ABC Wednesday: Buddies

Photos of some critter buddies I took last summer...

Pronghorn

Who says three's a crowd? 

Mule deer near our house

They're not fenced in; the chainlink fence surrounds a golf course behind them.

(Here's a photo of this handsome pair that gives a better - but less unique - view of them)

Field Mice

This is Val and Tino, brothers (we think) who sought refuge in our garage during a blizzard on Valentine's Day six years ago, were given temporary housing in the "Whiskers Inn B&B," decided they knew a good thing when they saw it and signed a long term lease. :-) They live with us still, elderly but still quite active, as well as safe, warm and happy. (This photo was taken before they figured out how their exercise wheel worked! LOL!)

Dogs

Josie and Tessa, taken just after a car ride and before we could remove Tessa's Doggles! Josie looks decidedly unimpressed with Tessa's fashion sense. ;-)

Canine & Equine Interspecies Friendship

Tessa makes friends with a horse during a walk in the countryside.

For more examples of interspecies friendships, please enjoy these beautiful and very touching photos by amazing animal photographer Tanja Askani. I recommend that you view this wonderful slideshow full screen with your speakers on (the music is lovely!)...

 
And for more takes on the letter B, visit

ABC Wednesday: The Wizardry of W :-)

After a devastatingly wrenching week (whose emotional wounds have not yet begun to heal), perhaps some whimsy, and for many a visit to a bit of wonder from our childhoods, will offer a bit of welcome diversion. At least, that's my wish!

Today's ABC Wednesday post is made possible by our neighbors, Doug and Carol, who invited us to dinner on December 1st. Not only was the evening was filled with a wide range of music, conversation, and delicious vegan food, it was also filled with W's!

First, the wine was poured from an unusual "world" decanter...

(Wish I'd photographed it while full, but it went too fast!) :-)

Vintage music from the 50s and 60s wove its way through the house from the genuine Wurltizer juke box (which plays CDs)...

But most of the Ws were on one of their several themed Christmas trees, their wackily wonderful 12-foot tall "Pop Culture" tree, which had several Wizard of Oz ornaments - all with animation and/or sound. Here are a few of my favorites, in photos and video...

The wretchedly malicious "Miss Gulch," who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West when in Oz (and later Cora, the Maxwell House Coffee lady!) The video I'm linking to just cracks me up - what a wistfully amusing blast from the past! (I was 14 that year!) :-)

Dorothy about to embark on her Yellow Brick Road adventure

This ornament has a whoops, can you detect what it is?

(Dorothy should be wearing the ruby slippers as she sets out!)

The warm-hearted Dorothy works oil into the Tin Woodsman's rusty joints

"The Great and Powerful Oz has spoken!" 

The intrepid friends start to get woozy in the poppy field...

...while the Wicked Witch and one of her Winged Monkeys watch

After Dorothy's been whisked away to the tower cell, her three friends disguise themselves as Winkies (the Wicked Witch's guards) to rescue her. According to the abundant Wizard of Oz trivia shared on IMDb, "There are many alleged lyrics to the "Winkie Chant" performed by the Witch's guards, including "All we own, we owe her," "Oh we love the old one," and "Oh we loathe the old one." However, the correct version, seen in the film's screenplay, is "O-Ee-Yah! Eoh-Ah!" and any other interpretations are simply the result of the listener's mind treating the chant as an audio ink blot." :-) 
"What a world, what a world!" wails the wilting Wicked Witch of the West! This is my favorite of the Oz ornaments, and I wish the video weren't so wee. I recommend you click on it to watch it in a larger version or watch it in full screen on YouTube.
And near the end, the Great and Powerful Oz is exposed, the gifts bestowed (or, more accurately, acknowledged), and the erstwhile Wizard of Oz sets sail for Kansas and home. :-)
And just in case you haven't yet gotten enough of the Wizard of Oz, here was another of Doug and Carol's Christmas trees...

Wow, check out those wild ruby slipper tree lights! 

Click here to see some of the non-Wizard ornaments from their Pop Culture tree!
And it goes without saying, your visit to ABC Wednesday is always welcome! 

Wishing everyone a peaceful holiday season filled with love!

