Flowers For Leontien and more photos of the day.

I want to start my post today with a message to Leontien.  

She is a fellow blogger battling cancer and I just wanted to tell her that 

we are praying for her and sending positive thoughts her way.  

I am joining in on a blog hop to help support this wonderful lady.  

My flowers for Leontien...

This is a beautiful wild flower...

A

Showy Orchis.

Another wild flower.

This is a Dwarf Crested Iris. 

I am still participating in the Photo A day challenge.

This is photo number 17.  

Something you don't like.

I actually like worms...but I do not like to touch them.

Last summer one slithered into my Crock shoe.  

Of course I did not have socks on and pretty much had a complete heart attack 

when it happened. 

Screaming and jumping around trying desperately to get my shoe off....

It really was a frantic and scary moment for me.  

I think about it often.

and 

shiver.

  

Photo number 18.  Hair. 

I had to contact Fabio for this one....

Really Eco the horse.

He has a very full and very thick head of hair.

Photo number 19....

Orange.

I just love these little newts....

This is the eft phase of the Eastern Newt.

Sooooo colorful and cute.  

Photo number 20.  Something you drew. 

I actually drew this just for this challenge....

This is Bumble.

I miss her so much.  So does Zippy.  

Photo number 21.

Bottle.

This is a photo of one of my Carter's ink bottles.

That cobalt color really does something to me.  I LOVE it.

I mean.....just loooook at it.

It makes my eyes do summersaults.

So, so beautiful.

Not only is the color fabulous, but the design is very attractive.

This type of bottle is also called a "cathedral" bottle.

The panels of the bottle are similar to cathedral windows. 

Photo number 22.  The last thing that I bought.

This is a silk shirt that I purchased at Goodwill.

It cost a whopping 3.75.  

I love finding a great deal....I also just purchased a pair of Seven jeans at Goodwill for 4.75.  

This makes me happy.

Then...there is the Mink coat that was 15.00

and 

a pair of Joe's jeans with the tags still on for 4.75.

Photo number 23.  Vegetable.

Well......I kind of cheated on this one....

This is not really a vegetable....it is a fungus.

A beautiful and very tasty fungus...

A gorgeous..MOREL.  

Photo 26.  Black and White.

This is a shot taken on a rainy day.

The log was really saturated and had a great sheen and contrast.

Pretty neat how the seedling tree is growing out of the dead one.  

I cheated again.

Seems to be a pattern with me......Um....In this photo challenge that is.

I had two photos for Black and White.

This is my neighbor's barn and apple tree.  

This was taken the day before it was snowing and 24 degrees.

I think that it will be interesting to see if we actually have any apples this year. 

This photo cracks me up.

Zippy trying to get his ball.  Not part of the photo challenge.  Just fun.

Photo number 24.

Something you are grateful for.

I am grateful for so much in my life.

I thought that this photo was just a general reflection of that.  

Wide open and all encompassing.

Grateful for every day.

Zippy.

He is grateful too. 

Eco.

GRRRR.........

Hey.....What about me....

Smudge did you chew on the edge of the deck???

What about that chair????

Oh crap.....she caught me AGAIN!!!

  

I think that I will just pretend that I am napping and maybe she will leave me alone.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...............

Check out this spider sneaking away with a bumble bee.

4 eyes.

Zippy trying desperately to fit into Smudge's dog bed.

Smudge is not too happy about it. 

This is Zippy Bullydozing the compost that I put down for a giant pumpkin.

He really loves his job.  

Zippy jumping in the same compost. 

Smudge moving faster than her skin.

She was running through the leaves and up a bank.

Zippy zipping.  

At almost 9 years old is JUST beginning to slow down.

Ha ha ha....

Really...

This is slowing down.

Photo number  27.  Somewhere you went.

This is my commute to work on concrete.

My wonderful neighbor lets me use his fabulous workshop. 

So thankful to be able to work in this place. 

Thank you wonderful neighbor.

This is a new piece of concrete that I am working on.

It spirals up.

Another view.

I can't wait to put some plants in it.  It is fairly large and would look great with some 

strawberries or just a huge pot of petunias.....or....anything really.

Hello little newt.......

Another new piece.

This is a stump stool/table

that has a Hobbit house on it. 

It is unfinished.  I still have to stain and seal it.

Same with the spiral planter. 

Found these pictures the other day of Zippy and Bumble.  

They looked so happy together.

I just thought that they were cute.

