Remembrance of Summer

First published 12-2-11 in my blog POSTCARDS FROM THE HEARTLAND.

 

By plucking her petals, 
you do not gather the beauty of the flower.  
~Rabindrath Tagore~

From God Alone

First Published 11-29-11 in my blog POSTCARDS FROM THE HEARTLAND.

It is not because angels are holier than men or devils that makes them angels, but because they do not expect holiness from one another, 
but from God alone. 

~William Blake~

Faceless Friends

"I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term --- meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time & effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching --- there would be a vast improvement in total output.  The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster.  We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium."

~Ansel Adams



This is a grab shot that I took of a group of my friends waiting for me at the end of the tunnel that goes under the racetrack at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Calhoun County Pecans

First published 11-28-11 in my blog Postcards From the Heartland.  

Grandma and Grandpa received a bag of pecans as a gift, and they shared them with us. They're grown on an uncle's farm in Calhoun County (where the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers meet). Notice how large and nice they are, compared to the store-bought (those two little ones on the plate).

Peace!

"What we're thinking about is a peaceful planet.

We're not thinking about anything else. We're not

thinking about any kind of power. We're not

thinking about any kind of struggles. We're not

thinking about revolution or war or any of that.

That's not what we want. Nobody wants to get hurt.

Nobody wants to hurt anybody. We would

all like to be able to live an uncluttered life.

A simple life, a good life.

And like think about moving the whole human race

ahead a step, or a few steps."

~ Jerry Garcia

To A Butterfly

I've watched you now a full
half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed. How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!

~William Wordsworth, "To a Butterfly"

My Candlewood Cabin

First published 11-19-11 in my blog Postcards From the Heartland.

This is the cabin I rented for five nights in October for an artist's retreat. Just me and Beary. Dad was working the harvest, so he had to stay home.

I'm so glad I got to experience another Wisconsin autumn. The foliage colors were just spectacular.  Here in central Illinois, we don't have the variety of fall colors that they do farther north. Also, the hilly terrain with its dairy farms make for very picturesque sightseeing.

My cabin sat up on a steep hill, so I had to carry everything from the van up all those stairs. Halfway up the hill from where Beary is sitting (above) is the fire pit. The cabin was very secluded and peaceful. I wish I would have taken more pictures than I did, but the lighting was difficult inside. And being by myself with Beary, it was really hard to do any photography anyway.

I did do a little plein aire painting of the meadow that leads back into the valley where my cabin was located.  I also did a lot of reading, and took lots of walks with my dog. One day we made a long road trip around the lower Wisconsin River, and another day we visited a huge orchard for fresh-from-the-tree Golden Delicious apples.

Although there was no TV or internet access, the cabin came complete with a nice collection of DVD movies, music CDs, and a bookshelf of interesting books. The screened porch was nice, and the bathtub had a whirlpool.

I give this vacation hideaway a 5-star rating. It was absolutely beautiful and the hosts, Susan and Norbert were very friendly and helpful. Candlewood Cabins are located in southwestern Wisconsin, south of the town of Richland Center. If you'd like to see the inside of my cabin, as well as the other two beautiful cabins on the property, check out their website:

http://candlewoodcabins.com/

Revenge of The Squirrels

WARNING: This post may cause upset to animal-lovers and/or -activists. I would never harm a little critter like a squirrel unless I had a good reason. (I almost cry when I accidentally run over one with my truck on the road.) Eating up my garden is not a good reason. They NEED food, they SEE food, they EAT food. It is what it is.

BUT, chewing up the wiring in all of our vehicles IS good reason to get out the squirrel gun. They are stupid animals to think plastic, copper & whatever other man-made material wiring is made from, is food. Since they can't distinguish between organic & inorganic, right from wrong, their numbers must to thinned.

Selfie with bruise

I've bagged eleven now, and we've had a nice squirrel-noodle bake, but I just don't see how I can continue OPERATION: SQUIRREL PATROL when my squirrel gun does THIS to me!

And the painful bite of the tiny flying squirrel the other night (see below) is another sign to me that room should be made in the garage, for the vehicles' protection. New, automatic garage doors/openers would be ideal.  After all, that's what garages are for, right?