Mostly Murphy

Posted on by Katya

Ah yes, last evening, the lighting seemed “just right” and Murphy was looking so cute ( he *always* does to us, though) that I thought I would take a few photos of him.

You will notice the last photo was of him on the couch….he had decided he had enough of the photography. haha….I wasn’t done! So then he hopped down onto the floor and gave me “the look”.

That signaled the end of our photography session. I had another assignment, anyway. Michelle’s boyfriend bought her a Betta for her graduation and she wanted a photo of it.  Gads, it is kind of difficult getting a photo of a fish swimming in a bowl of water!

I wanted to get a couple more photos as the sun was getting nearer and nearer the western horizon. I had discovered a wild Dogwood tree down the driveway the other day.  We had one we found a few years ago, but it died and I was so disappointed.  I never knew we had another….the other day as I was walking down to the mailbox, I saw a flowering tree. I wandered over to have a look and found it was another Dogwood!

It is funny that the flowers are only on one branch. I think we might need to cut a few trees down nearby so it has a chance to grow.

While I was down in the woods, I remembered a tree that was blooming on our neighbors’ property.  It had the prettiest pink flowers!  So, I trudged up through the woods, looking. It seemed like I was going forever, when I finally found the tree I was looking for. It looks like a wild Cherry from the bark.  The blossoms are so pretty!

One last photo. This morning, I giggled as Murphy was eating.  Does your pup sit down to eat?  Murphy does this all the time. I never had a dog that did this before…he is so relaxed as he eats!

I Bring You Some Spring!

Posted on by Katya

(since it seems to have taken leave for the time being….)

Baby ducks and geese are a sure sign of spring!  I just love the little goslings.  It is interesting to watch them with their parents. I love how the parents use “sign language” to direct the little ones where they want them to go.  And it is cool how the little ones obey!

Of course, how could I have a blog entry without Mr. Murphy?  He is becoming more and more of a ham….reminds me so much of Angus, although he really is an entirely different personality!

And the Lilacs! Ah, they are so awesome.  I love it that I can sit on the front porch on the swing and actually smell the Lilacs gently wafting their fragrance upwards….

And I will end with this sweet little Robin.  We were in Rochester and the little bird serenaded us while we were stopped for a long red light!

It seems ironic that the beginning of May was warm and it seemed there were endless sunny days.  The weather became suddenly very wet, then it cooled off.  I will never complain about the rain as the earth did seem to be getting quite dry.  The best news, though, is that I spotted a tiny male Hummingbird at the feeder yesterday and today. Definitely a sign of spring!

Yawn….

Posted on by Katya

Yes, I am ready to call it a night. So tired!  Today’s heat really got to me.

This morning, Ben and I were playing with Murphy a bit. He is such a funny little Scottie! Here are some photos I took of him today.

He was so hard to photograph because he kept coming over to me.  (yes, he loves his mummy!)

So, why was Murphy in this funny, awkward looking position?

Because……he was about to do this!

Yes, Murphy was getting a bit of air!  He was about a foot or more off the ground!  I was so glad I was able to capture the moment.

Just think….our little Murphy is a Superhero!

So Long, April!

Posted on by Katya

One of the things I like about blogging is that I can look back on previous years and reminisce! No, I don’t get teary-eyed and long for the “good old days”, but I like to see the weather, the flowers, the birds, and the animals.  It is fun to see what I was photographing a year or so ago.

This April has been a fairly chilly one.  A few weeks ago, I heard on the radio that the average temperature for that particular time was about 53 degrees and we were somewhat “stuck” in the 30′s.  Today, I looked at a forecast that predicts temperatures much warmer….in the 70′s for a few days.

While everything has been cooler than “normal”, (does anyone have any idea what *that* means?) I have enjoyed a beautiful display of springtime flowers.  The Crocuses arrived, then faded.  Then came the Daffodils.  Right alongside the Daffodils, the Hyacinths bloomed!  I haven’t had that happen before. It was pretty seeing all the yellows and purples.  And I even got a surprise in the form of a sixth Hyacinth plant when I only planted five.  I wonder if the “gardeners”, ie, chipmunks and squirrels, somehow managed to eke that sixth plant for me?

Now the garden is beginning to come to life.  I see many, many Calendula plants beginning, along with Columbines.  The Black-Eyed Susan’s are also poking their heads above the soil.

