Tuesday Triumph - saying goodbye to 2019

She making her rounds in December:

Hoping to see more of her in 2020

Weekend wildflowers to end 2019

Right now, I think we need to brighten up the place.

“If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for a moment.” ― Georgia O'Keefe

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” ― Gérard de Nerval

Happy Christmas

From the Stranded Tree Farm

One of our black hills spruce

May you and yours receive the hope and blessings at this time of year and into the next.

Tuesday Triumph - Christmas Eve

At least she's not hitched to a sleigh:

Tuesday Triumph - in the snow

Scratching through the snow to reach the grass underneath. The few inches of snow would make it difficult for any herbivore, of course, but this doe is making it so far.

Friday is buck day, Rumps

Shot from behind, one in the clear and the other in the mist. Both ignoring the camera and much more interested in the unseen.

Tuesday Triumph - Alone on Thanksgiving

While most of the locals were feasting and with family, our Triumph was by herself, roaming around the farm:

She is still coming by the place and has avoided hunters if she wanders off. I'm not sure if she is avoiding the bucks in the rut season that has started. We shall see.

Friday is buck day - a few for the weekend

Here's a few pictures out to those interested.

Tuesday Triumph - November friends

Triumph is still visiting and made it through the first shotgun season. She has a friend this time around:

Tuesday Triumph, November visits

Triumph is taking her time during her recent visit and decided to hang around for a while. Here are a couple more pictures:

Hopefully we will have a winter without deep snows as I imagine that she would struggle. We have some open fences between the neighbors and it would make it easy to walk around.

With hunters to the west, we also hope they leave her be. She would be a slower target than others.

Friday is buck day, winter bucks

A couple of bucks around the farm.

Friday flowers, to enjoy and share

Enjoy and share if you wish

Tuesday Triumph - She returns

Taken last week, it looks like her wound has healed very well on her shoulder. It may be that she returned during hunting season that started and no one has permission to hunt on our property this year. For the time being we are her sanctuary.

We welcome her back and hope for a few more pictures.

Flowers on Friday, Yellows

Not sure what the first yellow flower is but the bottom is an iris that we planted from a neighbor's stock.

It will take more than flowers to brighten up my upcoming week, however, I hope it will brighten up yours instead. May all my readers have a bright and enlightened weekend.

That'll leave a scar

It was bound to happen... my first semi-serious injury on the farm.

I stepped back and tripped myself in a clumsy display worthy of internet fame. Luckily for me, it didn't occur in front of one of the trail cameras. I landed on a wire cage, tearing pants and skin on the leg.

I've broken skin on the farm before, but this one is a bit more. It was described as an "ugly gash" although I continued to work, only because I'm so far behind for the year.

Needless to say, the leg is tender and bruised (along with my ego).

Friday is buck day, deer season

It's been awhile since posting a buck picture. Here's two of one of our residents:

Friday flowers if for just a day (or two)

A bit of melancholia is knocking and attempting to settle in. I know why but it must be the way it is sometimes.

If I share a couple of flowers with my readers, maybe the melancholy won't spread to any of you.
I don't know the names of these two and yes, I should take the time to find out. I will someday.

“The earth laughs in flowers.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in--what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

“Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” ― Georgia O'Keeffe

“One by one she slew her fears, and then planted a flower garden over their graves.” ― John Mark Green

I hope your day is brighter today and that your weekend that follows will be even better, if for only a short time.

Have a happy day before the weekend

I hope you all have a happy day today, so I offer up a couple of flowers for today and the weekend. Again these are from a group of wildflowers from outside the cabin. Not sure of the names, I'll figure it out someday. In the mean time, we could just admire them.

First snow of the season

First snow on the red maple. As you can see, not all of the leaves have fallen.

Cat and mouse

It seems that the neighbor's cat has been successful this past week.

 

The mice, on the other hand, did not have a very good week.

I hope it has many more successful hunts on the property. Mice have a tendency to chew on the wiring on the tractors and build enormous nests on the engine manifold or pack in half a bale of straw between the grill and radiator.

