Merry After-Christmas!

What a lovely Christmas season it's been this year! We've had beautiful, white snow; we've had ice - we've had a winter here in north Texas!

Of course, I'm ready for it to be over now (that's why we live in Texas now rather than our former home state of Minnesota!).

We had a wonderful Christmas day - and my orchid chose that particular morning to send up its first bloom of the season.

I'm demo-ing a new set of plug-ins for my photo editing software (thanks OnOne!) So far, I really like them. I'll probably be trying some new things out in the photos I post here.

Yesterday the boys and I took a little tour with the camera to see what we could see in our cold and frozen yard. Humphrey tried to take a drink from their "watering dish" (yes, unfortunately, my fountain is the perfect height for a watering dish for the dogs). Too bad for him, it was frozen over.

The bench hasn't been sat in for quite a while now. Well, maybe the cats have been sitting in it.

I'm surprised at how much snow there is still. Usually the snow melts in no more than one day here. But not this time. This morning it was only 25 degrees. The pipes in our pavilion froze (okay, we don't really have pipes. We have a hose that's connected to the faucets in the pavilion and the outside of the house -- but still, it does provide running water) so we didn't have any running water out there on Christmas. Fortunately, the heating units worked wonderfully and even without water, we were toasty and roasty between the fireplace and the heaters.

It's time to get back out the book for wildlife management and see what there is to do to prepare for the coming year.

Humphrey, Louise and Sherman

Happy New Year!

reTreat Day for Women - Nov 8th

Last Sunday, we hosted reTreat Day (for women) at Sage Creek Ranch. I've been thinking for a while that people needed more time in quiet solitude (or at least I know I need to take that time - and take it deliberately. The truth is that living out here, I get lots of quiet time. But I don't deliberately let it rejuvenate me or replenish me or nourish my soul frequently enough).

Tim and I were on a spiritual retreat about a month ago. The site the retreat was held at was near Brennan, TX. At one point Tim said to me - "You know the place we actually live is even prettier and more special than what we're enjoying here."

That got me to thinking that I could share the loveliness of our 55 acres with others for a day once in a while. Which led to inviting women to come join me on November 8th, 2009 for a day of reflection and silence.

Tim and I (mostly Tim) did some prep work for the event. Tim drew maps so people could find their way around the property and did some outside clean-up work. I enrolled Tiffany Bednar and Audra Whatley to come and offer massage and acupuncture treatments for those who wanted to enjoy body work as well as the outdoors.

The photos below are some that I captured on that day.

These stone steps led from the Pavilion to the patio. We put them in hurriedly before we hosted Betty's 75th bday party in September. I love stone.

I got these benches from my dear friend Carrie's furniture business.

The ladies relaxed both in the yard as well as in the Pavilion.

Sherman and Humphrey relaxed as well when they weren't out walking with our visitors. It was hard work to make them relax, but, as you can see here, it was achieved.

Reading, knitting, soaking up the energy of the space. Delicious

Any place makes a great spot for a nap.

Soaking in as well as sharing the sacred energy of earth.

I learned how delightful it is to share my space when I'm not having to entertain people. I didn't realize how much I 'ramp up' or generate a kind of "performing" energy when I have people to my home. People took care of themselves - had everything they needed - and I got to have community here at my home without using up all my psychic fuel doing so. This will definitely make a difference for me in any other entertaining we do here.

I've had a number of requests to include men, and so, on December 13th, reTreat day will be for People. After we do December 13th, I'll see if I want to continue an open day, go back to women only, alternate - or how I'll want to proceed.

We are entering into what is a stressful and busy season for many of us. Be sure to find time and space for silence and peace.

Dew-ly Noted

Gorgeous this morning! And a happy November to you too!

I remembered my camera today. The dew was truly outstanding. It wasn't that early that the boys and I set out on our jaunt. I wouldn't have expected to see any dew since it was around 8am.

We take a walk most every morning. I like it. They like it. And Louise likes it. When I walk outside for the first time in the morning, Sherman starts dancing around. He loves "The Walk". Humphrey comes and presses his nose into my hand for his morning love. He matches his pace to mine so I'll keep petting him until he's full enough of love to walk on his own.

In the photo below, there are thousands of drops of dew that are glistening in the morning sun. It would have been easier to see if I'd had the macro lens, but unfortunately, I didn't.

The areas that look they have snow on them below are the areas still covered with the dew.

