From a few days back...

I thought instead of showing more sky pictures, for the next couple days at least I am going to show pictures from the archives...things I planned to show but just hadn't got around to it.
These were taken May 5 to be exact. We were on our way home...just ready to go home. Well, we passed this house set way, way back off the road and there were these purple irises all along the lane....and more out along the road right by the drive way. Much to my regret I didn't ask Roger to stop there.
We went on down the road, and there right beside this pasture were these planted by the light pole....there was just something about them that I had to stop and take a picture or two. then we were on our way. At the end of the pasture was a ravine and even down in it were irises planted here and there. All were this color.

I would love to know the story behind them. I definitely feel like there is something significant about them all being one color. Maybe it was only somebody's favorite color, but I like to think that they came from somebody's mother or grandmother and they wanted to plant bunches of them to remember her by.
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We went back to Big Walnut Creek to check out the fishing. When we left here we were going to check out Big Raccoon at Bridgeton, Indiana and at Mansfield, but we cross over the creek one time not far from here and it was really high. So we it would be too high to wade...not that I was planning on wading.

So we decided to go to the Big Walnut...and how I wished I had went prepared to wade. We found the best place....big sandbar....nice big log jams. Perfect for fishing. I 'almost' caught one small-mouthed bass, and my husband caught a small-mouthed bass and what we call a rock bass. This from the bank....and that bank was probably 8 feet from the water. Not fun to fish from that high up.

Some kids went by in kayaks and canoes, and we were talking to one kid that said he fishes there quite often. He say he caught nice sized small-mouth in there, and he also told us on down the way were a couple of really good fishing holes. So we will probably be going back there.

I need to get settled down for sleep--little Miss Lorelei will be here in the morn if all goes well. So I need to be rested--good-night for now!

The skies again

Sarah and Lorelei came up and spend the afternoon/evening with us. Lorelei put on a show for us, as usual. I think she is going to be a noisy little thing. She tries so hard to talk. If she isn't trying to talk to us, she is sticking her hand in her mouth. Sometimes she sticks it so far that she gags herself....and then she looks at us as if we are the ones doing something to her.

Anyway, Sarah had no more than left till she called me and told me to get my camera and go to where I could get a good view of the east. She said the clouds were amazing. After a short conversation, we hung up and I went and glanced eastward. Peaking above the trees I could see the white clouds. They just had that look that I knew I had to go.

I grabbed my camera, told Roger what I was doing and took off. These are just a sample of what I seen. I hope you will click on them to enlarge them. They are awesome.

At day's end....

My baby wore me out today....we were out of sync. At least that is the excuse I am giving. I actually think she is going through a growing spurt. She just wants to eat all the time....but at least it is that instead of one not hungry.
Roger noticed the sunset last night, after it was too late to even thinking about going any where it would be pretty. I made up my mind to try to watch tonight to see what it was going to be like. Though in all honesty, you can almost always count on a beautiful sunset here.
I glanced out once when it was still to early to think about leaving...then I happened to think and glance later and it was just too much to resist. There was a storm line off to the north and west.
I told Roger I was going--did he want to go. Who can resist a run through the strip pits. I still did not capture the glory of it all, but maybe this will give you an inkling of what it was like. I wish I had taken time and got my tripod out and taken a series of photos till I could stitch them together for a panoramic shot. We were running out of time, though, and I wanted to make it to several spots to see the view...to bad I couldn't be in two places at once.

I am wondering if Lorelei is giving her mom a break tonight. She took three naps today but not a single one of them was over 30 minutes. She had also gotten her mom up at 3:30 this morn, and again at 5:30....so she should be worn out. She sure had her moments today--today was the day that she wanted to watch her Grandpa a lot. He got lots and lots of big smiles.

I also put on the Barney DVD I got for her for the first time and she really got animated watching it. She keeps us laughing so much of the time.

The Lorelei Look

We have all wanted to capture the pouty look of Lorelei...this is almost it! When she is getting upset about something...such as her bottle is not ready quick enough.....her bottom lip 'squares off' as my husband says. At first just the corners turn out, then it proceeds to this look, and then sometimes she cries and sometimes she goes between crying and smiling.
and sometimes she forgets all about it. That did not really happen here in these two in her little seat. I did not get her bottle warm soon enough.
The ones below were taken when I was getting ready to change her diaper.
She almost gets her whole hand in her mouth! Sometimes she gags herself and she will look at me like I have done something to her.
She is such a joy to have around....

