OK, this is hands down my favourite shot of the week. I have been trying forevah to capture a hummingbird that was not at the feeder. So yesterday when I saw two of them cavorting around this flower I thought, I will never get that shot if I don’t try. So I gathered up my stuff and went and sat down on the comfy settee on our patio. I was playing around getting lots of shots of bees when lo-and-behold this hummingbird flew in for a quick sip and took off like lightning! I literally had seconds to get this! I am over the top excited (can you tell?). Anyway, my goal now is to get an even better one . . . we’re never satisfied, are we?

Linking up to World Bird Wednesday at The Pine River Review

This is my brother just getting off the bus after school. The year was 1978. Photo taken by my oldest sister.

I’m joining in on the fun over at Kim Klassen Cafe for Texture Tuesday. You should stop over there and have a look at some of the texture work other people do – it’s truly amazing. Thanks to Kim for all the wonderful textures.

My Recipe:

Frame: Ruth Davis

There’s a new challenge at ‘A Rural Journal’. It’s called Sunday Series 52. You are challenged to post at least 3 different photos of the same subject relating to the prompt. This week the prompt is ‘red’. I’m hoping to stretch my photography skills by participating. Finding three different and interesting angles of one subject can be a real good exercise in learning how to see.

Linking up to Silent Sunday at For The Love Of Blogs

I discovered these unbelievably white berries on a bush in my back yard. After some research I found out that they are snowberries. The snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is a common, native shrub growing in much of North America. Long after the leaves drop off in the autumn the hearty, white berries remain on the branches, serving as a vital source of food for birds, deer and other animals in the winter months. It would NOT be for human consumption!

Original

. . . meet Otis . . . This is Otis after he has taken his barnyard responsibilities seriously and has stepped in to run things.

. . . Otis is now the barnyard leader . . .

. . . he’s supposed to be watching out for all the others . . .

. . . he appears to be doing just that . . .

. . . although he does have help . . .

. . . you had better not mess with us . . .

A hilarious look at what really happens in a barnyard when the farmer’s back is turned. “Barnyard” is a lighthearted tale centering around Otis, a carefree party cow, who enjoys singing, dancing and playing tricks on humans. Unlike his father Ben, the respected patriarch of the farm, and Miles, the wise old mule Otis is unconcerned about keeping the animals’ humanlike talents a secret. But when suddenly put in the position of responsibility, the “udderly” irresponsible cow finds the courage to be a leader.

Hmmm, how obvious is it that I don’t see a lot of movies . . . oh well, this was fun! I took these photos on a photo excursion I took last year and have been dying to use them. I have to say I felt a little bit intimidated by these animals. Even though there was a fence between us I stayed back and zoomed in as much as I could. Is anyone else afraid of cows?

My recipe for the textures:

I created layer masks to blend the textures to fit the shape of the photo and used different blending modes on each layer to achieve the effect I wanted. I also used a hue/sat adjustment to tone down the whole thing. Frame by Katie Pertiet.

Through the dancing poppies stole
A breeze most softly lulling to my soul
John Keats
*post revised

Flowers on Saturday at Blueberry Craft and Hobby

Isn’t it amazing? Throw out one thread, see where it lands, carry on from there and look what happens!

Many webs span gaps between objects which the spider could not cross by crawling. This is done by letting out a first fine adhesive thread to drift on the faintest breeze across a gap. When it sticks to a suitable surface at the far end, the spider will carefully walk along it and strengthen it with a second thread. This process is repeated until the thread is strong enough to support the rest of the web.

Credits to my seven-year-old grandson who spied this and shouted Grandma! you had better get over here right now and bring your camera!!

