The sheep in the meadow

There is a small herd of Suffolk sheep here on the farm where I live. Since I moved here in July, I've been trying to get pictures of them, but they always run away. Run away! Say that like you're watching Monty Python's The Holy Grail.

It's probably because I always have George with me. The sheep see the border collie and they all Run Away! Every single time. So I've been reduced to using my zoom lens. And I was never able to get any good shots.

Well, one morning this weekend, I was taking pictures of flowers and mushrooms with my macro lens and suddenly couldn't find George. I called him and he came running. I saw that he'd been visiting the sheep, who were standing meekly by the fence. And they weren't running away!

I soon found out that the reason they weren't running away was because the cow was in charge, the cow with the awesome hair-do. And when the cow is there, the sheep are ok with having George around. They sometimes follow the cow.

I took these pictures with my macro lens because it's what I had on the camera at the time.

Border collies have been bred to herd sheep, and this is George in his sheep stance.

This is the bravest of all the sheep. She came right up to George at the fence and checked him out. Then she walked back and little bit and was so relaxed that she lay down. I couldn't believe it.

I also can't believe how incredibly boring this post is. But I yam what I yam. And I do hope you don't mind.

Until tomorrow, my friends.

A feather and a compliment

Let me begin by saying that I've been up for hours. Hours, I tellya and I still haven't gotten a lick of housecleaning done. Saturday mornings, for me anyway, are for housekeeping chores. And I actually rather like turning something messy into something shining and fresh. But I do tend to put it off. Um, like today. So far I've accomplished drinking 3 cups of coffee, with half and half. I love half and half. No flavored stuff for me, thank you. And never. Ever. Ever. Skim milk. I'd rather drink my coffee black. But here I go digressing.

I've also accomplished packing up 6 weeks of plastic, glass and paper stuff from the garage and taking it to the recycling center up the road. And then driving down my favorite road to a store to get the aforementioned half and half.

After that, it was time to take George on the Big Saturday Walk. I usually make this an hour and a half so he gets plenty tired and will nap while I clean. It's really difficult to tire out a border collie, however. Anyway, there we were on our walk, and we were heading towards home, down the canopy road. I've mentioned this road before here; it runs along part of the perimeter on this property, is shaded by huge trees and is wide enough for a couple of extra wide pick-ups trucks to pass each other, if need be.

What I haven't mentioned before is that exercise riders also use this road. Every Saturday, I run into at least one or two of them, riding racehorses. Sometimes they're galloping, and sometimes they're so quiet when they come up on me that I don't know they're there until they say something or one of the horses snorts loudly. And then I turn around and am surprised to see four riders right there next to me. But this morning, George was happily sniffing under bushes about 50 yards ahead of me when I noticed a solitary rider turn the corner ahead of him. I can tell the mount is skittish because the guy was patting him and began to approach very slowly.

I whistled to George, who turned towards me and then I told him to sit. Then lie. He does both as I continued walking towards him, telling him he is a Good Dog.

The exercise rider gets closer. He's riding a young horse, probably one that will race at Delaware Park tomorrow. There's a big farm nearby and I don't know if they're racehorses, or if they're steeplechase mounts. But this horse looked like it could bolt. I was at George's side now as he continued to stay down. The rider spoke gently to his horse and then said to me "what a beautiful day, isn't it?" I agreed with him. Then he said, "That's a really well-trained dog you have there." To which I replied, "thank you." He then told me that his mount was a little afraid of dogs, and he wanted to thank me for keeping him still while they passed. I told him "you're welcome", and to have a great day and then I let George off the command.

As we walked, I thought that hey, I do have a good dog. What a nice compliment. Then I looked down and saw this feather. I picked it up and saw that it was a bit dirty, but nonetheless would make a good subject for my macro lens. (Hey, this is about as thrilling as it gets around here, ya know. Newcomers need to realize this.)