We walked across the street to show her to a couple neighbors. They are my husbands friends and were out in one of their garages working on a trailer. The one guy and his wife have this dog...I need to take a picture of her. Anyway, she is just a Heinz 57 mix...friendly...likes to ride on ATV's...not a mean bone in her body.

I would have loved to have had a video of her today! I have had collies and they always like babies...if you know them you can tell right away that their heart just melts at the sight of one. But is is a quiet thing with them, and you have to be looking at them to tell it. Well, Lady, that is the neighbor's dog...she was actually shivering with delight at the sight of Lorelei! She wanted to get to her so bad, but she is in a fenced yard. And it might have been a good thing. But I did hold Lorelei down to her till she could at least smell her feet and legs.

Shelby is easing up with Lorelei and seems to finally realize I know how to take care of her....last week, if Lorelei even whimpered a little in her sleep, Shelby thought I should come get her. I sometimes wish she was a young dog now till Lorelei would have her to grow up with.

Lorelei is jabbering more and more. She does not like to be snuggled for the most part. Now if it is nap time, she seems to need it. And that is okay. Being independent is not a bad thing.

I guess I need to get to bed...I took half a Tylenol pm to try to go to sleep easier....I have been going to bed and just laying and thinking and thinking. So good-night for now.

Raining and wet...

These are the pictures I went outside to take yesterday, and had planned to post them till Mama Squirrel made herself available for a photography session. It rained and rained yesterday....steadily all morn and then showers off and on all afternoon. I really do need to get a rain gage till I can see just how much it does rain.
As you can see by this picture my peony is about done...yes, you read that right. I only have one. I have come to the conclusion that I do like them planted just one here and there, rather than in rows as so often seen around here. This one is at the corner of my front porch and stands out so much more than if it was in a row of them.
The picture below is just a cropped version of the one above. I like the way it looks when enlarged. I used to have spring jacket almost this color and I loved it. I was in the local grocery store one time when wearing it, and looked up and there was another lady with one on just like it. Someone I did not know, but we looked at each and said, "OH, I just LOVE your jacket!"

I have never been a fan of white flowers...I do not know why. Then Sarah got me this, and it is just so pretty I can't help but love it. And seeing some of the photos others have of daisies had sure made me come to appreciate their simple beauty.
I probably won't go out and buy any white flowers--I tend to go for more colorful things. But I am growing to actually like them. But they will be sort of like I am by polka-dotted clothes....I actually love them on other people but cannot stand to wear them now. Though I do remember my mom making me dresses from dotted Swiss material--does that count?
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Spent the day with Little Bright Eyes....at Sarah's house. She stayed home today and needed a little bit of help with Lorelei. Not that anything was wrong with Lorelei. Lorelei just smiled and smiled when we got there, and I sure was glad to hold that baby again. I had really missed her over the weekend.

It has been thundering and has started raining again. It did not rain in Terre Haute today, but we could tell by how wet things were that it had rained here during the day. And supposed to rain the next two days as well, unless the forecast has changed. I haven't taken time to check.

I will go ahead and post this, just in case the it starts storming so bad I have to unplug everything. But I am going to try to visit a few blogs before I have to shut down for good.

A visit with Mama Squirrel

I was out earlier between rains, trying to capture some of the flowers with the drops of rainwater on them. Puss Puss had come and was out following me around, and Roger came out and she started showing off for him. I happened to walk around the corner of the house before they did and spotted Mama Squirrel...
I told him to grab Puss Puss and I ran inside to get nuts and just set my camera down. Mother Cat came in with Roger and Puss Puss, and the boys were sound asleep inside. Mama Squirrel was waiting for me on the trailer...I took the nuts and gave her a handful and thought how dumb I was for not bringing my camera.
I have never been able to quite figure Mama Squirrel's moods out; sometimes I can come and go and she is fine with it. Sometimes, once I leave she don't want anything more to do with me. Windy days are almost always like that...but it was not windy today and I decided to take a chance and come back in and got my camera. I went back out there and she was fine with it.
These were taken with my normal lens--the 18-55 mm one so you know to get this pictures I was right in her face with the camera! I am always amazed that it doesn't scare her. I was checking back in my blog, and according to what I wrote when I still remembered, she has been coming here since the spring of 2006.