 Fly Agaric (amanita muscaria)

Yesterday I was planning on having a quiet afternoon – maybe just organize and clean up after a busy weekend (boring). I don’t know why I thought that because two of my grandchildren are staying with us for a week! Anyway, a neighbor came over with her sweet daughter and asked us to go to the park. We did and we ended up taking a long walk, playing at the park, having a nice visit and then on our way back home we got sidetracked (by my hubby) onto a path leading into our forest. He had discovered these fascinating mushrooms and wanted to show them to us. Well, I sent him home immediately to get my camera (he’s my trusty assistant, after all). I had no idea what type of mushrooms this was and was very careful not to touch them or to let anyone else get near them. Good thing since I’ve since found out that they are ‘fly agaric’ and that they are poisonous! yikes!

Fly agaric is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, orange, yellow, red or brown mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture (Wikipedia).

I also found this little tidbit from the Museum of Nova Scotia . . . among other things . . fly agaric has been used to invoke inebriation, religious or otherwise, since the Stone Age. Some scholars maintain that the inspirations for some of the major religions of the Near East originate in a fly agaric cult, although in latter days, this fungus has typically been consumed as an escape from everyday drudgery.

Our afternoon had turned into a fun and interesting event. Supper was late but we all felt so refreshed and invigorated. No drudgery here!

Joining in the fun at The Creative Exchange at Lisa Gordon Photography

I have been having so much fun this summer with all the wildflowers I find in our ditches and roadsides. I spied these on our last road trip only after I had stopped to get a photo of a barn. I’m delighted by their cheery blooms and the fact that they are just there – inconspicuously waiting for someone to appreciate them, and appreciate them I do . . .

Frames – ‘Escape to Nature’ by Eva Kipler available at Digital Scrapper 

Never heard of a Saskatoon Berry? They may not grow where you live. The Saskatoon is native to the Canadian Prairies, Northern Canada, British Columbia, the Northwestern, North Central United States and Alaska and the berries grow on trees that reach heights of 15 feet – (CanadasFood.com).

 

I hope you have access to these berries so that you are able to enjoy this fabulous prairie treat! There’s really nothing else like it!

I think attending a “Homecoming” would make anyone nervous. Therefore I decided to cut myself some slack and forgive (or try to forget) every wrong (stupid) thing I said this past weekend. I only made a few errors in my guesses as to who was who but I could have avoided that by just being quiet and letting the other person start the conversation. But no! several times I jumped the gun and said ‘oh hi so-and-so’ only to find out it wasn’t ‘oh so-and-so’. Do you have any idea how people can change in 39 years? Yes, I said 39 years! arghh – I hadn’t been back to my home town in 39 years and had only seen some people who I had once regarded as very good friends maybe once or twice in those years. Let me tell you I felt like a fish out of water! And just what does it mean when someone finds out who you are and says “Oh My Gawd, Oh My Gawd, Oh My Gawd! and nothing else . . . hmmmm . . .

I’m very proud of myself for being so brave and for attending and giving it my best. Speaking of “best”, here I am with the three best friends I had while growing up. I am delighted to say we were all very, very happy to see each other and have vowed to stay in touch. And, no, not one of them said ‘oh my gawd’.

Heather, Barbie, Barb (me), Bonnie

Hubby and I also spent some time looking around the countryside. First we checked out his old homestead but incredibly I forgot to take a picture – there is someone living in the house and I guess it just didn’t feel right.

But here is the road leading to the farm where I grew up – there did not used to be grass growing down the middle . . .

And the beautiful fields of Saskatchewan cannot be captured properly (by me) but here is how I see it . . .

For now, that’s it. I have hundreds of photos to sort through . . . yikes! so many photos – so little time!

I’m joining in the fun at Kim Klassen Cafe. She just recently gave us this new texture ‘dream’ and for some reason my mind went straight to this field of clover (no this is not my lawn but it’s similar . . .)

My recipe:

My photo lightened and brightened
1 layer of ‘dream’ at multiply, reduced opacity, layer masks to soften areas
1 layer ‘sweettreat’ at soft light

You should check out all the works of art over at the Cafe – there is truly some inspiring work there.

