The last pictures from September in the South.

We went for a long walk in the woods yesterday.

The last day of September.

The lighting is just right,

it seems to suit my wistful mood.

I am so glad to see fall arriving,

the temperatures are just right,

but I will miss the green.

A few leaves have fallen on the water, 

but you can still see the reflection of green from above.

Summer is reluctant to leave,

I think she likes it here. 

A typical back road.

This is one of our walking roads, quite close to the house.

I wonder who else has used this road,

did it play a part in history?

So peaceful now.

See the red dirt on the hillside?

The bricks used to in building our foundation, fireplaces and chimneys

were made on site from the local clay. 

We stopped to take these pretty sunset skies when we were on the way home from the grocery store a few days ago. I love the pink!

If, however, you want to see some truly beautiful sunset shots,

Have a look at Zuzana's blog, Life Through Reflections. 

Hers took my breath away. 

The local dogwoods are starting to look quite festive.

Ever the proud fashionistas, they are the first to turn in the fall.

They will be one of the first to turn green in the spring.

can you see the little red berries too?

The woods will be full of color soon,

this is our season preview. 

Unfortunately, this lovely Oak tree is not changing for fall,

It is dying. There are some green branches, but most are gone.

This one is right by the house, 

I hope we don't lose the others too.  

Earlier this week, I was walking back from the mail box,

thinking to myself, about the woes of the world,

and this lovely soul flew right past my nose.

It got my attention, then posed for it's picture,

pretty as you please.

It is dressed in seasonal colors too! 

One blogging friend looked at the tarantula, toad and lizard pictures I posted recently,

and asked if I lived near a swamp. 

Nope, I don't, I do however live in a national forest. 

Our nearest neighbors, are the wild things that share the woods with us.

So, when I say some of my neighbors are Turkeys,

I am not being unkind. 

I took this one through the window on the back door,

There were six in the flock, I got four in this picture. 

I got a little closer for this one, but there are only two turkeys in the shot.

They are quite safe from me,

I do enjoy left over turkey sandwiches,

and the Turkey Curry my Sweet Husband makes for me

is BLISS.

 These guys don't need to worry though, we prefer store bought turkey,

not as cute, and much less work.

Hope you are having a lovely peaceful weekend.

Cheers,

Kat

Toys!

Meow!

The newest resident at Kat's Corner.

This is Vickie, she is sweet and never fusses. She does not scratch the furniture (Neither does Spontaneous) or ever have to be fed. She doesn't actually do much of anything, she is a virtual kitty on my Ipod Touch.

Toys!

We all need ways to escape from the world on occasion. Play is quite therapeutic.

It helps keep stress related illness and grumpy spells at bay. Physical play, sports, long walks, or even just goofing off are great, but when the weather is wet and cold (again) it is nice to stay inside.

If you have been looking at this blog for very long, then you probably know how fond I am of my computer and my camera. Well, I have added a new tool to the set. My Ipod is both tool and toy. I can read homework on it, use it to post this blog (although typing is a little slow on it), check my email and lots of other things. You can add applications or apps to it to make it do even more stuff. I added a yellow pages, now when we are out goofing off, all we have to do is pull into a McDonald's or Starbucks parking lot (to hitch onto their Wi-fi) and I can look up the local pizza hut or what ever.

Can you tell I am having fun?

This is the virtual cat doing what she does most of, sleeping (one more way she is like Spontaneous). 

 This is another one of the games, it is called "Angry Birds Lite". Lite is the free version. I know why it is so popular. The idea sounds quite dumb, you use your finger to aim and pull a slingshot loaded with a bird. It flys into different structures full of green pigs. The object is to destroy the structures and the pigs. It is amazingly addictive. It is one of many new Physics based games, how you aim and how far you pull back actually make a difference.

While I am having fun, I wonder what my Dad would have thought about it. He loved technology. I remember when I got a transistor radio back in the 70's. It was round with a picture of a peace sign that was also a tree. It had a chain and you could wear it around your neck but it was heavy. It was probably 5 or 6 inches around. Dad took the back off to show me what it looked like inside. He pointed out resistors and how tiny everything was.

