Good Fences #93 - Christmas Lights

 Wow it's the last day of 2015 (Where did this year go?) and it's time to close the year out by sharing with GOOD FENCES hosted by Theresa from: (The Run-a-round Ranch Report).

I miss last week (which I hated to do) and so here is what you would have seen last week:

These our the Christmas lights on our fence and my mom's fence next door.  Not the best quality photos as I have trouble shooting night scenes with my camera but I think they will work.

 This is the Chain link fence at our house.  See that big snowman?  Someone stole it a couple of nights before Christmas.  We replaced it with a different one but it sure makes me upset that people feel they have to steal from other people and especially at Christmas.

My mom's front yard and side fence.  - We love Christmas lights!

 This is in her back yard.  It's where all the old light sets got that don't quite work right anymore.

And for a different view of the same lights/fence....

 Pretty wild looking!


Wishing everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!  -  Thanks for a great year of blogging with you.  -  See you back in 2016.

Winding Down

Hello Everyone & Welcome. -  By now you've probably figured out that I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.  -  I've also noticed that I've lost a few "followers" during that time.  I'm sorry you felt you had to leave but I honestly just did not have the energy or the desire to post much during the month of December.  For those of you still following,  Thank You!

Christmas here was different this year.  I must admit this was probably my worst year as far as "Christmas Spirit" goes.  I just couldn't get into it and strugged with a number of issues during the holiday season.  So that is why I didn't visit many blogs or post anything.  Why put a damper on other's holiday spirit just because you aren't into it that much.

Don't get me wrong,  I enjoyed parts of Christmas but there were some stressful things about it as well that just got to me a little more this year.

Yesterday we took our tree down...we had "issues" with two of the younger cats this year and sadly one of my very favorite, old glass ornaments got broken during the Christmas season. - Here is what I found yesterday after we had everything off the tree and ready to dismantle it......

There she is,  Miss Pepper at the very top of the tree....I hope next year she's older, wiser & stays out of the tree!

I hope to be back on track visiting blogs & posting as the year winds down and a New one begins.  Thanks for your patience, understanding & friendship.

Good Fences #91 - Doggone Good Fence

Welcome - Wow it's "crunch time" for Christmas here right now and I still have shopping to do. - So I'll be brief and get started on sharing my photos for,
GOOD FENCES



Today I thought I'd share a trio of fences that feature canines....spotted while out on walks:

Can you see me?

What are you looking at?

I'm watching you!

Have a great day & don't forget to stop by Theresa's blog:
The Run-a-round Ranch Report and check out all the other great fence finds.

I'll be by your blogs as time allows. - Off to shop till I drop!

Good Fences #90 - Aging Wrought Iron

 Hello! - It's time to join in the fun of GOOD FENCES hosted by Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report).

For this weeks fence I'm featuring an old Wrought Iron fence that I pass by on my walks. - The last time I was by though they had part of the fence taped off and I think they might be going to remove it.

I like this shot as you also get the shadow of the fence and can see another (white) fence down the street.

 A different angle.  You can see a dip in one of the railings and the lichen growing on the stones that the fence is set in.

Finally a close-up view of part of the fence.

 It's super busy around here right now with holiday preparations so I may be slow visiting your blogs.  - Take care & enjoy the season.

Good Fences #89 - Snow much fun!

Welcome:  - I am still hoping to catch up with everyone's post from last week.  We had surprise company over the Thanksgiving holiday, put up our Christmas lights, I helped my mom decorate her house all day on Friday and by Sunday I was quite rundown and spent the day in bed. I am still trying hard to get by everyone's blogs so please be patient.

Joining GOOD FENCES today.  Be sure to stop by Theresa's blog, (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) and check out all the other particpants.

Well "Winter" arrived here a little early this year.  We had snow before Thanksgiving and then it snowed again on Tuesday night.  School was delayed 2 hours yesterday and canceled today due to icy road conditions.  Yesterday after I walked Coleen to school I took a short walk in the snow and captured some snowy fence scenes to share today.

Everyone knows I'm not a fan of winter or snow but I'm trying to find beauty in it so that's why I'm sharing these Snowy Fences today.  Enjoy!

Good Fences #88 - Let's Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating today.

It's a great day to give thanks for the many blessings each of us has in our lives.  Let's get started by joining Theresa from the Run-a-round Ranch Report for
GOOD FENCES .  - I am "thankful" that she continues to host this awesome meme with us and for her blog as well.  It brings a lot of joy into many people's lives.

So today I'm sharing a fence of sorts in celebration of what we often refer to as,  "Turkey Day" here in the US.

 

 

I spotted this fellow behind the porch "fence rail" and just had to take his photo.  Isn't he cute! 

 

 

I've been saving this photo for some time to share today.  On one of our drives up to the mountains we spotted this family of "wild" turkeys strutting through a field.  -  We're going to think outside the box here and say that the "underbrush fence" qualifies today for this meme too.

 



Have a wonderful day.  Let's be greatful for all that we have.

Warm Heart Wednesday & Willy Nilly Friday Five

Hello & Welcome!

