Monday, June 29, 2009

Sweet Keets

Friday we went up the road to see the keets that had hatched in the field before they moved them to the brooder. They were so cute and you sure can see the difference between the Pearl (darker) and Lavender. Of course Morgan was so happy to give a hand in moving the little ones. Mr. Rhode Island Red was more than happy to keep an eye on the goings on. One of the little ones was trying to figure out who to get under!But they all ended up safe in the brooder in no time. This is the guineas back yard! What a great view!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Crape Myrtle

These beautiful Crape Myrtle trees are new to me. The are everywhere down here and I even have three in my yard. I'm seeing these beautiful blooms on all, BUT the ones in my yard. I think I have a problem with pests, which I never had up north. I was a naive gardener. Morgan and I bought Japanese Beetle traps yesterday. I'll spare you the gory details but now I know where the term "Beetle Juice" came from!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

We're Surrounded!!!

Yesterday, Morgan and I went to Guntersville during the heat of the day to look around and to go to the local Farmer's Market to get a veggi or two. It was pretty much over when we got there, but we managed to buy a couple zucchinis for dinner.
But the real attraction is the view! As we walked to the water's edge an ominous crowd began to form. It got closer and closer...with the leader of the pack boldly introducing himself with an evil blue eye.
("How can a blue eye be evil?" you ask...It can't!) He was just letting us know that he was in charge of all the Canada Geese in the lake.
And so they came! All the youngins and their parents, looking for handouts, but we had none.And in the crowd Morgan found her "Buddy". That's him behind his son, just keeping an eye on Morgan's intent. They spent a few minutes discussing the concept of sharing.Morgan has now become...
The Goose Whisperer!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

New Arrival

Well, my butterfly flower containers are working wonderfully! Yesterday I got to see my first "wild" Gulf Fritillary! I had photographed one at the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park in the butterfly house two summers ago, but it was not a native species.
What a lovely sight to see!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Remembering NYC

Kerry, from "Kerry Hawkins Photography and Design" http://khawkinsphotoanddesign.blogspot.com/ just got back from a trip to NYC. She lives and works in Dedham, Massachusetts, near Boston. I find her photography stunning and thought provoking! She finds details that many would leave behind and makes them into wonderful works of art. Visit her blog and you will see what I mean!

She took a trip to New York City and it brought back memories of my trip with Morgan and friends in 2004. Here are some of my photos that are mostly filtered, for fun, that I took while there.
Radio City Street
Macy's Window Dressing.
From the ferry.
Looking down from The Double Tree Hotel
From The Empire State Building at night!
Outside Grand Central Station.
The Hudson River.
Thanks Kerry for suggesting I post them and for bringing a little flare to my day!

Friday, June 19, 2009

An Open Letter to our Nation's Leadership - The Petition Site

An Open Letter to our Nation's Leadership - The Petition Site
A letter from a woman, just a mom, who is worried about our country and her childeren....

"I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?
Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.
From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.
We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when hewill rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.
Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming."
Janet Contreras

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A Little more pleasing...

...than the last post. I thought I would just post pictures of some of the flowers blooming in my gardens. Actually all but one of these are in the same garden. I have numerous gardens but I seem to have focused on this one more than the others when it came to planting. You can see there is a lot of empty space behind the portraits and I'm looking forward to it filling out over the years. In the spring it was full of daffodils but I cut the faded leaves away and added perennials. I love Gloriosa Daisies so I bought a couple this year.Rudbeckia "Irish Eyes"
This Chaste Tree is at the back of the garden. It is blooming a soft lavender.
I found out this tree, in a different garden, was a hibiscus as soon as it started blooming! Wow!
One of the lilies that was already in the garden. Mine are just starting to bloom and they are lovely too!
Another Gloriosa, Rudbeckia "Rustic Colors".
Lastly I would like to feature the bug of the day. I'm pretty sure this is a type of Wheelbug nymph. (thanks Daniel for letting me know it's a Katydid nymph!) They are the cutest little guys going! They are not afraid of the camera and will stand up to the lens any day. I will have to re-look up these little guys to see if they are harmful to my gardens but for now they can stay. (they can probably stay even if they do eat my plants...they don't have very big mouths!) They are so very tiny, and did I say cute?!!!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Lions and Tigers and...

Yesterday I found this alien substance in my driveway. Well I knew what it was but...who left it there was the big question!! The first thing that popped in my head was "BEAR"!The second thing that pooped...oh I mean popped in my head was "Daniel from 'Nature at Close Range' will know!" So I sent him a note and he said "send pictures" and before long we discovered it was delivered via raccoon.
WHEW! Thanks Daniel and friends!
I went back to mowing the lawn without fear of being eaten by a bear.
Darn raccoon!!!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Two Part Walk Part Two

Turning back. Different direction, different perspective. I just love the gates and fences along the way.Well, with the sun going down through the clouds facing the direction I was looking it wasn't easy getting pictures of the cows but I had to do it anyway. They were somewhat curious of us but didn't walk over for a visit. There are a few ups and downs along the way,and deep dark woods that gave Morgan a chill. It looks very dark in there. But this little bunny made us lighten up again when we surprised him and he wasn't quite sure what to think of us. For a minute there I thought he would come over and say hi, but he thought better of it and when on his merry way. Back by the "cottage". A couple fun DOF shots. Then back by the "Black Lagoon" I thought maybe the Creature would pop out with algae dripping off his webbed fingers. The sun started to set as we were passing through the woods again. Such beautiful trees along the way.Now back to the open fields and... GUINEAS! These southern guineas sure are polite. They never made a buckwheat of any kind.
I kind of wish they'd been just a tad rude and came over to run us down the road!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Two Part Walk Part 1

Saturday evening Morgan begged me to go for a walk with her. I guess we were due for one so off we went. Our road is 3 miles long and we are in the smack dab middle. We headed west and went to the end turned around and headed back. Here are parts of the first half of our journey.
Saying so long.As we looked up the road we saw the sweet guineas way up on the hill. They were gone when we got there. The hay is already baled here...it wouldn't be until late July or August up north.Such beautiful fields here, and lovely lilies.My road has everything from McMansions to this! This is my favorite! It's an abandoned house that I would love to have. Wouldn't it be fun to turn this into a sweet little cottage for guests! I took a few more pictures on the way back you will see tomorrow. A cow pasture with some ponds...so pretty.Morgan saw this part of the fence the day we moved to this road...she said it's the fence that says "HI"! The sun was trying to peek out behind the clouds but I couldn't resit this gate photo along the way, and this old barn at the end of the road beckoned for a picture with the beautiful Mimosa trees at it's side.The way back tomorrow, till then have a great day!