ABC Wednesday: V

I spied a V

in the bark of a tree

viewed merrily.

And that's all you'll see

of my poetry.

Yea, verily. :-)

Russian Olive tree bark

I vow to vindicate myself next week with W. ;-)

Till then, peace out, my valiant bloggy friends! 

Visit ABC Wednesday to view a vast variety of virtuous Vs...

ABC Wednesday: Treasures

I spent a little time this week tinkering with my camera's settings and PhotoBucket's free editing toys (which have some neat tricks but are not without their trials and tribulations!), and here are the results applied to some of my tiny treasures...

Timeless treasures washed up by the tides:

Shells, sand dollar, shark's tooth & calcified coral I found on beaches in Maine & Florida, 

and two halves of a nautilus shell purchased at a gem show (a gift from a friend)

A teeny bunny my mom gave me takes a seat on a chunk of rose quartz,

with a watercolor of Loch Ness' beguiling Urquhart Castle,

a cherished token from a terrific trip to Scotland in 1998, as her backdrop.

ABC Wednesday: Some Special Esses :-)

A selection of S's for your satisfaction...

Slow Sculpture...

Sweet, too!

"Turtle for Tots" by Mary Zimmerman ~ Paonia, CO

By the playground in Kendrick Park

Speedy Sportscar...

An Austin Healey Sprite

Serene Scenery...

Taken this summer on the ranch where we board our horse Mocha

Simple Stone...

A lone grave marker in Sheridan's Municipal Cemetery. I could find no other markers 

in the vicinity of this grave with the rest of this person's name or vital statistics, 

nor evidence of missing stones. Maybe George was secretive and wanted it that way! 

Stunning Sunrise...

Hot off the press, this morning's spectacular sunrise from our back yard

Scrumptious Skillet Supper...

I had to break a cardinal rule of food photography and photograph this

 under icky artificial light (on the sad little stove in our last rental). Sorry!

The original name of this dish is Skillet Black Beans with Potatoes and Tortillas, but we simply call it "that yummy skillet supper." :-) With potatoes, corn tortillas, beans and spices, this satisfying dish has become one of our new comfort foods. It makes a lot (use a large skillet!), and makes great leftovers.

Click here for this delicious recipe by Nava Atlas. The only changes we make to this recipe is that we sauté in water instead of oil, and add a poblano pepper and about 1/4 cup of frozen organic corn. (We like ours with 3 cloves of garlic and 2 chipotle peppers, but adjust these amounts according to your own heat preferences).

Here it is all served up garnished with fresh cilantro, avocado, homemade vegan sour cream, and a splash of Sriracha hot sauce, since we like our sustenance on the spicy side!...

See what other S'ssss are in store at...

ABC Wednesday: Reveling in R's

R is for...

Reflections...

Sunset's Righteous Riot of Rainbow hues 

Before November's Ravaging winds Reduced the trees to bare branches,

we enjoyed these Reflections in a pond by our house

Red...

Who could Resist Rejoicing at this Radiant Burning Bush 
and the Regal frog Resting beneath it?

(waiting for a kiss from a Ravishing maiden, no doubt!)

 Rustic Red barn on Beaver Creek Road

Rays...

I got Ridiculous with Rays in my SkyWatch Friday post last week,

so click here if you want to see more!

Recycling...

Tomorrow (Nov 15) is America Recycles Day in the US!

I Revere the earth, and as a Result I Relish Recycling! :-)

Really! :-)

(click for Recycling tips!)

Rejoice at the Rousing Roundup of Rs at...

ABC Wednesday: Q is for Quilts!

It's ABC Wednesday again, and Q is for... Quilts (again)! Because October brings the annual Sheridan Fiber Arts Show at the local library, which always features lots and lots of quilts. So, here is Part 1 of my 3rd annual multi-part Quilt Show post! As always, you may want to click on any photo to view a larger, more detailed version. For the quilt fans among you (the rest of you are SOL this week, lol), links to the 2011 and 2010 quilt shows are at the end of this post.

As always, I like to start out with some overview photos. Not as many quilts this year as in previous years,when they usually go all the way down and around the staircase banister, but still, there's no shortage of quilts, as you'll quickly see...