Maybe next time, they will bring a few friends.

Life on hold, recovery time

As we are hoping for a speedy recover in our son's recent surgery, I neglected to give him flowers.

Instead, here's a couple of wildflowers from the farm that I'll share with my readers in hopes of brightening up their day and weekend.

(Not sure on the names for these guys - maybe for another day)

Life on hold

Another surgery, another waiting room but waiting is not in my nature.
We've been down this road before and they're now starting on the road to recovery.
Bah, we all want these roads a little less traveled. 

Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end. -  Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart 

He's one of the toughest I know.

Flowers for the weekend

The harshest winters bring forth the most beautiful flowers.

No matter the troubles that one is going through, keep in mind the beauty that will come out from the other side.

Here are a couple of flowers that I hope will brighten up your weekend.

Red on the hill

Among our prized trees that we planted during 2013 was this red maple that we picked up from one of the big box stores. October is when it turns colors, although this year is a little late.

From 2014

With its deep red leaves to contrast the greens of the valley and drab browns of the grasses on the hill, this tree can be seen from nearly everywhere one can stand on the acreage (provided the walnut trees have lost their leaves.)

Seeing red on the hill is encouraging as it has survived summers of beetle infestations and 20 to 30 below winters. The droughts of 4 of 6 summers didn't help either.

This tree is a survivor.

Picture from this year as it begins to turn colors.

When doubt creeps in, I look at the top of the hill and I can renew my thoughts that we are doing the right thing. This will give us seeds in a few years and help supply our next plantings. A single renewable resource that has the potential of tens of thousands of additional trees.

About 10 yards up the hill is The Stranded Tree and I will celebrate when branches from these two trees will meet. (If I am still alive, of course.)

Tree quotes

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett

"A man doesn't plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity." - Alexander Smith

“Remember that it is not the number nor the length of its branches, but the depth and health of its roots that is the strength of a tree.” - Gustave Thibon

"Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

During bouts of doubt and discouragement, I fall back on better men and women who expressed themselves in words. Words that sometimes escapes me and take solace in their wisdom.

Tis the season

Hunting season, that is. Pheasant and deer seasons are beginning soon and it's time to wear appropriate colors:

I'm not hunting today but I don't want to have a near-sighted hunter mistake me for a deer cutting the grass. Blaze orange is in this time of year.

Friday is buck day, October buck

It may not have a large rack, but it makes up for it with a large neck and shoulders. This is a pretty good sized buck.

Morning Lament

This morning brought rain (again) as storm clouds stretched from west to east. But the sun breached the gap between earth's horizon and darkened rain-swelled clouds illuminating the valley in golden light.

The light of the eastern sun reflected orange to pink sky and from pink to grey in the clouds, continuing on darker across the sky until almost black in the west.

It was a colorful morning. But the color did not last long as the sun began to slip behind the clouds. A hard rain obscured its final minutes as the clouds finally covered its light. The rain fell harder as the rays were extinguished and muted for the day.

As the light faded I filled with regret as I reminded myself of missed sunrises and sunsets, of missed opportunities in nature or in our lives. But I realized that I nearly missed the moment of today's sunrise. I was filling my head with thoughts of the past and not of the present.

Luckily, I kicked myself in my mind and started to appreciate where I was. Ignoring the rain, I watched as the last sunbeams faded from sight behind the clouds and hoped for more sunrises to come.

Predator and prey

Since there are no Acme company crates, this coyote is on his/her own.

I don't think it caught the deer this time.

Hummingbirds and rainbows

With the heavy subjects in my most recent posts, it's time for something on the lighter side (pun intended.)

After the storms over the past week, the rainbows are a welcome sight. The top picture has a faint rainbow to the left of one in the middle. It runs through the smudge on the windshield.

With fall here, there is an abundance of hummingbirds filling up before their migration. This one is taking a break but the deep buzz of its wings soon filled the air.

I hope this brightens up your day, if for just a little while.