Even with all the cats, she still comes up on my back porch....sometimes when I am out in the yard doing something I will turn around and there she is waiting for me. She definitely knows the cats would hurt her. I wish I could be lucky enough sometime to capture the other end of the spectrum--she knows our old dog Shelby will not hurt her and will sometimes walk up and smell her feet if she is laying down.
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Cougar continues to stay closer to home than he did. He left one time and was gone a long time but for the most part he is in and out. He came in soaking wet this morn....does not like to be dried off at all. He now has rainwater soft hair! And that is no exaggeration. He doesn't have what we think of as long hair, yet it is longer than the others and more plush.

Little yellow flowers...

I don't know what these little flowers are, but they are always so pretty. They seem to almost have a glow from within.

Blackberry memories

I think this is so much prettier when enlarged. I took it today--won't be too long till there's berries! A big old blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream sounds wonderful to me!

Our mom always made them in a 9 x 13 cake pan. Its another thing she made without measuring--and they were always good. Ask Neal and Patty. Mom always tried to make one for them when they went home to visit because they liked them so well.

We did not have tame blackberries....I don't know of anyone around there that did. But there were two or three cow pastures where they grew--uncared for in anyway. Other than the cattle that sometimes made paths through them.

Usually mom and I would each take a milk bucket...in our case a 2 1/2 gallon pail. And I always took a little coffee can--at least I think that is what they were they were about 6 inches tall and 4 or 5 inches in diameter. First, some of us would take a nail and make holes on opposing sides, and then we would use wire and make a handle. And off we would go.

Either of our two favorite places to pick berries were less than a mile away--one was within sight of home for the most part....the other was a little bit farther. We would get there, and I would set my milk bucket down and take time to run my belt through the handle of the homemade coffee can bucket. That way, when I came to a good place to pick, I could set my big bucket down and have both hands free to pick into the coffee can. When I got it full, I would just empty it into the big pail.

I don't remember how long it would take us to fill our buckets...I do know that we would go pick after lunch usually, and mom would still have time to make a batch of jelly or can the berries after we got home, and before supper.

You would think the weight of all those berries would have squished them till they were mushy, but it really didn't harm them. Maybe cause we were walking and not the constant vibration had we been transporting them in a vehicle.

Anyway, to this day, blackberry picking is at the top of my list of favorite things to do. And I don't even like to eat them as I pick. I have just always enjoyed picking them. My arms were always full of briar scratches and I would always be full of chiggers. I don't remember my mom ever getting very many of them, but they loved me.

If you don't know what chiggers are, or have never had them....count your blessings. You can read about them here. They are the one thing I would really dread dealing with now. But if I were given the opportunity to go berry picking like that once again, I would jump at the chance!

Here's another barn

I am so worn out I can't think straight tonight...it has been a long time since I have taken care of a little baby and you can tell it. All you have to do is look in my eyes to see that I am wiped out. I know I will not be taking near as many pictures, but hopefully I will still be able to show a few new barns. I have a lot I have never posted....such as this one. The top is the view we first saw of this barn....then we went down and around a couple curves and got the other view of it that I am showing below.
I always wonder about the windows in the barns. Around here, a lot of barns have at least a couple windows, but where I grew up, I cannot think of any barn right in my area that had windows. My first thought is that they are for ventilation, but I am not even sure you can open them.
I cropped one of my pictures to show you a closer view of the windows...click on it to enlarge and see what you think about them.
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Change of subject
One of my blog buddies wondered if Cougar might have a girlfriend...and I thought I would just add a note that all our animals are either neutered or spayed. So I don't think that is it...he sometimes comes home with burrs in his hair, but not the other day. He came home starved to death...he looked like he had lost weight. We sort of think he goes in someone's garage and gets locked in. He has never been gone this long before, but he was gone almost 24 hours once. That time he came home hungry and thirsty, too.

I had planned on not letting them out, and didn't really think it would be much of a problem. They had been born inside and never been out. You would think they would have had a fear of going out, but instead they would about trip us trying to get out. Then, my daughter brought her two cats, which did happen to be the mother and brother of our two....it just became impossible to go outside without at least one cat getting out. So we finally gave up.