Today I am joining in on a brand new Meme called: Warm Heart Wednesday hosted by Jenny Matlock and also joining Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday Five.

 

WARM HEART WEDNESDAY - Please visit Jenny's blog and check this meme out.

Yesterday my Granddaughter Coleen surprised us (well I sort of knew about part of the surprise since she told me she was doing it for her Grandpa) by making us breakfast.  -  She got up at 5:00 am so she would be awake before her Grandpa got up.  He normally fixes her breakfast in the morning before she goes to school.  I don't get up until around 7:00. 

She made up this Menu Board of various choices for us to pick.  I had Granola Cereal, A Hard Boiled Egg & Orange Juice.  Grandpa picked Cereal and a Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich.  She warms my heart by being such a thoughtful and sweet child.
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Now let's join in for some WILLY NILLY FRIDAY FIVE FUN


1.  My mom's next door neighbor has an Apple Tree in their yard.  All summer long I watched this one apple that just kept hanging on the tree until it shriveled up into a very flat looking apple.  We had very high winds this week and I decided to check and see if that apple was still there.....

"Hanging On."

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. - William Feather.

2.  I've enjoy finding some unusual stuff like that apple and the leaves below this week to photograph.  Sometimes those little unexpected and often over looked items can really be interesting and beautiful.

"Caught"

 

Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving.  What you have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything. - Aaron Siskind.

 



 

3.  Sometimes you find life can be so fun when you capture moments like this:

 

"Daring."

 

All serious daring starts from within. - Eudora Welty.

 

4.  Or this....

"Intent"

Be intent upon the perfection of the present day. - William Law

 

Just so you know, Ghost did not get that squireel but boy was that squirrel taunting him.

 

5.  I love to laugh and Coleen is really good at making me laugh.  Check this out...She'll be embarrassed by this but hey she's the one who decided to do it.

 

"Laughter"

 

A day without laughter is a day wasted. - Charlie Chaplin.

Be sure to laugh today (if you haven't already) as I would hate for your day to be wasted.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

 





Good Fences #87 - Soaring Hawk

 Welcome! - I've been absent from the blog this week as it's the time of year when I start getting super busy with holiday stuff.  I've been working on Christmas Cards this week which has kept me pretty occupied. 

I do however want to participate in Theresa's great meme:  GOOD FENCES.

Back in September I went and took a tour of a private Christian School that we are thinking of sending Coleen to next year.  While I was driving back from the school I happened to notice this cool look gate so I stopped to take a few pictures of it.

Click to Enlarge Photos:

 In this shot you get the view of the Blue Mountains, a cool looking tree that had already started changing colors, some pretty grasses and the gate itself.

 Coming in for a little closer view.

Closer yet.

 If you click to enlarge this you will see the "neat detail" on the letter (S) and (H) which resemble the wings/feathers of the hawk on the gate.

This rock formation and grasses were planted near the entrance as well.  I thought they needed a photo to.

Turns out this was supposed to be a Housing Division but apparently they went bankrupt before any homes were even built on the property.  It's now, For Sale. - They sure put up a grand entrance though.  I guess it was a case of,  "putting the cart before the horse" since they ended up never building any homes here.

Willy Nilly Friday Five

Hi! - I've been absent from participating in
WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE for a few weeks and thought I'd join in again today.  WNFF is hosted by Tanya (Around Roanoke).

CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS

 

 

 Here are 5 Things and some photos that I'm thankful for today.

1.   I'm thankful that when I slipped last night trying to "herd" cats to the bedroom and fell into our dishwasher I only bruised my hand and didn't break anything.  I'm also thankful no one (especially my hubby) saw what happened.  I'm sure it was pretty comical as I had one cat in my arms and was trying to move one with my foot when I accidentally stepped on her tail, she yowled, I dropped the cat I was carrying, slipped on the floor and banged hard into the kitchen counter and dishwasher.  Cats went running every direction.  I bet it was quite the sight.

2.  Speaking of cats....I'm thankful to enjoy cuteness like this every day.

Bandit & Pepper on the Left - Bandit and Spooky-boo on the Right.

 

 

3.  I'm thankful for this sweet girl.  She's a joy (most of the time) to have around. 

 Recovering after her surgery last week.

 

4.  I'm thankful for this little dog, and a halfway decent photo of myself.  You will notice Coleen is the photographer for this photo.  This was taken during one of our nature/photo walks a few weeks ago.

 



Me & Pixie (my mom's dog)

5.  I'm thankful for time to relax, time to work, time to play, time to reflect...well you get the picture.

 

The "Tick-Tock" balloon that was at the Balloon Stampede in October.

 

 

Bonus Photo since I mentioned being thankful for colorful fall foliage yesterday.   I spotted 3 very different and yet colorful leaves in our driveway.  I picked them up and arranged them on the sidewalk for a little photo shoot so I could enjoy their color a little longer.

 

 

 

 

 

Have a beautiful weekend.





Good Fences #86 - Rusty, Twisted & Blue

Welcome! - Let's join Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) for GOOD FENCES.