So here's my feather. I took it home and popped it into a section of fence to keep it still for my picture. I usually always have my gorillapod on my camera and I wrapped a piece of it around the fence to hold it still, and voila! (Sometimes it doesn't work to click on the pictures and I don't know why. If anyone knows, help is needed.)

And shortly afterwards, my husband drove by in the gator as I was crouching down to take another mushroom picture and shook his head. Ah, well.

Have a great Saturday, everyone! It's beautiful here in Pennsylvania ~~~~

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Everyday favorite

I am shamelessly posting more photos of our beautiful border collie, George. Originally, I had meant to post lovely close-ups of the Suffolk sheep that are here on the farm.

I took George out for the after work walk with me and took about 50 photos, seeing them come up on my camera screen and when I got back to the house to view them, there was nothing there!

This happened to me once before. I don't know what causes it but it's not going to get me all upset at the moment. Perhaps I only thought I'd seen them on my camera screen. I don't think that's the case, but oh well. The sheep aren't going anywhere and I'll get pictures later.

In the meantime, I have a willing subject who seems to love having his portrait taken. Click on photos to make larger, if you like.

America's Next Top Model.

* Border Collie, that is. *

Play with me.

George has just brought me a favorite stuffed toy and is waiting for it to be thrown to him.

Look at this face.

We love this dog!

The first photo was taken with my macro lens and the other two with the zoom lens. I can tell the difference, can't you?

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Counting sheep

By the time I took the walk with George tonight, the light was waning and this was about the only shot that came out at least halfway decent.

The sheep look almost pink because it was another pink sunset tonight. Just beautiful with a chill in the air. I'm looking forward to lighting our first fire in the fireplace. It's been almost 15 years since we've been able to enjoy the comfort of a wood fire, and it was one of the things we considered important when we were looking for a new job for my husband and a home.

I'd like to tell those of you who are into Photoshop that Totally Rad has finally come out with the new TRA The Revenge free set. If you're interested, click here to download. You get a total of 8 pre-set actions at no cost to load into your Photoshop program.

Just wanted you to know that I never did pick up a pair of plastic gloves for the dishes. I sort of like things the way they are. It's got nothing to do with being lazy, but I think my husband is getting kinda used to doing the dishes while my sliced up finger heals. It's doing quite well, by the way, so no worries there.

If you'd like to view a giant mushroom, head on over to my other site. I just have a thing for them lately . . .

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Pink skies in the morning and an AWARD

Pink skies in the morning.

Pink skies in the evening.

When I opened the door to leave this morning for work, beautiful pink skies greeted me. I had an extra moment, so I ran back inside to get the camera for a picture. And then this evening, I noticed a rosy glow out the window and there it was, pink skies this evening. Click on the pictures for a larger view, if you wish.

I have been getting so many wonderful new visitors to my blog lately and I think it's got something to do with that little black box! I've discovered many new blogs, some that I will keep returning to visit, and lots of lovely comments from bloggers from Great Britain. It's so good to hear from you!

Today, I've also won an award. It was presented to me by a new blogger named Adventure Girl Wanna Be. She's given me the Dog Lover's Award and I do love dogs. Especially my George. So, thank you Adventure Girl!

I'm going to pass this award on to Dlyn, whose Riley does his own posts occasionally. And I'd also like to award Russell at Iowa Grasslands, whose Bailey also does posts from time to time!

Thanks again, Adventure Girl. George sends his thanks, too. Well, not really. He could sort of care less. He's been too busy making sure the cat wipes her paws before she comes in the house these days. He's turned into the paw police here after he got yelled at for making the floor dirty when it was actually the cat who did it!

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Veggie burger: It's what for dinner

Beef is something we rarely eat in our house, with the exception of the occasional burger. And tonight's dinner is not the occasional burger.