The areas most in the shade didn't have dew at all. These two shots were taken as I come out of the woods from the trail into the field. I was surprised to see the color change in the tall grasses from the pale, golden yellow they've been. In the sun they now look red. As we move into winter they'll turn gray.

Back at the house, I happened to look into the woods and realized the sun was perfectly lined up with our little rock pile of respect. We learned about these pilings when we were in Hawaii many years ago. There, they put up the stone piles as a sign of respect for their elders who've passed away.

We haven't had too many trees really turn colorful this fall. Of course, it IS Dallas area, so we shouldn't much expect that, right? However, this morning, I noticed this tree right there in the driveway - just shouting "I'VE COME OUT!".

If you live in the Dallas area, enjoy the weather today. It is completely and absolutely perfect.

Pigs Feet and iPhones

I took the dogs (and the cat) for a walk this morning on the 50 acres. What a lovely morning to take a walk! It was a little chilly - only 45 F, but that's a nice temp for a brisk walk and the dogs love it at that temp. Or at least they are friskier when it's that temperature.

Ms. Louise, the grandmother cat, loves to go for a walk. It's just really odd. I've never had a cat that could tolerate doing what the dogs were doing - AND - actually seem to enjoy it. She tends to walk just off the path. I think she feels somewhat safer in the tall grass than on the exposed pathway. And, it keeps her from getting run over by the dogs. If she gets too far behind she'll meow to let me know that she's not with us and we should wait. However, I've discovered that if I stop and wait for her, she slows down her pace substantially. So, now, when I hear her meow, I tell her she needs to sprint. In the summer when it's hot, she will find a tree to sit in and just wait for us until we come back rather than sprint. But, this morning she was just like the dogs - frisky and happy to trot.

I had a thought as I was walking that I should have brought my camera with me. The mist rising from the pond was wonderful, the light was great and the colors are different than the last time we walked this path.

Then I realized I had my phone with me! I always try to carry my phone when I go for a walk. Considering all the potholes, the coyotes, the mountain lions and the hunters, it just seems prudent to carry it. And since I have a camera phone now, I realized I could take photos with that.

It does slay me to use the camera on the phone since it's nowhere near the quality of my camera, but when in a pinch, use whatcha got.

This is the front pond in the morning sun.

This is Louise determining how best to get around the water issue (without getting wet). The dogs just jumped right on through it.

Sherman was lead dog this morning and he's sitting on up on the hill waiting for us to catch up.

I was trying to capture the mist rising from the water this morning. I'm not sure the iPhone can adequately capture it.

The trail in the sunlight. The sun had just broken over the tops of the trees. Making everything glow. I sometimes forget to notice that glow - but it is truly Living Daylight.

And for the first half of our title today --- I saw fresh pig tracks. I was happy to have my iPhone with me. Considering the rain, these prints are most likely from last night or early this morning. They weren't huge, so these are probably one of the pigletts that is now growing up. But they weren't big enough for a sow, so they're most likely those of a "teenager".

In this shot, you can see them coming and going. They tend to like the trail as much as we do.

This shots shows them coming up from the lake onto our property.

This shot shows them going back into the woods and down to the lake area.

Check for pigs on your property. You never know when somethin's strange... in your neighborhood... and whooya gonna call? (In honor of Halloween today!)

Fall Color - Part I

It hasn't been a beautiful day here in Tioga. It's been wet, cool and rainy. Not only are all the lakes full, but so are front yards, ditches, rain barrels and, in some cases, people's cars.

I took these photos a few days ago. The color of the flora was beautiful - although it doesn't compare with the richness of the leaves in Ottawa (where I was a couple of weeks ago), at least I didn't have to look too hard to see this colorful beauty.

Tim says the plant below is called "American Beauty". That always makes me think of that movie with Kevin Spacey that I didn't really like all that well... (okay - the acting was really good, I just didn't care for the story all that much).

I bought the rose bush below from Calloway's earlier in the season. It's a gorgeous hybrid and the color and design of the blooms was outstanding when I brought it home. Unfortunately, it didn't like its transplant (or the heat) and didn't bloom all summer. But, now it's back and just as lovely as when I bought it.

Tim thinks these are called "Pumpkin Mushrooms". They sure look like it, right? He put a quarter on the edge of this one so you could see what a monster it is. We found these on the path between the little house and the guest house.

More fall color to come - at least in my photos (and hopefully in the woods too!).

It's another rainy day...just a rainy, rainy day...

A little love to Chicago for the title... and it is just another rainy day here in Tioga. And the warmth and the humidity combined make for a little supernatural beauty.