Did you ever set out to take a photo of something specific and unexpectedly find yourself discovering something totally different?  - Well that's what happened to me the other day.  I had went for a drive to photograph a couple of specific things that I'd seen and wanted pictures of.  As I was driving I spotted the freshly fallen snow on our Blue Mountains .  I stopped to take this lovely photo (which does have a fence in it) and as I was getting ready to roll the window back up and drive off I happened to glance to my left at the field next to where I was parked. 

 

What do you know here was this really cool rusty fence rail with some barbed wire and some twisted wire.  Naturally I had to get a photo of it so I could share for Good Fences.

I found this to be a very unexpected but pleasant surprise.  I hope as you are out and about that you find unexpected photograph opportunities too.

Have a wonderful day & don't forget to stop by Theresa's blog to check out the other great fences.

Things I am thankful for today:

1.  The "unexpected surprise" like today's fence find.

2. That we had a nice group of girls show up yesterday for the Girls Club.  We watched the movie, Soul Surfer about Bethany Hamilton and they all enjoyed it.

3.  That my hubby is starting to get some work coming in.  He just got his General Contractor's license and now that he's retired from the construction company he worked for he is setting out on his own.  It's a scary but exciting time for him.

4. For the crows and other birds and the squirrels that I feed.  It's so fun to look at the window and watch their antics.

5.  For pretty autumn foliage to look at.

Veteran's Day

                Your service & sacrifice means more than words can say.

Thankful Thoughts and a Dedication

In Memory of Pat (Bailey Road)

 

She gave us so much beauty and joy on her blog.  I am thankful to have known her even though we neve met in real life.  Please stop by and leave a message for her husband Rick as he needs our support now as he mourns the loss of this sweet woman.

Hello - I've been absent from the blog for a few days.


Just to catch you all up...I had company visiting for the day on Thursday.  We had a nice lunch at Apple bee's and spent the afternoon visiting and catching up on each other's lives.

Friday we were up bright and early as Coleen was scheduled to have her surgery and check-in was 6:45 am. - She had her tonsils and adenoids removed. We were back home by noon and she has been recovering slowly but surely. - She's home from school for probably all this week as the weather here is nasty and we don't want to risk her getting a cold or infection so shortly after having surgery.

This morning we took her kitten, Pepper out to be spayed so we'll have another convalescent at home this week along with Coleen.  So while it's been a bit stressful and busy we have much to be thankful for.

1.  The OR nurse that took Coleen into her surgery turned out to be my niece, Krissy which was a blessing as she helped to keep Coleen calm as they took her in.

2.  The surgery went well and she's recovering nicely.

3.  For friends from the church who came by to bring her balloons, get well cards, Popsicles & ice cream.

4.  For our Veternarian who is so good to all our animals.

5.  The Hallmark Channel who provides easy to watch holiday movies that make you feel good.

Take care & have a beautiful day.

Good Fences #85 - Eaglecap Fences

Hello & Welcome.
It's time for some GOOD FENCES hosted by Theresa, (The Run-a-round Ranch Report)

Today I'll be sharing some fences taken on our recent (Oct.17) trip to Elgin, OR to ride the Eagle Cap Excursion Train. - Mind you all of these shots were taken from a moving train (which had dirty windows) so they aren't the best quality photos but I think they turned out okay.

 Both of these deer shots were taken just as the train started moving out of town.  The deer are actually standing in peoples yards.

 Not exactly sure what this gate is used for.  Those of you who "ranch" will know what it's for.

 Saw this beat up sign and an old moss covered fence post and had to get a photo of it.

 Lots of barbed wire fencing along the way. - I like this shot because of the bright red post and the lovely "bokeh" that is in the photo.

 We passed an RV park along the way and I snapped this photo of the fence around it. Note the picnic tables on the left side of the photo.

We pulled into a small town an I snapped this charming little gate.

I spotted this fence on a hillside as we were heading back into town on the return trip.

 Here is a scene heading back into Elgin, I thought the trees were really pretty and spotted that old house behind the fencing so I zoomed in for a closer look at it.  Guess what.....

 It's "abandoned." - I think it looks really moody in this shot.

Today's Things to be Thankful For:

1.  Being able to take this train ride (my first time on a train) and getting some great photos.

2.  Good Fences

3.  Wildlife - We saw, Deer, Turkey & my most favorite of all a Bald Eagle!

No fence in this shot although there was one is another photo of the eagle that didn't turn out very well (blurred).  Taking a photo of a Bald Eagle was on my "bucket list" so I am sharing this today along with my fence shots.

4. Good Friends,  My friend (Teresa) from Spokane is visiting today so I'm looking forward to spending time with her.

5.  That my cat (Captain Cuddles) is starting to get better.  He has a bad case of Feline Acne that we are dealing with.  It's starting to clear up but having to wash his chin every day is hard on him so I'm happy that it's looking better and the antibiotics the Vet gave him are clearing up the infection from the clogged pores. 

I will try to get by your blogs this weekend.  Since I have company today and tomorrow Coleen is having surgery I'm not sure when I'll be able to pop in but I'll get there sooner or later.