Tonight we're having veggie burgers. My husband loves these things. I think they're just fine, especially when he makes them. Regular readers of this blog will remember that I am blessed with a husband that cooks. Mdeal preparation is not something that comes naturally to me. It is not a pleasure. Although it's something I'm capable of doing and doing quite well when I feel like it, I look on it as a chore and a bother. It's sad, really. And especially so when I visit blogs that I admire like Pioneer Woman or Noble Pig where the cooking is grand and looks so effortless. But let's return back to the point.

This is not a recipe post. I want to make that perfectly clear. All the meal is, quite frankly, is a chunk of rustic bread with a veggie burger and cheese inside, diced cherry tomatoes, onions, pickles and lettuce on top with a dollop of thousand island dressing. There's no recipe needed for that.

When I came home from work today, my husband was doing the dishes and complaining about it. My stitched up finger is doing fine, and the hand surgeon told me I could do dishes, but only under running water. I can't fill up the sink, plunge the dishes in and begin washing. I think it's got something to do with the bacteria and the foodstuff that would sit in the sinkfull of water. But regardless, lately I've been leaving the dishes to my husband. It's only the two of us and there's really not that many.

So there he was complaining about washing a dozen glasses and a couple of plates. I wanted to take out my miniature violin and sing a sad song for him, but instead I took George for walk just to get out of the house and away from it, planning on returning just in time for dinner. I am really a lovely wife, you know. I keep a nice house, and do the dishes and the laundry. But I don't do the dishes with stitches. Especially when I've just changed my dressing and don't want to get it wet!

When I returned from the walk, there was dinner on the table and he was taking a picture using natural light. I am teaching him well, aren't I? He told me that if the photo turned out well, I could use it on my blog tonight.

I love a man that cooks.

Tomorrow I am going out and buying a new pair of dishwashing rubber gloves. I mean, it's the least I can do, don't you think?

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Travels with the black box

The little black box has taken me to many different sites, some where I simply leave a comment saying that I've been by, and others that I have actually added to my blogroll.

One such site that I want to share with you is Crystal Jigsaw, written by a woman who lives with her farming husband, her young daughter Amy, two dogs and a cat, and some spirits that seem to inhabit the farmhouse she moved into six years ago. They seem friendly, although I know that I couldn't be as calm about it as she apparently is. I know that many don't believe in the paranormal, but frankly, I believe that there are just some things that simply cannot be explained.

In this post, she writes of an incident that occured while she was in the sitting room stroking her cat, Jess. The cat looked up, towards the doorway, as if someone was there. And then the sounds and even smells of a meal from long ago invaded their senses.

It's not just the ghosts that have me riveted to her blog posts, either. It's her writing. She is currently working on a book, so that endeavor keeps her occupied when she's not caring for her home and her family. I also find it interesting because she lives so far away ~ in Northumberland, which is located at the northernmost top of Great Britain, on the Scottish border. It's also known as God's Country and was the scene of many fierce battles between Scotland and England in the past. Northumberland has more castles than anywhere else in England, and although they're usually blessed with more sunshine than rain, it's been a bad year for crops and her husband, the farmer, is fretting.

I'm telling you, it reads like a book. And I'm enjoying it so much.

So go ahead and click the word decide on the black box. I've heard that it can become addicting, but I haven't had a problem with it yet. If you'd like more information on how to acquire the box as a widget for your own blog, or to find out how they got started, click on about black boxes and follow the instructions.

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Encourage one other

If any of you have visited Donna Boucher's Quiet Life blog, or seen her guest posts on Pioneer Woman's photography section, you know her mantra is to "encourage one other". And I love that.

In the course of traveling and visiting other blogs, every so often I stumble upon one that either touches my heart, or fills my soul. And this morning, I'd like to share one such blog.

It's called Gardening with Turtles and is a fairly new site that began in July of this year. Written by Maria, who lives in Kansas, it's filled with her nature photography and wonderful writing. I have no idea what sort of photographic equipment she uses, but her photos are lovely, especially those of her two resident turtles. She is also into vintage post cards which I find quite charming. I 'met' Maria when she commented on one of my posts on my Picture A Day blog, specifically the one about the praying mantis. So this morning, if you have any time at all, please stop by and say hello to Maria and tell her I sent you, ok?