Dad was interested in the space program, he said it was encouraging scientists to do things better. He said that trying to make things smaller and lighter for the space program is how they managed to make my transistor radio so small. (For a little more on the space program and my Dad, see one of my favorite posts Space Cadet). No wonder I am a bit of a Geek. I am quite sure that if my Dad had lived a little longer, we would have had one of the early home computers. (We did not have a color TV until 1974 though because the old Black and White "worked just fine". He was thrifty). The picture above shows just how far we have come. I put 96 hours worth of music on this thing and the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes Stories as well as a bunch of other stuff and I still have plenty of room. It is tiny, less than 1/2 an inch thick yet I have no trouble reading on it. Yes, I am enthused. I can and already have been reading other blogs on it too. Several of my favorites are bookmarked. The case looks red, but it is actually pink.

I still appriciate the old fashioned. I can step outside and see sights like this without any technology at all. My home is another of my great stress relievers. I am very lucky to live in such a lovely place.

Technology helps me to share the beauty.

 Have you noticed how much pink is in this post? Good think I like pink.

Early morning Kitty.

This is my relaxation coach.

Spontaneous says toys are ok, as long as I don't stop petting her to play with them.

So, what do you like to play with?

Kat

It's all about the lighting, (Lots of sunshine) and an award for me

One of the secrets of good photography is lighting. It really is all about the lighting. Just look at the pink from the sunset on the side of the house. Beauty! I got this one on the way back from our walk the other evening.
This lovely old tree stands at the end of our driveway. The lighting almost makes it look spooky. It really isn't spooky at all. We call it "The Guardian".
The barn looks one way in the evening light, you can feel it is the end of a long old day. I don't think it looks tired, just relaxed. It looks different in the early morning, like it is just waking up. I feel like having a big stretch when I look at this one. I love the way the sunlight sparkles from the dew on the magnolia leaves.
The view from our front porch, with the railings back where they belong. Isn't it a lovely sunset?
Here is the same sunset from the road a few minutes earlier. How about this one for awesome? Love it!
Bright sunshine filtering through the trees in the early evening, this was taken earlier on the same evening walk.
You know I love classic cars! This is SUNSHINE! (I wonder what people think when they see the crazy lady pull over to take pictures of their cars).

What says sunshine more than a tree full of birds?

Now for the award.

Thanks to Jeanne Klaver from Daily Reflections from Atwater Pond who was kind enough to offer me this award. Apparently she enjoys looking at it (that makes me happy).
The instructions are as follows;

1. Thank the person giving the award.

2. Copy the award to this blog.

3. Place a link to their blog (so far so good, all easy stuff).

4. Name seven things people don't know about you (that is a little harder).
5. Nominate seven bloggers who you admire (this is the hardest part, I love reading your blogs).

6. Place a link to these bloggers.

7. Leave a comment on their blog notifying them of the award.

So, here goes

1. Earl Grey, hot with milk is my favorite tea but any British tea will do just fine. I am enjoying a cup of "P.G. Tips" right now.

2. My favorite incense is Egyptian Rose, I also like sandalwood and several others. Incense is much nicer than nasty chemicals from an aerosol can.

3. I do not like butterscotch and am not fond of black licorice.

4. I like to do calligraphy and illuminated letters.
5. I am just a little nuts about heraldry, (the whole "Knights in Shinning Armor" thing).
6. I have lived in Utah, Illinois, Idaho, Great Britain, New Mexico, and South Carolina (as well as two long months in Texas and a total of about three months in Italy).
7. I grew up in a big happy family. I was the youngest so my older brothers and sisters had quite a bit to do with raising me (they will tell you, I have always been spoiled, but that is OK, I deserve it).

As for the seven bloggers I admire,

1. Life Through Reflections...

2. Richard Jesse Watson: My Inner Zoo

3. We Three, Ginger cats tales

4. Drawing a line in time
5. Cottage Garden Studios

6. WaystationOne

7. Corner of Cat's Mind
I know I have nominated number three before, but it is such a great blog! There are several others that I read and enjoy regularly. What is your favorite?

Ok, one more picture of sunshine. Spontaneous says hello (she is even cute when she is grumpy).

