Let me just tell you what Katydid...

Now that I have a phone with a well-functioning camera, (the overly touted Galaxy S4 having been a crushing disappointment) I have been thoroughly enjoying the ability to take actual photos with my phone. My sister-in-law introduced me to the LG V10 (earlier this year when I was searching for a replacement phone) and I absolutely love it! I have to say that it's nice to always have a camera on hand. Although the OIS (optical image stabilization) is not of the same caliber as my still camera (a Canon), it is enough for me to take decent pictures fairly consistently (though no selfies, thank you). Even macro shots (which I love!) have come out pretty darn well (photo below). The Lord has blessed with some amazing photo opportunities over the past week or two, likely because I started asking what He would have me share each time I venture out. Most of the recent photos have been in the garden, since that's where I've been working. Occasionally, when I snap a picture, it takes me a minute to figure out exactly what it is I'm looking at. The other day, however, it took me several. Photo inset: A tiny baby Anole lizard looking up at me from the Chocolate Mint; the leaf he's sitting on is only about an inch long. Isn't he just too cute?

I was outside one afternoon lamenting the recent decimation of my Ageratum, (clearly, Katy had passed along our address) when I spotted a tiny white (?) something on the Garlic Chives. I whipped out my cell, squatted down, and took a picture. I blew it up and looked at it, scratched my head, and looked again. Initially, I thought it had to be the strangest looking bug I'd ever seen. I couldn't quite figure out the coloration and conformation, though it sort of looked like some kind of spider. It appeared to have a pair of "googly eyes" on top of its head, and some sort of green something-or-other sticking out in multiple directions from both sides of its middle. I could even swear I saw a tiny fang, but I couldn't be sure. Imagine my surprise (and delight ;o) when I realized that the green that was sticking out on both sides belonged to none other than Katy - or one of her evil kinfolk (this post). If you click on the photo to blow it up, you can just barely see the edge of the brown stripe; that and those knobby knees are what helped me finally figure out exactly what I was seeing.  One evil beastie snack coming right up. At least I'm 99.999% sure that's what it is. After that? Well. Then it was Ah-HA. Ha, HA, HA!! Take that, you greedy heifer! And I saw it with my own eyes, I thought with malicious glee. Not to mention managed to capture it for posterity; what a great day in the garden, eh? ;o) Gosh I sure hope he decides to stay awhile... Ooooh, maybe he'll give his friends our address. Evil beasties beware!

I've recently learned, while thinking about "takeaways" for our visitors (e.g. handouts, fun sheets, our website, this blog, and the Facebook page) that Instagram actually has people over the age of 15 that post real photos. While I don't mind things like family photos, a well-taken shot of a delectable dinner, a decorative dessert, or a cute pic of a couple (G-rated anyway), I find the perpetual "selfies" to be annoying and utterly ridiculous. I get the profile picture thing, I even understand that you might want to change it once in awhile, maybe you got a new haircut or neat glasses. I can even see taking one or two while trying on hats for fun and the like. What I just don't get, are all those [attempted] sultry moues. Really people? The new term is "duck lips" (and ew). I put it in the search bar awhile ago. I was curious to see just how rampant it really was: would you believe there are 810,976 photos with that hashtag?!? That's only those that were spelled correctly; there were 7,000+ more who forgot to add the "s", not to mention all the other variations on the theme. I did find a photo or two with actual ducks, but most were more foul than fowl (and ACK my eyes! ;o) I know for a fact I would look like an idiot, and I have exactly zero interest in verifying that with a camera; not to mention plastering it on a digital billboard that would probably haunt me for all eternity. For every person that can actually pull that sexy pout off (e.g. Marilyn Monroe), there are countless attempts plastered all over social media that leave people looking like they either got their lips caught in a shop vac hose, smashed in the mammogram machine (because they were way shorter than the tech realized), or maybe had some sort of freak botox accident. Not trying to be ugly here, and I certainly hope I didn't offend anyone, but I just don't get the selfie craze. Do you?