I am sopping wet today, having just returned from a walk with George. It didn't help that I found a leaf covered in tiny dewdrops and got onto the ground to photograph it. I am always ruining my clothes with grass stains and it's why I only walk in my (crap) pants.

It rained yesterday and all last night was terribly humid. My husband took out the window AC units last weekend, despite the fact that he lives with a menopausal woman who has hot flashes all the time. I don't have a huge issue with this, but did rely on my AC units for Saturday morning cleaning time (which I should be doing right now rather than writing this post~)

And I realize that this post is full of links, but sometimes that's fun, isn't it?

Have a happy day, everyone. And to those along the Gulf Coast, I am thinking of you.

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Speak softly

Quiet times today on Sept. 11. Remembering that day seven years ago. We talked about it at lunch in the faculty room and most of us were working together at school that day. My sons were in the upper school at the time and I remember being so glad that they were close. Now my eldest lives just 3 blocks from Ground Zero.

I don't have very much to say and sometimes that's ok. It's nice being here this evening with my husband, and my tired dog who is napping at my feet. My cut finger is healing just wonderfully. Thanks for all your well-wishes. You readers are the best.

I'll be back to normal tomorrow (if you want to call it that!)

Have a wonderful day, everyone. And let's say a prayer for those who are in the way of Hurricane Ike.

Click on the picture to view larger, if you like. Oh, and have you seen that cool little black box on the right? Click on the word 'decide' and you'll eventually end up on some mystery blog. It's fun.

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Greatest American Dog

We're watching Greatest American Dog, which apparently is one of my husband's favorite shows. Don't tell him that I've let out his little secret. He'd probably be embarassed. Heck, while we're at it, I'll clue you in that another favorite show of his is Wipe Out, but more on that later. Greatest American Dog is one of those reality shows. They bill it as "where proud pet owners live together and compete in a variety of challenges". The winning team takes home a quarter mil, so that's a huge incentive.

We're down to Laurie and Andrew, Travis and Presley and J.D. and Galaxy. You'd think I actually watched this show, wouldn't you? We were routing for the border collie, but we really didn't like his owner. And I'm using the term "we" loosely here, ok? Now that it's down to these last three, I could care less who wins. But, if I was forced to choose, though, I'd go for Travis and Presley. Although he's just a young dog, Presley the Boxer simply shines. Andrew the Maltese seems to go haywire when his owner isn't around and the dependency he has on her is just plain weird.

Uh-oh. There goes J.D. and Galaxy. They've just been eliminated. Oh, the humanity!

Ok. Enough of the dog show! It's just something silly to watch.

Besides, I have my own dog show. George is bouncing around the living room chewing on his green froggie, chasing toys and now he's licking old boot. He loves old boot, which is one of my husband's cast offs, full of barn and horse smells and oh my, it's so yummy when he brings it to me and drops it on my Ethan Allen couch. Yuk! it weighs a ton, too.

And now for your reading pleasure, I'd leave you with some dog quotes.

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

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." - Milan Kundera

"If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail." - Fran Lebowitz

"What kind of life a dog . . . acquires. I have sometimes tried to imagine by kneeling or lying full length on the ground and looking up. The world then becomes strangely incomplete; one sees little but legs." - E V Lucas

"To err is human, to forgive, canine." - Unknown

"You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, `My God, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would've thought of that!'" - Dave Barry

And finally . . .

"I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas." - "DEEP THOUGHTS" by Jack Handy

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

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Not the fruits of my labor

While George and I were walking yesterday evening, I came across some pokeweed. Now pokeweed isn't vile, but it is poisonous if ingested. This time of year though, I think the plant is almost pretty. Well, almost.

The first picture is a semi-mature cluster of berries. See how the stem is turning that bright purple color?

