Monday Meandering

We have been on the road quite a bit this past month or so. These are  the pages I did for our trip to Michigan. 

We had such a good time. One the drive there we stopped at a cemetery to look for Crossbills that had been reported there. We did see them but it was a hurried stop. There was a quaint chapel there in the cemetery and there were many tombstones that would make for great sketching. I didn't have time for much.

While in Michigan I got to visit a garden blogging friends. That is always a treat.

Seeing those big windmills is always mindboggling. I can't imagine having one in my neighborhood even though they don't seem to make much noise. Just the presence of these giganitc machines is intimidating to me. Of course I see objects that give me ideas, like the gourd with stones on it made into a fairy house. Hmmm I believe I have some gourds sitting around waiting for some attention.

What is capturing your attention today??

Animal Wednesday - Drama in the Garden

I wish I had had my camera in my hand when I saw this drama beginning. Our neighbors big black cat is outraged with all the squirrels in the garden. She lies in wait for birds too which I don't appreciate but when she gets after the squirrels I don't really mind. The squirrels need to be culled. There are so many in the neighborhood. They thrive on our birdseed. 

This squirrel is much too wiley for the the cat. You can see the cat in the lower left crook of the tree while the squirrel is on the big limb on the upper left of the tree. The squirrel was shaking it's tail and chattering at the cat. This is about the time the cat gave up. Those squirrels are fast.

Happy Animal Wednesday.

Lost Love

Luna

September 2002 - November 2012

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a love-filled day.

One Single Impression - Nature

This week's prompt from One Single Impression is Nature. I love nature. Every bit of it. I was overwhelmed with ideas. It took me a few days to boil it down to this haiku. 

Rattling old bones

quietly ghosts gather

dried swirling leaves

For more poetry about nature be sure to pop over here at One Single Impression.

One Single Impression - Amity

After reading the word prompt for this week on One Single Impression I was immediately inspired to write a haiku. Of course having received a bouquet of roses also helped set the tone. 

After eighteen years

amity is treasured

love is absolute

For more poetic inspiration do go to One Single Impression here.

White-tailed Deer

Last weekend when we were out and about we saw a small buck on the road. It didn't run away as fast as most deer do when approached by people in a vehicle. It merely stepped off the road into the wood lot. It turned and looked at us as if to say why are you out so early this morning.

I hope you all get out and about to see what nature has to offer this weekend. 

Blooming Tuesday - Dutch Honeysuckle

We are getting a few last blooms from the garden. It seems to me that I enjoy the fleeting blooms of autumn as much or more than the early spring hurrah.

I hope you are enjoying a few blooms in your garden or surrounds today.

Happy Blooming Tuesday.

Animal Wednesday - Northern Saw-whet Owl

The tiny Saw-whet owls are beginning to make their trek south for the winter. Some have been reported by one of the banding groups in Northern Indiana.

 I couldn't resist painting one for a friend's birthday card. She loves owls and pumpkins. 

Happy Animal Wednesday.

Glendale State Fish and Wildlife Area

A friend and I went to a Fish and Wildlife area to hike. We found that it was hunting season which kept us on the roads. We did see some interesting sights. Old rusty  items where houses used to stand. In the big lake there was a huge machine being driven by a man. It was a contraption I had never seen before. It was ripping out the lotus that was taking over the lake. Interesting process.

I hope you all have been having some fun time outside this fall. 

One Single Impression - Scarecrow

Straight from my journal. I thought if I waited until I  painted a picture I would never get it posted. So here are  my  poems for One Single  Impression  prompt this week which is Scarecrow. 

It felt like a scarecrow type of  weather around here. The  weather is working up to a meaningful frost soon. Crows are gathering for their journey South. Most have departed. Not waiting for the frost and cold to take a hold . 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and week ahead. A special Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian  friends who are celebrating their Thanksgiving this weekend.

