Bloggers Community Photo Challenge: Greeting Cards

This is my entry in the Bloggers Community Photo Challenge.  I missed the last challenge by a day or two..I will try to participate again!  Happy New Year ! :)

Macro Monday: Ornament

This is probably one of my oldest ornaments.  I have had it about 25 years..I need to research it to find out exactly when they were made.  I believe it is part of a twelve piece set that was often given to newlyweds..but I am not sure.   I think..and I use the word think loosely here that it is a fish.  Check out more macros at Sunday Stills Macro Monday:)  

Sunday Stills: Odds and Ends

The Sunday Stills Challenge this week was odds and ends.. I chose some odds and ends of my old ornament collection.. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas..on to the New Year! :)

Sunday Stills: Holiday Lights and Decorations

This was a tough challenge for me..not so much the taking of the photos..but choosing the best one!   I do like to photograph Christmas ornaments, the lighting is so important it really sets the mood.  Merry Christmas everyone!  Check out more Holiday Lights and Decorations at Sunday Stills:)

Macro Monday : Poinsettia

There are about one hundred different varieties of Poinsettia, red is still the most popular.   The flowers are actually the tiny clusters in the center, the most colorful part of any poinsettia is it's bracts.  I heard a story a long time ago..that the Poinsettia was a "Ho Hum" kind of plant until Johnny Carsons set designers lined some up along the stage..once everyone saw the plant..they all wanted one.  Check out more macros at Sunday Stills:)

  

Sunday Stills : Technology

The Sunday Stills Challenge this week was Technology.  What did Ed mean??   High tech, low tech..well here is my take on  tech.

A Wagon Wheel..without the wheel your life would be pretty  miserable.  This photo was taken in August of 2009:)

Macro Monday: Green Ornament

I  took this last Friday night at my cousins..we don't have our tree up yet. One of these days I might get into a Christmas mood.   Check out more Macros at Sunday Stills:)

Sunday Stills: Pets

This is a photo of our Border Collie Chance, I took this photo back in November.  Chance is five years old!  The day after Christmas will mark five years since he came to live with  us.  He is ball driven and will herd the ball endlessly if only someone will throw it for him.  He loves all children, he is a very spoiled dog.  He goes everywhere with us, the only time we leave him at home is when it is too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer to be in the vehicle.  He is very intelligent and understands many words. We have been to obedience classes..he can heal off lead..and will do a ten minute stay..I should work with him more..anything is possible with this dog..It is a real pleasure for us to be a part of his family!  Check out more pets over at Sunday Stills:)    

Macro Monday: Indian Corn

Indian Corn..is is edible but it is mainly used for decorations in the Autumn of the year.  It is a variety of flint corn that is very hard..kinda like popcorn, but Indian  Corn can be ground into flour.  Check out more macros at Sunday Stills Macro Monday :)

Sunday Stills: T

The Sunday Stills Challenge this week was things that start with T.  I chose a place..Tamarac Lake.  We visited there recently.. it is on Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge.  Ya, Border Collies are pretty smart..I do believe that Chance can read!

A tree on Tamarac Lake..it was late in the day..sometimes you just have to work with what presents itself:)

Macro Monday: Rudbeckia

We have had some very frosty mornings..this is Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer'  all dressed up in frost.  Check out more macros at Sunday Stills Macro Monday!  Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Sunday Stills: Horses

This is "Sandy", she is a stable/pasture mate of "M".

This is "M" she is a Akhal-Teke.  Photo taken August 17, 2008.

I enjoy horses, we had horses when our daughters were teenagers. Only one was a "horse nut".  I enjoy watching horses, I used to ride a long time ago. Chance and I sometimes go up the road a piece and just watch the neighbors horses.  One day..

They all lined up..just for us!  It was an amazing experience. I had to take two photos to capture them all.

There they were all fourteen of them all lined up.  I took these photos on October 07, 2009

I took this photo in November for my granddaughter..she lives, eats and breathes horses..but doesn't have one of her own yet.  This is the one that she would buy if she had enough money, if she had a barn and a pasture, if she could afford hay and feed..she is just eleven.  Maybe someday her dream will come true. In the meantime, I encourage her to read and learn all about horses.  Check out more Horse flesh at Sunday Stills..now there are some real horse people in that group of Photographers so the photos should knock your socks off.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!:)  

Wednesday Words: Run!

Run!  Run for your life!  Check out more Wednesday Words at Muddy Boot Dreams:)

Macro Monday: Dead Brown Ferns

Nothing like a photo of dead brown ferns to start the week off on the right foot.  Check out more Macros at Sunday Stills:)

Sunday Stills : Fin, Feathers and Fur

The Sunday Stills Challenge this week had me thinking a little.  The Fur and the Feathers were no problem..but the Fins?  I finally found some..great challenge ED!

This fish advertised as "The World's Largest Northern"  was found in Erskine, Minnesota on Friday.

Certainly these Trumpeter Swans have feathers,  we saw them on Wednesday on a little side trip through a Wildlife Refuge.