You have probably seen pokeweed. It can sometimes grow to 10 feet tall with its smooth fleshy stems and clusters of flowers that bear tiny fruit. As the fruit ripens, the clusters become heavy and drooping, resembling a grape bunch, and the stems holding the berries turn a bright red-purple.

This poisonous weed is often found in pastures, along fencerows and barnyards, in unfortunately close proximity to livestock. It's not very palatable, so most animals avoid it.

Here is a photo of the berries just beginning to burst forth from the flower.

All parts of the common pokeweed are toxic to both humans and animals. Roots are the most poisonous, leaves and stems not as severe, but the toxicity increases with maturity of the plant. Children are most frequently poisoned by eating the raw berries. Infants are especially sensitive and have died from eating only a few raw berries. So this is not a nice plant.

Above is a mature bunch of berries.

A few interesting tidbits about this roadside weed:

Supporters of President James Polk wore pokeweed twigs instead of campaign buttons during the 1845 campaign.

And more importantly, medical researchers have isolated a protein (pokeweed antiviral protein or PAP) from pokeweed that is being used to try to inhibit the replication of the HIV virus in human cells.

I just found it interesting.

Allrighty then, that's it for my little biology lesson for the day.

Until tomorrow, my friends.

The bees knees

I have missed taking pictures and writing my blog. It's cumbersome typing, but I'm getting the hang of it. For those who don't know, I cut my hand Saturday morning while washing a glass. I'll keep this short because I don't want to overdo it, after a long day at work.

Today, after I got home, I picked up the camera and held it in my hand. I thought to myself that I can do this. I put the camera strap over my head and carried it around a bit. I turned it on and it felt ok in my hand. George saw me doing all this and barked, "Let's head outside!"

So out we went for a leisurely stroll around the perimeter of our property here and I took pictures until my hand began to feel sore.

Thanks to all of you for your show of support for me and this blog. I am often astounded at how encouraging you can all be and I want you to know how much you mean to me.

I'm still posting daily on the Picture A Day Blog, so try to stop by. And click on these pictures to view larger.

As an aside, does anyone remember the saying "the bees knees"? It means "the highest quality". My mother said it now and again when I was a child and I found out it was coined around the 1920's. According to Wikipedia, one of my favorite sources for information, in the 1920's it was fashionable to devise nonsense terms for excellence - 'the snake's hips', 'the kipper's knickers", 'the cat's pyjamas', 'the sardine's whiskers' etc. Of these, the bee's knees and the cat's pyjamas are the only ones that have stood the test of time.

It's how I feel about you. You are excellent.

Just so you know, ok?

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Never give up

I am not down, nor am I out. Have discovered that I can actually hold a camera, but not for long. So it's best not to. Also am getting better at typing. That's good because it's what I do all day at my job and there's no way I am taking off for something so trivial as a cut hand.

Typing is really slow, but it's good practice.

It's been raining all day in Pennsylvania. My husband made me lunch and poured me a glass of chardonnay and told me I should take a picture of my wound, which I refuse to do. There's no need to remember what it looks like now. The whole thing is annoying, at best, but something I will get through. I cut the knuckle part of my index finger while washing a glass on Saturday morning. I have 7 stitches in vertical mattress style, according to the ER doc and have been referred to a hand specialist because of the location of the cut.

It could be so much worse. I'm taking Tylenol for the pain, and can tell when the 4 hours are up, lemmetellya. But honestly, I am thankful for these, among many other things:

I can still work in Photoshop because it's not too difficult with the laptop flatmouse.

I am learning to type this way. This will come in handy next week when I'm at work.

My September issue of Coastal Living just arrived yesterday and I love that magazine.

I love the occasional rainy day, too.

My husband is actually being sympathetic.

I can still take a walk with George. (when it stops raining eventually from Hanna).

I can shop online (uh-oh) at Sephora. They just sent me the link to their best of 2008 here.

