Is Winter Over?

I know February is a short month to begin with but man, it sure went by extremely fast! Not only is time passing at record speed, we have experienced one of the warmest winters ever recorded. February will go on record as the warmest February ever! And this is usually our coldest winter month!

Needless to say the geese are already flowing back North, people are mowing their lawns because the weeds are growing (grass is smarter 😏) and 

many trees are already beginning to leaf out

or blooming!

The one thing I haven't seen leaf out yet is the Mesquite tree. It's said around these parts that winter isn't over until the Mesquite tree leafs out. I have a saying too with my 40+ years of residency that winter isn't over until after Easter. This year Easter is April 16th.

I can remember years past...20007 to be exact when we had snow on Bluebonnets. I found that picture too! Hmmm...my hair was darker and I was "lighter" 😏. We didn't get a lot of snow but it was still snow! Easter was the first weekend in April that year.

I distinctly remember in 2008 having a near blizzard on March 6th.  I say distinctly because at that time I was keeping the horses at my friend Teresa's about 15 miles North of town and I drove in it to go blanket horses!

This was the road to her house about a mile from it.

At that time Clyde was the only horse we had so the other two belong to my friend's daughter. They were pretty glad to see me!

We got around 5 inches that time. I'm not sure but I think it was gone in a few days.

Winter might be over but you just never know around here!

It's kind of like the saying "It ain't over til' the fat lady sings", well, it ain't over until the Mesquite tree blooms 😉.

Have a good one!

Red and Blue Card Challenge

The card challenge over at Cards in Envy is Read and Blue. I had some paper in mind I wanted to use from an old Authentique collection for this challenge.

You've seen this stamp set before as I used it on a tag recently. I decided to use it again because I like her and the paper has a western feel to me. This is from the  Angiegirl  collection from Unity Stamp Co. called "Harper Girl".

I chose to paper piece her which proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated but I like the results.  I did color her skin and the gun with my Copic Markers. The sentiment I stamped using Distress Ink Faded Jeans then stamped over with Versa Mark and heat embossed with clear powder. I then used foam tape on Harper Girl and the sentiment and finished it off with some twine.

Thanks for taking a look!

Have a good one!

Be Inspired Challenge At Unity {Show & Tell}

I am so glad I joined the Unity {Show & Tell} group on Facebook. I am learning so much and getting inspired!

The photo shows the challenge.















This is what I created.

I used two stamp sets from Unity to create this card. Aleah Girl, part of the Angiegirls collection and "Trio of Beauty" for the feathers.

I took a piece of watercolor paper 4 x 5.25. I inked with a blending tool using Distress Frayed Burlap and Brushed Corduroy. Then I splattered some water droplets on it. I dried with a heat tool then put it in a wood grain embossing folder. I used some brown card stock behind the water color paper.

Next I stamped the feathers with Brushed Coduroy on kraft paper and cut out three. I also stamped the sentiment with the same ink. I used a blending tool to ink the sentiment so it was not white.

Aleah Girl I colored with pencils. It may not really meet the challenge but I am very proud of how the card turned out. It was very much out of my normal style to make! I already have someone in mind to give it to.

Have a good one!

Foggy Morning 2-18-2017

It was really foggy Saturday morning when I went to feed. I thought it made for some cool pictures.

If you click on the pictures so you can see it larger you can also see strands of spider webbing.

I just love this picture.

The droplets are not from rain but just the moisture in the air!

I was seeing the sunlight shine through the middle droplet and tried to capture that with a picture but it didn't show the way I was seeing it. Oh well...I tried.

Spiders must really like this kind of weather because I was seeing the beginnings of webs everywhere. I think this spider needs to go to web-making 101.

This spider may have had too much caffeine 😏

 Just look at all the clumps of webs in this pasture! This is adjacent to where my horses are.











Later that morning me, Doyle, kids and grands went to a pancake fundraising breakfast at the American Legion then went to an organized trash pickup in the city by a group called "Make Mineral Wells Great Again".

Yes, I did pickup trash but someone had to take a few pictures 😉

stopping for a photo op!

We had a great morning.


Have a good one!

Delightful Surprise 2-17-2017

Friday, February 17th I was on my way to feed like any other day. As I turn on the street that runs in
front of the horse pasture I saw a hawk in a tree. I thought about parking and trying to get pictures then but it really wasn't the right angle (I would be shooting into the sun) so I decided to go on and feed and see if I could walk to where he was while they were eating.

I get the horses started eating their grain and head to the other barn to put out hay when I see something flying low out of the corner of my eye.

It was the hawk and it was flying really low over the pasture. I watched as it perched onto of the Church roof. I had my camera already in hand. I decided the hay could wait and went after the hawk.

My experience has been they usually won't let me get very close before taking flight. I have the zoom on my camera. I get as close as I dare and begin taking pictures.

I get a little closer but he turns his head away from me.






Then he took flight soaring low like he did before and landed in a young tree. He was no more that 6
or 8 ft off the ground. I began to surmise that this was a juvenile hawk. My suspicions were confirmed when he missed a really good opportunity to get a squirrel.

It's not a real good picture but you can see the hawk in the tree and the squirrel climbing the truck!

The hawk flies and the squirrel scampers away!

It appears to me the hawk is saying "where did he go?"

He flies again.

He lands again next to the other church.

I get a little too close and he takes to the air again.

He lands on top of a utility pole behind the first church I spotted him at. The pole is part of an obstacle course they have behind the building.

Doing a little personal grooming.

Although a juvenile he is still a large bird! I was thrilled to have such an awesome opportunity.

It made me a little late for work but it was well worth it 😊

Have a good one!

More Like Summer 2-11-2017

My former riding buddy that I reconnected with wanted to try to ride again on Saturday. She wanted to take full advantage of the nice days we were having but Saturday really wasn't pleasant by afternoon when we were able to ride. We experienced a record high! This is abnormal for us!

I invited my new riding friend and husband to join us. He is working during the week so he was glad to get to join us.

Joelle and Tracy then Mary behind them.

You know me. I had to have a shadow picture 😉

Go across the low water  crossing.

Joelle doing what I've done to her several times!

Joelle got a picture of me and Mary.













Tracy and Joelle

I love this of Tracy and Joelle and their shadows. Last leg of the trail.

It was a great ride. We were all hot, tired and sweaty...especially the horses 😏

Have a good one!