Okay, okay that's enough. End quasi-rant and apologies all around. *wince* The point (which I totally missed by having that soapbox moment) is that I am now posting fairly regularly on Instagram and have gotten some really neat photos (in addition to the two posted above) that I want to share. I planted some Rue (in the bed from this post) to attract butterflies, and boy-oh-boy did it work! At last count, there were six - insert excited SQUEE here - Black Swallowtail caterpillars eating their way around in the Rue. I'm hoping I can keep taking photos as they develop; only one has matured to the last instar so far (photo inset - taken with my fabulous phone). I'm also hoping the Rue holds out, since it's still a pretty young plant. Isn't he just too cool? The caterpillars are all in various stages of development. I even found a couple of tiny eggs underneath the leaves; though they've hatched. So awesome. I can hardly wait; I sure do hope we get to see the butterflies! If you'd like to see more of the cell phone photos, you can either look for Epic Farms on Instagram (it's epic_farms), click on the "view on Instagram" button (right-hand side of this blog; click here for email friends), or, if you've "liked" us on Facebook I've added the Instagram feed there (just don't ask me how ;o)

I have quite a few more photos (from the regular camera) I'd like to share too, if time allows. I have an awful lot left to do, and precious little time left in which to do it. There are now less than two weeks until the start of a new school year: Let the countdown begin. Oh, I'm sooo not ready yet. *sniffle* Have a blessed week, and (as always) thank you so much for reading this far!

Tick....Tick....Tick.....ZOOM!

For some reason, any time I hear the word "Katydid" I can't help but think, "Who is Katy and what did she do?" *laugh* Well, I'll tell you what Katy did: That little heifer (with some help from her cousin Bubba) ate HUGE holes all over my Bee Balm, that's what. For something so little she sure does have a voracious appetite. From what I can discern, this itty-bitty evil beastie is a juvenile Meadow Katydid. I shot this photo on the macro setting, and you can tell how tiny she is because you can actually see the individual hairs on the leaf. Small, but mighty - and a TOTAL pig. *scowl* Where is Cedric when I need him? The Bee Balm should (if I can keep them clear of cretins, that is) flower sometime in mid summer. Both plants are growing well - in spite of all the holes - but no hint of blooms as yet. Raspberries. :oP

I found this fun sign at Tractor Supply the other day (too true, too true!) I didn't have anywhere to put it, or I might have brought it home with me:

I painted the springs from DD's old crib, and DH helped me hang it on the wall by the feed room bed. I plan to get a narrow decorative scroll of some sort to put at the top. The plant in the planter is a Heucherella. I've been calling it the "sneeze plant", because A) I have an awful time remembering the name of it; and, B) for some reason every time I hear someone say Heucherella, I feel the urge to say "Gesundheit". *giggle* This particular variety is known as "Redstone Falls". It's a groundcover vine/cascading version. Should be gorgeous when it fills in - I can hardly wait! *bounce*bounce*bounce* I know, I know: see the sign Jen. *sigh*

I did manage to get a couple of decent shots of one of the male Cardinals - we have two or three families living just up the hill. I've been stalking him forever, but he's super quick and highly skilled at evasive maneuvers. He looks quite stoic sitting there, don't you think?

Awwww, look. He posed (just for us :o)

I also caught one of the Mockingbirds (who was - for once - not squawking at me). They relocated from the Dogwood to the Camellia bush by the kitchen window. Mr. and Mrs. chastise me daily for having the unmitigated gall to water my plants when they are busy feeding Junior. Excuse me? Did I tell you to move your nest into the front flowerbed where I spend large quantities of time bright and early? Nooo, I most certainly did not. And hello? Exactly when is that kid of yours NOT eating?!? Sheesh.

I probably could have jazzed them up a bit more, but (except for slapping on the vignettes) I left them as is straight out of the camera. I love my camera :oD

I also managed to get a shot of this long-legged fly parked on the Sweet Mint - he was bright and shiny and so very, very tiny! Ha. Rhymed it.

I'll leave you with several shots of Junior [the juvenile] Cardinal. Must be my week for juveniles, eh? I decided he just had to be a teenager. Aside from the crazy hair, he couldn't seem to sit still at all. He had a mouth crammed full of food and talked incessantly; probably about his latest crush (and isn't that just like a teen?) I thought it was interesting how his coloring shifted and changed as he hopped and popped around in the light.