I can shop online anywhere, actually, and have just bought a new lunchbox at Crate and Barrel.

I can't believe how many friends actually read this and have e-mailed me personally. (Nor can my husband. I think he's jealous ~ not really.)

All my chores were done when I hurt my hand and my house is now gleaming. I love a gleaming home.

See, it's all good. This, too, shall pass.

I left a couple stock photos on the PictureADay site. Don't get too excited, though.

I am trying. Until later, my friends.

bloody ding dang diddly

I have cut my hand badly and will be taking a small break. i was doing dishes andcut finger on a glass. my husband wrapped it in vet wrap for me but it needed 7 stitches. i will be back when i can type (this took longtime) and i wish dlyn lived closer. i would lend her my camera and she could take pictures. she has no camera and i can't use my hand. * * sigh * * i can't even do the link to her blos. see sidebar on right, ok?

Misdirected e-mail story

Someone sent me this e-mail the other day. Perhaps you've already seen it, but it's a funny story, nonetheless. And I'm all about the sharing. So, here goes:

A Michigan couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel.

There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the Email. Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's' funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack.

The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife

Subject: I've Arrived

Date: February 24, 2005

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was. P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here.

Until tomorrow, my friends~!

Oh, and if you visit my Picture A Day blog, I apologize, in advance, to those who are afraid of bugs.

Nice awards from friends

It's been a weird day and I can't even talk about it. I have to believe everything will work out, so let's leave it at that. But no worries, ok? Because to make it better, blogger friends came to the rescue. And they didn't even know I needed rescuing!

Today, I received this little cutie from Sarah over at Spruce Hill. Sarah is a survivor, like my husband. She's got a lot of spunk and a zest for life. She's given me the "I Love your Blog" Award. Thanks so much, Sarah.

With this award, I get to nominate 7 other blogs that I love to read, link to them and to the person who awarded me and let them all know what they've won. Ok, got that? But I'm doing 5 and they are, in no particular order:

A Majority of Two

The Mental Pause Chronicles

Noble Pig

Quiet Life

The Tombstone Chronicles

I love these blogs and read them daily.

And Shimmy Mom has awarded me the "My Photography Buddy" Award. Cool, Shim! Oh, and did anyone notice the saying I did NOT use? That's because it belongs to Kacey now. And word is she's driving her husband crazy saying ding dang diddly all the day. Sounds like a song . . .

Rules for this one are to award are a little sketchy, so I'm guessing there are no rules. I LOVE THAT! So, like Shimmy, I'm giving this award to people whose photography inspires me.

Mary at Little Red House and In a Soft Light just received this award from Shimmy. But I feel as though Mary is a buddy and her photography inspires me. Visit her lovely sites if you can.

Daryl, at Out and About in NYC on the M104 is a photographer I met through two other blogs I read daily. She recently joined at Paintbox Pictures (see link on the right of this blog) and I just love visiting New York City through her photographs.

And of course, there's Kacey at Wine on the Keyboard. I've been visiting Kacey's site since I began blogging. It's one that I read daily. It's informative, it's got great pictures, she hosts photography contests, has a ton of good blogging tips, and is married to Super Guy. Check out her site and you'll see what I mean.

And then there's Dlyn. I've been visiting her site, too, since I started blogging and even though she's camera-less right now, she posts some of the prettiest pictures from her garden and her life. And her dog is cute, too. I hope her camera comes home soon.

These would be who I consider to be my Photography Buddies. Enjoy!

George goes shopping, and other stories

He's the dog-about-town, George is. Did you know that some stores actually allow pets inside? George went for a ride with me on Sunday on a mission to find um, well, actually it was some wine.

It's rather annoying trying to find alcoholic beverages in the state of Pennsylvania. If you just want a six pack of beer, you either need to go to a bar and none of them are open early on Sunday, or you could just head downstate into Delaware where they actually sell six-packs of beer in normal places. Wine is sold in a "spirits shop" and liquor is sold at the state store. I really miss my favorite liquor store in Middletown, Delaware where they sold six-packs and cases of beer, a huge selection of wine, and of course, the liquor.