Scarecrow

Uniform tatty

Birds mock Silent Sentinel

Scarecrow undaunted

Over-stuffed clothes

Gardener's charade poses

Disjointed scarecrow

Weather Forecast - Not

The Persimmon Trees are loaded with fruit right now. A good time to be collecting them for jam and such. I like to pick up a few for the Fall/Winter weather forecast. Unfortunately when I opened this seed it didn't show spoon or fork. The first time this has happened to me. It was pure white inside. Maybe I have to wait until the fruit ripens a little more. 

I have heard others say they have found spoons inside. This means a rough winter. If so, it would correlate with the TV weather people. Has anyone else looked to see what their persimmon seeds forecast?

Post Bloom

Our Saucer Magnolia decided to bloom again since it started raining this fall. It had quite a few blooms on it. After the blooms I found these wonderful seed pods. I thought they were so beautiful.

Happy Blooming Tuesday to everyone. I hope you are finding lovely surprises in your garden.

Mushroom hunt

I went on a mushroom walk weekend before last. I didn't realize that there are people that like to hunt  mushrooms as much I like to look for birds. It was such fun being with such a group. The leader of the group was Dr Andrew Methven from Eastern Illinois University. It was a blast.

I saw mushrooms that I have only seen in books before. Those people can really spot those mushrooms in the forest duff.

Animal Wednesday - BlackSkimmer

We were at one of our favorite birding places yesterday and discovered a rare bird in our area. A Black Skimmer. It is normally a coastal bird. There have only been 7 other sightings in Indiana.

It is such an unusual looking bird. When they feed they stick the lower mandible into the water and skim the top of the water for small prey. The poor bird must have blown on the winds of Isaac. And yes they have eyes but their eyes are very difficult to see as they are black and sit in the black feathers on their head. What you most notice is that big ole bill.

Happy Animal Wednesday.

Amanda Shelsher Sculptures

Happy Labor Day to all of you worker bees. This weekend we here in the United States celebrate all of those workers that came ahead of us. Blazing a trail to give us good working conditions and decent wages. For the most part it works for us.

I have used some extra time off to read blogs that I don't get to dwell on. Robyn at Art Propelled is one of my favorites. Not just because she is a wonderful sculptor but because when she isn't sharing her works she shares the work of people that inspire her. These other art forms run the gamut of art works.

Here I stumbled upon the work of Amanda Shelsher. She is a sculptor that lives and works in Australia. I know I could never afford her work but it moves me so that I had to try to draw some of her pieces.
You can pop over to her web site and see some of her work.

Obviously Teri at Teri's Painted Daisies is also a strong influence on my choice of medium. (Sorry Teri no cactus this Monday)

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend.

Cactus Monday - Chicken Cactus

I don't have a drawing today of my subject but I do have a few pictures to share with you. I showed you this cactus back some time ago when I bought it. It has grown magnificently. I have to bring it in every winter. While it survives the winters it does it's growing during the summer while it sits out on the patio.

It has grown so tall that it had a mishap during the storms the other day. A big blow brought some much needed rain to the garden. The wind did a job on the poor cactus. I don't know if it will ever stay upright.

Have any of you ever grown one of these cactus? It is impossibly top heavy. I wondered if I could just cut off the top part, let it scab-over and then replant it.  It is almost too tall to deal with anyway. I would appreciate any ideas about how to deal with this. I have thought about staking it but the soil in the pot is so shallow I don't think staking would help much.

I hope you all have a happy Cactus Monday.

Blooming Tuesday - Button Weed

I hate to say it but I am almost happy I am able to pull weeds. The weather here has taken a turn for the better. We have had a little bit of rain and the garden appears to be cautiously arousing itself. The only bits that aren't cautious are the weeds. They take any moist encouragement and leap at the chance to procreate and spread far and wide.

I had been pulling a lot of this Button Weed from the fence line. I didn't know what it was until this morning when I was reading a blog I like that is written by Keith Board. The name of his blog is Get Your Botany On. He gives such great descriptions and photos of wildflowers. I am always finding information I need.

I hope your garden is liven by the cooler temperatures and splashes of rain that seem to be spreading around the area. Happy Blooming Tuesday to all.

