Farm Tour Day 3

The current state of the weather keeps me from taking many pictures, as camera's and tsunami's don't mix well. I am only exaggerating a tad. Every time the water stops pouring from the sky I scoot out the door snapping pictures like a mad woman. If only you could see me, slogging about in my muck boots, apron strings trailing- skirts a'flyin... A pretty picture indeed! Thankfully I can remove that image from your mind with these shots from around the farm and homestead. Enjoy~

I always plant flowers with my veg. This year I sprinkled Cosmos seeds in the Hot Pepper patch. Those pink blossoms really stand out amidst all the shades of green.

My darling menfolk made me a new squash patch this year and while it didn't produce scads of Winter Squashes as I had hoped, I was pleased that this special plant produced 3 healthy fruit. This is Red Kuri or Potimarron or Onion Squash. I hear it has wonderful sweet flesh that tastes a bit like chestnuts. I can't wait to try it.

For school the kids are studying Honest Abe. The youngest farmer boy finds Abraham Lincoln most fascinating. He writes himself notes so he won't forget a single detail.

Fall leaves make my heart go pitter-pat.

This is how I spent a healthy portion of the weekend. It was heavenly. The pounding/pouring/sloshing rain only distracted me slightly. 

Note: Pay no attention to the frown lines on my forehead this is a good book! It's about Depression Era farm women.

Inside/Outside:: Farm Tour

Time does slip quickly by when one has far more chores than there are hours in the day...  (Deepest apologies for the lack of photo editing here...not enough time!)

Garden harvest 22 October -in the torrential downpour/thunder and lightening storm.

                                                             

Bloody rotten APHIDS!! eating happily away at my Brussels 

Farm dog-Hard at work keeping watch for errant toys

Garden Mums. My favourite.

Never ending pile of laundry to be folded or Mt. Foldme

                   

New to the farm this year- raised beds in the front courtyard. Didn't do quite as well as hoped, but still blooming!

After-school mess making...er, playtime.

Raised bed #2 sporting a healthy (5.5 ft. tall) crop of Redbor Kale and the blasted aphid drowned Brussels.

I have carpel elbow from all of the chopping/stirring/slicing/stuffing I've been doing this last month. In the pantry: Cider and juice, salsa, dried fruit/veg, butters and jams and still more to can.

Raised bed #3.  Home to wayward strawberries, various herbs and Cole crops.

Outside-the rain tumbles from the sky. Inside-the fireplace crackles and the tea kettle whistles. Dinner is simmering in the oven and the water-bath canner bubbles steady.

A picture's worth::Farm Tour

I haven't taken y'all on a photographic walking tour of the farm in ages and thought it was high time. So, I have declared this week Farm Tour Week.  Enjoy!

          Blue Orpington baby (Thank you Dora)

                                       Apples from our own trees destined for the dehydrator ((love))

                                                                  Calendula from Cara

                                                            Grouchy old Salmon Faverolle hen

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

For today's posting I am linking up with the gals at Like Mother, Like Daughter.  
Join the fun!

{pretty}

This is from one of the weddings I shot this summer. I love the clothesline. I love the strings of lights. The twilight....very pretty.

{happy}

 I captured this tender moment between brothers yesterday. Both of my boys are suffering from illness.  My man child has just returned from a mission trip to Mexico, where he must have been bitten by a dog or a seal because he is barking up a storm.  He sounds terrible but that didn't stop him from reading a little of  "The Sneetches" to his baby brother who has a mild case of Conjunctivitis. 

This makes me so happy.  I love that my oldest isn't too cool to snuggle on the couch and read Dr. Seuss to his brother.  

{funny}

 This is my youngest child; dramatic and funny are his middle names. We have been standing in the July heat for 1.75 hrs waiting for our local parade -in which he is participating-to start.  Someone just told him he is allowed to "shoot" the crowd with a squirt gun.  He was excited, to say the least.

{real}

My friend Miri and I have a tradition.  Every October, we  make a birthday (Miri's)  pilgrimage to the Sylvia Beach Hotel.   We lounge. We read. We take photos.  We sip tea and take in the glorious ocean air. Otherwise,  we enjoy the quiet lack of children, animals, cell phones and T.V.   
Note:  The hotel, from-which my friend is basking in the ocean sunset above, is remodeling.    Alas, there will be no pilgrimage this year.  There will be no sipping of tea or lounging. There will be no photographing. There will be no lack of noise.  This year we must make other plans.


