Rewards of the Simple Life...

To find the universal elements enough;

To find the air and the water exhilarating;

To be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter;

To be thrilled by the stars at night;

To be be elated over a bird's nest or wildflower in Spring;





These are some rewards of the simple life.
~John Burroughs

Good Thought for Ruby Tuesday...

A Reminder for All of Us...


Happy Ruby Tuesday!

Thanks to Mary T. for hosting this fun meme.

Glimmers of light...

It's Apple Blossom time and there's no match for the color that Mother Nature has created for such a fragrant bloom.


Baby bunny making a choice between sun and shade.


Back-lighting of the heart of a Crab Apple blossom.


Sunlit swirls of green Hosta leaves.


Hope you also enjoyed little pleasures over your weekend.

B:-)

Down on the Farm...

My...
What big ears you have!


A lot of sweaters can be made from the gathering of wool from this flock! Click on the photo so you can better see their reflection in the pond. It was one moment of this day that the sun was actually shinning.


Three strands of wire fence, even though electrified, doesn't seem quite enough to keep this big guy in his pasture.

I kept my distance and gave him lots of Nikon-ish ZOOM!


The rains came later in the afternoon, making the driveway look like a small creek. I'm not complaining because we need all the rain we can get, as the gas drilling operations are taking an unusual amount away from our supply. To me, it merits worrying about.


Wishing everyone a great week!

B:-)

Sheep Story...

While walking through the woods on South Mountain, two guys came across a deep hole.

"Sure looks deep", says one guy.

"Sure does", replied the other guy. "Lets toss in a few pebbles and see if we can tell how deep it really is."

They tossed the pebbles.
They waited.
No sound.

They rolled a big rock over the edge.
They waited.
And waited.
Still no sound.

They noticed a railroad tie in some nearby weeds and decided to try that. After much tugging, they managed to maneuver it to the edge and push it over.

Suddenly, a sheep appeared out of nowhere, running as fast as it's little legs could carry it, and jumped in the hole!

A neighboring farmer wandered out of the weeds and asked, "Did you fellas happen to see my sheep?"

"Sure did! It was the strangest thing we've ever seen. It ran by us and jumped headfirst into that deep hole. Couldn't believe our eyes!"

"Nope", the farmer said. "Couldn't have been my sheep. Mine was chained to a railroad tie."

Just a little chuckle for the day.

B:-)

Taking a Break...

Sometimes, it's just good to have a rainy day to justify sitting back in the recliner, laptop positioned comfortably, while doing nothing more than pound on the keyboard or reading everyone else's blog to see what they are up to.

For me, this is the day, it's 10 AM and I'm still in my PJ's.
I heard it's the dress code for today!!

Yesterday was the one day that I always dread every Spring. When the weather is warm enough, it's time to drain the garden ponds, and I end up wallowing around in fish poop most of the day. I lost half a dozen of my largest Koi over the winter, but I have a better plan for this year and don't expect to loose any of the 13 that I have left.

Shiny pond liner...
After hours of scrubbing.



Clear, sparkling water...
Straight from the spring.



Ohhhh...
Yeahhh...
The fish are gonna love me!

Touches of Red...

It's been a busy day here on the Mountain, and Ruby Tuesday has once again nearly slipped away before I've had a chance to post my red for the day.

We have three of these flowering Crab Apple trees in the front yard and they are very close to full bloom.

Yep... I know they are closer to pink than red , but can you give me a little break here?

Because they are not only pretty... but, if I didn't post this picture... I'd have nearly zip for Mary T's fun meme!



I splurged today and bought myself a new pair of gardening gloves:
Red cuffs.
Red Ladybugs.

Guess they'll keep me from falling completely into the zip file for this week!



Have a great Ruby Tuesday and visit Work of the Poet for other red posts.

'In God We Still Trust'...

The song in the video below is from a Las Vegas Diamond Rio concert.

Major radio stations do not play the song, 'In God We Still Trust' because it is considered politically incorrect.

I, for one, think it's awesomely beautiful and EVERYONE should hear it ~ and I hope it makes it all around the world!

But... before you play it, please go to the bottom of this page and click on the large button on my playlist to turn off my blog's background music.



Enjoy.

B:-)

Wildflowers for Mother's Day...

No... No... No...

I said,
"I wish you beautiful MOMENTS and wild FLOWERS!"


However you celebrate Mother's Day...
Be Happy!

B:-)

Blame it on the Fiddleheads...

Being late is right near the top of my list of pet-peeves.
I happen to think that it's:

Rude.

Selfish.

Impolite.

Irresponsible.

Disrespectful.

Inconsiderate.

All, of course, basically mean the same thing, and can only be excused if one has a valid reason.

This is my valid reason... it's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I DID leave a few minutes earlier than was necessary.
I DID have my camera.
I DID see the fern that I had seen a couple of days earlier (when I DIDN'T have my camera!)
I DID take into consideration that I was 45 minutes away from my destination and that if I stopped for a photo, I would have to make up time when I got to the paved road.
I DID stop anyway.
I DID climb up the bank.
I DID consider that the close-up shot was going to be well worth the effort.
I DID drive over the speed limit (WAY over!) to make my appointment.
I DID arrive only 3 minutes later than planned.


Regardless...
I was late.

And now, I'm at the top of my own pet-peeve list.

Still...
Some things are just worth fiddling with!

Enjoy your day.

B:-)

Weep for me...

With hollowed heart, the Willow weeps;
A murmur deep within.

It's constant struggle to withstand,
Nature's unrelenting wind.


But, could it be,
The Willow tree,
Despite it's hollowed heart?


Lends strength to those who weep themselves,
Beneath the Willow tree.

A Plain & Simple Rambling.

Ruby Plants for Ruby Tuesday...

The Peony Shoots are beginning to gain more and more strength with each sunny day.

In just a few weeks, their blossoms will burst into a riot of different shades of pink... and if my memory serves me right, there are a couple of white ones among the bunch.


The ruby-tipped Hen is a pretty addition to my garden where, soon, there will be little chicks everywhere.

Seriously.

Their reproduction rate is just about equal to that of the rabbits around here!



A gorgeous May sunset brings this Ruby Tuesday to a close.

But... before you go, please visit Mary T's, Work of the Poet, where you'll find some very interesting photos.

This is what he'd say...

"I despise weekend shopping!"


"The traffic was horrible and I nearly got my nut crushed!"

I'll be back later.

....cuz, I have photos all ready for Ruby Tuesday.

Imagine that!

B:-)