Monday, October 31, 2016

My kind of party

The place:
(Our house as seen from the next lane down the hill, over a cherry orchard, now that the lot to our north is bare.)

The decorations:
(Seasonal, easy, free, pretty – the best kind!)

The party food:
(After hearing "yes, I'll have some," then "no, I won't" from the only local guy who gets several cuttings of grass hay off his field, he finally called to say he had 24 precious bales of fourth cutting left for us – WooHoo! The mamas and lambs will have good eating!)

The scary atmosphere:

(Actually, the peach orchard is scary no more; Lance and I vanquished those boogeymen months ago.)

Whatever you're doing tonight, I hope you have fun and stay safe. We are enjoying a quiet evening at home, and I plan to make more progress on this:

That's it for now from . . .


Saturday, October 29, 2016

Handiwork

Rick has been working on a turned maple bowl:

I've been working on a knitted shawl:

But compared to the creative artistry that surrounds us daily?

God wins. ;-)

That's it for today from . . .

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Inexplicable

How is it that I think nature is most beautiful when dressed in colors I would never wear?
Today I squeezed in a half-hour ride on my mental-health mustang. The gravel lane through the neighboring hollow is lined with green, gold, and brown, coordinating perfectly with my mount's russet coat. Although there are brighter bits of color here and there,
our native woods do not put on a flamboyant fall fashion show. I love it still, as I do the changing cloudscapes. Like this afternoon's sky over the winery on our road:

I intended to do a Throwback Thursday post with photos from our trip to British Columbia, but you got current photos instead. What can I say?

We're living in the present at . . .


Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Fall(ing) fast

Isn't autumn intoxicating?
I've been making a point to stop and take more photos of this fleeting season. Some of them are only on Instagram (there's a handy little blue link to all my Instagram photos right there, at right!), like this morning's mushroom shot and this afternoon's drive-by beauty in Salem.

Deciduous trees are at various stages of leaf drop. Some area trees are already bare, while others – like our pink-flowering cherry – are still green (except for this one little cluster of color):

My big Japanese maple is glowing, while the flowering plum behind it is still dressed in summer's dark garb:

The potted thread-leaf Japanese maple is dominating the display on our deck:

But the hummers have eyes only for the feeder on our dirty French door.

That's it for today from . . .

Monday, October 24, 2016

Like potato chips – or a box of chocolates

When dawn starts seeping around the edges of morning clouds, I hear a siren call that draws me to the deck with my camera. Since each sunrise develops differently, I never know what I'm going to get. A slow burn? A quick sizzle? A sky flambĂ©? So I just keep shooting. No one can take just one!  (BTW, I really do try to choose only the most compelling ones to save and share with you; honest.)
Now tell me: who could have a bad day after a start like that?

It wasn't a typical day. Rick came home after taking Brian to school to do some vet work (hurray; the cobbler's kids got shoes!) – Lance needed his mouth checked and his teeth floated; both horses needed vaccinations; and my ram needed a squinty eye looked at (big, nasty grass seedhead removed). Then Rick asked me if I wanted to ride along on a call with him. That took most of the day, so this evening he helped me with a project that I set aside to be with him – another seven quarts of applesauce are now cooling on the counter.

That's it for today from . . .


Sunday, October 23, 2016

Weekend, WIP, waiting

It's been a strange weekend. The weather, though dry and mild, has felt weird, like it's on the verge of something, and it's affecting me. Or maybe I'm projecting; either way, I've had a sense of foreboding.

But I'm not sitting around waiting to see what, if anything, is going to happen. Last week I finished one gift-knit and delivered it, and started in on another one.

Our middle pasture has recovered enough to turn the girls out for some fresh grass (but they were more interested in maple leaves – otherwise known as sheepy potato chips – at first).

There were photo opportunities to take advantage of.
We celebrated a family birthday and Pastor Appreciation Month, too.

That's it for now from . . .

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Wild things


Now that the weather has turned, we're filling our feeder with black oil sunflower seeds again. News gets around fast; along with the birds, the lovely Western gray squirrels are back, and this morning I had to scare a young raccoon away before I could let the dogs out to relieve their bladders (it was dark; I didn't get a photo).

Yesterday while riding I noticed our neighbor to the east had visitors. The "meadow rats" are welcomed there, even fed treats; you can tell they are comfortable. I hope our dogs keep them from being as comfortable across the fence line!

Speaking of dogs, we are back to a pack of two; after a year and a month, Mighty Mouse has left the building. Dicey has gone to live with the woman who first fostered her and dearly loved her, but couldn't keep her because of two other chihuahuas in residence (one was viciously dominant). Those chihuahuas have now crossed the Rainbow Bridge, so Dicey will get to be a spoiled only pet and help fill an empty heart and home. She'll probably appreciate a quieter place; she won't have to dodge big dogs and wrestling menfolk.

Shoot; I'd appreciate a quieter place! I'm not sure our furniture – or our house – can stand much more of this!


Down in the fold tonight it wasn't much better. Sisters Bree and Babette were going at it something fierce; I think hormones must be raging. To break things up I took Babette out of the fold for a bigger coat and a pedicure. You know what that means – fleece shots. ;-)

That's it for now from wild and crazy . . .