The photo below is the water that's clinging to the mite webs - mites are even smaller than most spiders, so we wouldn't even notice this web if the conditions of rain and warmth hadn't been just right. It was disconcerting though to see how many little webs were woven thru-out my garden and fruit bushes. No wonder the yield is so small this year.

I loved how the drops were standing up so perfectly at the top of the petals here.

How long do you suppose this drop can hang there, exactly like that?

I took this one because I love the color of this rose - and it hasn't bloomed in several months. I loved how the water droplets acted as a magnifying lens.

It looks like the mites have strung their Christmas lights already. Don't they know that they have to wait until AFTER Halloween?

I'm enjoying the rain and the humidity and life today.

We took the boys for a walk a while ago - you can tell because these photos are sunny and we haven't had any of that for a bit now!

Sherman doesn't like getting into the water though.  Humphrey on the other hand, was not happy we took off in the canoe without him, so he came with.  Swimming.  I wondered how far he'd actually swim to stay with us?  I couldn't make myself find out, so we only canoed in a small circle.



This is Lake Ray Roberts - our one little finger of it.  It's a man-made lake.  It's just under 30 years old and so the trees that once grew there are still there as ghosts and reminders of the fields and woods the area once was.  I like having it be a lake - even if it wasn't originally "natural" - the life that exists there now is fascinating to watch; touch and smell.  And the dogs like it too.





Humphrey is the one in the water.  Sherman sits there trying to decide how he's gonna play this.



We had a wonderful walk that day.  We don't go down to the lake often enough.  I really enjoy my husband's company, and that day was especially wonderful.

Death of a Refrigerator

The seedy underbelly of the ranch...(let's digress for a couple of minutes here - what is a "seedy underbelly" anyway? All the underbellies of our animals are soft, clean, vulnerable, tender... what's an underbelly in nature that's nasty? And then, let's talk about seedy for a moment. What's bad about seedy? Does that mean nothing's growing yet? But if there are seeds, then there's possibility...so anyway, I'm not sure that using "seedy underbelly" really gets at what I meant....)

I've discovered that living on the ranch is very different than living in the city. I guess I thought living at the ranch would be similar to living in the city, except we'd have more land. It is not that at all. It is completely different out here. For one thing, the garbarge people are sorta regional - they don't belong to a particular city. No one collects recycling here. There's a bit a snigger when you ask about it. And another thing is that it's not just a simple matter of putting the garbage at the curb. Oh no - we have to figure out how to get it .5 miles away to the road. So, stuff can sit for quite a while. But even if we could get it to the curb, the garbage folks will only pick up black contractor garbage bags of stuff. Nothing else. So if we have anything else to get rid of, we have to make an appointment with the regional "dump", put it all on the flatbed of the pickup and drive it 25 miles.

It makes me think differently about what I'm willing to bring home.

Of course, we didn't know all this when we moved out here. We didn't realize that we were really moving into a different culture with all kinds of different norms, values and habits. So, we brought our city thinking (and garbage) with us. And now, we need to get all this stuff cleaned up and moved on.

Below is the death of the original, home-built Kegorator. We're sad to see 'er go. Although Tim thinks the refrigeration unit for the freezer still works, so he took that off and we'll reuse it to air condition one of the busses Jeff just bought. Now that's recycling.

This is window glass left over from building the new terminal at DFW airport. We got a great deal on it 3 years ago. Planned on using it to build a greenhouse and to replace the garage door (when we build out the garage into Tim's office). But, we haven't gotten around to doing those things yet and so the glass sits a bit forlorn. Looks like it's trying to return to the ground as sand...maybe in a few more years it'll have done that.

Can't remember where we got this chair. Tim is looking for someone who could weld it back together and then we'll paint it and keep it.

The construction crew for our neighbors addition were sloppy guys. There's still trash on our two properties from stuff that didn't make it into the garbage cans.

This is a special plexiglass that we used to fix the roof of the car wash when there was major hail damage. We thought we could use it out here. Haven't decided how yet though.

I'm graciously calling this the 'staging area'. This is the staging area for all of our projects - no matter how many millennia they are from happening.

Okay - now this thing was really a good idea. I liked having this sink. It was supposed to be for my future greenhouse (as you can see from above, I have a lot of stuff for my future stuff....). Unfortunately Tim accidentally hit it with the Kubota and the legs fell off. I'm thinking of turning it right-side up and filling it with flowers.