These are scentless chamomile and are considered a noxious weed . . . but I think they are pretty. I posted the photo earlier but today I was just playing around in Photoshop and created a scrap page.

Digital Scrap Kit ‘Sweet Surprise’ by Steph Designs available at E-Scape and Scrap

Playing ball with Grandpa – so fun! These are not real iPhone shots – it’s my version done in Photoshop . . .

Joining The Crazy Days of Summer at Project Alicia, where the theme today is motion.

When I took these photos I was concentrating on the water droplets and was delighting in the bokeh! What I didn’t notice was this . . .

Is nature not amazing? and look at that big bokeh would ya!

My creative, genius daughter is having a cake party over at ‘A Pretty Life in the Suburbs’. Of course, mom wants to join in on the fun so here is a recipe that I have been making for years. Some people have told me it’s the best carrot cake they have ever had!

This is an old recipe I got from my mom. It’s very moist and yummy and worth every calorie! I like to make the cake a day ahead, cover it in saran wrap and let it sit. It seems to make it even moister.

1 1/2 cups cooking oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans – toasted

Beat oil and sugar well. Add eggs, beat well. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and blend with egg mixture. Fold in carrots and pecans. Pour into bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for at least one hour.

Icing
8 oz package cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat well and drizzle over cake.

If you want to see more deliciousness, check out ‘A Pretty Life in the Suburbs’!

Word art by Katie Pertiet

Joining in the fun at ‘little somethings’ where the theme today is ‘far away’. I took this photo while zooming down the highway at 110 km/hr (hubby was driving!). My love of canola fields again . . .

My life is not what could be called chaotic. I’m busy and sometimes feel scattered since we keep up two homes. As a result, my housekeeping is not what it used to be. Some days I look around and think about everything that I should be cleaning or doing and then somehow find myself at the computer . . . But it’s when I’m at the computer and don’t have the energy or inspiration to create, that’s when I get discouraged.

So last night just before bed I was laying down and reading the Shutter Sisters’ book, ‘Expressive Photography’. Tracy’s introduction to the chapter on stillness was just what I needed. She writes ‘stillness in photography is about the sense of peace and quiet that often exudes from vignettes, subjects, and situations in our daily lives without us even noticing it’. ‘It is about that one moment when we are inspired beyond words, when clarity overflows without our questions being answered and we have a certainty in the beauty of a moment . . .’

I immediately thought of these shots I took last week which at the time I didn’t think were anything special. Now I know they are, at least to me. Farms, fields, and fences are deeply rooted in my soul and they bring me a certain contentment that no other image can.

*Expressive Photography’ by the Shutter Sisters.

Our canola fields are something to behold when they are all in bloom. Right now the countryside is a patchwork of bright greens and yellows. Throw in a beautiful blue sky and some sunbeams and it’s positively magical. Ahhh and the smell! wish I could bottle it and bring it home . . .

I’m always wanting to know – what is that? I found this little beauty flitting around my flower beds. Because it graced me with a view with it’s wings wide open for a second, I’ve determined that it is not a Cabbage Butterfly, but a Margined White Butterfly. A Cabbage Butterfly has black spots on it’s wings. I could be wrong, but does it matter? No. I’m enchanted by the delicate veins, the glowing tips on its antennae, it’s buggy little eyes and the fuzzy, soft edges on it’s wings. Thank you little creature for visiting my home.

I have a fascination with mushrooms and our yard, being part shade is absolutely full of them. Mushrooms are bizarre, and beautiful at the same time. I found these little gems while out picking wildflowers. Believe me, I did not even touch them! I do remember my Dad picking mushrooms from the ditches and bringing them in for Mom to cook – which she would not do. So Dad would clean them, chop them, fry them and eat them all by himself! We kids would watch in horror, hoping that Mom’s predictions would not come true! It really made an impression on me as Dad never cooked – ever. He never did poison himself either.

. . . me bad . . .

Now don’t lie – I’m sure you’ve all done it . . .