Wordless Wednesday - Birthday Sharing

For more wordless photos go to Wordless Wednesday: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/


~Jessica~

A Vulture Story

What's this large bird in the middle of the road?



We sneak a little closer. I am excited by this time. I have been trying to photograph a Turkey Vulture for the last month since they have been more actively feeding. They aren't uncommon, just shy and hard to photograph without a telescopic lens. They are one of my favorite birds.



Darn! He or she flew off before I could get a clear photo. What snack did I interrupt? How about an adult and a juvenile Blue Racer. These snakes appear to have been hit by a car. Now they are a tasty meal, at least the vulture thinks so.



We sat waiting a ways down the road hoping the vulture would return to eat. It soared in circles around us.



At this point the vulture was circling wider and further away so we packed up and left the scene. Hopefully it was able to go back and finish its meal.



http://www.zoo.org/factsheets/turkey_vulture/vulture.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_Vulture

~Jessica~

Autumn is Here

Autumn has been slowly showing her face in Michigan. The nights are getting more and more cooler. Leaves are starting to color and fall to the ground. The smells are divine. Here are some photos that exemplify autumn.

Colored Leaves





Our Rhode Island Red pullet, Amber, is a very Autumnal red hue.



A bouquet of Autumn wild flowers and grass seed pods. Check out my crafty ribbon and leaf ring.





~Jessica~

P.S. I apologize if my blog changes randomly over the next few days. I am working on getting it decorated for the two October/Halloween events I am participating in.

Checker's Lays An Egg

Our little Plymouth Barred Rock pullet, Checkers, laid her first egg last week. Isn't it so adorable. In the photo, you can see how small it is compared to the adult hen eggs.



Her egg is in the middle. It is more of a deep brown color. The Buff Orpington lays the pink eggs and the Ameraucana lays the green eggs.

Here is a photo of Checkers to refresh your memories.



~Jessica~

Camera Critter Saturday

I had all these random photos of creepy crawlies, pets and other critters so I figured I would share them in a post. I found this blog called Camera Critters that does these types of blogs on Saturday. I love it when I am on the same wave length as others. So here are my critters.

A couple of photos of our adopted kitty, Mouser. She is such a good girl.



Sound asleep on the kids' bench.



This is one dirty duck!



A little ant on a milkweed leaf.



A grasshopper on the other side of the same milkweed plant.



A male mosquito hanging out on the side of the house.



Another Alabama photo, Harnessed Moth. It was definitely dead but still oh so pretty.



Close Up View



For more Critters go to Camera Critters: http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

~Jessica~

Blooming Friday

I know, I know. These photos were technically from last weekend and they are not where I live. They are more photos from Alabama. I probably will have a few more posts that have Alabama photos in them.

Beautiful crepe myrtle blooms.



We saw crepe myrtle everywhere but this particular specimen was at the hospital where my nephew was born.



I love the bark on these trees.



The next photos are all in my sister's father in law's yard. First we have this very bright azalea. I love the pinks in this bloom.



Penstemon blooms with pulmonaria in the background. There is also what looks like a baby oak tree coming up at the bottom.



Not really a bloom, but can you see the mistletoe mixed in with the rest of the leaves on this tree? I will give you a hint. It is the dark colored area.



~Jessica~

Faery Mushroom Ring

While staying with my sister's mother in law in Alabama, we found this mushroom ring in the yard. The boys were very curious about it and I told them that you never are supposed to step in faery rings as that is how you get stuck in their realm. Now some of you may poo poo me for telling my kids that but I still believe in faeries and I want my kids to hold onto that sense of magick too. But I digress. My hubby had to go and ruin it by explaining to them that when a tree dies, even after it is cut down, the roots still remain. Mushroom rings usually occur as the roots begin to rot, from the outside in. I countered his reason with, "How do you know that the faeries don't pick rotting tree roots to set up their rings because it is easier to grow them there"? With that he smiled at me with the look that said "I am going to go ahead and just let this one go because you are a silly woman after all" and then we went on our way.

Mushroom Faery Ring





Close up of mushrooms in ring (taken from the outside, of course)



One lone mushroom in the yard that was not part of the ring. Poor guy needs some friends.



~Jessica~

Wordless Wednesday - Oh My Ford!

For more wordless photos go to Wordless Wednesday: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/

~Jessica~

The Scenic Route

As most of you know we took a trip to Alabama to be there for the birth of my nephew. We decided to take a different way down south then what we normally take. I wouldn't say we got lost, as I am never really lost when I have a map. However we did not go the way we intended. In my family, this is referred to as "taking the scenic route". It was just that, very scenic. Here are some photos of the beautiful Indiana scenery.

Roann Covered Bridge over Eel River in Roann, IN
http://www.countyhistory.com/coveredbridge/wabash2.htm









Further down in Roann, IN is Stockdale Mill. It is a historic water powered flour mill. It sits on Eel River as well.
http://www.stockdalemill.org/



Sunset over Indiana farm fields.



Roses at a rest stop off the highway.





~Jessica~

Apollo

My nephew, Apollo, was born Saturday at 5:02 pm. After a 12 hour drive, we were able to make it to Alabama shortly before it was time to go to the hospital. I was able to be there with my sister for the whole labor and delivery. There were a few complications but both mother and baby are doing great. Apollo weighed 7 pounds and 15 ounces (3.6 kilograms).


My niece, Diana, waiting for baby brother to be born.


Welcome to the world little Apollo.


Here is Apollo on the scale.


Here he is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)


Aunt Jessica (me) and baby Apollo.

~Jessica~

Wordless Wednesday - Duck Reflections

~Jessica~

Future Garden Bed

Last week I was working on a massive weeding project. These are itch weeds that were well over 10 feet (3.048 meters) tall. In other words, HUGE! To add to the itch weed is a bunch of five leaf ivy growing in the Rose of Sharon trees. I got it into my head that I could clear all this out and put in a garden.



Oh look who is napping in the weeds. Can you find her? It is our semi adopted stray kitty, Mouser. She is slowly becoming part of our family.



Here you can see how much taller the weeds are than the neighbor's clothesline pest.



I found this little Woolly Bear caterpillar, which will eventually turn into an Isabella Tiger Moth. http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=BU0165 Common folklore says that the amount of black in the "wool" determines how long or sever winter will be. The link above says it is not so, that it has more to do with maturity. I personally think that they still are accurate. This bear tells me it is going to freeze early but we will have a a nice thaw. Then a brief freeze again before spring sets in. We'll see how my prediction works out.



Another treasure found while weeding was this jaw bone. I am not sure what it belongs to but I would lay odds on a opossum or raccoon. Its too large to be a mouse or mole. Maybe I will email a photo to the local nature center.





Looks like I finally managed to get some cleared out. I still have a bit more but a good chunk is cleaned up.



Full moon rising.



A warm fire for an evening of relaxing after the long day.



~Jessica~