Monthly Archive for February, 2008

Amusing myself

Published on February 27, 2008 in Front Porch Musings, Montana and Nature. 1 Comment

Funny how one thing leads to another… It is always fun to find out that someone new has found “From the front porch” and even more fun when it is someone who doesn’t know me. Yesterday I received a comment from a Jill Shalvis so off I went following her website link to see what she wrote about.

Turns out she writes about quite a lot! She is a best selling suspense-romance author as well as a fellow blogger. A visit to Amazon.com is in the works for me but as I perused her blog, I came across an entry titled How to amuse yourself. You should take a look at her entry as then this entry of mine will make a bit more sense. Plus, her entry is funny and we all need to laugh!

I’m not giving it all away, you need to click on the link and go look. Her “How to amuse yourself” entry reminded me of these photos – I took them last year on the property adjacent to mine in Montana. I had such fun looking at them again, I decided to share and everyone can laugh at me!

I had my “new at the time” camera that had a snazzy timer allowing me to set it on a tripod and have it take multiple shots at preset intervals. This entailed a lot of back and forthing on the snowshoes to get focus and background “right”. I wanted the mountains as the background so I had to put the camera some distance from where I needed to be in order to get them in the photo.

Snowshoe Fall

Off I go!

Snowshoe Fall

Oops!

Snowshoe Fall

At least I’m laughing!

A couple nights later, the full moon called me out to almost the same spot.

Karl

Karl, waited patiently while I fooled with the camera and settings…

Moon

A beautiful night with the moon, the mountains and my good dog – captured for remembering.

Spring has sprung? – in February???

Published on February 26, 2008 in Nature, Weather and Winter 2008 FL. Closed

ORS friend Carole, who lives in Texas – east-southeast of Dallas – emailed me that she had daffodils up and was planting pansies next week and commented “Spring has sprung!”

It took me unawares…it is still February!!! However, here in north Florida, the azaleas are blooming and the camellia are leafing out and OMG!!! – it looks and feels springlike!

Azalea Bloom

hmmm…maybe it is “spring”? It was 75 yesterday, although the forecast today is for wind, and thunderstorms and then a cold front and freezing temps the next 2 nights before it returns to the 70’s.

And I thought Montana weather was fickle….

a balmy morning

Published on February 17, 2008 in Front Porch Musings and Winter 2008 FL. Closed

I finally made it to the front porch for my early morning musing-writing. It warmed up yesterday and today supposed to get to mid-70’s before a squall line comes through with a cold front behind.

Although I dislike the warm-muggy weather that precedes the cold fronts, it is like life…without a few bumps in the road, without a few valleys, without the storm clouds…we couldn’t fully appreciate smooth road, the mountain top, the sunny day.

So, I sit here on this balmy morning that I know will turn into a warm and humid morning and enjoy the uncomfortableness. Dirty gray clouds are scudding across the sky – very low and very thin – so thin that white clouds and blue sky are visible beyond. Occasionally the wind whips up and covers up the normal sounds of the morning birds, frogs and roosters crowing – yes, there are 3 or 4 roosters in the vicinity and they get up earlier than I do! After the noisy gust, it gets very quiet and still. Karl is laying on the lawn in front of the front porch – not sleeping – watching, listening, sniffing the air in the wind. It is Sunday morning so none of the go to work, go to school activity on the road.

Karl in the yard

Clouds

Just Clouds

Oh jeez – Sunday morning!!! MAJOR breakfast day! …oh, I cook breakfast every morning…the most important meal of the day, ya’ know. And since I work from home and the man is retired we have a leisurely breakfast every morning. No matter, something still special about Sunday morning breakfast – so time to get in the kitchen and get to it!

It is full light now anyway and magical changing of night to day – black, white and gray to full color – it’s done for the morning. And just like breakfast which happens every day, I never get tired of watching the change of light in the morning – a million, zillion nuances of light, color, clouds and sounds.

“This is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it”. Psalms 118:24

Kiffor – a good dog.

Published on February 2, 2008 in Pets. Closed

My folks’ dog Kiffor died this morning. He had been ill for several weeks and the latest was a biopsy for lymphoma. He woke this morning having trouble breathing and died in the vet office.

Kiffor loved people and people loved Kiffor. He had a joyful, exuberant spirit – jumping straight up and down in excitement on meeting someone new or someone loved – a good dog.

Kiffor

Groundhog Day

Published on February 2, 2008 in Front Porch Musings, Nature, Pets, Weather and Winter 2008 FL. Closed

February 2 dawned at 32 degrees in north Florida…

Moon and Stars

under a clear sky that later gave way to sunshine…

Sun and Clouds

So…IF there are groundhogs in Florida and IF they stuck their nose out of the ground, they would have seen their shadows.

Karl at alert

I don’t think Karl paid any attention to his shadow. He is at full alert as a stray dog is approaching “his” fenceline. I wanted to get a photo from the front right quarter. I know I’m a biased “mom” but Karl’s physique is impressive with small, well shaped head and stand up ears, large chest and tapered rear topped off by the curly tail. At full alert he is quiet beautiful showing off his white chest and “socks”.

He has another pose that I’d love to get a photo of – I call it the prehistoric wolf-dog look. When he feels the need to look very threatening, he lowers his head, flattens his ears and all of the hair on his upper back and shoulders comes up. It makes his chest/shoulders look huge and extremely powerful and like renderings I’ve seen of the prehistoric wolves posed ready to attack.

Karl is not a mean dog but he will chase any dog that he feels shouldn’t be around. How he decides which shouldn’t be around and which he’d like to play with – that is a mystery to me…