This is one of our furry Grandkittys..this is Chaucer..he belongs to our daughter who teaches English.  I am sure you all were expecting a photograph of Chance..I took this one on Friday just to prove I am an equal opportunity photographer:)

Wednesday Words: Traveling Wall

Patriotism is easy to understand in America - it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.  ~Calvin Coolidge

The Vietnam Traveling Wall visited our area last summer.  58, 260 names are on this 80% replica of The Vietnam Memorial.   I hope someday to visit the real one, it must be very impressive.  Thank you seems like so little to say, yet it means so much to our Veterans.   More Wednesday Words can be found at Muddy Boot Dreams:) 

Macro Monday: Frozen Crabapples

I took this photograph yesterday, at my oldest daughters house.  Her crabapple tree is full of fruit in various frozen, decaying, fermenting stages.  Check out more macros at Sunday Stills:)

Wednesday Words: Shades of Brown

Shades of Brown

"The gloomy months of November, when the people of England hang and drown themselves."-   Joseph Addison 

This quote made me laugh today..I am sure glad to have dreary, drab, no sunshine October behind me.  I hope November is better!  It already looks more promising..the sun is shining today!  This photo was taken in October.. when everything turned different shades of brown.  Check out more Wednesday Words at Muddy Boot Dreams:)

Sunday Stills : Halloween

TRICK                                            October 30, 2009

OR

TREAT ?                                 October 31, 2009

Chance was pretty bored with me, he knew that he wasn't getting any of that chocolate.  We had only five little Trick or Treaters.. it snowed.  Check out more Halloween Scenes at Sunday Stills:)

Wednesday Words: Smile

Ha! An archived photo today, from last Summer.  I needed a bloom that wasn't brown, or frozen or had frost on it.  Thanks Muddy Boot Dreams for Wednesday Words:)

Macro Monday: Frosty Rudbeckia

I took this one frosty morning, last Friday I believe.   If you click on the photo..you can really enjoy the frost up close and personal. This flower head is a  Black-eyed Susan or Rudbeckia  Check out more Macros at Sunday Stills Macro Mondays:)

Sunday Stills: Landscapes ( Fall Foliage)

The Tamarack or Larix laricina are peak this week here in Minnesota.  They are a deciduous evergreen.  They like the northern climate.  Their needles turn gold and fall off, so they look dead all winter, but next spring they will turn green again with a whole new set of needles.  Check out more Fall Landscapes at Sunday Stills:)

Wednesday Words : Fall Color

I love the green of the Alfalfa fields in the Fall.   A feast for your eyes.  I took this photo on October 05, 2009.  Thanks to Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams for Wednesday Words:)

Macro Monday : Milkweed

The Milkweed pods are opening..the seeds are heading on out!  Check out more Macros at Sunday Stills,  It has been so cold and rainy here it is a struggle to get out and photograph..but I will try to get out more this week. Last weeks macro pickins really sucked..and I refuse to go to the archives yet: :)

Sunday Stills : C is for..

Chance!  Our Border Collie..he is cute, curious, and sometimes cuddly, especially if you have cookies!

C is also for a Chipmunk that I captured with my camera.  Check out more "C's" at Sunday Stills.  Both of these photos were taken on Monday, October 12, 2009 at Duluth, Minnesota.    In the bottom photo you may notice white spots..that would be cold SNOW:)  

Wednesday Words: Long Walks

This was taken last week, before it snowed!  All our snow has now melted!! It looks like Fall again instead of Winter.  I would like to tell Winter to take a hike!  Thanks Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams for hosting Wednesday Words:)

Macro Monday: Goat's Beard

This is Tragopogon dubius  or Goat's Beard, or Johnny -go-to-bed-at-noon.   This wildflower only opens on sunny mornings and closes by noon.  What we have here is a seed head, ready to disperse and an old seed head devoid of seeds.  Thanks Ed for hosting Sunday Stills Macro Monday:)

Sunday Stills : Photoshop

OK, this is something I am not very familiar with..this is my original photo.

This is the photoshop version of colored pencil. OK..I might use it sometime..

Alrighty then, this is something I have always wanted to learn how to do, and THANKS! to Nivin at My Winks on Life 'n' light Reflections and his instructions I finally did it! I managed a layer, my very first!! I have a very old edition of Photoshop Elements 2, so not everything is exactly like Nivin explains it..but close enough for me to finally figure it out! Check out Sunday Stills for more Photoshop experiences ! Nivin you are a doll, I hope you continue to have more tutorials! :)

Wednesday Words : Fall

Fall is not my favorite season..but it is way better than winter! So Happy Fall Y'all!!

Check out more Wednesday Words at Muddy Boot Dreams :)

Sunday Stills : Happiness is ...

A warm summer evening at sunset, in the company of my wonderful husband and his dog, Chance. Check out more happiness at Sunday Stills:)

Wednesday Words : Grapes

"The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do." Galileo

Far Guy grows grapes, for the birds and the rabbits and just because he can! Thanks Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams for Wednesday Words:)

Macro Monday: Caught

Ha! Not a flower! I found these seeds caught on a spiderweb last week. I believe they are weed seeds..whatever..they were worthy of a photo! Check out other Macros at Sunday Stills Macro Monday:)

Sunday Stills : Signs of Fall

The Sunday Stills Challenge this week was Signs of Fall. Minnesota is enjoying a very warm September, but some color is emerging. We are nowhere near peak color.

A local lake with some vines that have turned color.

Oak leaves along our driveway.

A pond just down the road, the Maple leaves are changing colors slowly. I hope everyone else is having a colorful warm fall in their neck of the woods:)

Wednesday Words:Trees

Trees..are earths endless effort to speak to the listening heaven. I like trees, I find them very photogenic and I take many photographs of them. Someday someone will say, why in the world did she take so many photos of trees? Then they will probably laugh and say "She was a strange old woman..who knows?" Thanks Jen! at Muddy Boot Dreams for Wednesday Words:)

Macro Monday: Hollyhock

My Mother grows really pretty Hollyhocks, I have never had much luck with them here in the woods. Hollyhocks are what I call "Old Fashioned " flowers..check out more macros at Sunday Stills Macro Monday:)

Sunday Stills: Purple

This weeks Sunday Stills Challenge was purple, the color of royalty.
These are Clematis that were at my Mothers last July.
This is my best purple shot this week. This is a relatively unknown and underused plant. It's common name is Painted Sage. It is Salvia horminium "Claryssa'. It really does not have a bloom, but very colorful bracts:)