 (Insert loud sigh here)


Dear Sylvia Beach Hotel,
Hurry up with that remodeling! 
Love, 
Katie and Miri


Happy 20th Anniversary of your 20th Birthday my dear sweet friend! May it be wonderful even without the quiet ocean view.

Wordless Wednesday: Life is 'dandy

Wordless-ish Wednesday

Because I have the worst head cold ever. Because our beloved friend Tom Sr. died on Monday. Because our sweet lop-eared rabbit Cleo died this morning. Because summer is over.  Because laundry is no respecter of illness.

Caught: the weekend lens

  Captured my own reflection in this jar of Spiced Golden Plum Jam this afternoon.

     Sneaky Katie, caught these two friends (Lexie from the Back Acher and the lovely Em) snapping shots.

                                        Caught my youngest sneaking to town in her jammies.

 

Got my curls caught in the blackberries while getting in my car.  Had the kids run grab the camera so I                      could take a picture.  My children think their mother is nutty.

My darling beloved snapped this, the only shot, of the man child sporting his first big catch. And what a tasty catch it was.

Life

 This past year has been a sea of emotion.  Joys and sorrows.  Gratefulness and peace.

The ebb and flow, felt as thought I were being pulled out to sea one minute and the next, felt like I was drowning. Once or twice I cried a sea of tears. Tears of joy, frustration and deep sorrow flooded from me. There were days that I just bobbed along peacefully.  At times I wrestled  fiercely with life, yelling out to God from the quiet of my garden.  Some days, I sat quietly and drank it all in; storing up every blessed moment.

There are so many things resting on my heart that warrant sharing but as I ease back to this beloved space I find that I can only share the simple, not the deep.

A frosted Barley Pop on the only (nearly) hundred degree day of the summer.

The piano, on loan to Calamity Farmstead, brings me joy (most) every morning.  (Note to self: teach kids new song....'Heart and Soul' is grating on my nerves.)

Week in the Life: Playing catch up

So. I had this goal. I have been planning it all out in my head, for months now. I told all my friends, for accountability purposes. I recently made some notes, printed worksheets.  I gathered a few supplies. I charged my camera battery and wiped all the pictures off my SD cards.

The  project; Week in the Life 2011.  The goal; make it to the finish line.

On Sunday (official start day was Monday but I like to draw things out as much as possible) I started (along with scads of other dedicated folks and the projects creator, Ali Edwards) a photo journaling/scrapbooking project called 'Week in the Life'.  I have done the WITL project in years past but have never seen it to completion.  For one reason or another, I take off running then fall flat on my face.  This year, I decided, would be different.  This year, I decided to finish. I made it a goal.  I am determined.  Part of my determination was to post everyday during said project and thus far I have failed miserably.  I am late (I was born late, seriously.) to the party. Again. Still, I shall not be dissuaded.

I am DETERMINED.

Being that this is the week of my second 'Wedding Photo' gig, I am slightly stressed out.  I am shooting and researching. And researching and shooting. And stressing. (Also, having night mares about being late to the wedding. Not good.)

Again, I remain determined.


Notes-to-self for this week:

     *Relieve stress by digging hands in the warm dirt of my garden, breathing in the wonders of this life I have been given-taking pictures all along the way.

     *I will not beat my self up over being late.... again. 

     *I will take amazing wedding shots tomorrow! I can do eeeet! (Thanks so much to Joy for volunteering to be     my assistant. Joy, you rock!)

     *Determination Station, here I come!

    Today I am posting a few shots from the last few days of WITL+ Words.

Sunday: Camp day. Oldest kids at camp all week.
Number of photos for Sunday| 64 digi + 48 shots on film

{My youngest boy and Lexie's youngest girl}

Monday: Fidget turns 9. Boater experience.
Number of photos for Monday| 145

{Baby girl partied on the Bay. First time on a boat. Said over and over again that she " didn't feel like 9 yet".}

Tuesday: Garden girl. Girl fun. Working man.
Number of photos for Tuesday| 502

{Finally, the garden provideth.}

{That is notJoy behind the funny mag ad.}

{He brings home the bacon and I fry it up.}

Wednesday: Town day. Park fun. Flower bokeh.

Number of photos for Wednesday| 285

{To make up for a whole day in the car we let the kids run in the park. The rock wall was a favourite.}

{The long ride home.  Sun in the eyes.  Flowers on the dashboard. A little bit of bokeh.}

The BIG day and parenthetical mayhem

With wedding number one (two more left to go) now under my belt, I am more than ready for a little break.

