05-Aug-2020
Carol's Accommodations
Carol had an appointment with her doctor yesterday. When they checked her condition they told me to take her to ER as she was in A-fib, again! In ER, they did a number of tests and gave her the option of treating it with meds or cardio version. Since she has had cardio version twice in 7 months, she chose to try meds to see if they could help. They gave her two types of injections and then waited for the results. She showed improvement in her pulse rate, which was very high. After about five hours they got the pulse rate down to 100 and it was safe to bring her home where she could be more comfortable and rest. She has needed much rest today and could feel more comfortable at home. She took her first med at home and the readings were high. An hour after taking the med her pulse rate had dropped by 25. We are so hopeful that the medicine does the trick. I am trying to see that she can relax and rest this evening, though I can't be as good as the nurse and doctor that worked with her.
28-Jul-2020
A Beautiful Chick!
I don't know what type of chicken this is, but whatever I think it is a beauty. I love the colors. I will have to show this to our daughter, Angie. Maybe she will get one or two. 😎
27-Jul-2020
Bambi In The Woods!
A while back I posted a shot of a doe that was expecting and I hoped that she would bring her fawn back to the farm. I think she did, or else another doe did. Lately a doe and spotted fawn have been visiting, almost every day. We have some apple trees so that is part of the attraction. As apples fall from the tree, I toss some of them over the fence into the woods next door. Each day the apples disappear. And I often see the doe and fawn there and sometimes they stay there eating apples while I throw more over the fence. I got this shot of the fawn, which made me think of Bambi in the Disney movie.
28-Jul-2020
Tansy Ragwort
Whenever Tansy shows up on the farm, Angie tries to quickly get rid of it. It is a noxious weed that is poisonous for her horses, as well as other animals. Even though the flower is pretty, it is best to get rid of it.
About Tansy Ragwort, the King County, WA, website says this, "Tansy ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris), a regulated Class B noxious weed, is a toxic biennial found throughout King County, especially on open, sunny sites such as in pastures and on roadsides. Eating it can sicken or even kill cattle, horses, some goats, pets, and people. Young plants appear as basal rosettes with ruffled leaves. Mature plants grow 2-4 feet tall; their leaves are dark green on top, whitish-green below, with deeply cut, blunt-toothed lobes and a ragged, ruffled look. In June-October, clusters of daisy-like flowers with 13 yellow ray petals and yellow-orange centers appear at stem ends. Reproduces via abundant seeds that persist in soil more than 10 years." -(
https://www.kingcounty.gov/
/weed-identi
/tansy-ragwort.aspx)
09-Jul-2020
Pond and Boat Ramp
This small pond is within walking distance of our place. The walk there and back is a mile and a half to two miles, plenty for an old guy like me. It gives me a chance to get a nice walk in and also I see photo opportunities along the way. Unfortunately, the pond is on private property with 'No Trespassing' signs posted along the road. So I had to shoot from there. Also foliage can get in the way for an overall view of the pond, so I chose to 'focus' on the portion with the dock.
25-May-2020
Not Red Yet!
I remember that my dear mother always had red hot pokers in the yard. After the flower turns bright red, it really stands out. It's a fascinating beautiful plant. Red Hot Poker is the common name for 'Kniphofia', native to South Africa. The plant can be 2-5 feet tall. The flowers can be red, orange, yellow, cream or pink. I have never seen any but red ones. This one, photographed toward the end of May, hasn't yet turned red.
About the red hot poker, 'American Meadows' has this to say: "Growth Habit: Red hot poker plants are specimens in the garden. The sword-shaped, pointy leaves grow in a round clump and the bottlebrush-like flower stalks emerge from the center of the clump in succession starting in early summer. At the end of the flower stalks are tube-shaped, colorful flower clusters that are tapered, resembling a torch. Hence, the common name torch lily." -
https://www.americanmeadows.com/
/unique-perennials/how-to-
20-Jul-2020
Sensational Sunflower
Sunflowers are really so beautiful! They are wonderful flowers! I love to photograph them. I thought this was an especially nice specimen.
According to National Sunflower Association: "The story of sunflower (Helianthus Annuus ) is indeed amazing. The wild sunflower is native to North America but commercialization of the plant took place in Russia. It was only recently that the sunflower plant returned to North America to become a cultivated crop. But it was the American Indian who first domesticated the plant into a single headed plant with a variety of seed colors including black, white, red, and black/white striped." -
https://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/history/
09-Jul-2020
Finding Beauty in a Leaf
I saw this leaf in the driveway and thought I would try to bring out the beauty in an aging leaf. Leaves go through an amazing process after coming on the trees. I learned that leaves change colors due to a process called "Photoperiodism." Talk about a name!
What is photoperiodism? According to www.smokymountains.com, "In the forests of eastern North America though, of the trees that change color in the autumn, most are responding to photoperiodism. The processes induced by photoperiodism are called "senescence", which is a term for the collective process that lead to the aging and death of a plant or plant part, like a leaf."
So then the leaf reminds me of humans, it goes through being pretty green as a youngster, and becomes more beautiful with age, before dying. Wait a minute here! What happened? I certainly am not as pretty as I used to be, as a kid. :) Oh well, forget that comparison. Could it be that humans weren't meant to die?
10-Jun-2020
Zinnias!
These beauties are in our daughter's front yard. I thought the colors were really eye-catching. I learned that Zinnias are annuals, so they'll grow for one season, but the original plant will not come back the next year. They do attract butterflies.
16-Mar-2020
When It's Not a Good Idea to Hide in the Grass!
If it hadn't been for the bright colors, I might not have noticed this wild turkey quite so easily. :) My son-in-law enjoys the turkeys, so we see them regularly. Like some other birds, they used to be a more rare sight, but now you can see them often, in town as well as out here in the country. They seem to have such beautiful colors, in comparison with the domestic turkey.
20-Jun-2020
The Center of a Daylily's World
I tried to get some close up shots with my Nikon V2 and CX 70-300 lens, not really a subject matter for a long lens. I did like this shot, which shows the heart of things for a daylily. The bright sunlight shining through petals adds to the beauty and color.
19-Jul-2019
Great Blue Heron Near Fern Ridge Lake
I like to capture wildlife in their environment. This setting is a natural for the heron, providing all of the characteristics they need. The tall grass in the foreground is by some water where they can find fish and the field beyond borders the lake which provides another fine source of food. One doesn't have to look for long to locate herons.