Coon tale...

This is one of the little fellows I was talking about the other day...from out at club's strip pits. The first time we went out there to the west entrance, on the way out we saw them. I don't recall how many we saw, but I think we saw all three. I did not get out and try to take their photo that day...well, I didn't get out of the car. I did have my camera in hand, but just thought they had ran to far away.

As we were leaving the area, I had to get out and open the gate....in the process I lost my lens cap. I almost always stick it in one spot, except sometimes if I get excited I will stick it in my pocket, or just where I can reach.

I got home and went to get the cap out of my bag and it was no where to be found...we checked the car...I checked my pockets. The next morn I ask Roger if he wanted to run back out there till I could look for it. On the way in, there were the little coons again! This time I was out with camera in hand...but it was under the trees, dark and not much available light.

They scurried up a tree there...and would go on the side away from me. Roger got out to go on one side, hoping to scare them towards me. Well, this little fellow was up about 10 0r 12 ft off the ground going out on a limb and he fell and landed just within feet of me. He was a bit stunned, and I did get these photos. But he survived and walked away.

If you enlarge the picture and look at the coon's pupils...one looks slightly larger than the other. I have not had a chance to be out there since then, but hoping to make it out there in the next few days.

Edited to add: George ask me if I found my lens cap...yes, I found it right where I thought I lost it.

Record breaking foxtail

I was telling one of my blog buddies that I had grown the biggest foxtail grass I had ever seen in our garden this year, but was embarrassed to post a picture. I was out taking pictures of some of the gourds from the garden and I just could not resist taking a picture of this foxtail. I just wish I had had Roger come outside and stand beside it. You need to enlarge it for a better view.

I have seen foxtail all my life, but I have never seen it grow this tall. I am 5'3" tall, and it is more than a foot taller than I am. I wonder if I should save some of the seed???? Just kidding. I do need to break off a stem of it and see what the cats think about it....when I was a kid, I was always using it to play with cats.
And below are some of the gourds from my vines...I pulled them from the vines today. One or two are almost all the way dry. Roger counted and there are thirty of them. I just hope they all dry. I am not sure where I will store them once they are dry...if they dry.
This site seems to have a lot of good information about gourds. I want to make some birdhouses, and I honestly just like to look at them.

What is this?

Roger and I recently joined a local sportsman's club....there are strip pits to fish....a shooting range and deer hunting is allowed. We have been out there a couple of times checking out the place. Two or three previous photos are from there. The strip pits are really old, and around them is grown over with bushes and trees, etc.

Up on top of this little knoll, is a grassy area. it would be perfect for a house. But that's beside the point. I saw this bush up there and have no idea what it is and was hoping someone on here would know. I hope we can go back sometime this week to see if it has changed any.

And there are other things to keep a watch for. There is a family of young coons...I will post a picture of one of them in a day or two. And tell about how I got it. We have also seen turkeys, and I seen a kingfisher one day. But I was not close enough to take its picture. Roger seen mallards...so we are hoping to see more.

I really feel like our fall is not going to be pretty or last long...today is really windy and one needs long sleeves on to be outside. I still love it, but was really hoping for another pretty fall like the past couple of years have been.

Lorelei is coming after while...I need to get some things done around here before she gets here. I should not have taken off for that drive Saturday but it was just too tempting to resist. Yesterday had obligations elsewhere so nothing in my house got done. So, I am off to clean the bathroom good, and do a few other things before Bright Eyes gets here.

Time...

We went for a drive this morn...went up through part of Parke County, Indiana...it is the county next to us.  I love driving through it...several Amish families moved there a few years ago because they were running out of farmland where they were.  This is NOT an Amish barn, though.  I don't want to give the wrong impression.  I just liked it.

We did go by an Amish bulk store...mainly to buy popcorn...ended up buying a few other things as well.  I also bought some lentils...I have always heard of lentil soup so would like to find a recipe to try.  If anyone has made it before and knows a good recipe, I would be happy to hear it.  I plan to google it when I get some extra time.
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Time for the Lorelei report.  We had her all week...and we had a blast.  I don't know where to begin...I would tell it in chronilogical order but can't remember in what order the highlights of the days happened.  She started out the week really fighting taking a nap, but the last 3 or 4 days she took good naps, and 3 of those she took on me from beginning to end. 