Kat

Walking

I am currently taking a PE class on line. PE, on line? How do you take a physical education class on line? Well, we had to take a prefit test, then we must walk or run a certain amount of time at least three times a week. We have to monitor our heart rates to ensure we are going fast enough to do us some good, yet not killing ourselves. We have to turn in log sheets each week. The kicker is, we will take another fitness test at the end of class, our grades depend on our improvement.
For me this isn't really a hardship. You should know by now that I love to walk. Especially here in my woods. My sweet Hubby goes with me. We walk fast and watch the heart rate for the first part of the walk, then slow down after I have met my requirement for the day. The camera comes out (of course) when we slow down. This little seed pod was laying by the road, just waiting to be photographed. I don't know what it actually is, but it is tiny and delicate. It was the only one we saw that day. All of these photos have been taken in the last week. We have gone from below freezing to nearly 70.
I have two rosemary plants. This one has been planted outside for nearly a year now and is doing great. I have a second, younger plant that I grew from a cutting that I obtained in Charleston. The younger plant is in a pot that can be brought in when the temp drops too low. In the spring, I will plant it near the older plant. my hope is with two plants, I will get blossoms. The rosemary does bloom and it is quite pretty. If I succeed, I will show you photos. O.K? This piece of twisty stick is one of the local vines. I am not sure what type, they are all over and get quite thick.
I posted a picture of the mistletoe not long ago. This particular patch is closer to the ground so I could get a better shot at it. The moon is a bonus.
We have a lot of little red birds quite near the

house right now. Of course, they are camera shy. They are the color of cardinals and sing prettily in the evenings. We often see them when we are on our walks. When the camera comes out they whisk away. They are two small to get from much distance and they are way more patient than I am. ( I have of course tried waiting quietly so they would forget I was there, no dice.) I will keep trying. In the mean time, this next photo is a different kind of red bird. When we were in Britain, they called lady bugs, Lady Birds. This little guy has been wintering in my house and it evidently got warm so he woke up. We try to discourage them as we do like to
be cozy. I don't think it is good for them to be awake but I don't know. Any lady bug experts out there? I do know they are good for my garden.
My Sweetheart spoiled me again the other morning with fresh baked goodies. He makes the very best cookies! These were peanut butter oatmeal.
The daffodils are as you can see still in bloom.
There are several different places in the yard where they are clumped together. These are under the Pecan tree. (It is a lovely old tree, but it does not put out many pecans this late in it's life and the squirrels always beat us to those.)
The last two pictures are from a later than usual walk. The sunset was glorious. It is almost time to head out again. Let me know what you think of the frames this time.
Have a great week,
Kat

January 2009, Where did it go? (photos from a walk in the woods)

How did it get to be 2009? I remember when I was a sophomore at Ben Lomond High School, we chanted the year we would graduate at the Pep Rallies. We yelled out 81 and thought we were the future. My Mom insisted that I take a typing class. That way I could always get a job as a Secretary (Mom was Secretary for the local Teamsters Union). When I was a senior, dear old Ben Lomond got it's first computer. Not for the students (why would students need a computer), but for the office. They only had one, why would they need more?

Before we got married, my Hubby and I were looking at Real Estate Catalogs. We saw a big old house on a few acres that was adjacent to a national forest. We agreed that it sounded like a dream home. When I enlisted in the Air Force, my recruiter talked me into signing up for 6 years instead of 4. My first military ID card had 1990 for an expiration date. That seemed such an amazing long time. I was only going to do one tour. After the 6 years was up, I was going to get out and get a job fixing radios and TVs.

The Air Force sent me to Mountain Home Idaho after Tech School. That just renewed my determination to get out as soon as I could. After 13 long months, I got orders to RAF Upper Heyford England. Life changed again.

We loved England. When we had time off, my sweet Hubby and I traveled all over the place. I knew my way around certain parts of London and even went to Birmingham on my own for a couple of conferences. We toured Britain from one end to the other. I have a wonderful photo my sweetheart took of me sitting on the "Bonny Bonny banks of Loch Lomond" (our High School

song was a corrupted version of that old standard).

We took the ferry to the coast of France several times and spent a week in Morocco. We visited Bruges, Paris, and Venice. When the time came
to get out, we were having way to much fun. We reenlisted for 4 more years. That changed the date on my ID card to 1994.
Before that enlistment ended, the AF sent us to Cannon Air Force Base New Mexico. Life changed again. We found a lovely house on some land and we went nuts with the garden. We would put down roots and make a home. In 1997 (wait a minute, 13 years? I was only going to stay for 6) we got orders to Charleston. The years flew by there too. As retirement got closer (2004, hey that's a whole nother century) we started looking for a place to settle. When my Sweetheart found
this place on the Internet, a lovely old house, a few acres and within walking distance from a national forest, it was just right.
All of today's photos were taken on a walk the other night. The two camellias are from a bush in my front yard. They have been blooming for about a week.

I asked where the time went, how it got to be 2009. It doesn't seem like a long time at all.
Maybe 2033 (our 50th wedding anniversary) isn't that far away after all.

May your road be smooth and your life full of beauty for the year 2009.

Kat