Saturday, September 17, 2011

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?

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

August Break #15


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

colorful cage free, organic, local eggs

And they are naturally colored that way!

Organic, cage free, locally grown eggs

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! 

organic, cage free 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...

Baked Coon recipe
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....
Wondering how to cook that possum?


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!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

August Break #14

Blue Dragonfly
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).

blue dragonfly on basket

It was a great summer and we had a blast.
fishing

Here's looking at you, kid!

And we hated to leave...

Blue Ridge Mountains as seen from Mt. Rogers in Virginia

...as always.

(more high country summer pics to come)

Friday, August 19, 2011

August Break #13


My Appalachia...

no need to pay

dinner with a view

the Phoenix

Phoenix Mountain

old farm

queen anne's lace

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

August Break #12


The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

eastern tiger swallowtail

eastern tiger swallowtail

eastern tiger swallowtail

eastern tiger swallowtail

eastern tiger swallowtail


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

August Break #11

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

crossing the creek

wading

skipping stones

wading

And they make great refrigerators too!

chilling

Sunday, August 14, 2011

August Break #10

Crab spiders

Crab spider 1

Crab spider 2

Crab spider 3

August Break #9

Tigger, the indoor/outdoor cat.

got my eye on you

He's always on the prowl.

stalker

When he's not on the prowl, he's sleeping. 
And he sleeps in my mom's lap almost every day.

sleepy kitty

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

Friday, August 12, 2011

August Break #8


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

honeybee

I have noticed their decline over the past few years. 

honeybee

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

honeybee

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.

honeybee

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

honeybee

honeybee

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


Thursday, August 11, 2011

August Break #7

Standing tall


purple coneflowers

purple coneflowers

August Break #6

Today's photos....

Wild Clematis (Clematis Vitalba)

Wild Clematis (Clematis Vitalba)

Wild Clematis (Clematis Vitalba)

bumble bee

sleeping granddaddy longlegs

green stink bug nymph

I just love macro photography. :)

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

August Break #5

today's photos....

bee on wildflower


8.9.11 moon
tonight's moon, 8.9.11

Happy Summer!

Monday, August 8, 2011

August Break #4

female ruby throated hummingbird
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!