And of those, I took two with her.  LOL  I would sit with her and get her to sleep, then move over to the couch.  She will raise up and look around about half an hour into the nap, then lay her head back down.  And 2 of those naps were for about one and a half hours.  I think Monday was a day of just one half hour nap.

Last week was a week full of giggles...about all Shelby had to do was look at her and she would giggle.  She was giggling so hard one evening that she got strangled on her own saliva.  Shelby was just walking down the sidewalk and something about it was so funny to her.  And she was laughing at Puss Puss one evening and all she was doing was wanting out the door.

When we first started babysitting her, there was some commercial on TV that had some of the song Every Morning by Sugar Ray--just a tiny bit of it as background music.  I thought there was a reaction from her then, and even went and hunted it on you tube.  Still thought it was a reaction, but wondered was it me just wanting one to be there.  I totally forgot about it till the other day.  I took her and looked it up, and the first time she heard it start, she giggled a little bit and then danced with this huge smile on her face almost all the way through it.

So I wondered was it just a fluke...so played a few other things.  No reaction.  I went back to Every Morning and got the same big smile and the dancing.  I did think and look up Lorelei by Styx....her daddy sings that to her.  She didn't pay much attention to it until this one place where the singer says LORELEI in a real strong voice and she whirled around and looked...I know looking for her daddy.

Now to the last thing I am going to tell.  At least about her...on one of the days she had a shorter nap, by the time Sarah got here, she was really needing a nap but fighting it all the way.  Her mom had held her a minute and went to get her bottles ready, and I decided she needed her diaper changed.  She did not like getting out of Sarah's sight and was just mad.  I took her in there to the bed, and even though changing her diaper almost always puts her in a better mood.  Not this time.

She started blowing raspberries and she was mad...if her mommy and daddy cursed, she would have been cussing me out. Just a totally different tone to the raspberries and the look on her face... And she was blowing spit everywhere....but she ended up getting tickled at herself and got in a better mood.  I laughed so hard that I cried...

I guess that is enough about her.  I hope you found some  of it enjoyable...we sure had fun with her.

Does anyone know what this grass is?

I see this grass ever so often, but have no idea what it is.  I think it is pretty and sort of unique.  I got a surprise when I looked down on it...

You may need to enlarge these to get a better view. 

It's finished!

I worked on this in minutes here and there while I was sick.

I think I would have done a better job of the quilting had I waited until I really felt like it. I would sew a while and cough a while. But all in all, it will make a good snuggle quilt for Lorelei.

I used this wild jungle print on the back...and a couple others to go with it.

I thought Lorelei would enjoy looking at either side.

Every picture tells a story

All the photos in this post were taken by Roger.

Just a little snooze time around noon.

And someone else being woke up after Lorelei's snooze time.

She could not reach him with her hand, so she rubbed and rubbed his head with her foot....as well as kicked him.  He just laid there and took it like a man.

Let me have him please!  There was no doubt that was what she was thinking.

Roger wanted me to lay her near him, and the first thing she grabbed his ear.  He never got mad or upset...he finally stood up to be petted by us and then turned around and sat down and watched while I dressed her.

They're back!

On the drive through the strip pits the other day, we saw a couple pair of the hawks...the Northern Harriers I am just about positive.

It is amazing how fast they can disappear.  It was a clear blue sky that day...not a cloud in sight as we watched both pairs.  Roger and I paused to look at each other and say something, looked back and they were nowhere in sight. 

I am still hoping to catch one while it is hovering...I have seen them this fall, but always in the distance.  I think one of these is one I saw.  They are usually fairly low when they do that....we were trying to get close enough for me to capture it and it took off and headed to where we later saw these.

Enlarge this, please

I want you to enlarge this till you can see it better, and just look.  We ran through the strip pits yesterday and stopped at the strip pit seen here.  I was busy capturing some butterflies at the edge of the pond and Roger had his spotter scope out checking out the birds/wildlife.  He told me to take the time and look at the geese....you will have to enlarge this to actually see what I am talking about.  I am assuming they were sleeping...they were not preening their feathers or anything.  They were just standing like this the whole time we were there.