My first Cougar, who lived to be 17 years old, was neutered; he stayed in our yard for the most part so I kind of figured these would also. For the most part, the other three almost always come when I call. They are usually here in the yard somewhere or across the street at Kay's, but Cougar just disappears and I have no idea where he goes. I turn him and turn around and he is gone.

But, I am actually wondering if he has learned something from this, cause he sure has spent a big part of the past two days inside! He does go out, but he is usually back within a short time.

Just a few more flowers....

When Lorelei got here this morn, she and I went to look at the flowers...and I was trying to decide if this dark one is the same variety as I showed earlier. I cannot tell for sure. I bought it at this community yard sale a year or two ago...I forget the name of it. At the time from the description I wondered was it the same as the dark ones I already had.
I forget where this one came from....I only have two or three of them. I have had them for several years.
I wish I had taken a picture of the whole bunch of those above when they first started to bloom...again, I started out with only a couple and I have a whole bunch of them now.
I had totally forgotten buying this yellow one...again it was at that community yard sale. I had just been thinking I wanted to get some yellow ones. I kept seeing the petals that stand up and thought that it was just another of the purple/white ones, even though the white petals had a sort of yellow glow. I thought it was just something to do with the lighting.
Imagine my surprise when Lorelei and I walked out there and it was this one! I just love it. Irises are some of my favorite flowers...I think it is the variety of colors available that make me love it so. And they do smell so good! To me, they smell a little bit like grape Kool-Aid. Is it just me, or does anyone else think that?

Anyway, I hope you enlarge them to see their full beauty.
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I don't know if you noticed that the picture I posted of Lorelei sleeping in the last post was actually taken Tuesday. There is a sort of story behind my reasoning. Yesterday was a hard day...she was just out of sorts. I was trying to hold her to the schedule that we figured she would be on with the feeding. I was not letting my natural instincts have their way. And I paid for it big time. She fussed a big part of the day, then when I gave her her bottle she would go to sleep before she really got full. Then wake up in a bit and the cycle would start all over again--me trying to make her wait, her crying and wearing herself out and then falling asleep before she had her fill. So it was a long day....in more ways than one as you will see if you continue reading.

On top of this with Lorelei, my cat Cougar had went outside Monday and I didn't see him again that day, and he was not home Tuesday morn as he normally is after spending a night out. He is usually on the back porch sitting in a chair waiting for me. He did not come home that Tuesday at all. We went for a walk after Lorelei went home and called for him. No Cougar. I stayed up till past midnight, occasionally going outside and looking and calling for him. No Cougar.

I didn't sleep much at all that night, looked for him when I first got up yesterday(Wednesday) and no Cougar. Every chance I got, which wasn't many, I went outside and called for him. By the time Lorelei left yesterday, I had given up on him ever coming home. I doubt you can imagine my joy when I looked up and seen him looking in the window looking for me at about dark last night! It really isn't much of an exaggeration when I say he owns my heart....

Then today I went with my instincts with Miss Lorelei and we had a great day! I am quickly learning the tv schedule...it is fun to sit and talk to her and watch her reaction to things....so far, she really loves the two characters that are orange and yellow on Barney and Friends, she likes Sesame Street....but not Sponge Bob Square-Pants (he doesn't do a thing for her), she kind of likes Clifford the Big Red Dog and she likes the Barnyard Animals.

Kay came over after school, and Lorelei likes her....and what is not to like? She is 7 years old and is one of the best kids. She has a very loving heart....she is such a good sister to her little brothers. And I know she will be so good to Lorelei. She had to hold Lorelei and she wanted to give Lorelei her last bottle but I was afraid to try that right now.

So now it is time for me to settle down and try to get some real rest!

Nothing left to say

Things are looking up!

Please click and enlarge till you can get the full effect!

Today since things really went a lot better, I thought I might as well use the phrase 'things are looking up' since it applies in more ways than one.
These are captures from out at the strip pits last night...the Eastern Kingbird I showed in my last post was taken last night late. I was amazed that it turned out as good as it did.
We didn't see near the animals we normally seen...and most of those only in the distance. But it was still worth going just to see the sky change with each passing moment. It was a great way to end the day.
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Today was a wonderful day....Lorelei took the bottle without a fuss every single time. She only got fussy when she needed to be burped. And Grandpa introduced her to Barney! You would not believe her reaction...she laughed and 'talked' and grinned almost the whole time. And best of all, her mommy called to check on how things were going and got to hear her laughing. So keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for us that things continue to go this well.