I wish that I could play with Zippy!!!

Maybe one day...

The end.  

Seriously....How slack can I be???

Photo number 12 for April.  Stairs.

I know....the last post I said that I would post less photos and more often...

Well...we all see how THAT turned out.  

44 photos and 16 days later...

I do want to try and defend my lack of posting though..

It is tax season and High Point Furniture Market is 

almost in progress.

Many of you may not know this, but I do furniture renderings for designers and this 

is one of my busiest times.  I love the work and am very grateful for it.

I only wish that I had started getting my tax info together much earlier.  All my 

fault for procrastinating.  

Doing the Fat mum slim photo challenge again.

This is the list of photos. 

This is what Zippy LOVES to do.

We have a ramp next to our stairs.  We built it for Gus when he had to have 

cruciate ligament surgery.  

The dark place on the ramp is from Zippy rolling his ball down the ramp and then chasing it. 

Smudge getting ready to pounce on me.

This is before...

This is after.

She was jumping for joy in this one and almost took me and the camera out.  

Smudge just had her spay surgery and another procedure.

This is the day she had her stitches taken out and she was sooooo happy.

Along with the spay, she also had soft pallet surgery and her nostrils widened.

She can really breathe much better now.  

This type of surgery is pretty common among short nosed breeds.  

Their noses are short, but the rest of the structure can remain the same length cause all sorts of 

breathing problems and issues later in life.  

When we chose Smudge, we purposefully picked a dog with a longer nose to try and 

avoid any issues, but that theory did not work very well.. 

I will say that the surgery was simple and recovery was very quick.  If you have a bulldog with 

soft pallet issues...I highly recommend doing this as soon as possible to avoid 

other issues later in life. 

Photo number 14.  How you felt today.

I am brave to put this beautiful...accidental photo of myself here.  

I thought you all would like a good laugh.

I was trying to get a new profile picture when the sun got into my eyes.

I was also trying to get Zippy to come to me, so that he could be in the picture.

When the sun got into my eyes, I looked up and when I did my finger just spazed out

and snapped the shot.  

Beautiful huh?

Photo number 13.  Something you found.

Loved this burl....it looks like a face and the texture on it is incredible.

Sweet Smudge. 

The barn quilt still looking great!  

The inside of a tulip.

Smudge in her "spa".  

Smudge staring at a bumble bee.  

I thought it was neat...a BUMBLE bee...

My dear friend who had a birthday.

Photo number 16.  Flower.

Phlox with morning dew.

Photo number 5.  Tiny.

Two days later this was frozen. 

24 degrees and 40 mph wind.....

Photo number 15. Sunset.

Another tulip.

Photo number 2. Color.

Photo number 1.  Your reflection.

Photo number 3.  Mail.  

Owney the mail dog.  He had his own return address stamped onto his collar. 

Smudge on her way to surgery.

Poor little thing.

Photo number 4.  Someone who makes you happy.

Zippy makes me happy!  Just look at that face!

Alternate tiny photo.  Check out the tiny bites on the petal.

My beautiful bluebells....

Photo number 6.  Lunch.

Portuguese kale soup.  Yummm...

Photo number 7.  My shadow.

See my basket full of morel mushrooms?

A beautiful moon.  So bright and orange.

I took this at the Cedar Creek Gallery festival.

What a great time we had there.  

So much to see and do.

My friend Jennifer doing a pottery demonstration.

Glazing pottery.

Glass blowing.

If you ever have a chance to visit this gallery, it is well worth the effort.

My miniature UPS truck.

I took it on a hike through the woods.  

this was my garden before the freeze.  

It was looking pretty good. 

Now it looks pretty crisp.  

It could have been much worse and I am glad that 

most of the things will recover...that is until the next freeze...Ha ha..

Photo number 11. Where you ate breakfast. 

While working at my desk of course. 

Photo number 9.  Younger you.

Many of you will think that I look like some sort of horror film kid from this shot.

Have no fear folks.....it is only discolored from being in the photo album.

I really did not look like this.  Unless of course you think I look cute...

Honest.....I did NOT have black eyes and purple lips...REALLY.  

Photo number 10.  Cold.

I cheated on this one.

I took it out of my archives. 

I was having a hard time keeping up.....

Plus...I really love this photo. 

This was an alternate "cold" photo.  

So....

That brings me to the end of this post.

Where...

I will PROMISE to post more often and try to stay current.

Honest..

I will....

Really.