Even with all this activity going on in the garden, the landscape here remains a palette of browns and grays. The trees are just beginning to bud and if the weather forecast is correct, we should bee seeing some green soon!  In the meantime, those bare limbs are providing nice perches for a variety of colorful birds.

A pair of finches…House Finch and Goldfinch.  They are so pretty and their cheerful songs and delightful chirps could brighten even the grayest of days.

If you look very closely at this photo, you can make out the Red-Bellied Woodpecker hanging onto the side of the tree above this little House Finch.

And speaking of Red-Bellies, this little female sat in the tree for some time, thinking about swooping down to the feeder for a sunflower seed.

This afternoon, I had a thought.  What if I placed some sunflower seeds on the railing of the back deck?  Well, they blew off…it has been a windy April!  So, I placed the seeds in the cap of a jar and weighted it down with a stone. I put in some seeds and within minutes, a little Chickadee arrived!

I think he or she was thanking me before flying off with a seed clenched firmly in mouth!

This morning, it was fairly cool outside, but I sat out anyway, relaxing to the birdsong.  The Finches were totally exquisite and in the distance, I could hear a Robin,  a Phoebe, a Cardinal, and a Pileated Woodpecker. I must say, the woodpecker’s “squawking” isn’t totally enjoyable, but it only added to the chorus much like the little old tone-deaf lady in the choir who sings off-key; a little upsetting, but grace covers all!  And, to even more delight, as I watched, a doe and her youngsters from last year appeared, grazing on the fresh grasses in the woods.  A totally idyllic morning, or at least a few stolen minutes!

How Quickly Time Flies

Posted on by Katya

This post was actually written yesterday, April 27, but I was having trouble posting it with my phone due to poor reception!

This is Michelle sporting her medallion she received at the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars event…she looks like she owns the world, doesn’t she?

Today she picked up her cap and gown for graduation.

This picture isn’t the greatest, but in the bag is her cap and gown along with honors cords and the tassel. She is most excited about the tassel which she wants to hang on the rear view mirror!

All I know is, it seems just a short time ago,  I sat down at the kitchen table and began teaching a little girl to read and write, and facts about math.  I watched as that little girl gracefully ingesting required information and then moving right along. By the time she was fifteen, she had finished all the required classes.  She had conquered language arts, history, science, and  Bible…and had even accomplished subjects that made my knees buckle, like physics and pre-calculus. It seemed that hurdles placed in her way were merely there as a challenge to hop on over, whereas in my own mind, they proved insurmountable mountains.

It was such a short journey, but I am so glad we took this route. I now look at a confident young woman who looks ahead to the future!

How About Some Random Photos?

Posted on by Katya

Life has been busy lately.  It seems like there is always something or other going on and it distracts me!

Mark has been involved with music and getting together with a group of people to play and sing.  Everyone came over on Tuesday evening and I had made cookies and brownies for a snack.  The brownies were a real hit.  I got the recipe from a Land o’ Lakes pamphlet and they are basically just a brownie recipe with chunks of peanut butter cups placed on top after they are removed from the oven. The peanut butter cups kind of get a bit melty and they are so good.  Oh, and the recipe also added some semi-sweet chocolate chips into the brownie mix before baking, too.  That gives them a bit of a “crunch”!

Ben and Michelle worked on finishing up the basement before everyone came.  They had bought some curtains to hang on the windows and although the windows aren’t trimmed out, it really made the basement look pretty nice.  Now if I can convince the kids to paint just the floor on the other side, I would be a happy camper!

Here are some photos I have taken recently…


Yes, last Saturday while Michelle attended a seminar at RIT, I actually went to the Rochester Museum and Science Center.  I have decided there are places in the city that I should see.  It was quite interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit regarding Native Americans. There was so much to see there and I found it to be the best part of the museum. Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photos at all.

I did get one crummy photo of a Mastodon.

And also one overlooking the Herb Garden, as viewed from one of the windows.

The museum was a nice place to visit. I really enjoyed it, but truth be told, I think the Children’s Museum of Play was more fun, as I could watch people there.  It was fun watching the adults playing like kids and the butterfly garden was a real treat! I keep thinking I would like to visit the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, Ontario, again. That exhibit is huge and one doesn’t have a set time limit while visiting.

