When we rely upon laws to enforce decent behavior, we end up spending our hard-earned money on attorneys. Rather than legal recourse, I’m on a mission to amp up my personal charm and collaborative kindness. Good manners are contagious.
Let’s get viral together.
Winnie Nielsen says: What kind of sweet little bird is this? What a blending of colors with the surroundings too.
Winnie Nielsen says: Fantastic photo! The intricate details of a feather are amazing when you can see them up close.
Nancy Coughlin says: What a beautiful montage. Nature never fails to surprise and amaze.
Cindi Johnson says: Charm, kindness and good manners, indeed. In these times of overindulgence, we can never have too much of these! Where DO you find these wonderful treasures to photography? It reminds me of a very old picture of two children in my family in the early 30s. Love it.
MaryJane says: Good morning Cindi! This is a little tricycle I picked up years ago in a second-hand store. Clearly it’s homemade. I had it out the other day (keep it stored in my barn) for one of my grandgirls and there it sat where Karina captured it with her camera yesterday.
Winnie Nielsen says: Training gear for little Red Tractor Girls!!
Yesterday was so very interesting at John Bunker’s Farm. Complete with outhouse, this is a very rustic place where he preserves heirloom apples from his region and lives a very simple and dedicated life. He runs a large orchard for his CSA away from his farm and runs a business called FEDCO which is about availability of rare apples and scions for rebuilding orchards . He showed me how he is grafting rare apple varieties and gave me two apples from a tree with a variety called Minnesota #?????. With a big friendly smile, he loves to share all about his work and answer questions. Warren got photos of me wearing his apple picking bucket and the handcrafted apple ladder. We have photos of the two of us as well. When i get home , Warren can download them to me and i will share with you. Can I just say that spending a short time with this apple expert was such a privilege for my own obsession with all things apple. You know what? When I gave him the apple cozy, he grinned and immediately noticed the little handmade card on top with my Red Tractor Girl stamp, name etc. who is Red Tractor Girl with a number 3109?? Well, that story is for another day when you don’t have to rush back to Portland airport 2 hours away to change out the rental car before 6pm because the front right tire has a nail in it!!! Thank heaven of those spare tires even if they limit your speed to 50 mph on the interstate. But when we realized the tire had an issue, we were 40 miles from my chance to meet John, so we kept filling it up with air till we for to the farm and changed the tire! A Farmgirl’s gotta do what a Farmgirl’s gotta do!!!
Nancy Coughlin says: Thought I had found an older (not true antique) tricycle, but yours is Number 1. Mine is probably from the 50s and had intended to have a small display of toys on my front porch: doll carriage, pull wagon, trike, box of old building blocks, sled. Had to rethink that when some petty stunts and disappearing yard ornaments happened mid-summer. Don’t understand why there are some people who delight in destroying or stealing from one’s front porch. So, had the trike on my back porch and a visitor asked if I was having unusual dreams!! When questioned, the response was, “Well, you are in your 70s and I can’t imagine why you would have a trike on your back porch. It isn’t even new.” Explained my original idea and got that “look” that usually means, “She’s out in left field again’!!!! Sigh!
Winnie Nielsen says: These look like crocus to me that usually bloom in late winter and early spring? The only thing different is that I don’t see the little green leaves and it looks like they are growing out of some sort of forest floor mulch. Hmmm, now I am thinking they are not crocus. But then, what are they?
MaryJane says: These are Colchicum Rosy Dawn’s I think (they were already here in several spots when I bought my farm), also known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron, or naked lady. Throughout the spring and into summer there are green leaves where the corms live and then in late fall, pink crocus after their leaves dry up and disappear.
Winnie Nielsen says: I love these butterflies with their white spots under their black spotted tops. Very cool!
I have 3 very young and small butterfly bushes I planted this year, just covered in butterflies despite being so tiny and short. I have so many I have to keep my 3 butterfly ID books close at hand, altho most are the tiger swallowtail, very large and showy. I love the black mourning cloaks best.
Winnie Nielsen says: Stumped!
MaryJane says: Wild Rose Hips!
would that I had the time to make rose hip jelly like they always did when I was young. I adore it. The local Russian deli ( now alas, closed) had heavenly imported rose petal jam , another item on my wish list to make .
Winnie Nielsen says: You know,I think you posted rose hips awhile ago and I missed it then. I don’t even know if it grows down here or not.
Winnie Nielsen says: That butterfly or moth looks like it is dressed in vintage summer clothing like you find in the antique stores from the last 1800s!
Winnie Nielsen says: What a stunning color for this day lily!
Kay (Old Cowgirl) Montoya says: If I remember correctly this is a Stargazer Lily. How very beautiful. I used to have them in my yard. I miss the wonderful color and scent they give out. Thank you for the reminder.
Kay
Nancy Coughlin says: Beautiful, beautiful! When I try ‘nature’ photography it really sucks. My sons really laugh and rib me about my efforts. So enjoy someone else’s successes. Thanks!
Ah phlox, the weirdest name for such a lovely wild flower. I have it blooming right now in the front of the farmhouse in that no man’s land by the road peeping thru the various bushes and wild raspberries.
Winnie Nielsen says: Hello Minot,ND where we stopped and I have 4 bars on my phone! ND is all bit corporate farming so far and we have to sit and wait while a gazillion oil tankers have priority to the tracks. Just like the game Monopoly, the individual railroad down the tracks. Today we gave a freight crew a ride up the road to their freight train on our way!! Who would guess?
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
This is an impressive spear of a beak on your morning bird photo challenge. It is a ? Little fishes BEWARE!
Today’s photo-of-the-day is the Great Blue Heron that has taken up residence on our pond. Do you think he knew he’d signed up to be a photo prop?
great pic of the great blue ! very artsy