Sunrise...

Tuesday, October 18, 2016...

Same time, same place...just doing a little experimentation with my camera.

I'm joining TexWis Girl with Good Fences today

Here It Comes...

Ready or not, here comes the first snowfall of the season...

...and it's gonna be a be a DOOZY!

That's my "Starts with D" for Friday's Hunt #4, with Teresa at Eden Hills. I guess you'll have to take a description of doozy, rather than a photo! We spent a lot of time getting ready today.  The forecast is for 18"-22", with strong winds and some white out conditions.  The milk truck is due tomorrow morning, and that could be an adventure.  Those truck drivers have to go out in all kinds of conditions, just like the farmers do.

Jim put as many round bales up in the barn as he could fit...backed in a full wagon load of corn fodder for bedding...(the barn hill gets slippery and hard to navigate in this kind of weather!)...we got a load of sawdust earlier this week...the calves are cozy...the chickens have extra feed...and he's getting the generator ready, just in case.

This is my "beautiful" selection.  This morning's sunrise...the calm before the storm...

And for my "week's favorite" I chose a picture of the beautiful flowers on my windowsill.  They're what's left of the bouquet we gave Jenna after her District Orchestra concert over the weekend.  Gerbera daisies are some of my favorites, and seeing them smiling at us while anticipating a snow storm makes me happy!

It's 7 pm, and it's been snowing lightly for about an hour.  The cows are milked, the milk is cold, the pipeline is washing, the coveralls are in the washer.  Now we wait.

I hope you're warm and safe this weekend, wherever you are!

A Beautiful Fall Morning...

This morning as we were finishing up milking, I saw a beautiful sight.

I happened to glance towards the east as I carried the last milker to the milk house, just in time to see the sun at the exact moment that it was peeking over the horizon.  The colors weren't especially beautiful...no brilliant reds or oranges...but the sun light that streamed across the fields was breath taking.

As usually happens, by the time you grab your camera, the magic is gone. And...the camera never quite captures the images quite as beautiful as they are in real life, but I tried anyway...

This picture looking to the west, of the Amish neighbors' barn peeking over the hill, is probably one of the most photographed shots that I've taken over the years, in all seasons.  You should see it at sunset!

I think the hydrangeas are especially beautiful this time of year, and the sun only made them prettier this morning... 

The golf course across the road always gives us a show of beautiful leaves as well...

The leaves are late here this year...and we're enjoying them as long as we can.  It makes the fall more enjoyable, and at least makes me imagine that winter is still a long way off!

Linking to Rurality Blog Hop today.

Sunrise...

Sometimes it feels like we'll never see the sun again.  We've had blah weather ever since last weekend, before Sandy blew through.  A few glimpses of the sun here and there, but mostly a gray cloud cover...and  we might get a little sloppy snow later this week.

Yesterday morning however, we were treated to this gorgeous sunrise...

After a few minutes, the sun was again obscured by clouds, and I haven't seen it since.

But I know it's up there, and for that I am thankful!

Photo gallery from the past year...

It's that time of year...we're in our slow mode...and if I don't keep myself motivated, I can waste a lot of time! 

I'd like to think, though, that blogging is NOT a waste of time...so I've compiled a collection of pictures from the past year that I found interesting. 

 Some of them are directly related to farming, some of them are of family, and some of them are just beautiful scenery.  (Some may be repeats from earlier blog posts, but if you see them twice, you know I really like them!)

Enjoy!


2010 began with a bang!  In February we had two major snow storms a week apart, resulting in 40+ inches of snow...

Our neighbor's farm to the west always makes a great photo, no matter the weather...

Several years ago Jim bought a Honda 50 dirtbike like he rode when he was a kid.  Last winter he found a Honda 100, so now the kids each have a dirt bike to ride.  They use them for fun and for work...

Spring arrived, like always, and I was thrilled...

These particular chickens loved to sit on top of the fence around their pen...



Of course there was also work to do...my nephew from Chicago loved gathering eggs...



And Murphy blessed us with nine adorable puppies...but they wore her out!  They were born in June, during one of the hottest weeks of the year...



Our neighbor Joe came over every day to see them...

The laundry never ended...

Some beautiful scenes shot by Jenna...

And then of course there was some more work...baling round bales...Jim drove the tractor while the Amishman who owns the baler rode behind and operated the mechanism that released the bale into the field...

Fun...it doesn't take alot to be entertained...

We just can't seem to get away from those cows!   (photo by Jenna)

More "real" work...Eric unloading hay...



The east hay mow is almost full...



Jim's dad on his old (1950 something) Ferguson 30, just before he sold it...he used to use it for cleaning out pens...

After a dry summer, we had a LONG day of rain...over 8 inches of rain...(I forgot to empty the rain gauge before bed, so we aren't sure just how much we had, but it was a lot!)

We chopped corn the next day, and left no tracks in the field or mud on the driveway!  The ground was thirsty...

And there's our neighbors' farm again...taken out the west barn windows...



We found a little time to play...we spent an afternoon picnicking with friends at a park...

Fall work was upon us...combining corn, and loads of corn fodder waiting to be unloaded...

My dad repaired our cow trailer...he doesn't look 81, does he?!

This is where the dogs hang out while we're milking...right under our feet...

And this is where Slinky the cat hangs out...high above the dogs...

Self-service balage...or so they think!

Me and my next-oldest sister...Look behind us...I just can't get away from those cows!

And I couldn't let this one out.  We all gathered after Christmas to watch my brother in law start his old 1936 John Deere D that he, with some help from my Dad, restored.  It started up, he whooped and hollered, we cheered, and he's still grinning!  This one's for you, Marty!

And to round out the year, here's another picture of the sunrise on New Year's Day 2011...

Thanks for humoring me...do you have any favorites?

Happy New Year...

Early morning sunrise...the first of 2011...

To borrow (a variation of) a phrase from one of my favorite book characters, Anne of Green Gables..."Today is the start of a new year, with no mistakes in it!"

Happy New Year!

Thanks to all of you who faithfully read this blog...it's been fun writing and giving you a glimpse into our lives.  I welcome your comments!