set in his ways.
Maybe one day I'll get used to Angel in the house and then again, maybe I won't.
After all if I get too cozey with another dog, I end up having to share with them...
Like this photo of myself and Teslin in 2006...
But Teslin and I have known each other since puppy hood.
She can be grouchy too. I guess maybe we have both grown older and grumpier about our dog spaces.
That said, I will do some resting and await Angel's return.
She was pretty nice, even I have to admit that.
With two inches of rain in the morning, I thought that it would be fun to go to Duck Egg and see the small creek running high and full of rain water.
What I didn't expect was the incredible barrage of small wild flowers that were so brilliant along the way.
At every turn we found some beautiful late fall wildflowers.
The creek was running high and I go this shot from one of the foot bridges over the creek.
Dennis found some cool fungi along the trail.
We found Maidenhair Fern with raindrops still on them. The fern was beginning to show its fall colors.
We hiked to the muskrat pond ....
and most of the trail was under water so we returned back to the second bridge and took a break and an apple snack.
Our busy day ended up with Grandpa playing catch with Dennis for a bit while Ariel spent time with Siera and Fred.
And our day was ... done....
There was a predawn quiet, most of the song birds have begun their migrations. Still, I was able to hear some birds beginning to 'wake up.
I left before dawn and thought I'd try and find a good spot to watch the sun come up. I didn't go to the usual spot but drove out to the end of our dead end road.
I could see the fog had settled in the valley so I decided to try and find a suitable place where I could look down the valley and perhaps get a stunning shot.
I turned the Subaru around and headed back out.
As I went past one of our ridge neighbors I had to stop again and figure out how to compose this interesting shot of his pasture and cattle.
I tried several shots, but this one stuck.
It seemed as though this shot conveys the fog movement. I know that the fog just doesn't sit static in one place. This is facing Southwest, and the glow of the pinks was in the sky.
So I continued down into the Kickapoo River valley and into some very dense fog. I drove up a gravel road that led to the top of the ridge and came out by a cell phone tower.
I was happy to have the Subaru, the road is not well kept and high clearance was really quite a plus.
I waited above the fog and my wait was not long.
The sky views were something stunning.
And then the sun broke through the haze and fog.
The valley below glowed.
So I got in the car and made it down the twisted road and back towards home.
When I crossed Black Bottom Creek the sun had not yet made it into the valley and the fog was still lifting.
I was pretty satisfied with the morning's outing.
As I neared home, I saw some spider webs that were lit up with dew. I parked again and did some scurrying through the weeds in the ditch.
The find of the day however was not the spider web but a Japanese Beetle that appeared be-jeweled in the dew drops.
I don't believe there is ever a boring day on the farm. Okay there can be days that are boring, but really, there is always always something that has to be done.
Today was Wash Day.
Normally I do this on Wednesdays providing that the weather cooperates and my wonky work schedule cooperates.
Water tanks and even the hound dogs' water bowls get scrubbed clean. I will do it more often if they look as if they need it.
The process involves a lot of walking back and forth for things I forget. Sometimes I forget the bleach [for nasty jobs ~ where a calf poos in the smaller water tank] or the Apple Cider Vinegar [I use that every time I fill.]
The vinegar acidity helps keep that green goo from developing so quickly on hot days.
It is also rumored that equine coats are more glossy when they have Apple Cider Vinegar and another rumor says that it helps with keeping away bugs.
I am not going to make any claims at all, but once they get a bit of taste in their tank, they seem to like it. Or maybe they just like clean fresh water.
Oh yes, it was wash the human clothes Day also. Nothing nicer than clothes hung on the line to dry.
I considered sitting in the large stock tank and 'chillin' out in the cool water. But I had all sorts of work to do and it was very hot and very muggy.
Here everyone comes to admire the shiny clean stock tanks. The calves are growing like weeds!
Stormy nurses on mom and when she runs 'dry', he walks over and joins Stella.
What a goofy bunch they are!
Siera gave me 'airplane' ears today. She is not happy that she has been neglected this summer. She is happiest when she has a job to do.
Speaking of wash day. Dinah sure could have used something other than a dust bath.
Looks to be a busy weekend coming up.
I'll be you are wondering what the heck that is?
photo: From the blog, Hilton Pond
These insects called cicadas make an interesting noise. It almost would sound like an odd sewing machine. Unless it is a hatching of the Periodical Cicadas which are positively annoying and incredibly loud. I recall one such time when we visited Illinois during one 'hatching'. The boys were young and we visited Great Grandpa Ed. He provided the boys with bags and the boys gathered cicadas to feed to their chickens on the farm.
That year the noise in Northbrook was deafening. You couldn't walk through the yard without stepping on them and they even plugged up lawn mowers.
The ones I hear in the woods now are called Dog Day Cicadas or Summer Cicadas.
The point is, you can hear them but rarely see them especially in my wooded area. As a kid my Grandmother would point out the buzzing of the Cicada and quietly say to us as if sharing a huge secret.
"Those are Lip Sewers," she'd day. "If you are caught cussing within their ear shot, they will come flying out of the woods and immediately sew your lips shut."
Well, I certainly wasn't going to come to the supper table after playing outside with my lips sewed shut. Grandma would know I was cussing.
I grew older and maybe a bit wiser. I realized that Grandma had pulled a fast one over on me.
Yesterday afternoon while out with Morris we listened to the Cicadas. I wagged my finger at the dog sternly and told him, "Morris! No cussing!" He simply tipped his head and gave me that Jack Russell grin of his.
Of course, at the time he was sitting on his beloved Allis Chalmers Tractor.