And now for some up close and personal views. I took photos of my personal favorites (all marked with asterisks before and after their name), or quilts that were unusual or had a quirky story, which I'll share (usually in their own words in quotes and italics) with their photos. 

By the way, space on the mezzanine is tight and in my quixotic quest to photograph most of the quilts I often have to seriously contort myself, bending backwards over the railing, to capture as much of a quilt on the wall into the frame as possible. Because there is a limit to my flexibility and I didn't want to do a quadruple backflip over the railing, some of the quilts don't quite appear in their entirety!

Before Halloween recedes any further into the past, here's a festive quilt to start us off...

"Halloween Frenzy"

Technique: Quilt - Pieced

Artist: Tammy Johnson

Quilting: Jennifer Golden

Arilyn, the artist's granddaughter, chose the fabrics.

Halloween Frenzy detail

Bat quilting detail

Notice that the quilting is done in the shape of bats!

"Summer of Fun"

Technique: Machine Pieced

Artist: Pam Rapp

Quilting: Two Chicks Quilting

This one should probably be named "Two Years of Fun," 

since it was begun in 2009 and finished in 2011!

*"My Rainbows Have Pink"*

Technique: Machine Piecing & Hand Appliqué

Artist: Janet Hoxie

"This started as an illustration in a coloring book,

but I soon discovered I had one more segment than a rainbow has colors, 

thus the need to improvise."

"Wheels of Wonder"

Technique: Quilting

Artist: Fran Wolfe

Quilting: Fran Wolfe

"This is a quilt made from a laser cut kit by John Flynn of Red Lodge.

Curved seams are really hard to sew even when the pieces are laser cut.

I almost quit more times than I can count. When I finished the main piece, 

I decided to quilt it myself, which was also a first. 

There are lots of mistakes, but there also was lots of learning.

About 10 seconds after I finished my thought was -- I've got to make another one."

*"Crows & Chili Pepper"*

Technique: Machine Quilted

Artist: Sandy Morton

Quilting: Karen Van Houten

Crows & Chili Pepper detail

"American States Block Collage"

Technique: Quilting

Artist: Sandy Morton

Quilting: Karen VanHouten

"Pineapple Star"

Technique: Paper Piecing

Artist: Mary Jane Collins

Quilting: Laurie Sheeley

"The Thundering Herd"

Technique: Hand Appliqué

Artist: Valeria Finley

Hand Quilting: Valeria Finley

"New York Beauty"

Technique: Paper Pieced

Artist: Georgia Mueller

Quilting: Larry Mueller

Pattern by Karen Stone

"I had this pattern for 10 years before I attempted to make it. I was inspired

 by my collection of Kaffe Fassett fabrics and other designers of bright colors. 

It took me about a month working on about three blocks a day.

Then I had to make the border which took a couple of weeks.

This I believe is one of the best quilts in my quilting career."

And who are we to quibble? :-)

"Grandmother's Flower Garden"

Technique: Hand Quilted

Artists: Betty Harrison, Valeria Finley, Kristy Anderson

"This quilt was started in 1929 by Nina Anderson and finished in 2011." 

Quality over quickness. I like that. :-)

*"Out on a Limb"*

Technique: Machine Appliqué & Machine Quilted

Artist: Elaine Inman

Quilting: Elaine Inman

Pattern: "Home Tweet Home" by McKenna Ryan

I don't quilt, but McKenna Ryan's patterns make me wish I did!

Her wonderful designs are always my favorites.

"Star Log Cabin"

Technique: Machine Pieced

Artist: Louise Knievel

Quilting: Becky Stednitz

"I wanted to do a quilt for our daughter. She picked the pattern and colors 

to match antique rodeo posters in her bedroom."

*"Stained Glass"*

Technique: Pieced

Artist: Mitzi Siebert

Quilting: Laurie Sheeley

French Braid Pattern by Jane Hardy Miller

Stained Glass detail

More photos from the 2012 Fiber Arts Show coming soon!

Meanwhile, enjoy more quirky Q's at...

(This badge even looks rather quilt-like, don't you think?)

Past Quilt Show posts:

2011: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

2010: Part 1, Part 2