Introducing the Eastern Kingbird

This is the Eastern Kingbird....seen out at the strip pit area. I don't see them here in town, but I always seen them out at the orchard, often on the power lines.
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As you may recall, I planned to babysit Lorelei today. Well, she came, but her mom did not go to work. She stayed here with us, and we worked on getting her used to a bottle. She fought it every time....cried her heart out. So hard to see those big old tears in her eyes, hard for me knowing how hard it is on Sarah. It is probably harder on Sarah than anyone.

But oh, is she a joy to be around. She tries so hard to talk part of the time. She went to sleep in my lap, and I just sat and rocked with her. She woke herself up laughing! She started out with what would be a giggle for us, and then opened up and laughed out loud. Just smiling and laughing. I would love to know what she is thinking/dreaming about to do that at this age.

Fields of gold....

We went for just a short drive this morn...Roger wanted to check out one of the places he goes fishing in the Little Vermillion River. We knew the water was up, we just wanted to see how bad. After we checked it out, we took a road we had never taken before.
There were all these fields of yellow...I cropped these last two trying to give them a panoramic feel. The one above just seemed to go on forever.

Funny little girl

I am trying this...not sure if it will work. This is not very good quality at all, but hope you can see and hear enough to enjoy.

Irises

I wanted to post something...figured I might as well show my irises that are blooming. I have two or three other colors, but it is raining so cannot go take pictures. The one of the purple one is from last year, but the others were taken this year.
I don't know the names of any of them...the off white ones were given to me by a neighbor. I started with about half a dozen and now have a bunch of them.
The purple and the peach I bought, and the purple have really reproduced, but the peach haven't. I don't know the reason for the difference...
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Sarah and Jeremy came by yesterday....seeing Lorelei did me a world of good. I start babysitting Monday if nothing else happens. I am hoping that I can at least post a little something along, but it probably won't be much. So hope you will bare with me till I get in a routine.

New to me

Click to enlarge!

This is another find for me out at the strip pits...a Dickcissel if I am not mistaken. Again, I had heard of it but not aware of ever having seen one. There were a few of them scattered about out there, all just singing the summer in. Happy as could be.

I might attempt singing if I could ever get rid of this bug I have....I started coughing last night before I went to bed...every breath I take tickles the back of my throat and urges me to cough. Just thinking about it makes me cough. Seeing some of the posts of my blog buddies made me cough...so I guess I will hush and try to think of something else.

How many chin-ups can you do???

Please click to enlarge for a better view!

I happened to walk out the back door, and happened around the corner of the house and there was this handsome fellow and he didn't fly! I went just as fast as my feet could carry me to grab the camera, back outside and he stayed in position while I captured him in the act. How would you like to practically be doing a chin-up when eating...for that is what this position reminds me of.

As for me, I feel better, but now have a cough started. This flu/cold or whatever is sure is taking its slow sweet time leaving my body. For right now, my spirit is willing, but the body is weak is a fit saying about a lot of stuff for me. There are things I want to do, but just don't have the energy.

Out to pasture

I just love the picture above...with all the dandelions! Just something about it. Hope you will enlarge it and see what you think.

In case you wonder where I have been, I have been sick with some kind of bug. I am slowly feeling better. I was scheduled to babysit Lorelei Thursday but had to cancel. I don't want that little one or her mommy or daddy to catch what I have caught. Roger wanted me to go to the doctor, but I honestly felt too bad to go down there and sit. Anyway, that is why I have not been visiting anyone much at all. I have checked in now and then but didn't feel like leaving comments.

The barn....

Yesterday I told you that the house had a satellite dish--above is the photo showing it. So, I think it has been lived in sometime in the past few years at the least.
These pictures are the barn that was in the one photo yesterday.
It is a huge barn....
Longer in real life than it looks in these photos.
This is from the other end. Notice how straight and true the lines are in it as well.

Also, notice the sky in this last shot. Looks like someone used watercolor to paint it.