How Does Your Garden Grow?

Clematis

Hosta

Mine grows wild and free with lots of help from the bees!

I had to do macro shots of the garden...

otherwise you would see the weeds that I have not had time to attend to.

:)

Oh well,

it will all get done one day.

The bees don't seem to mind.

Hoping you are having a fabulous Thursday.

Hopefully I am...

Ladybug is probably running me ragged right now

as we are off on our adventure.

See y'all soon!

Wordless Wednesday: Roasting Marshmallows

Um, yeah.

Apparently the marshmallows were good.

She and I are off on an adventure for a few days

but I have some posts ready to go

for your viewing pleasure while we are gone.

People, pray for me.

It should be a wild and crazy time with my oldest girl.

I think she may wear me out!

xoxo

Country Living

The below picture was taken on Father's Day at Friendly Farms restaurant.

I took four exposures ranging from -1 stop to +1 stop

and then merged them to get an HDR shot.

HDR is cool, but somehow still looks fake to me.

It is amazing, however, how you get the full dynamic range.

The setting sun beyond the fields of Friendly Farms.

When I go out into the countryside and see the sun and the green and everything flowering, 

I say to myself Yes indeed, 

all that belongs to me!  

~Henri Rousseau

My father asserted that there was no better place to bring up a family than in a rural environment.... 

There's something about getting up at 5 a.m., 

feeding the stock and chickens, and milking a couple of cows before breakfast 

that gives you a lifelong respect for the price of butter and eggs.  

~Bill Vaughan

Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds,
Exhilarate the spirit, and restore
The tone of languid nature.
~William Cowper

I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand.  

~Leonardo da Vinci

A very blessed Tuesday to each of you!

New York From the Water

All of these images were taken by Brian with the Canon G11.

These were taken on the first day of their New York trip

when they went for a boat tour of the area.

If you missed the first post about Brian and Ty's 

New York Adventure,

you can read it here.

You'd think they would clean the boats!  Blech.  Love the three flags, though.

Large barge...wonder what it is carrying?

Financial District

Hopefully y'all know what this is!

You can read more about the ferry here.

Ty's favorite part of the boat trip was seeing the Statue of Liberty

while Brian's was being able to see New York from a different perspective.

My favorite part?

They remembered to take pictures!

Guess what, folks?

I got new wheels this weekend!

Yup, I am now the proud owner of 

a Chevy Suburban.

We outgrew the Ford Flex with the addition of our twins 

to the family, so we had to upgrade on size!

I might be able to swing a few pics by the end of the week!

Have a good Monday!

I ❤ NY

All three images in this post were taken by

my husband with the Canon G11.

Brian and Ty took a boy's trip to NYC

over the last few days.

Now that we are a family of 6, 

Brian and I think it is important to spend quality time

with each of the 4 kids alone.

So, Brian took Ty on his first trip to the Big Apple!

Ty is our city boy.

While he does well in the country, I think he is secretly 

plotting to make his escape from these rural hills

to a big, bustling city somewhere.

His room is decorated in a city theme

and his mind is filled with dreams of making

a splash in the music industry as a promoter one day.

So, this trip was right up his alley...

city alley, as it were.

He and Brian stayed in Times Square

at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

They had a busy three days filled with sight seeing and eating...

can't go to NYC and not have some amazing 

street vendor food and pizza!

They took a boat tour

(and saw the Statue of Liberty),

a bus tour

(and survived people throwing stuff at the bus!),

went to Ground Zero,

toured the Empire State Building,

saw Central Park,

went to the NBC Today show taping

(and got to shake Al Roker's hand),

rode the subway,

took a taxi,

ate at the Jekyll and Hyde Club,

went bowling,

and had a cannoli at The Cake Boss Cafe.

I am sure there is more,

but since they just got back last night,

this is the list I could retain from their

excited explanations!

There are more pics from the trip I will share here soon...

Ladybug and I will be taking our trip at the end of next week

but I am keeping the specifics quiet for right now ;)

Have a good one, y'all!

Wordless Wednesday- Thinking Spot

We May Be Rural...

but we still know how to have a good time!

As many of you know, I live in a rural area where the livestock 

out-populates the humans.

But just because we are rural, does not mean we 

don't know how to throw a backyard picnic for the neighbors...

and by neighbors I mean anyone who lives in the northern part of the county.

One of our friends, the H's we will call them, throw a picnic

for all of us crazy rednecks every spring/summer.

Last year, as some of you may remember, 

this is what happened as we were leaving this same picnic...

I am happy to report that Sheba was NOT on the roof

this year and was properly contained inside her home!