These are some of the first we have seen come through this fall.  In fact, I don't think as many as usual hae stayed the whole summer.  I usually hear a few pass overhead here all summer long and I don't think I have heard a single one.  I am looking forward to their arrival and to hearing their honking as they fly overhead.
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We had a wedding to go to this evening...ignor the 2008 on the picture.  I didn't go but had Roger take his Point and Shoot to snap a few pictures.  I would show the wedding couple but I didn't think to have him ask if they cared, so instead will show a pair I am sure don't mind.

Even though the quality of the shot isn't the greatest, I think you can see that a good time was had by all.

Do you realize I haven't seen Lorelei since Tuesday?  I have heard her though, in the background when I am talking to Sarah.  I would love to have seen what all she did at the wedding...I guess she was vocal but there was so much stuff going on that she didn't really interrupt anything. Sarah says she is completely over her congestion, and has been laughing and laughing at Keesha and Otto.

Here and at home, the least little thing distracts her when we go to feed her.  It is almost as if she looks for something else to focus on.  And Sarah says if Otto is anywhere around, Lorelei is reaching out for him.

A Viceroy and a Monarch

The Viceroy above is a little bit the worse for wear, but still a pretty good image.  And the Monarch is beautiful as usual.  Can you tell the difference between the viceroy and the monarch?

If you want, check this page out and scroll towards the bottom for another picture.  Or look at the photo above and notice where the arrows are pointing.
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I am definitely feeling better today, so plan on getting a visit in with everyone over the weekend.  Until I see you, have a good weekend.

Purple

I am not a great big fan of purple, but I think these flowers are just lovely.  I took this photo just a couple hours ago.
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I really thought I was about over the cold/sinus thing only to have it hit me even worse Tuesday evening and yesterday morn.  I think though, I am on the mend again.  So lets keep our fingers crossed.

I got sick at my stomach as well, so I am not keeping Bright Eyes.  I sure would hate to see her catch something like that.  Sarah says Lorelei's congestion seems to be all gone now.  I am thankful for that.

Other than being sick, I am not doing much at all--reading a little bit here and there and thinking about all the stuff I would like to do or need to do.  We have a wedding to go to this weekend if I am up to it, and if not, then I think Roger will go by himself...or with one of our girls. 

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes is much better than she was last week, though she still is a little congested.  But nothing like last week. If you enlarge these you will see dark circles under her eyes...I think it is cause she fights sleep so bad.  The one below is blurry...but you can see she is bright-eyed and active.  I took about 25 pictures and maybe 5 or 6 are actually half good because she was not still a minute.

A lot of the time when I take her out to the swing, when we first go out there she starts yelling as loud as she can.  Then, she gradually goes back to her normal voice.  Last night when her mom came, she almost jumped out of my arms to get to her....tonight, she was in this walker, and though she was glad her mom was here, she preferred to stay in the walker

Above you can see that she is really concentrating on some of her toys...

And I really don't remember what she was doing in the one below...but she is having a good time in case you can't tell.

Bringing back memories...

I am not sure if I took this to show the old barn or because of the John Deere....every time I see a John Deere tractor it reminds me of working at the orchard. I can't say that I put in a lot of hours on it, though I did my share. But it was my constant companion during apple picking season. The John Deere I started with was older than this...but not ancient.

A new one was bought sometime after 2001, but I don't remember the exact year. In the orchard, the tractor has to have so many horsepower to pull the sprayer. I can't remember how big, but the tractor also has to be small enough to through the orchard without knocking off apples.

When I first started working at the orchard, I picked into crates on a wagon. Then in the last half or so of the time I worked there, I picked into bins that were on this sled type of thing. They called it a mudboat. I have missed those days this fall...it was a lot of fun even if it was hard work. I usually picked from a cherry picker...but I absolutely loved to pick with a pack from the ground because I could just fly.

A barn that has seen better days

This is a barn we ran across a week or two ago...I do not remember where. North of here for sure, but other than that I am not sure. I really need to take notes to remind myself. I find that more and more that I wish I had did that.

And the other thing I wish is that I had tagged all my pictures as I took them...I should even just start doing it as I take new ones.

Today...

This is one of the gourds from the garden...I tried to count but they are hard to see in the jungle that was once my little garden. I think I am safe in saying that there are at least a dozen of them, and I actually think a few more. Will I be able to get them dry...who knows?
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Today as I was sitting with Lorelei, the news shows were showing film from 9/11....I bet everyone remembers exactly what they were doing the day of the attack. I know I was back in the far corner of the orchard picking Jonathan apples and the boss came out and told me what had happened.