Way back in February Cris showed us a picture of a project she was doing with Con's help. When she showed the finished product here I immediately fell in love with her project. She very graciously sent me the pattern for her Rabbit Sign design.

I am sorry to say that I have been so slow as I started working on it in April. Life just took me down a road I never intended to go. I can finally show you how I did a sign using her pattern with her inspiration.

I first taped the pattern to a piece of ply wood and traced around it.

Then I got out the little saber saw and cut out the pattern. Sanded it down etc to ready it for painting. 

Here it is all painted.

This is how it looks in place. 

I can't thank Cris enough for sharing her creation, the tips on painting etc. I think it looks cute sitting here in the garden at the end of a path showing people where to go in the garden. This is the best sort of rabbit to have in the garden too. It doesn't eat your flowers or dig holes. I hope you all have a happy Animal Wednesday.

This orchid is reblooming. I am so pleased with the orchids that we bought this past winter. They are growing new leaves and now two of them are reblooming. Yay. This is the first time I have had orchids rebloom.

Happy Bloomin' Tuesday to everyone.

Animal Wednesday - Emu

A friend of ours called to tell us about some Barn Owls the other day. So we drove over by a barn to see the owls. Much to our surprise we found this emu in a pen by the barn. I have never been so close to an emu. It made a rumbling noise, almost like a purr when we arrived. Then again when we gave it corn to eat. 

I was fascinated by her feet. They are reptilian and so big. Her name is Emmy. She was quite tame in that she ate corn from my friend's hand. She had a couple of suitors in the pen with her. Roosters. It was quite a sight seeing this huge bird with two seemingly small roosters. 

Happy Animal Wednesday to all.

One Single Impression - Niche

My poem for One Single Impression prompt 'Niche'.

Often depicted

Alone, standing serenely

A niche full of faith

The rabbits have become desperate enough to come into the garden for grass and fallen apples. They have dug a depression under the bench under the apple tree to rest in the shade. They nibble on apples while there. Cute but Luna won't tolerate their presence if she sees them.

Happy Animal Wednesday.

Old Barns

I painted an old barn for the front of a card to give to a friend of mine that is turning 80 years old next month. She loves old barns. She is the wife of a farmer and came from a farm family.

While I have never lived on a farm I have fond memories of old barns. My Grandfather had a barn full of horses and the occasional cow. My cousins, who I spent many a summer day with, had an old barn full of horses, tack and hay. That smell. Those cool shadows of summer that you don't appreciate any more because of air conditioning. Ahhh the memories. I hope this picture brings back fond memories to my friend.

Do old barns conjur up any fond memories for you?

Animal Wednesday - Northern Bobwhite

We had such fun this week as my Brother-in-law was visiting a few days. He shares our passion for birding so we took him to some of our favorite haunts. He was delighted with the Bobwhite that sat in a tree calling. He is from up north and they don't get these game birds very often. 

Happy Animal Wednesday.

One Single Impression - Baloon

The prompt on One Single Impression this week is Baloon. Below is my acrostic poem for this prompt.

Brothers                                  

Are

Lost

Obdurate

Omnipresent

Nexuses

Sometimes when you cry

It doesn't come outside

Wells of anger

Cannot quench the loss

Blooming Tuesday - Oriental Lily

During this DRY summer I have the benefit of some new bulbs I planted earlier this spring. The 'Legend' Oriental Lilies I planted looked like such small bulbs I couldn't hardly believe they would produce, but produce they did. I have these beautiful huge blooms now.

HAPPY BLOOMING TUESDAY!

Going Places, A New Journal

There is so much blooming here at Greenbow. It has been a fun spring so far. I have been so busy in the garden I haven't been able to post but I have tried to keep up with everyone else's posts.  I feel like the garden is prepared to meet summer.

It is just in time because I am soon going to go on a little vacation. You know what that means for me. I had to have a new journal to keep my trip in.

This journal has several details that please me. The crocheted piece on the front was sent to me by a dear friend. I just love it and I wanted to use in this way. I thought it quite appropriate becasue the trip I am going on is a garden tour. These little crocheted flowers and butterfly fit the theme of the trip. I couldn't stop myself. I had to add a little bling to it. I added some beads 

On the tie that closes the journal I also added beads. Beads make me happy. 