We may be rural, but we look good!  Definitely better than the livestock ;)

Girlfriends :)

Every year the H's have a Father vs. Kids kickball game.
And every year it is hysterical.
There may or may not be some cheating and hijinks going on
during this very playful game...

Kids team lining up to kick

Ladybug is OUT!

Even the little ones get involved with the care and protection of big brothers and sisters.

Despite what you may think, the fathers do NOT take it easy on the kids!  They are out to win!

And there may or may not be injuries as a result ;)

The kids can hold their own...OUT!

And all the while the moms are doing their own thing...like trying and FAILING miserably at staying in the hammock.

But when they finally make into the hammock, nothing is getting them out.  Well, maybe alcohol and dessert, but certainly nothing else!

Is there anything better than a great group of friends?

I think not.

Thanks to the H family for having us every year!

Celebrate your neighbors today...

Yellow

Blue is the male principle, stern and spiritual. Yellow the female principle, gentle, cheerful and sensual. Red is matter, brutal and heavy and always the colour which must be fought and vanquished by the other two.
Franz Marc

To me yellow is the color of summer,

and summer is finally here on These Nine Acres.

The kids are officially out of school.

The corn is knee high 

and the 4th of July is just around the corner.

Summer is

Buttercups under the chin,

Tractor rides on Daddy's lap,

The whirl of fans,

The warmth on your face,

Sudden thunderstorms...harsh and fast and violent,

A slow swing on the front porch,

Sweet tea,

Long talks with friends,

Bare feet,

The smell of the grill.

But mostly, summer is the deep, longing feeling

of yearning

to turn back time,

to move the clock hands back to a simpler time

where summers lasted forever.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my dad...

the one who taught me to: 

shoot a gun,

ride a bike,

beat up the boys,

play to win,

and

follow my dreams.

Thank you for:

picking me up when I cried,

giving me a boost on your shoulders when I couldn't see

checking under the beds for criminals and monsters,

letting me squeeze in bed when I had nightmares,

helping me get over my fear of thunderstorms,

not killing me when I threw a fit in the National Air and Space Museum,

letting me try to race with the big boys,

taking me on long motorcycle rides,

and teaching me how to drive with my knee.

You were and are one great father.

Love you!

A Memory of June

A Memory of June

When June comes dancing o'er the death of May,
With scarlet roses tinting her green breast,
And mating thrushes ushering in her day,
And Earth on tiptoe for her golden guest,

I always see the evening when we met--
The first of June baptized in tender rain--
And walked home through the wide streets, gleaming wet,
Arms locked, our warm flesh pulsing with love's pain.

I always see the cheerful little room,
And in the corner, fresh and white, the bed,
Sweet scented with a delicate perfume,
Wherein for one night only we were wed;

Where in the starlit stillness we lay mute,
And heard the whispering showers all night long,
And your brown burning body was a lute
Whereon my passion played his fevered song.

When June comes dancing o'er the death of May,
With scarlet roses staining her fair feet,
My soul takes leave of me to sing all day
A love so fugitive and so complete.

~Claude McKay

This is one of the most beautiful poems

I have ever read.

I had never heard of Claude McKay

until I discovered this poem, 

so I googled him.

What a fascinating person he was.

Brilliant, in my opinion.

And he obviously loved someone very much

to write this poem.

Have a good weekend, y'all!

It is the last day of school today

so we are footloose and fancy free

for the summer.

xo

Against All Odds

This little apple reminds me of the human spirit.

There is no trickery in this image...

it is not rotated or flipped.

The apple really was growing UP on our huge,

scraggly apple tree in the far corner of our property.

I noticed it on a walk one day and was fascinated that 

against all odds, it was growing UP instead of hanging 

down like most apples.

I am sure that as it grows rounder, heavier, and plumper,

the little apple will fall down with the weight of gravity.

But for now, it is reaching for the sky, despite being pulled

toward the earth and despite being different than 

all the other apples on the tree.

I have had some friends treading through 

the valley of difficult times

over the past month...

some enduring trying times with their children,

others with their parents,

and yet others with the death of close relatives.

And despite all the sadness and drama,

despite the trials and tribulations they are enduring,

each one of them

is reaching for the sky,

just like that little apple.

.

Our creator, whoever you may think that is,

made a wonderful and fascinating thing

when it created the human spirit.

Resilient.

Forgiving.

Enduring.

Wordless Wednesday: Dogwood

Ty's Eighth Grade Dance

My boy is growing up!

He is finishing up his last week in 8th grade

and heading to high school in August.

Holy cow...I can't believe I will have a high schooler.

I so don't feel old enough to have a high schooler!

Where did the time go?

He begrudgingly let me take this photo just minutes before 

we left to take him to his 8th grade dance.

