A Fond Memory

One of my favorite memories from childhood is of my grandmother's drinking bird. It sat in the window, bobbing up and down 'drinking' water. It was absolutely mesmerizing.

I found my own drinking bird this past summer at the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, NC. Now it happily bobs up and down in my kitchen window and hopefully my son will remember ours as fondly as I remember my grandmother's.

What fun memory do you have from your childhood?

August Break #15

Aren't these the prettiest eggs you've ever seen?

And they are naturally colored that way!

I don't remember what breed of chicken laid these pretty eggs,

but they were some of the yummiest, prettiest eggs I've ever had.

You can't get any better than true cage free,
yard roaming, bug eating chickens to lay
the best organic eggs! 

Go organic. You'll be glad you did!

~~~~~
and speaking of food...

My mother had a cookbook that included some
really 'wild' recipes to say the least!

for example...


I think we all need to know how to cook raccoon, don't you?

And if you've ever wondered how to prepare that possum,
look no further....

Aren't these a hoot?

I guess way back when people needed to
know these kinds of things.
And for today's survivalists, these would come in handy!

August Break #14

Blue Dragonfly

I've missed a lot of days during this August Break due to coming back home from the mountains and then getting things ready for school to start. Now that it's back in session, hopefully I can do better about updating my blog with pictures from this summer (and jewelry too hopefully).

It was a great summer and we had a blast.

And we hated to leave...



...as always.

(more high country summer pics to come)

August Break #13

My Appalachia...

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

August Break #12

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

August Break #11

Creeks are a lot of fun in the summertime. :)

And they make great refrigerators too!

August Break #10

Crab spiders

August Break #9

Tigger, the indoor/outdoor cat.

He's always on the prowl.

When he's not on the prowl, he's sleeping. 

And he sleeps in my mom's lap almost every day.

Personally, I like him best when he's asleep.

August Break #8

I was very happy when I saw some honeybees on the wild clematis alongside my mother's driveway. 

I have noticed their decline over the past few years. 

Anything from disease to parasites, pesticides and genetically engineered crops could be contributing to their demise.

All I've seen for the longest time has mainly been bumble bees. I've also seen wasps, yellow jackets, tiny bees like hover flies, or  other flying insects, yet for quite some time I had not seen honeybees.

It was nice to see they have not totally been wiped out...yet.

They were a welcome sight to say the least. :)

August Break #7

Standing tall

August Break #6

Today's photos....

I just love macro photography. :)

August Break #5

today's photos....

tonight's moon, 8.9.11

Happy Summer!

August Break #4

female ruby throated hummingbird

I just adore these tiny birds.
They're among the most fascinating creatures on the planet.

My sister has dozens of hummingbirds at her feeders.

It's thrilling to sit on her porch and watch them buzz around, dive-bombing each other like kamikaze pilots.

 

Sometimes one will even become curious about you if you sit very still. It will fly around you to check you out for itself, flying so close you can feel the breeze created from its wings. That's always fun!

I always look forward to going to her house so I can sit and watch these magnificent creatures.

...and of course, take pictures.


I wish you could come sit on her porch too. It's amazing!