The strange thing is I don't remember how I felt....I think it was somewhat unreal to me. Even after going in and watching some of the news. I just couldn't believe it had happened. For days afterward, we did not see a single contrail in the sky. That was so strange....and I wonder did anyone else notice it. I think I noticed it more because I was always outside...always watching for hawks, or if I was moving my picker from one place to another, I would count how many contrails I could see out of boredom.
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Lorelei went to the doctor today...they were told she was just really congested. I was so afraid she had an ear infection just because she had been pulling at her ears, and also because she would whine and fuss till I give her a bottle. Then she would only take a couple of ounces and quit. It is a good thing she don't have one. I just hope she gets to feeling better soon. Her mom and dad both have the cold, and Roger and I both have it.
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I have tried and tried to get links installed on both my blogs. I thought I had them installed till my sister-in-law told me she couldn't pull anything up. When I had a minute I got on the old computer and checked, and they did not come up. So, when I got time, I got on it using Internet Explorer and got the one I wanted installed on here.

But on Time Stand Still, the same widget would not install and I had to use a different one. I have no idea why they worked like that. I use Firefox on my laptop, and everything seemed fine the first time around.

New life

We seen this house when we went on that drive on that rainy day...someone is breathing new life into it. I would like to have seen it before they started, and am hoping we can find our way by there another day.

The Restaurant

This was known as The Restaurant in my youth....it was across the highway from our elementary school. Every morn the teachers' aids would come to each classroom and take our orders. This was back when you could get 5¢ and 10¢ candy bars or 5¢ and 10¢ bags of chips. Remember those days?

They took the orders for our morning recess for us to have a snack, or we could order something for lunch. All I remember anyone ever ordering for lunch was hot dogs. A dime for a plain hot dog, or 15¢ for one with chili. I don't know if they served more or not...most of us did not get to order lunch often.

And on holidays, when we had our little parties, we could bring money and order what we wanted to drink for our evening parties. I remember most of the time ordering root beer! It was such a treat for us to have pop!

If I remember correctly it only had room for 3 or 4 booths....but I really am not sure about this. I just know once I left home and went back, it seemed so small to have been so much a part of our lives. When we started to high school, I think we also caught the bus there part of the time.

It has been closed for I don't know how long now....but I would love to be able to go back inside.
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I had more to says but it is about time for Lorelei to get here. She has a bad cold and was all congested yesterday. So I need to finish getting ready for her.

Something new from the strip pit area

When we were passing through the strip pits this weekend, I spotted something new....this toy tractor perched on top of this post. Every where I look, I see a story wanting to be told with no one to tell it. It is probably at least a mile to any house near this post...and no one has lived any closer in years and years so how did this wind up here. I figure it has been lost, and someone else found it and perched it up there so it could possibly be found again.

It reminds me of a story about one of my nieces....when she was young, she had a bear that went with her everywhere she went. I can't remember how old she was, but at least not in school. At least I am almost positive she wasn't in school. Her mom and her had went to town...not sure but possibly her grandma, too. But for some reason I think it was just her and her mom. They go, they come back home, and no bear returned with them. I don't remember how long it took to discover the bear wasn't with them, but soon as they discovered it, they backtracked and went back to town, to where they were parked and found him sitting on top of a parking meter! Thank God for kind samaritans that know children!

I didn't ask for permission to tell this story, but I don't think she will mind....specially since no names have been mentioned.

Goldfinch

This was taken out at the strip pits today...I did not know that Queen Anne's Lace had anything for a goldfinch, but this one was on top of a dried flower eating the seed I suppose. He sure is a bright little fellow, but Roger seen him first and it took me forever to actually spot him.

Round barn in Southwest Indiana

We went on a drive yesterday...on a spur of the moment. Ended up going to Washington, Indiana. I wanted to visit a quilt store there, The Stitching Post....not because I needed anything but just to see. I had been there years ago, and I must say I thought it had improved a lot! I had a very good visit there...the salesladies were very friendly and directed us to this barn.
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On the way there, we stopped in Terre Haute and bought a walker for Bright Eyes....I think she will like it but not positive. She is just so wiggly all the time now. She cannot just take a bottle--she makes this noise while she takes it that is hard to explain. Or she pushes herself away from me and looks back at me and just grins. She has got a twinkle in her eyes all the time almost.

