Rural Thursday with Alice

A lovely gray kitty showed up at a house down the road. The little girl with long brown hair and gorgeous brown eyes that lives there named her Alice.

How Alice got there is a mystery, but people have a tendency to drop off unwanted animals down country roads and drive away leaving the animal to fend for itself.  How could anyone do this to Alice with the lovely green eyes?

Alice just bore a kindle of kittens, but once the kittens are weaned and homes are found, Alice may travel to Toledo to live with my good friend MJ, who just happens to be the pretty brown-haired, brown-eyed girl's Nana.

 Alice is a sweetheart and deserved better than to be left to her own devices, but I have a feeling her luck is  about to change for the better. 

I'm linking up with A Rural Journal for Rural Thursday. Are you intrigued by country living or curious what's happening out in the wide open spaces? Then you'll definitely want to click on the badge below...



 

Texture Tuesday On a Spring Day

Hello my friends and welcome spring.  I'm a bit late in welcoming the gentlest season of the year, but better late than never as the saying goes. Last week was a stunner with temperatures in the 80s and glorious pink sunrises...

Yes, the sky was streaked with clouds as the sun cast a pink glow over my corner of the world.  I lived along this country road for over 20 years and passed this barn every time I headed west.  I don't know who lives there now, but I'm calling this the Boynton Barn in remembrance of the elderly couple that kept this farm in perfect order.  Here's another view of the sunrise.

 All of nature seemed to be on warp speed last week. Flowers bloomed, trees blossomed, and leaves burst green nearly overnight.

A pretty little farm cat that lives down the road sat in the evening sunshine peering at me while I photographed the magnolia tree in the yard, her spring green eyes echoing the color of the grass. 

And oh the magnolia....

stretching its twiggy arms to the sky praising spring and all the possibilities.

Per my usual Tuesday I'm linking up with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday.  This weeks theme is all about pink and at least one of Kim's textures.

The top photo, Boynton's Barn: A layer of Kim's texture shine, a texture from French Kiss, and some fiddling with levels.

The second photo of the sunrise is pretty much SOOC except for cropping,  minor levels and hue/saturation adjustments.

I'm quite sure the blossoming tree in the side yard is a dogwood.  The dogwood photo processing began with a new layer set to soft light, opacity 67%.  Next came levels and hue/saturation adjustments.  A layer of Kim's texture, be still with a layer mask to remove the texture from the blossom followed by a layer of another KK texture called embrace finished the photo. 

The next photo I call cat eyes was simply processed with a few adjustments of levels, contrast/brightness, hue/saturation and of course, cropping.

The final photo looking up at the blooming magnolia was processed to create a soft spring aura.
After desaturating the photo, I used a Coffee Shop action: soft and dreamy and added two layers of Kim's embrace texture at 66% opacity and 100% opacity.  One layer of distressed jewell's texture 3 was added at 42% opacity. Finally, the text was added and there you have it.

Please stop by

and be amazed at the beauty of talented photographers everywhere! 

Mosaic Monday: Carnations & Miss Adventure

Joining the fun at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Miss Adventure agrees with Helen Keller that, "Life is either a great adventure or nothing."

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I discovered the stunning photography of Jamie Heiden on Flickr this morning.  I don't think I've seen anything quite like it and became enchanted immeditately. This is beauty worth celebrating.  You'll find the link to her website on the sidebar under Celebrating!

Toad Abode

I mentioned a toad abode in my Saturday post about the sunflowers blooming in my small in width, but very tall garden! Yes, my garden is probably taller than it is wide at the moment. The sunflowers have reached the eaves and working towards being eye to eye with the chimney. Getting back to the toad abode…Robin of Life in Robin's Nest fame inquired about how to make a toad abode, so just in case there are others wanting an answer to this question, here it is…how to make a toad abode.

Let me start by mentioning my fondness for toads in the garden. Not only do I think a garden lucky if a toad chooses to reside within it, but I believe it’s truly blessed to count among the inhabitants, the humble songster who sings for his supper, a toad. I have tales of toads from gardens past, but none of them came close to the joy I felt while grilling a marinated chicken breast or three. We spied him hopping along the side of the house, the yet-to-be whacked grass creating a cover. He liked to linger about the water spigot, but seemed to return to the side of the house where the garden is. One evening, with three lazy black cats lounging in the grass and three humans sipping on a cool beverage, the toad hopped across the patio. Mr. Noodle, his hunting prowess too often evident in the gifts he bestows upon us, was the first to spy the little green guy. With a leap he sprang into inquisitive mode at the same time the sleek, black body of Miss Adventure hunched down into a predatory stance, while Anime the beautiful fraidy cat, looked on feigning an aloof posture, but ever so curious. We jumped into protective mode, grabbing cats and putting them indoors before one grabbed the toad and sent it flying into the air, a toy to be pawed, chased, and bitten. That was that, a toad must have a place to hide from frisky, finagling felines and to get out of the sun.

The Frisky Finagling Felines

The next morning, the little man and I rummaged through the garage looking for the right size pot. With a hammer I carefully tapped at the lip of the pot until a crack formed. Pushing on the crack a bit, I thought I could make a small opening that would serve as a door. The pot refused to give, so I tapped on the pot again. That did it…it cracked all right and broke the bottom off. I’m still wondering how the bottom of the pot broke clean off. No matter, it still makes a perfectly fine toad abode it just has a bit more character.

We set the toad house against the side of the garage in the garden. Tall sunflowers now shade it and add a touch of whimsical ambiance. A clay pot saucer makes a nice little swimming pond for the toad, a place to hang out in the evening, invite a few friends over for dining alfresco on slugs and bugs and finish off the night with a song or two.

Now I know there are really nice toad abodes you can purchase, but there’s something just right about a toad calling a clay pot home. Do it correctly by first using an exacto knife or any super sharp knife to outline an entrance with as much pressure as possible without creating a crack. Tap gently using a hammer until the entrance is formed. It’s really as simple as that. If you’re feeling creative, you can decorate the humble home with all sorts of things from paint to moss to sticks and stones.

Just a quick reminder. If you want natural predators in your garden refrain from using insecticides, pesticides or any toxic chemicals that do away with the good as well as the bad. *Ribbit ribbit*

November Outside My Window

The scene outside my window has noticeably changed over the last month. The two trees that I gaze at when words elude me went from green to golden yellow with tinges of orange to become a colorful carpet on the neighbor’s lawn and finally raked into a pile along side the street. A study in simplicity, dark limbs stretch toward the sky creating outlines and negative space. I may be in the minority, but I believe the beauty of trees in late fall and winter continues.

Gone are the garments that covered long thick branches. Maple, oak, beech and birch reveal the strength of character that houses birds, squirrels, insects, and sometimes hold a swing for childhood glee. Again, I may be in the minority, but I look forward to the time when snow frosts the trees bringing yet another magical moment outside my window.

It’s Mr. Noodle
The ferocious black cat in my Halloween post was none other than Mr. Noodle who had a hard time playing the part. What he wanted to do was roll onto his back so I would scratch his belly. Out of five shots he was slightly spooky in one.


"I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and its content."

-Lin Yutang