Ty hates having his picture taken...

can you tell by his body language?

:)

I don't know why, though...he is so good looking

if I do say so myself!

I am so proud of my boy.

One Tribe

We are all branches of the same tree...

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooooh!
Oh-woah-oh!

One Tri...
One Tri...
One Tribe, one time, one planet, one race
Its all one blood, don't care about your face
The color of your eye or the tone of your skin
Don't care where ya are
Don't care where ya been
Cause where we gonna go
Is where we wanna be
The place where the little language is unity
And the continent is called Pangaea
And the main ideas are connected like a spear
No propaganda, They tried to upper hand us
Cause man I'm loving this peace
Man, man, I'm loving this peace
Man, man, I'm loving this peace
I don't need no leader
That's gonna force feed a
Concept that make me think I need to
Fear my brother and fear my sister
And shoot my neighbor or my big missile
If I had an enemy to [enemy]
If I had an enemy to [enemy]
If I had an enemy, then my enemy is gonna try to come and kill me
Cause I'm his enemy
There's one tribe ya'll

One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
We are one people
Let's cast amnesia, forget about all that evil
Forget about all that evil, that evil that they feed ya
Let's cast amnesia, forget about all that evil
That evil that they feed ya
Remember that we're one people
We are one people
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]

One tribe, one tribe
One tribe, one time, one planet, one [race]
Race, one love, one people, one [and]
Too many things that's causing one [to]
To forget about the main cause
Connecting, uniting
But the evil is seen and alive in us
So our hopes are colliding
And our peace is sinking like Poseidon
But, we know that the one [one]
The evil one is threatened by the sum [sum]
So he'll come and try and separate the sum
But he dumb, he didn't know we had a way to overcome
Rejuvenated by the beating of the drum
Come together by the cycle of the hum
Freedom when all become one [one]
Forever

One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
We are one people
Let's cast amnesia
Forget about all that evil [evil]
Forget about all that evil [evil]
That evil that they feed ya
Let's cast amnesia
Forget about all that evil [evil]
That evil, that they feed ya [feed ya]
Remember that we're one people
We are one people
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]

One love, one blood, one people
One heart, one beat, we equal
Connected like the internet
United that's how we do
Lets break walls, so we see through
Let love and peace lead you
We could overcome the complication cause we need to
Help each other, make these changes
Brother, sister, rearrange this
The way I'm thinking that we can change this bad condition
Wait, use you mind and not your greed
Let's connect and then proceed
This is something I believe
We are one, we're all just people

One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
One tribe ya'll
We are one people
Let's cast amnesia
Forget about all that evil
Forget about all that evil, that evil that they feed ya
Let's cast amnesia
Let's cast amnesia, forget about all that evil
That evil, that they feed ya
We're one tribe ya'll
We people, we people
One tribe ya'll
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]
One people, one people [One People]

Lets, lets cast amnesia
Lord help me out
Trying to figure out what its all about [what its all about]
Cause we're one in the same [one in the same]
Same joy, same pain
And I hope that you're there when I need ya
Cause maybe we need amnesia
And I don't wanna sound like a preacher
But we need to be one

One world, one love, one passion
One tribe, one understanding
Cause you and me can become one.

~Black Eyed Peas

I heard this song this morning while I was
working out at the gym and it reminded me of this photo.
I was walking around the property awhile ago
and the way the branches spread out on this tree caught my eye.
I immediately thought of it in black and white.
I changed it to an infrared image so the green of the leaves in the background
would fall off to white, accenting the branches.

As I am typing this, I am listening to the news and thinking...
really, people, can't we all just get along?

Have a great Monday, y'all.
Try to do something nice for someone else today...
pay a toll for the car behind you
treat someone to a coffee,
smile,
write a nice note to a neighbor...

After all,we are the branches of the same tree, we are one people,we are one tribe.

My Resting Spot

You'll be my sunny day and I will be your shade tree ~Blake Shelton

This little spot on our property is my secret hideaway...

the trees on either side of the path come together in the middle

and form a canopy overhead that shades and protects me.

When I need to walk away, take a break

and just breathe,

I usually find myself here.

It is just far enough away from the house and close enough

to the stream that all I hear is the birds chirping

and the mini waterfall gurgling.

When I was little I loved making

tents out of blankets...

my own little place to crawl into away from the world.

This spot reminds me of those times,

only Nature made this tent for me

and there are no blankets to put away.

Where is your safe, quiet place?

The Pain Passes But the Beauty Remains

~Pierre-Auguste Renoir

When I read the quote above (title)

I immediately thought of this picture.

And when I thought of this picture, 

this old REM song popped into my mind.