He almost dropped his dinner at one point, but looked rather proud of his quick recovery (the last two shots). He finally flew off, still yammering away. I wonder if he'd like some Katydid for dessert...

As always, thanks so much for reading this far! Have a great weekend and a beautifully blessed week.

Shot on Location and the Canine Invasion

July? JULY?!? What do you mean it's July? Where the heck did June go?? Oy. I think I have whiplash. *facepalm* I can't believe the summer is half over already! Well, at least for me it is. Seems the PTB's (Powers-That-Be) have once again changed our school calendar and we're back to work at the end of July. Probably wouldn't have been so bad had we not just finished up the school year in the first week of June. *sigh* I feel like I've spent the whole month running around like a lunatic and have precious little to show for it. Outside of wearing myself out, that is. My grand plan (and hahaha, right?) was to spend most of June outside playing *ahem* working with the horses and finishing up outdoor projects, then migrate indoors to work on our online stuff because it just gets so doggone hot outside in July. And what in the world was I thinking, making plans? Raspberries! As I mentioned in last week's post, the temperatures here have been bizarrely high and the heat indices were off the charts so I reluctantly flipped my summer around and started on the indoor stuff. Has it been crazy hot at your house? A week or two ago, I started working on our website (a behind the scenes total overhaul) and wouldn't you know it? Now that I'm hip deep in edits, the temperatures have dropped back into the normal ranges, so you know what that means. The website might have to wait a bit longer *rubbing hands together with glee* 'cause it's GAME ON. I'm coming to get you Maddeus Maximus! Mwah-ha-ha-ha...
[photo inset: A droopy little dragonfly who stopped to rest for a bit on a nearby post at feeding time when it was so heinously hot. I know just how you feel buddy ;o)

THIS is the gate for Max's stall; broken in several places and hanging drunkenly from its hinges. Isn't it lovely? (I'll interject an apology here for the obnoxious weeds in the background. We've had quite a bit of rain recently and they are currently thriving - it's on "The List" *sigh*) You'd think it was 500 years old as sad and broken down as it is, but it's not. No, this is a relatively new gate. Its two predecessors (which were constructed using 2x4's) met fairly quick and untimely deaths, so the third generation replacement (this one) was constructed using far sturdier 2x6's. Yes, well. Although it has lasted longer, this gate was also doomed from the start due to a certain BLOCKHEAD WHO WON'T STOP STANDING ON IT!!! *snarl* I am, of course, referring to Mad Max; our resident hoovenile delinquent. Sometimes that boy just makes my eye twitch. I think it's a safe bet to say that everyone within a 50 mile radius of the farm knows that there is a "mentally challenged" and mischievous nitwit named Max, who is in constant trouble, living somewhere in the vicinity. I say this because I bellow it with annoying regularity; generally along the lines of, "MAAAAAAX. ARRGH! What is WRONG with you? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!?" If I weren't so all fired certain that there was an amazing equine buried under all that idiot I would have drop-shipped him to some remote village in the Tibeten Mountains by now (Timbuktu is passe and besides, just think of all the climbing he could do. OVER THERE ;o)

How to describe Max to the unitiated? Did you see that nice hole in the panel on the previous photo? That, was compliments of Shadow's hoof; Max aggravates him constantly. He has figured out how to "roll" his head sideways over the top of the panel and bite Shadow in the boo-tay. I yelled at Shadow for two straight weeks to quit kicking the panel before I finally caught that sneaky snothead in the act. UGH. Max would definitely qualify as the annoying "little brother" that Shadow never wanted (this post),  He is spatially challenged. He is the arch nemesis of Cinnamon and destructor of the divider/round pen panel (this post). He suffers from advanced stage BCSS (Bull-in-China-Shop Syndrome). He killed Larry, Moe and Curly... (this post). He talked Champ into staking midnight raids on Mr. T's vegetable garden at the top of the pasture. Little booger even found a way to sneak into the fenced off area where we store the new hay (caught on video here). I could go on all day, I think. I suppose if you wanted to get technical, we could call him a therapy horse. After all, he certainly does aggravate everyone to the point we need therapy. *grin*
[photo inset: Max, standing by the water trough outside his stall and pretending he can't see me. Not a remarkable photo, perhaps, except that I had just left that little miscreant locked inside his stall. MAAAAAAAX!]