So there I was, driving along on a beautiful Sunday morning. Um, looking for a wine store. And as I was glancing out the window thinking what a nice area this was, I saw a Chico's. So I zipped over into the next lane and headed towards Mecca. Er, I mean Chico's. I left George in the car right out front and when the salespeople saw him, they told me to bring him in. They told me that they allowed dogs to come in and hang out while their owners shop. Of course, the owners will be spending money, but regardless, George was a huge hit and was petted and fawned over by everyone. I just love this dog.

On another note, as most of you know by now, back in early July I started a photography blog. I didn't say anything about it other than to post a little header link along the right side of this page. If you haven't been there yet, you are welcome to come visit. I post a picture every single day. Usually even on Sundays.

And now I'd like to answer to a burning question posed by Mary of Little Red House. As most of you know, sometimes I say ding dang diddly which means "boy howdy" or "gosh, that is exciting" or even "oh, my God, did you see how huge her ass was?" So ding dang diddly can mean a host of different things.

Mary comments about my husband, "So tell us, what do veddy proper Brits say when a phrase like 'ding dang diddly' is called for? I'm dying to know!"

Well, Mary, I don't know how veddy proper my husband is at all. You'd never know he was British really; he doesn't have a pronounced accent or anything as he's been in this country since he was very young. Well, except for some of the phrases he uses. Oh, and the food he eats. He would never say anything as silly and ridiculous as ding dang diddly. Mary, what he would probably say is "bloody hell" which he pretty much uses for everything.

Bloody hell can be used as an exclamation, like "oh, wow". It could also be "darn it". But he mostly uses it when Blackie the cat meows to get in. Blackie will want in and out so much it makes your head spin. We used to have a pet door at the old place but there's no fence here so we don't use one. And when she comes a-meowing yet again, he will bellow "that bloody cat"! "bloody hell"! "she's a bloody pain in the a**"! And then he'll end it with a "Blimey." Here's a cool website on British slang terms that you may find interesting. I've heard an awful lot of them in my life and even use one or two of them myself.

Allrighty. I think that's it for now.

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Monarch butterfly chrysalis

I came across something interesting today to share with you. School starts today where I work and I'm excited for the new year to begin. So, in the spirit of all things educational, I'd like to present you with three butterfly chrysalises.

The jade green one is such a beautiful color!

In the picture above, the chrysalis on the right opened this morning. The monarch butterfly rested for a bit and then took off. If you look closely at the chrysalis on the left, however, you can see the wings of the butterfly inside. This one will probably open either later today or tomorrow.

These were on the porch of the main house on the horse farm on which I live. The owner was given them yesterday as a gift from a friend. Adult female monarchs lay their eggs on the underside of milkweed leaves. The eggs hatch in 3-12 days, depending on weather conditions. The larvae feed on the plant leaves for about 2 weeks, developing into caterpillars about 2" long.

After a little while, the little caterpillars attach themselves, head facing down, to a twig as they shed their outer skin and begin the miraculous transformation into a pupa, or chrysalis. This takes a few hours. When the caterpillar's done, the pupa looks like a waxy, jade vase (like the photo above) and becomes increasingly transparent as the process progresses.

And in about 2 weeks, voila! A beautiful adult butterfly emerges. But they have one more step until flight. The butterfly will inflate its wings using a pool of stored blood in its abdomen. When done, excess fluid is expelled and it rests, waiting for its wings to stiffen and dry before it flies away to begin the process all over again.

Aren't you glad you come here? Because I'm certainly glad that you do! If you'd like to see pictures of the process happening, or would like to show them to your children or grandchildren, visit the monarch picture story site. It's specifically designed for young ones. Um, and people like me.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of the chrysalides!