Yeah, my brain works like that...

REM- Everybody Hurts

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on

'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone

If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone 

**************

Have a great weekend, everyone.

TGIF.

In Need of Some Peace

All God wants of man is a peaceful heart.
Meister Eckhart

I sit on the terrace overlooking the vineyard there 
and I feel cut off from the world. 
You need that sort of thing.
Cliff Richard


If in our daily life we can smile, 
if we can be peaceful and happy, 
not only we, but everyone will profit from it. 
This is the most basic kind of peace work.
Nhat Hanh




All that we are is the result of what we have thought. 
If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. 
If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, 
like a shadow that never leaves him.
Buddha

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
Buddha



Feeling a bit stressed today as
I approach my first time producing a
large commercial photo shoot for photographer
Jodie Otte.
It is absolutely mind boggling the behind the scenes action
it takes to get one of these shoots off the ground.
We will be on set for the next three days,
so I will be MIA during that time.

I thought some peaceful quotes and a few macros
might do the trick in chilling me out a bit.
And I for sure will be finding time to
squeeze in some yoga...
my mind, body, and spirit will surely be blessed for it.

Have a good one, y'all.
xoxo

Happy Birthday, Ladybug!

Cartoon processing for a cartoonish shot of my girl :)

Happy Birthday to my crazy daughter, Ladybug!

We celebrated her birthday last night since we are 

crazy busy with sports tonight.

Ty got her a snorkeling set

(she really wanted flippers for the pool ;)

and when she tried on the mask, 

I grabbed this goofy shot.

She has such a sense of humor...

I love it!

So, here's to my beautiful,

talented,

smart,

kind hearted daughter!

May her last year of pre-teenism

be the best yet.

Love you, girl!

Achoooo!

I caught T2 in the middle of a sneeze!

All the farmers around These Nine Acres

are harvesting hay right now.

And that means all of us are sneezing

and sniffling and having major sinus issues.

Here I was stalking the bluebird for this picture

and T2 came out of the barn sneezing his head off.

I gotta hand it to him, though...

he at least was trying to do the proper thing and

cover his mouth with his elbow,

but if I recall, it didn't quite make it there.

The Health Department would've been proud.

Not too bad for a 3 year old.

And how about those snow boots?

Apparently they aren't just for winter anymore.

Around here we are casual about footwear...

whatever protects your feet and can stand up to manure goes.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

I was until I got fried at Ladybug's All Star

softball game today and now I am crispy and sore.

Sending love out to the universe...

Bird Identification

Can anyone help me identify this bird?

It has a very loud "WAH" sounds

similar to a crying baby.

I was happy to snap a decent shot if this

quick and nervous bird so y'all could help me out.

I saw them in pairs...they stuck very close together

and am assuming the probably had a nest somewhere nearby.

I can not find any information on this mysterious bird!

The Way The Words Float Through My Memory

Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love,
the things you are, the things you never want to lose.
~Kevin Arnold

The heart that truly loves never forgets.
~Proverb

We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.
Some take us forward, they're called dreams.
~Jeremy Irons

A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever.

God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.
~James Matthew Barrie

A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime.

Our dreams must be stronger than our memories.
We must be pulled by our dreams, rater than pushed by our memories.
~Jesse Jackson

A place in thy memory, dearest, Is all that I claim;
To pause and look back when thou hearest The sound of my name.
~Gerald Griffin

Tending the Nest

As I mentioned in an earlier post, 

it has been a great year for bird nests here

on These Nine Acres.

The wrens flew the nest...

the robins are feathered out and ready to make the leap...

and now we are waiting on the bluebirds.

And so is Mama...

Mama bluebird was none to keen about me sitting on the hill

pointing my camera at her nesting box.

She flitted all around, finally landed and then

stared me down like nobody's business.

It is a miracle I was able to even get these images

because the whole family was out and about

that day...

and every time Mama was about to fly over to the 

birdhouse, a kid would run out of the barn or house and 

scare her away.

I am not the most patient person in the world,

but dangumit, I was bound and determined to get a shot 

of Mama in all of her pretty blueness.

And speaking of birdhouse...

Ladybug made this birdhouse in tech ed

(what we used to call Woodshop back in the day).

She helped her dad hang it this spring, 

and wouldn't you know a family moved right in.

Ladybug was one proud house builder!

We are keeping our fingers crossed our expert mouser, Dusty,

minds his own business and leaves the baby birds alone.

I think he will...

he has his hands (or paws, as it were) full with mice,

moles, and chipmunks to care too much about the little peepers.

Right, Dusty?

*crickets chirping*

Somehow I am not so sure that face looks too trustworthy.

Have a good one, y'all!