DH has been stockpiling lumber for the boy's stalls; again. With all of my medical misadventures, we got a little financially sidetracked for awhile. Unfortunately, they will need to be completely redone. When we built them the first time, we had gotten a great deal on some culled pressure treated lumber, that was supposed to have been fine (outside of aesthetics). Do I even need to finish that thought for you? *sigh* It has NOT held up well at all; the walls are pretty much falling down around the horses as we speak. One of the things on the list for the boys's (or is it s'? I never remember that one) new-new stalls is a "climbing wall" for our perpetual problem child. I've already got the plans, and I'm hoping that will keep him from killing off any more gates, panels, and/or stall walls. I'm also going to introduce him to Bella's pedestals as soon as we get the riding area fixed. It didn't weather that horrible wind storm we had too well (this post) and part of the fence is down. Somehow, I have the feeling that Max will take to pedestals like a fish to water ;o) Speaking of pedestals, I really wish I'd had my camera with me the other day when our farrier was here. He had raised a brow at the condition of Max's gate (and stall) as he began filing his front hoof (for my non-horsey friends, the farrier put his foot on a metal tripod kind of like this one). No sooner had I finished my explanation of Max's annoying tendency to stand on everything around him, when Max suddenly lifted his other front foot from the ground and stood straight up on the farrier's stand. I could have sworn I heard him say "WHEEEE" before the stand tipped over and he was back on the ground all but shrugging and looking at us like What?!? As the farrier and his assistant stood there gaping (poor man had apparently only thought he'd seen it all), I simply hung my head. You know, as much as I love to talk sometimes there are just no words to be found.
[photo inset: The top of the gatepost by the girls's stalls - isn't that cool? I love wood!]

I'll sign off with a few photos I took at feeding time yesterday. DH found a squirrel sitting by the fence for me to photograph, but by the time I'd grabbed the camera the little gal (right?) was already on the run up a tree. I got what I could, which was basically: Going...

Going...

Gone! Well most of her anyway, eh? ;o)

Believe it or not I did manage to get one more shot - although the little hussy was all the way at the tippity top of a [very tall] tree keeping an eye on DH, who was tapping the trunk trying to get her to move so I could find her through the lens. I almost went over backwards getting the shot, as I had to lean back pretty darn far; and wouldn't that have been special? Not to mention totally me. *laugh*
AHA! Found her:

This week's random thought: If you're ever interested in learning to use essential oils, start with Lavender. Amazing stuff: great for bug bites, making insect repellent, soothing burns, treating poison ivy and rashes, softening your hair, strengthening eyelashes, ingrown toenails (stops the hurt), and preventing/treating muscle cramps. I mix a drop with my foot lotion and it has stopped the awful cramps I kept getting in the arch of my foot. The horses love it too; totally relaxes them. Weird, but true ;o)

Have a blessed and safe Fourth everyone - thank you so much for reading [this far] and I'll see you next week!

A Blink, Two Skinks, and the Patio Sink

If Forrest Gump had been into photography he might have said something along the lines of, "Pictures are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." As a photo hobbyist I've been thankful for any number of pictorial blessings (a.k.a. "happy accidents") over the past several years; many of which I've shared with you. I had a great system: God painted the picture and I pushed the button (actually I'm still using that particular system because, well, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" right?) Not long ago, I started practicing photography by faith. What I mean by that is, instead of heading out with my camera intending to take pictures of something specific, I just ask the Lord to grant me what He will in the way of opportunities (and then I ask Him to PleasePleasePlease help me not mess it up ;o) I've missed any number of "great" shots over the years, but I have slowly developed (see what I did there? *snicker*) a more accepting attitude by focusing instead (Oh! Oh! Who's on a ROLL now? Bwahahaha.... *cough* AHEM sorry) on being thankful for the shots I do get.

