so, who really needs a large rodent with big teeth to predict the weather?

he's usually wrong anyway, (and, isn't there always exactly six weeks of winter left every Feb.2nd?)

...and he's always cranky.

'course i'd be cranky too if'n some weirdo plucked me from hibernation an pulled me outta my nice warm burrow and then shoved me in front of spotlights and dozens of cameras with news reporters waving microphones in their hands.

down here on the farm we jus wait'll we see this.

no self-respectin' mesquite tree would dare bud out and catch itself in a freeze.

so, at least here, anyways...spring is sprung.

love,

d

seventeen....seems like only yesterday you were just a kid in a hot tub.

happy birthday, mojo

Lucy loves water, but, hates showers and the stream from a garden hose. she doesn't swim very well, either, and usually prefers to chase the aquatic life along the shore instead of venturing out into the deeper water.

on the other hand, lucy loves to jump in and out of the water troughs and various wading pools here on the farm. especially after our golf cart runs in the summer.

there's nothing better than a cooling dip. you'd be surprised at what she can fit into just trying to cool off.

she especially loves mud puddles, and there's nothing she likes better than a whole driveway full of fresh, choice, lovely mud puddles.

when it rains, she thinks the mud puddles were heaven sent, especially for her, and delights to no end in visiting each and every one, deriving more sheer pleasure from the next mud bath than the last.

you go girl!

this is the saddest and, unfortunately, the last picture i took of my brother-in -law...uncle possom, as he was known. it was taken this past 4th of july at our annual gathering of the tribes in old san patricio, down on the nueces river.

i noticed he was lost in his thoughts a lot that day and i wondered then, what was he thinking about?...apparently, he knew then that he had liver cancer.

it was something he hadn't shared with anyone, yet.

i think he knew that day that this would be the last time he would be together with all of us.

i wish i knew then.

please, if you have someone you love...tell them now! Today, don't wait!

rest in peace, brother possom.

we have these hackberry moths that hatch out every year. the other evening i noticed that they were gathering (actually they were mating) in the shadows on the barn wall.

i tried shooting them for a bit, but, they were too fast and too far up for me to zoom in, plus the light was fading. so, i gave up.

i didn't review any of them till today. i kinda like the shadows and if ya know what to look for you can count more than fifteen of the moths in this shot.

Lucy Blue

and

a bonus...

we've recently updated our outdoor shower. it went from a barrel on the side of the barn to this...! we still need to mount the rain barrel, but, for now, it's powered by a long hose wrapped around a spool that is set in the sunshine. we're hoping to be able to use it all year round, not just in the summer anymore!

this is my favorite time of year.

the crops are in, the fields are put to bed.

the rains return and the farm snuggles down to slumber through the coming changes of the seasons,

...resting, biding it's time before waking and bursting forth again in the spring to begin anew with the promise of hope and bounty.

i look forward to this time every year and i know it's here when i see this reminder.

you see, ...when i see this

i know these are not far behind.

the lights are on,

but...

no one's home

and,      ...are you my mommy?

Arrival

i don't know about a title, how about a caption?

i don't do a lot of b&w photos, but, i was recently inspired to try some.

it's harvest time here on the farm, and, except for the obvious year model of the tractor in these shots, a tractor (...or horse drawn plow?) has been working and harvesting crops on this farm since 1884.

so, that's why i chose to shoot these in black and white.

oh, and since i really prefer color, here's one i shot in vivid.