Saturday, February 28, 2009

Day Seventeen

Once I turn off the main highway, this is the "road" leading to our house. As you can see, we live in a pretty isolated rural area. The closest farm or home is about a mile. The closest town is 30 minutes away. So it goes without saying that I've had to change my city ways -- when I run out of milk there is no "quick" walk to the corner gas station for more. This is new for me, planning my food trips to town and then second guessing myself as I leave town ... did I get everything we need???!

But I still love where we live and I wouldn't trade it for a city minute! :)

Oh, and the green you see is winter wheat. The farmers actually plant it in the fall, and it stays in a green dormant state for most of the winter; I think it is just now starting to really grow, as our temps have hit the 60s lately.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Day Fourteen

I like the peeling paint (of course, one of my fav subjects), but the bonus was the tree reflected in the window.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Day Thirteen

Another shot from my Sunday walk... this is the view across the road from our house. I rather like it.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Day Eleven

I took a break from my kitchen-cabinet-refinishing-job today since it was a nice sunny day with a bright blue sky to match; I walked down our dirt road to some abandoned buildings that I've been wanting to circle around for photo opps. This shot was taken while standing inside one of the buildings, looking through a broken-down gate.

Sunday Stills: Architecture

Since a town is 30 minutes away from me in any direction, this is the best I could do for architecture. Quite honestly, there is nothing fascinating in any of the local towns. I can remember some fascinating architecture in towns further away from me, but we rarely go that far. I did try to play up the sky today with a neutral density filter, as it was exceptionally bright and blue.

Ok, here is a postscript: while looking at other Sunday Stills posts, it reminded me of some past photos I have taken that would also qualify, and are rather interesting.

Historic El Morro fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico


Church in Danville, Kansas
It sat next to a wheat field and there were railroad tracks behind it

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Day Ten

Karen Everhart of Rainbow Meadows with our paint horse

Today we drove to Sedan, KS, about 1.25 hours east of us so paint horse could get his monthly "natural" or mustang horse hoof trim. This post here will tell the story of how paint horse injured his hoof last summer.

In early January, after I sent emails to 3 different Kansas horse sanctuaries, Karen Everhart of Rainbow Meadows agreed to help us with paint horse and his injured hoof. This was our 2nd visit to Rainbow Meadows. We will be making the Sedan drive every month now, for at least the next 4-6 months, as his injured hoof grows out. It takes a year for a hoof to grow all the way out, and he injured his foot last July, sooooo we've got a ways to go! At this point, he is doing MUCH better, has a very imperceptible limp sometimes, but not very often. The prognosis is that he may end up just fine, but his hoof may not be the most beautiful hoof you've ever seen on a horse.


Friday, February 20, 2009

Day Nine

My favorite outhouse... actually, it's the only one
around here that I'm aware of!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Day Eight

The view at the back door (last summer)
Rolling pasture land with hay bales
and of course, dog snot on the window

Due to my newest project, I wasn't able to snap any new pics today. I'm finally getting started on painting the kitchen cabinets, yay! I sanded the framework on the bottom cabinets today, got it primed, and one coat of paint applied. Tomorrow I will get a 2nd coat of paint on the framework, and get started on all the drawer fronts and cabinet doors. I hope to start on the upper cabinets next week. Big project, but I think it will look really nice when I finish. :)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Monday, February 16, 2009

Day Five

Not as close as I would have liked to be, but as close as I could get!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Day Four

Well, I blew it. I was going to photograph our dinner tonight and even provide the recipe, because it's awesome, but I FORGOT. Yep. It was a chicken enchilada recipe which used lots of cheese and heavy cream -- yeah, you got it, one of those dishes from Weight Watchers.

So, since I messed that up, here's my photo for Day 4.... not even close, huh? This is my town; we live way outside of town, but as you can see, there really isn't much to "town". No gas station, no convenience store, nothing! Oh, there is a post office, and it's about the size of a postage stamp, I'm not kidding.

South Haven proper

Sunday Stills: The Moon

I just found the Sunday Stills web blog through Far Side of Fifty and Trapper Creek Daughter. Sounds like a really fun and challenging endeavor, so I'm signing up! :)

Here's my Sunday still for the moon photo challenge. I'll admit, this is from my archives, but I just found the Sunday Stills blog so I didn't have the whole week to get a good moon shot! ;)

Moonrise over Kansas prairie

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Day Three

Trixie is 5 years old and about 1/8 border collie and 7/8 australian shepherd. (Her dad was full aussie and her mom was 1/2 border and 1/2 aussie, so I think that would make Trixie 1/8 and 7/8, right?! Or maybe it's 1/4 and 3/4??!!! My math sucks...) She's my cuddle bug, always ready to join me on the couch or in bed, unlike her independent "sister" Tori Mae.

I managed to snag this shot of her sleeping at a cabin in southern Ohio a few years ago.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Day Two

Ah, only day 2 of my photo-a-day endeavour, and my illness appears to be getting worse, instead of getting better! I refuse to let it keep me from my blogging responsibilities, and I truly refuse to already fall flat on my face on DAY 2 of my photo-a-day mission. So, here is my choice for today. Alas, I cheat somewhat, as I do not have the energy to take a new photo, so this is from my very recent archives.

Lone tree by our pond

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Day One

Ah yes, it's me again, the late bloomer. I just discovered this concept, a photo a day, via other blogs, and instead of waiting until 2010 to start anew, I decided to just jump in and start TODAY. This will give me a reason to work on improving my photography skills every day, not just when I feel like it.

These would be our outside cats; they do a magnificent job of keeping our "ranch" free of rats and mice and a few innocent birds who get caught in the fray. Honestly, I tried to get a better shot of them, but after 46 tries and the sun rapidly setting, this was the best of the lot!! Now I know what they mean about "herding cats...."

Boogie, Barack and Fluff

Yes, I know. Barack the cat. I did not name him, my husband did. Aren't names like that always the husband's doing??! I think he really cracked himself up when he named him Barack. :-)

Barack is the youngest of the lot, still a kitten really. He is our most prolific rat/mice catcher yet. Fluff is his mummy, and Boogie is Fluff's mummy. They are all fixed now, so thankfully, no more kittens!

The Letter V in Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge

I'm going to keep my photo-a-day blog separate from my other blog, and I will also use this blog to post any photo challenge responses. Soooo, with that said, here goes my first photo challenge response to Martha from Florida and her A-Z Photo Challenge. I'm a little late in the game, but what the hey, I've always been a late bloomer. Check out Martha's blog here, Menagerie.

V is for Vieques, a small island near Puerto Rico. If you ever get the chance to go, please do so; it is gorgeous and so unspoiled and undeveloped. But lately there has been new talk of development plans, so it may not remain the unspoiled small paradise that it is today!