Perspective

 Sometimes you have the opportunity to photograph a sunflower field....and they are all facing the wrong way...your only way into the field with permission from the farmerlady...any other way into the field would involve parking on the shoulder of the 60 mph highway and walking through a ditch...no thanks...

Sometimes we just have to make do and look at things differently. 

The back of a sunflower is pretty in its own way.

A side view isn't half bad either. 

Yes I could have walked into the field...but there were probably bees and I did not want to break any of the stalks...I walked along the edge...and then ran into a huge area of Poison Ivy...Sunflowers from a different perspective would have to be enough for the day. 

The Sunflower field still made me smile!

Far Side

Winter Storm Jacob: Day One

The Winter Storm named Jacob began in the afternoon on Friday with windy conditions.  Snow was blowing around in the wind.  The snowstick is at 20 inches of snow...some either settled or blew away.

It was a dreary day.  I got the mail and Far Guy filled a bird feeder.  Other than that we hunkered down for the day.

For reference I took a photo of the patio and bird feeders before the storm kicked into high gear.

We are home for the duration of the storm.

I put away some cards that I finished this week.  A local pharmacy that has a photo shop sent me an email saying that I had not ordered photos in a long time and would I like a coupon for 25 free photos?  Sure.  Their photos are not quite square with the world but they were free.

Now for the big question is a project unfinished if you never started it?   I found this tucked away in a drawer upstairs...pillowcases to be embroidered....apparently at one time I gathered the embroidery floss for the project...some needles and a hoop are still needed before I can begin...easily attainable I have several hoops and lots of needles ...maybe I will put it in the craft suitcase.

Far Side

Catching up

On sleep and small projects!

 I began to use some of my Christmas boxes for ornaments for 2019...getting them ready to mail.  It is a work in progress and at least it is organized and manageable now.   I used up a fair amount of boxes and tins and nearly every small Christmas gift bag I had in the gift wrapping box.  (Jen says I am a box hoarder...I call it being amply prepared.) I even organized my gift wrapping container...it was a mess...now I know what I have!

I went through my closet and took a bunch of clothing I will probably never wear again upstairs...if it is still up there in the spring I will deal with it then.

My stash of sympathy cards is getting low.  I had to order more photos...I found a few that would work...and some other photos that were stashed away that will make great cards....so I made a bunch.  I completed that part of the project!

I am almost caught up with the Crochet Along Project, I enjoy learning new stitches.

I am STILL working on Christmas Cards....glittering a few every few days...not many left in the to do pile.  Then I have to square them up and mount them on card stock...at least I have that all cut and ready to go...then there is the small problem of a sentiment... I don't have that figured out yet...although I have many ideas.

We may have sunshine sometime soon so outside work will commence again.
Far Side

Stuff

When Far Guy is at Pulmonary Therapy I have an hour to do "something."  Usually I run errands.  But he goes to Therapy 3 times a week. I have a limited amount of errands!   Monday is a great time to check out the Thrift shop for yarn...last Monday it was a gold mine...I spent 3 dollars and got 6 skeins of yarn....two were full skeins which might become a scarf someday. 

I wandered around in the local Yarn Shop ...and  bought something special.  Which I may or may not get done before Christmas.

I made a trip through the gardens outside the hospital. Took some photographs and then sat in the car and began winding yarn into balls.

It has been a stressful week.

 We still have a partially bottomless pit of money at the Credit Union...now some bills are paid and some are not.   I found this out quite by accident when I was setting up an alternate way to pay bills.  The Electric bill was paid and then 5 days later it was unpaid...go figure. So I paid it again using the alternate way.  I have spoken to The President of the Credit Union...she is as frustrated with it as we are...no solution is in sight.

A lost checkbook was found.  ( Thank goodness...it was all my fault.)

Lab Tests that were supposed to be ordered locally for Far Guy are now 10 days late.  Someone says they were ordered but the Lab has no such order.  They probably sent the order to the wrong clinic...who really knows.   He had a list of nine things that needed to be addressed...and it is all in progress...supposedly.

One day I was not adulting very well and just wanted to cover my head up with a blankie and suck my thumb.

Far Side

Photo Bucket List: Flax

I have a photo bucket list.  One of the things on that list was to photograph a field of Flax. 

Yesterday Chance had to go out early so after he did his business we headed out.  My other baby brother told me about a field up on the prairie.

Flax only blooms for part of the day.

I will wait a few days and go back again.  There are new flowers everyday…until it is bloomed out and the seed heads are formed.

Flax fields are rare in this area. Of course there are different kinds of Flax…oilseed or linen seed.  The oilseed type can be used to make a flour, as a cattle feed or pressed for their oil.  The linen seed type can be used to make  fiber that can be spun …it is called linen (The stalks are dried and pounded and the fibers spun.)

It has been 60 years since I first saw a Flax field south of Lake Park Minnesota late one Sunday morning on my way to Uncle Theron and Aunt Skip’s house.  I have never forgotten what a beautiful sight it was.

Baby Buffalo and Lightning are still on my photo bucket list.

We have smoke in the air from the fires in Canada.

Making Cards

One day I got out my stamping supplies and did some “Thinking of you” cards.  It was great fun to stamp, watercolor and use glitter glue.  I use watercolor pencils and then a water brush…it practically makes you think you are an artist!  Watercolor paper is a must for this project.

I ran out of all ocassion cards with flowers on them so I am in the process of making some of those too.

I still have a glut of paper in my desk so the card making will continue. ( I might be a paper hoarder…but I don’t have to go to town when I need a piece of paper! ) I have not purchased a card in years.  The fancy edge is made with a border cutter…it is fun to use. The fancy corner is made with a corner punch…mine happens to be a Fiskers but there are many kinds out there.

My desk is a mess and it will be until I am done with this project.

It turned colder here and no snow melted yesterday.

Photos of Flowers

I have a really busy day today, so I am posting some photographs for your enjoyment!

These are all photographs of Lupines. I took these with my old camera a few years ago. Some years the Lupines are fantastic, other years they all die out from our harsh Minnesota winters.

I love this bi color one, it only bloomed one year.

In Minnesota the Lupines bloom around June 15th give or take a few days. They bloom about two weeks, less if we get heavy rains and wind. I have volunteer seedlings that come up in some of the strangest places, but Lupines are best left alone and not transplanted. The tiny seedlings bloom later in the summer. Deer usually don't eat Lupines. These photographs were all taken in the display gardens here. What I now call my wildflower patch! :)