2 Things Challenge: Portrait/Round

Well, the photo I first had in mind for this week's challenge no longer exists.  Oops.  It was a pic of an oval framed portrait of Elizabeth I, that I took at the Denver Art Museum.  Wish I could remember the artist's name.  Word to the wise, back up your data to an external hard drive AND online somewhere, because external hard drives will break down on you.  This is probably a very obvious thing to do, to those who are more plugged in than I am.

Oh well, I learn from my mistakes.  For this week's challenge, I'd like to share a family photo taken back in late April while I was in Ohio.  I got to be in town for my da's birthday celebration, which included dinner at the Pufferbelly and a Leon Redbone concert.

I'm my father's child.  Can you tell?

2 Things Challenge: Home/Image

The back barnyard on Blackberry Farm, late spring, as seen from my mother's fiber workshop loft.

In the Hoophouse

My parents have a fantastic hoop house for growing vegetables year round.

There were a lot of praying mantises...manti?  They were so small, I had a heck of a time getting them into focus.

A young grasshopper on the left, a very young mantis on the right, enjoying the good weather in the spinach patch.

This is a praying mantis egg case.  The mantis is a carnivore, my parents introduced them to keep the veggie eating bug population down.  Unfortunately, they ate a lot of each other up as well.  A full grown mantis will even take on a scorpion!  Not that we have those in Ohio...

Other insects get into the hoop house as well and need help getting out...

                                              

                                              ...which is when this comes in handy.

Pele the Precocious

Eight month old Pele is the newest feline edition to Blackberry Farm.

He is very bright and full of energy, and named after a soccer player because he spends a lot of his time slapping toys around the house...

until he plays so hard that he falls asleep...

while reaching for one of his toys under the furniture.

Everything needs to be checked out and pounced on,

until he gets distracted by something even more interesting.

Here he is exploring the pasture fenceline.  A farm is a great place for curious cats.

And here he is being the little kid he is.  Isn't he just the definition of feline?

2 Things Challenge: Peaceful/Then

Peaceful in the pasture.  These photos were taken early last month, May 4th.

Cheeky

Adorable, chubby Maggie Dog buns.

A Storm Comes and Goes

May 4 in Ohio, the thundering and lightening started early afternoon and the air turned damp and metallic.  I had just enough time to get the sheep and horses safely tucked into the barn before the storm broke.

I love the colors a storm leaves behind.

Natural rippled, aquatic patterns appeared in the air...

...and on the ground.

Podunk and Poppies

This photo was taken on April 19th.

These photos were taken a week later.

Pale sage green and scarlet look wonderful together.  Good job, nature.

Little April Shower

April 28th in northeast Ohio: rainy, windy, damp and cold.  Couldn't weed the kitchen garden like I'd planned, so some of us snuggled up around the toasty warm wood-burning stove.

Some of us with more enthusiasm than others,

and some of us just not thrilled to be stuck inside at all, sharing their bed with a smelly cat named Pigpen.

Luckily for Maggie the Dog, Piggy was more than happy to hold down her warm spot.

 More than happy.

Peepsqueaks

Photos taken on April 23rd, at Blackberry Farm.  These little fuzzies were five days hatched.

The mixed breeds include brahma, barred rock, java, araucana, and golden buff.

Sleep tight, little fuzzies.

Pond Pictures +

The Sunday after our wedding in Ohio, this past September. The weather was fine and after brunch, some of us wandered over to the old cow pond to enjoy the breeze and the peace of early fall.

The dogs came too, of course. Romeo's farm dog personality is very outgoing.

In mid-gallop, tail flying.

Podunk came too, although his age is catching up with him and he prefers a walking pace.

That guy I married, and his dog.

From left to right: Meredith (my brother's squeeze), my brother Jesse, my cousin Will and my cousin Greg, fishing.

Cousin Hannah, catching up with us.

After an afternoon in the breeze and sun, it was naptime. There was considerable getting up and moving around, snacking on leftovers, and more napping. Elfine takes advantage of Shaun snoozing to cuddle with him.

Play hard, sleep hard.

Maggie passes out while I'm rubbing her tummy.

Benny is so sleepy, he decides to try and take over the chair from my Aunt Sue but then decides her lap makes a great pillow.

"YAAAAAAAWN"

"Nayum, num, num"