A week or so ago, my picture happy gal pal Sarah and I went on our biggest [photo] bender yet. All I can say is my new-and-improved attitude of gratitude must have been the right one, because BOY did He bless me! Did I get every shot? Nope, not at all. Did I care? Nope, not at all. I had a terrific day with a wonderful friend and came away feeling totally blessed all the way around. For those of you who think I may have slipped a cog, I can only tell you that is definitely not a recent happenstance (HehHeh). Although I really can't attest to what the norm would be as far as variety goes, I can tell you that I was absolutely delighted by the myriad of photo opportunities I had in a single day. Maybe I'll just let those blessings speak for themselves (obligatory disclaimer: please remember that I am not a professional, yadda yadda, and that I am using a regular point and shoot camera; though it is a nice one ;o)

To see the image title, move your mouse over the picture. Click on the Brown Thrasher (top left photo) to go to a full-screen slideshow. To see the entire image during the slide show, move your mouse up slightly from the scrolling arrow at the bottom of the screen; look out for an itty bitty butterfly blessing in the lower left corner of the tall water lily photo - I didn't even know he was there! These pictures will ultimately wind up on the photography page at some point, so I guess we can call this the early bird's sneak peek. *laugh* Enjoy! Oh, and there's a bit more to this post below the photos (I have LOTS to share this week ;o)

...

DD came for a visit last weekend with her canine entourage, consisting of two tiny tail wagging furballs; Diamond and Faith (who love coming to "grandma's" house; mostly 'cause I spoil them absolutely rotten ;o) This is Diamond [photo inset] saying "Hello" from the ginormous puppy playpen we created from the small training area behind the house. Call me crazy; we wrapped a 40'x40' area with chicken wire so the dogs would have a safe place to play. Yep. Definitely certifiable. Faith [pictured below] was the first born of Diamond's puppies, and captured DD's heart from the beginning. Of course she just had to keep her. Sometimes DD is just so very.... Me. *sigh* Unfortunately, Faith was diagnosed with a seizure disorder (click here for more information on seizures in dogs) known as Canine Epilepsy. It is likely that this is due to a couple of things: Diamond's extremely young age at her pregnancy (she was only 7 or 8 months old) and her subsequent malnourishment; both by her previous [incredibly careless] owner. For those who missed it, Diamond was introduced here. Faith is on seizure medication and a strict organic/gluten free doggy diet (they both are). She has the sweetest personality of any dog I've met and totally adores DD (both of them do).

Believe it or not, I came across some fascinating research about Epilepsy/seizures and organic coconut oil (click here to read more at the Epilepsy Foundation on Ning). I've been taking coconut oil via smoothie for awhile (it's amazing brain food). After chemo for cancer and all the other scary drugs I took for Polymyositis, et.al. I was all over anything that would benefit the brain, believe me. *grin* I bought some for DD to use and she was giving it (in small amounts) to the dogs as well; it's good for them too! Anyway, poor little Faith had multiple seizures over the weekend. We determined that an "all natural" birthday cookie given to Faith by the pet store DD visits was the likely culprit. Although the treat itself may have been organic, we are fairly certain that food coloring was used in the "icing" and was likely the trigger. After the fifth seizure (grandma can only endure extreme heart palpitations so many times; not to mention the fact that it was killing me to watch her convulse as I held her) I got back on line and found that we could safely increase her coconut oil intake to a teaspoon to help control seizures. I gave her a dose (thankfully she loves it), and she hasn't had another seizure since. DD is now giving her two teaspoons per day, one AM and one PM (Diamond still gets 1/2 teaspoon in the morning), so time will tell. Oh, the picture inset is Faith hanging out in the shade by the fan in the puppy pen. Not the best photo, but it's important to keep the grandpuppies cool in the summer (particularly when one of them has Epilepsy).

Below is a better shot of Faith - both of them absolutely love the huge drum we rolled in there for them to play on. Can you say Queen(s) of all we survey? (in your haughtiest tone, of course ;o)

Well. I'd say that's probably more than enough of me for the week ;o) Thank you so much for reading this far, have a big horsey hug and a beautifully blessed day!

