Rurality

Visited my sisters' farms in North Dakota earlier this month and went to a family reunion.



Enjoy the cow portraits! Moo!!!

What's coming next? Pictures from the Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha and some pottery pieces.

Sometimes wide is good

...definitely if it's a wide-angle lens. Someone just got a wide-angle lens and I got to borrow it. Cool, huh?






Wishing you an enjoyable and safe Fourth of July!!!

'Lil things

Can you see it? That little caterpillar on my flat-leaf/Italian parsley? I'm assuming it's a swallowtail because that's what they like along with dill and fennel and monarch caterpillars look like they have a set of antennae on the front and the back.















Here's another monarch caterpillar on a milkweed that's not quite a half of an inch. I used my macro lens on these.



The glaze didn't come out as planned on either of these. In fact, the blue taller one I glazed and fired twice, but the glaze didn't stick or hold well. I was disappointed with it already and, yes, that's a chip on the rim. The bottom half of the smaller one is supposed to be copper. As there wasn't much left in the glaze jar, I'm assuming all the copper floated to the top, even after I thoroughly stirred it. I still like it. Just don't ask me about the chalice I made to match the other pieces I glazed when the jar was full!

It was fun to try some small things. I will have to remember to make some more small vases to hold my mini-daffodils next spring. Stay cool!

Monarchs

Here are the pictures of the Monarchs from Friday morning. Since I took over 100 pictures, it was hard for me to decide which ones to post and took a little awhile to go through them.

In the morning before I started working, I noticed that the outer shell part of the chrysalises was clear. I got my tripod set up and started my workday. I took them outside, took some pictures and went back inside to work.

Unfortunately, when I came back out for a break there was one less butterfly. I'm pretty sure a bird ate it.

Water fun and monarch preview

Our friends invited me out for some fun with their family on Tuesday evening. Here are some pictures. Click on the picture if you want them larger.

Here's a preview of monarch pictures. I had two that "hatched" this morning, and one should be on its way tomorrow.

Teapot #2 and the turning

Finally got my second teapot glazed. The name of the glaze is Canyons.

And here's what happened to the little caterpillars:

Bugs in my yard

Is that enough pollen?


I found out this is a red-banded leafhopper. Remember the treehopper I found last July?
Am loving my macro lens!

Milkweed and caterpillars!

Rememeber last year? I think these ones are monarchs!Here's my post about black swallowtails in case you missed it.

Birthday Boy, Bunnies, and Bands

Yes, there was another birthday in the family(and even another with only ice cream);
this time a nephew...







and here is our "white ball of fur" chasing rabbits...


Also had a late night out and got to see our friends who play in bands.






Here are some links: Urban John and Vehicles.

I thought we'd be the oldest ones at the gig, but were pleasantly surprised! Remember, my profile says I'm closer to 40 than 30 and I'm usually at home by 9:30 or I turn into spaghetti squash.

By the way, did you know Taylor Martin from Vehicles also has a bluegrass album? Check it out here: Taylor Martin if you like that kind of music. I think it's awesome!

From the pottery standpoint, classes are going to start up late next week. I have a teapot on the shelf waiting to be glazed, so will have it done hopefully in a couple of weeks. Am thinking of doing some more bowls with legs and also pondering on the idea of making my very own chai pet... and of course Vertigo III. Also, my instructor will probably come up with a class project and then I will have too many ideas and not enough time. Maybe I should sign up for three classes a week? Nah...guess I have to work, too. Someone has to pay for all that clay.

Have a Safe Memorial Day!

What's growin'

Dill...



Money(have to figure out which bank will take this kind)...







Beards...
...oh yeah, and my husband's growing older (but we all are, aren't we?).


I DID NOT decorate the cake, nor do I want a cake in any way resembling this when I turn said age! Love you, Honey!!!

Dyck Arboretum

Last Friday, I went to the Dyck Arboretum. It was during one of the two times a year when they hold FloraKansas: The Great Plains Plant Bazaar. They sell a large variety native plants...which means if you put them in the right spot you don't have to water them when they're established. I have a lot of natives in my front flowerbed.


Neff Family Farm was also there. They have a wonderful variety of herbs! I bought English thyme and chocolate mint, as I only had a $5 bill left.



While I was there, this plane kept passing by. At first I thought it was a student pilot from Hesston College...
But then I saw the crop duster paraphernalia on it.

p.s.Are any of you North Dakota readers pleasantly reminded of the lovely remake of Ghostriders In the Sky by Mylo Hatzenbuhler?

Quick post

Am still alive...Here are some pictures from Sunday at Botanica.

Check back in a day or two for pictures from the Dyck Arboretum.

Happy May Day and other things...

Thanks to my lovely neighbor friends who "May Day'd" me with the lovely flowers!









Here are some pictures from a couple of weeks ago from the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.


Finally got to walk the sculpture walk, and here is one of the "thinker" statues. Guess there are 20 of them around the world according to Wikipedia.






For some reason, the grounds and Nelson-Atkins Building remind me of the N.D. State Capitol. The steps face south with a big lawn,there is a revolving door with brass, the art-deco or romanesque architecture and stone steps...but instead of a statue of Sacagawea it's "The Thinker", instead of various tree specimens they have bronze bulbous sculptures along the walk, and instead of the garden of petunias spelling out North Dakota there are giant-sized shuttlecocks.

Now that reminds me, I think I need to go back again, as I missed the big pool of water that is shown in all the commercials. Where is that big pool of water?










p.s.Click here for some funny pictures.