Let’s see…..what else? Wow, I haven’t been taking many photos recently. Life has been so busy with doing other stuff. I am so anxious to get out the kayaks again. I read yesterday that the optimal time to go kayaking is when the water temperature plus the air temperature added together equal 120 degrees. (F)  That would mean if the water temperature was 50, the air would have to be 70.  It has been so crazy this month; the weather goes from warm to chilly to warm in one fell swoop.  I don’t mind the chilly, but a lot of people are complaining….they want warmer spring temps!

Well, I *thought* I had more photos to show, but it seems they must be on the cell phone. So…okay, cell phone connected!

It is so much fun taking photos with the cell. I actually use it a lot because I think I have six or eight different camera aps loaded on the phone. I can take panoramas, high definition, and even silly fish eyes like the photo above!  It is so cool to be able to take a photo and instantly view, edit, and send it!

Yes, since the Hyacinths turned out so pretty, I had to give the Daffodils equal opportunity to be photographed “fish eye” style!  This is the first year I have ever had flowers all blooming at the same time!  As soon as the Crocuses faded, the Daffodils and Hyacinths began blooming!  The Hyacinths seem to be getting attacked by something as I am finding bits of the flowers around the garden bed.

While the music group was practicing Tuesday night, I went down where I have some Daffodils in the little woods in front of the house. I had fun playing around with different settings and cameras. It was just so nice to be outside! It was chilly, but enjoyable!

Over on County Road 36, I saw something so funny the other morning. There is a private ski club there and much to my surprise, there were all sorts of animals grazing there! Sheep, horses, and geese could be seen on the hills. The scene looked so serene but very curious, indeed! I never ventured down that road during the winter, so I have no idea if it isn’t used anymore!  How funny, though; Old McDonald’s farm grazing the ski slopes!

Well, this has been pretty random and I think I shall end now.  This little exercise has made me realize I really do need to get all of my photos not only in one place, but also organized. I have been talking about doing this for ages, but I have no idea where to begin! Ah yes, another project!

 

 

Wild Windy Weather!

Posted on by Katya

After the Dancing Wings on Wednesday, it was the Wild Winds on Thursday!

We went out for a Chinese buffet simply because it was a beautiful day and why spend a beautiful day inside?

After eating, we decided we would walk off some of the overstuffed feeling by taking a walk at the Seneca Lake State Park.  It is kind of a tradition for us. Eat. Walk. Enjoy.

We arrived at the park and decided to take the road near the lake….

We *knew it was a little windy, but….

Well, now that the passenger side of the car has been power washed, let’s do the driver’s side!

These photos were all taken near the breakwall and it was vicious! The funniest part of all of this is that our particular area had no high wind warnings at all.  I had a couple of alerts come up on my cell phone, as I have various places we often visit set to alert me of any crazy weather.  When I got home, the weather info set to my area said the wind was gusting up to forty-three miles per hour.  I think it might have even been more by the lake!

And here is a nameless soul…..(notice the trees in the background)

And last, but not least, there were three men out playing in the water!  Boy, you should have seen them flying!!!!

The temperature reached into the lower 70′s, so it was mild, but the wind?  Phew………………….

 

Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden

Posted on by Katya

Yesterday, I did something I have wanted to do ever since I heard about it. What is it?  I visited the Strong Children’s Museum of Play!

This museum is kind of a one of a kind.  It is home to the idea that creativity stems from and often is born of, play.  The museum includes all kinds of things one might expect from such an exhibit (such as collections and historical finds) and one thing I found a bit unexpected! If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you will see that I am an amateur photobug that loves shooting nature.  When I discover something so wonderful as a butterfly “collection”, I am off!

It costs a bit extra to get into the butterfly garden, but in my own opinion, it was well worth it.  The big downside to the museum is that one is allotted one twenty minute visit to the butterfly garden.  This just was simply not enough time to see (and especially photograph) all I would want.  To complicate matters, I was carrying my camera and lenses…about twenty pounds I think, and it made it a bit more awkward.  Add to this the fact that one must tread lightly…caution must be taken to not only avoid stepping upon any butterflies resting on the path, but also tiny Button Quails.  Yes, there were oodles and oodles of these little birds hiding under lush greenery as well as meandering along the pathway! I am certainly not complaining; the experience was so awesome, making me think this was very much like the Garden of Eden. (well, except for the intense heat and humidity!!)

I won’t say anything more. Oh, except that there was also a caged Toucan which you will see amongst the butterflies.  Please enjoy!  I sure did!!!