The elusive hummingbird

I have been trying to get a decent pic of this little one for weeks. Our good friend Lorna loves them and I wanted to get her a good photo. This morning I was able to snap some and this is the best of that group. Still not what I want. I'll keep trying. Little stinker keeps flitting away. You definitely want to click on this to enlarge it.

Can a carrot be obscene?

I'm gonna say.... YES

put an xtra large egg in there so you could relate the size better

Here's where the expression "Beet red" comes from

Sun shower

These are just cool to me. Kinda like lightening in a snow storm. We just had a brief one this evening so I took a shot of it.

Nora under Lynn's login.

Weekend garden shots

 Not in the mood to write yet, but wanted to share some beautiful shots Nora took the other day:

Riot of color in the circle garden: heliopsis, echinacea, lupines, cosmos, and roses and phlox in the background

Charlotte rose -- a yellow David Austin rose; I love the multi-layered complexity of the petals

Dahlia "Fleural" 

Dahlia "Chocolate Karma" -- love the deep mahogany color of the flower and the stems

Helianthus Maximilianii  - "Perennial sunflower" -- love the flowers, but they grow on 8' stalks that are very gangly  and tend to fall over in the first heavy rain

Lily against the sky

More lilies - "Fenice"

Poppy - a "volunteer" who has sown itself in among the red day lilies

Red Daylily

Sad day at the farm

This morning we had to say goodbye to our beloved fiery red head Ruby. Over the last few days she was rejecting food. I brought her to the vet yesterday and found out her spleen was five times the normal size. The blood test results came in this morning and her liver numbers were off the chart. She also refused any food. Lynn and I knew what our duty was. Ruby was 12 years old and there really is no treatment that would provide any quality of life and her condition was worsening rapidly.

That's the thing about being a pet parent. You are faced with making the ultimate decision. One that is daunting as hell and one that no one is really fully prepared to make. We have been faced with this before and it never gets easier. We knew what needed to be done for her. The ultimate selfless act. So we did.

I will miss that spine piercing bark. That bitchy and demanding attitude that she exuded. I chose her from a litter of sweet puppies. I chose the one who wanted nothing to do with us. She was fiery, brazen, demanding, and a task master. But most of all she was our Rubes.

We miss you little one.

So Rubes

Snow lover

Marilyn for a day

A rare(very rare) sweet moment with a young Magnolia

About to scream at me to let her in. 

Coffee Cup et al

Meet one of the five bunnies recently born in our field. I have named him "Coffee Cup" cause that is about how big he is. Friggin cute little guy. He let me get within 15 feet.

And here's a new pic of my girls. What posers. They make me laugh every darn day.

And a visitor at the coop. Sneaky little one. I'm pretty sure you're not a chicken.Not judging, just observing.

Colorful cauliflower

Lynn harvested this the other day. Yes, a purple cauliflower. Cool looking huh? I think so. Last night I roasted it and served it up for dinner. Roasted cauliflower is delicious even for those that don't traditionally like that veggie. Here's what I did:

Preheat oven to 400
Cut up cauliflower into small pieces as you would if you were serving in a vegetable tray.
Put the following in a seal able gallon baggie (or bowl):
3 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
tbsp minced garlic
tsp black pepper

Add cut cauliflower and mix well in order to cover the vegetable with the mixture. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spread the cauliflower evenly on the tray. Cook for 25 minutes on 400. Turn the florets every 10 minutes to get an even roast. Sprinkle shredded parmesan on top and cook an additional 5 minutes. The result, fabulous! Enjoy.