Shot Of The Year

As we get ready to bid adieu to 2008.  I narrowed this years blog pictures to my three favorites.  

The worlds most photogenic JRT....Clarice

My adorable little Niece

My most beloved....Obligato

Lets put it to a vote.  Which of the three do you like best?  Do you have a favorite photo from this year on your blog?  Please link it.

See you all next year!

Flamin' Wallet

I needed this little guy on the 24th by about 2 pm. To put out the fire of my hard earned cash going up in smoke. YIKES! 

I do love to give to my family...that's what makes the whole Christmas season so expensive.  The little Niece and Nephew are so cute....and when you know that there going to love something it's just so hard to walk away from.  Did you burn a whole through your wallet?

Christmas was fun...there are still a couple presents and cards under my tree that are yet to be distributed to family.  I'm always shocked that the Christmas music comes to such an abrupt halt after the 25th.  For me the Christmas season is just starting.  Oh well.  I have my tree and it will be up for a couple weeks.  And the church will stay decorated till after Epiphany (Jan 6).  So at least the Christmas spirit is alive and well somewhere!

Hope all my new friends had a wonderful Christmas!  I can not wait to catch up on every one's blogs.

Woodland Shopping

Christmas Tally:
Gifts Bought 0
Cards to Family 0
Nativity Set Dusted 1
Wreaths 0
Garland 0
Trees Chopped 1
Light Strands 3
Cheeseballs Made 0
Toes Picked 10
Toes Polished 6
Dogs Bathed 1.5
Angels Placed 1

Hours to start of Christmas festivities....48.

Gray hairs to be sprouted in that time.....hundreds.

I like natural trees.  The more Charlie Brown the better.  About 6 years ago we planted 5 Concolor firs along the woods to grow as Christmas trees.  Yesterday I loaded up the four wheeler with dogs and a saw and drove out and cut this one.  (note to self....due to extreme difficulty of holding 2 JRT's and a 10' tree and successfully manuvering around tree holes and ruts....the dogs are to stay home on next years tree cutting excursion) 

Do you have pictures of your Christmas trees posted on your blogs?  Link them below (trying Mister Linky for the first time so if it doesnt work out let me know).  If not tell us whether you like your trees.....fat or skinny....full or natural......big or little.  Lady Claudia likes 'em tall and fat, what do you like?

Quitting Time

We have had a couple of atypical sunsets here on the farm over the last couple of weeks.  December in Western Pennsylvania is usually gloomy and overcast with the sun rarely making an appearance.  Who am I to question Mother Nature when she offers up displays like this for the end of the day dog walk?

Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge The Letter "S"  

And...

SkyWatch Friday Link

In The Summertime...

When the weather is yucky like this and there is no riding to be done other than bareback around the field. I think of summer and I can not wait to ride my boy. He will be 17 this year...but he is mostly retired so really hard work is out of the question but he has a big heart and enjoys carting me around and around and around.  And he enjoys getting out of the barn and is sound as can be for 'light' duty.

On a totally separate note...this picture was taken with a 35MM film.  I scanned it in to my computer but the image is not good.  Any tips on scanning?  I have a LOT of picture to get scanned in....and would like the clarity to be better than this?

The Many Colors Of Smoke

12:59:19 PM

First let me say....this is an abandoned trailer at a farm.

DVM's Wife wrote a post last week.  And because of it I remembered to get two new smoke detectors.  (So thank you DVM's Wife).  While perusing the instructions for the proper place to hang the new ones.  I noticed the strange fact that Mobile Homes need about two to three times the amount of detectors as stick built homes.  Interesting I thought.

Come Saturday I got a lesson in why.  I went to my Mum's to help her make x-mas cookies... I'll leave that experience to another blog.  But afterward we walked over to a farm that they purchased where clean up is in progress.  

The boys had pushed this trailer off of it's foundation and were in the process of lighting it up.  This fire was lite w/out an accelerant.  The first couple of pictures were taken about 1 1/2 minutes before the top one.

I totally 100% get why mobile homes need so many smoke detectors now.

1:01:39 PM

Black, Dark Gray, Light Gray, White....smoke comes in many colors.  All represented here. 

1:02:16 PM

1:07:36 PM

Test and change batteries on smoke detectors folks....and if you have a travel trailer or mobile home.  YOU NEED AT LEAST ONE IN EVERY ROOM.  Were talking seconds to get to safety.  When it was all said and done this thing went from first flame to on the ground in a matter of about 9 minutes give or take a few seconds....along with several trees.  And Ohhhh...the poor trees are being cleared to make room for more farmland.  Sigh....you all know how I love trees...so I was feeling a bit bad for them while all this was going on.

I Miss Narnia

I miss Narnia.  I really do.  As a child I could sit and read these books over and over.  I wore a set completely out.  It was so real to me a place of talking beasts, walking trees, Fauns, Satyrs, wardrobes, lamp posts and magic rings. 

I often wander whether I love trees and animals because of Narnia or whether I loved Narnia because I loved trees and animals.  Either way the thought that a place existed through a wardrobe where animals and trees were our friends kept me enthralled for years.

When the new Disney movie came out for the Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe .... I immediately went and saw it.  And I loved it.  I somehow missed Prince Caspian in the theatre.  But Arctic Fox mentioned that he watched it and thought it was so-so.  So I rented it last night and though I didn't think it was as good a LW&W... Liam Neeson is still the voice of Aslan and the kids were the same.  And seeing the talking animals ... whose portrayal is so majectic.  Lets say LW&W was 5 stars for me and Caspian was only 4.5 stars.  

It's been at least 20 years since I last read any of the Narnia tales. It's high time that I spend a little time with C.S. Lewis and read them as an adult.

Did you read Narnia as a child?  As an adult?  Have you seen either of the Disney movies? 

Reflection

Reflection

I didn't know what to do with this photo.  And lo and behold I found this A-Z Photo Challenge that Far Side takes part in.  So I'm joining in this week.

Clarice loves to sit squashed in between me and the arm of the chair next to the fireplace.  Well actually in the winter she cuddles in on my right hip because it's by the fireplace and in the summer she wedges herself on my left hip because it's by the fan.  She a canny wee bugger.

I was determined to get a photo of her with the fireplace going in the background.....trust me I have all sorts of random ideas after two glasses of red at 11 in the evening.  After many interesting attempts I finally decided to use the laptop as a base for the camera and screwed around with the setting on the camera....took about 20 shots with differing settings and never did get the shot I wanted.  But this one is interesting.