Have you noticed that the older you get, the faster by time seems to fly? I have. Blink, and you've missed it. Oy. I can't believe we're at the end of another school year already! Hard to tell who is more excited though; the students or the faculty (I'm thinking faculty, definitely ;o) To anyone outside the school system - and I've been right there with you - I'm sure you're thinking something along the lines of "Sure must be nice to have your summers off!" All I can tell you is that time is soooo earned. Until I started working in a school I had no idea how much a school year would take out of you mentally and emotionally. Summer vacations and school breaks are critical times for the adults to get a desperately needed recharge before returning to the front lines. Because our children have so much more to deal with than we did back in the day, a teacher's job has become exponentially more challenging.

Even for those of us who function more peripherally, (I interpret for a deaf student), the typical school day is incredibly draining emotionally. Add to that the mountains of paperwork now required of teachers (sadly, our society is becoming increasingly litigious), the struggle to manage classes that are far too large and often unruly (what ever happened to well-mannered kids?), and a steady decline in support from both administration and the majority of parents it's no wonder the burnout rate is so high. According to Forbes (this article), the teacher burnout rate in 2011 was 46% within the first five years; even higher than it is for doctors. Who'd a thunk it? I'm sure it's gone up since then, too. Without these much-needed breaks, I have no doubt this number would be twice that. Having worked in several different systems over the past 18 years I can attest that some schools are definitely better working environments than others, but the stress levels are high everywhere. Personally, after working with a deaf elementary student on a military base, I have to say it would be nice if every person on the planet came with a C.O. (Commanding Officer). At least then you'd have someone to go to when you exhausted all other avenues trying to work with a parent (and you'd better believe they get the job done, too!)  Although I have been known to refer to DH as my own C.O., it's from a completely different direction (to wit: "Captain Oblivious", HeHe).

Can you guess what this is? I'll give you a hint: it's not a snake - honest! My picture happy galpal Sarah and I went on a ['nother-other] photo bender a couple of weeks ago, and came across the strangest critter I think I've ever seen outside of a zoo (well, that and the high school hallways ;o) Although he slithered around like a snake, he also had four legs with long toes like a chameleon that he used to walk. Weird, right? Sarah and I sat there making up names for him, and came up with "Ssslizzard". We both went home and looked him up on line to find he is actually called a "Red Headed Skink". Have you ever heard of those? I hadn't. Personally, I was kind of partial to "Ssslizzard" but since nobody asked me I suppose we'll stick with Skink for now.

Since Skinks eat bugs, I'm definitely considering them one of the good guys. *laugh* This one is called a "Five Line Skink" (some neat kid-friendly info here). See how she tucked up her legs along her body to slither along? How weird is that? Skinks are fairly widespread throughout the United States, and are partial to wooded areas with access to sunny spots. Believe it or not, there are more than 1,200 different subspecies of Skinks. Pretty impressive. Sadly, Mom doesn't seem to have much in the way of maternal instincts. She kicks the kids out a few days after they've hatched, telling them they are ready to leave the nest. Then again, when you consider how stressed out our kids can make us (particularly when they hit their teenage years) she might just be onto something...

For those of you who may wish to avert your eyes, I'm going to say a very bad word now: Project. Please excuse me for swearing. The laundry tub in the photo is a long overdue checklist item for our visitor area. This little P-word has been neglected for some time; initially, the weather (too cold), then I broke my arm, and again back to the weather (too wet). Obviously, this statement is easily verified by not only the faded green on the box but also by the disgusting amount of dust and dirt it has accumulated; which means now I get to clean it first (joy). Anyhoo, I've decided to go public with its impending transformation (ha) and twist my own arm, so to speak (translation: Get a move on chickie! ;o) My grand plan is to turn this [formerly] pristine white laundry sink into something rustic. I have some ideas on what I want to do, though I'm not sure if they will work or not. Here's hoping! Looks like next week's post will be all about that.

Wishing you a blessed week and as always, thank you so much for reading this far!