The nuts and bolts of the inside is good. I have some 140# Arches WC paper as well as some writing paper. I thought the brown writing paper good as it symbolizes soil to me. 

I made little pockets to store receipts, pamphlets and other items, from the left over end papers.

This stripe was the back end paper.

I hope you have some fun summer vacation to look forward to too.

Darn new blogger settings are driving me crazy. Sorry about the double post. I even lost some of the original posting. CRAZY.

Animal Wednesday - Box Turtle

We had our first Box Turtle sighting today at the park. He didn't really want to come out and play.

I guess I wouldn't either if a big pink nose was pressed up against my shell. Mr Box Turtle expressed his disgust by hissing at Luna. 

A girl just has to find a shady spot to recooperate after an exciting outing. 

Happy Animal Wedensday to all of you out there. I hope you are able to get out and enjoy this lovely spring weather.

Animal Wednesday - Amish Country

I have either been out birding or working in the garden lately. Tuesday we went into Amish Country looking for Loggerhead Shrikes. We didn't find any but it was such a beautiful day. You can see in the pictures how it started off foggy but the fog soon burned off.

 

The men were plowing the fields. This picture was taken from afar. They don't like to have their picture taken but I just couldn't resist picturing this scene. The men plowing and the children in the background playing.  The huge beautiful, Perchuron (??) horses pull those plows.

Happy Animal Wednesday.

Hand of Friendship

A friend and I went for a walk at a local park this week. We have been doing this about once per week lately. It is so good getting together with her because we don't normally cross paths in our day to day living. While we were communing with nature she happened to pick up a short fat acorn and showed it to me. I decided to take a picture of it in her hand.

When I got home and looked at this picture the picture itself was all blurry as it was so sunny when I took the picture I couldn't tell that in the field. But what I treasured about this picture and what brought me to draw this sight was the feeling I had.

I have been touched so many times by this hand that offers me so much love, companionship and wisdom. This hand holds many happy memories. So many offerings of friendship. Namaste my dear friend.

At the bottom of this page was a place that struck me too. There is a huge gully being created in the hillside. A huge hunk of moss grasping at the root of a tree that has fallen into the abyss stood out brilliantly in the sun shine. It looked like a big hunk of carpet draped over the edge. I didn't quite capture the moment but I bet I won't forget it.

I hope you get to share part of your weekend with a friend and you get to see some of nature's treasures.

Animal Wednesday - Snow Animals

I'm going to apologize right up front becasue this is a picture heavy post, so if you don't have time or inclination you can move on and it won't hurt my feelings.

What got me so engrossed with photos is that we got a spring snow Monday. It brought the birds and animals into the feeders.

The squirrels don't need any encouragement but they took full advantage of the situation.

Blue Jays aren't at the feeders every day. They too took advantage of seeds that weren't covered with snow.

The poor robins didn't like the beginnin of the day. The ground, their major source of food was under about 2 inches of snow. Not to worry by the time we returned from the park the ground was thawing and bright green grass was showing.

The Grackles and Doves didn't wait for any such thaw. They tromped the snow for seeds.

House sparrows weren't detered from their spring mating rituals. This Mrs was telling the Mr that she was ready for spring despite the snow.

After we looked over the garden we headed for the park.

It was like driving through a winter wonderland.

Luna and I hopped out of the truck to extend our walk. The view from the road to the Wabash River was picturesque this morning.

We met my DB at the intersection.

Then walked together to the big open space we walk around that constitutes a good portion of the walk. Since there wasn't much worry that there would be any traffic this morning I decided to let Luna run free.

She loves to be allowed to run to her hearts content when it is cold and snowy. Do you see her?

Here, let me zoom in for you.

Aahhhhh yes, nothing like an early morning run in the snow. 

Here I am Gize. Thanks for the romp. I feel so good.

I hope you all have blue skies and a good romp this week too. HAW.