Note to self: Taking wedding pictures is UBER stressful.  Who knew?  Take a bunch of pictures of pretty people, in pretty clothes, at a pretty venue... and you have stress (hello stress!) with a capitol S. My constant thought was: What if something malfunctions on the camera?  What if I miss the glory shot? What if every single picture is blurry? What if....it rains? What if..the cake melts?  What if ...I fall flat on my face and break something and have to be rushed to the Emergency Room?  (Seriously, these thoughts kept me up at night.)

Alas, thanks to a handy modern invention called the Image Stabilization Lens and all my peeps  (thank you!thank you!!thank you!!!) who loaned me their precious photo taking devices (six in all) and Photoshop, to correct lighting issues, my first gig as a Wedding Photographer (sounds so professional doesn't it?) went over without a hitch.   I have successfully captured lovely wedding memories for my little brother (Congrats ya little twerp!) and his new bride (I love you Kayla!). 


( I didn't fall flat on my face and have to be rushed to the E.R but I did almost break my leg stumbling in a gopher hole. Thank you uncoordinated-self.)

*insert sigh of relief*

While the cute couple is off enjoying sun, surf and sand, I am editing and packaging up the wedding photo montage.  Number of photo's taken: 1,322.  That folks, is a lot of pictures to sort through. I will be a busy girl for a while.

For now, here is a (teeny-tiny) sneak peek.

 

Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

I know. My posting is totally sporadic and random. I am spazzy. But friends, my plate is full. The worst part is, I have so many posts in draft that most of them are no longer relevant so I can't even rely on scheduling a post.  I have no plan for my blog space. I have no plan for life in general but that is a blog for another day.

Anywhat.

So much going on!  The calamities are still abundant but something is missing. I think its pictures. There haven't been near enough picture posts here in Calamity-ville.

I have been working on honing my photo skillz for my little brothers upcoming wedding.  I am currently shooting with four different cameras. (Talk about spazzy!)  I am nervous about taking the pictures for this big event.  I am excited for this new opportunity.  I am filling C.F. and S.D. cards (as well as my hard drive)  with more images than I have ever shot before.  I am working with a snazzy film camera as well.  It feels like ages since I loaded a roll of film into the back of a camera. I am even loving the anticipation of waiting for the pictures to be developed.

Needless to say I am inundated with photos. Some of them are worthy of sharing and some of them are...well, junk is a nice word for it.  I am working on some editing in order to get some pic's posted but like I said earlier, the plate is full.  It may take me a while but I will persevere.

I will post.  I will post...PICTURES.  Minimal calamities. No cheesy song lyrics. And ... skads and skads of pictures.

 For now, I will leave you with one random photo.

 Drops of water on my peony.

(On Monday night we had nice rain storm.  I went out in the morning and shot all things blooming.)

Rednecks live here

You might be a redneck if....

...you wear your seat belt as an accessory (Why yes, officer.  I always wear my seat belt) .  And you decorate your yard with old tires.


Photo courtesy of Mr. Dailey and his way cool, totally non-Redneck, iPhone.

April showers bring....April flowers

Just a little sampling of blossoms from my garden. I am surprised that the garden is flourishing as it is.  From where I sit all I see is rain...rain...rain. With more rain to follow.


I hope that where ever you are, there is sunshine. Have a blessed day!

Finding time and loosing it again

It seems to me that I am always loosing time. Time slips between my fingers like the dirt I sift in my garden.  Today I had to find the time to sneak off to the library and blog.  After waiting in line (time slipping from my grasp) for a computer to open up (more lost time) I am now blogging with a freinzy not known to me. 

I feel like my time is so very precious, yet I squander it at every opportunity.  I love to loose myself in the land of blog.  I greatly enjoy reading the stories of others; their joys, sorrows and trials put my own into perspective.


Over the Labour Day Holiday weekend my family, along with most of my husbands sisters and brothers, traveled to the Oregon Coast.  We all shared in a precious gift while there; time spent together.  We made many new memories while reliving many old ones.  We attended a wedding and most of us wept at the beauty of the new lives joined together. 

Our time spent on the beach itself ranked at the top of  the list with all of the children

...as well as our dog Jane.

My boys started up a game of Sandball and made some great memories of their own.

All in all, our time spent at the coast was time I didn't mind loosing.  And I daresay everyone else felt the same way.

I hope you all  are able to find the time to make some time.  And find it precious indeed.