One day last week, I was changing her diaper. I just use our bed as the changing table...I have a pad with a towel over it that I lay her on. I was just starting to change her, and Roger was laying across the bed beside her talking to her when up jumps Cougar...I don't know how he done it but there was just enough room for him to land between Roger and Lorelei.

Lorelei seen him and he started to smell her...she grabbed a handful of fur on each side of his face, her mouth came open as she tried to pull him to her, and she was going to take a bite out of him! It was so funny...of course she couldn't really hold him so he just jumped down. And I washed her hands....but sure did get a good laugh out of it. I am so glad he is an easy going cat. I bet before she is very old they will be best of buddies...

Strip pit report....

Since starting to babysit Lorelei, and with all the other things going on, I have not been getting out to the strip pits. We were headed by there last week and made a run through part of it, and did again this evening. This is one of a few little sunflowers that was growing right in the edge of the road. I love how it is backlit. Believe it or not, I don't think it was even two feet tall.

But that is not what I want to report. What we have seen is Northern Harrier hawks...both times. Only one last week, and just a couple today. Though there were some other birds soaring that just might have been them. I know, most times it is buzzards when there are several, but out there I have seen several Northern Harriers at the same time.

Either way, it was hard not to keep a big goofy smile on my face. I just love seeing them...they are the only birds I have ever seen besides a hummingbird that can just hover in flight. I really hope I can get time to spend out there when they all come back, and hopefully get a good picture or two.

Some of the fields have been partially mowed and some were in the process of being bailed today. Maybe we will be able to see more wildlife if it is not quite so grown up. I would have loved to spend more time out there, but had things I had to so so we just went through one little section of it and went on about our business.

Tobacco sticks

Or as we called them, baccer sticks. You didn't say reach me a tobacco stick...it was reach me a baccer stick. And I can remember our dad having a hard time finding a sawmill that would saw us some new ones.

This is not a good picture...not sure what I done wrong. I can't seem to improve it no matter how I try. But it still brings a flood of images to me every time I see it. Or if I hear the term, tobacco stick...you would probably be amazed at how many times my hands have handled these sticks. Along with those of my brothers.

In one season alone, first they are loaded on a wagon and taken to the tobacco patch. Then I and my brother next to me in age usually spread them, end to end through the tobacco patch. Through every two rows. As soon as we got started, my other brothers Neal and George would start cutting. And as we got older, I think Robert started cutting it also.

Anyway, so now they pick up the sticks and pound one end in the ground, stick a spear on the other end. (I wish I had a picture of one, but I don't.) I think they put 5 or 6 stalks of tobacco on each stick...correct me if I am wrong Neal. I didn't do this job, but was usually picking up any leaves that had broken off during the process.

Anyway, keep in mind that is the 3rd time they are handled...the tobacco is usually let set I think a day till it wilts. Then my brothers handle them one more time as they load the tobacco on the wagon, and one more time when they take it to the barn and hang it on the tier poles. One would be on the wagon handing the sticks full of tobacco to one brother who would be straddling the first set of tier poles, and he would reach it up to the next who would be straddling the second set of tier poles and hanging it on the third row up close to the roof. Now that makes a 5th time of handling those same sticks.Then, after the tobacco is cured, they have to go back and take the tobacco down and stand it in a pile against one side of the hallway. The tobacco is taken off the sticks to be graded, and the sticks are thrown to the side to be picked up and straightened into a pile similar to the one above at the end of the day.

Did you keep count of how many times the tobacco sticks were handled...I lose track every time I try. I think if I am counting right, that they are handled at least 7 times during one season. I really wish I had had more pictures to show you.

Look who was at my house today!

I doubt you can see the changes that I see from these photos.
I still wanted to share them, though.
She is such joy to have around....
usually if she gets whiny, there is something wrong. And it don't last.
If nothing is wrong, then all that is required is to take her outside and sit in the swing with her. Nothing more is required in life...she likes to lay across my lap, and if I don't have her in an outfit she at least likes me to take her feet and legs out of her sleepers. Then she lays there on her back, staring off out in the yard or at the ceiling, jabbering, and normally holding one foot up to her mouth and kicking the other one in the air.