More Lizzie

This is Lizzie playing with Monkey's tail...

Lizzie: After 24 Hours in the Family

Joe's adopted kitten, Lizzie!

Here's the first photo of Joe's new adopted kitten, Lizzie! Trust me, there will be a lot more!!

Phoebe's New Doggie Play Yard

My sweet Phoebe dog now has a new, huge play yard attached to her kennel!

During a Pause in the Storm

It's been storming, on and off, for 36 hours. When it finally let up a little, this afternoon, I went out. I saw the wonderful water droplets on this leaf and was so focused on shooting them, that I didn't notice the fact that it was actually impaled on a blade of grass!



Nature has a way of making even ugly things, like this rusty rebar, beautiful.





Standing under a tree, to keep from getting dripped on, I looked up and saw the wonderful texture of its bark and these interesting wrinkles.





As it started to storm again, I took one last shot of this lovely, lush green hosta, where maple seeds had fallen.

My Grandmother's Irises...

These irises have a special history...

My grandmother planted them on her family farm, in Winter Wisconsin. When her children were grown and she and Grandpa moved south to Stoughton, she couldn't bear to leave them, so brought some with her. When Grandpa died, she planted some at his grave, in Clinton WI. By the time Grandma died, at 101 years old, in 1997, her irises had spread all over the cemetery. So, we took a few, each...my brother, my mother and I.

Learning about yellow-bellied sapsuckers...

I saw this bird, for the first time, yesterday. I think it's a young yellow-bellied sapsucker. It looks like the photo in the book, anyway, but without the red markings.





After learning that sapsuckers make holes that drip sap and attract insects, I went and took a look at the tree and...yep, holes dripping sap and lots of insects!