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!

My nephew and I were out in the front yard, talking with 2 of the neighbors and watching nervously as Alliant Energy chopped up one of their trees. Just in that short amount of time, I caught all of these little guys...none of them ruffled at all, by the noise...

Dane County WI

Yesterday, I went down to Stoughton, near where I grew up. I go there several times, in the Spring, waiting for the cranes and heron. But, also I like to walk in the woods my Grandmother used to send me out into, when I was little.

In the Marsh:













The woods were beautiful as always...but, it sad to see how little respect people have for them. I'm going back next weekend to clean them up.

















...and a couple of shots, in between...

Red-winged Blackbird

I went looking for geese, this morning, but found this beautiful red-winged blackbird. It was fascinating watching him defend his territory.

Northern Harrier...?

Photos from Home....

Freezing Fog 2 by *kbcollins on deviantART

The above photo was taken 1/4 mile up the road from me. I've been sorting photos into collections, starting with the ones I've taken right here on my own property. See what you think. I'd appreciate hearing any opinions!
Photos from my own 3 acres...
My general collection is HERE.

A Tree Planted in Honor of my Twitter Friends

To all my Twitter friends who care about the Earth, animals, people...regardless of which holiday you celebrate...a tree will be planted in your honor.

With love and respect, ~Kasey

They're Back!! Happy, Happy, Happy!!

Pair of Blue Jays by *kbcollins on deviantART

It's near the end of the year...I start thinking...

I am no activist. I am no one.

Growing up, we travelled, several times a year. I am so fortunate to have had to opportunity to visit so many of the National Parks and historical places. At 17, I became a foreign exchange student, to Australia. I spent a year in the public school system and helping to raise animals on my host family's farmette. Like my own parents, my host family also took me travelling. After coming home to graduate from high school, I went back to Queensland, for another year...most of which was spent on horseback with my best friend and her parents. What I learned from my childhood, was that I loved nature...all nature. I loved the sameness and the differences.

When I came back home I intended to go to college. But, my mother, a talented surgical nurse, couldn't agree with me on a career that she would be willing to pay the fee for. I didn't want to be a nurse. I wanted to study nature. She felt it wasn't a financially sound choice. So....I went to work. First, at a donut shop, then a baker at a restaurant, a waitress, a line cook...who cares. I got married, but my husband didn't work very often. Finally, though, I was making enough money that with a small student loan, I could afford to go to school at night, while working full time during the day. I chose to take Madison Area Tech's Recreational Resource Management program. Near the end of my second semester, I got pregnant. Sara was born in August, so I was still able to continue into the next semester. But, she died, a few months later...and I dropped out. I found out later, that my loan had immediately come due, when I dropped out...and then, the last straw...MATC dropped the Recreational Resource Management program...there was no reason for me to go back, anyway.

I took off for NYC...lived there for several years, doing nothing useful with my life. I spent every free moment at the Natural History Museum in Central Park...must have bought every book in their gift shop. Then at last I came back to Wisconsin. Here I am, at 40 years old...no one...uneducated...unsure what, if anything, I can do about it.

I am no activist.

Pair of Baltimore Oriole

These are from last summer and I'm just getting around to posting them!


Mr Oriole looks pretty proud of himself, at the feeder. But his lady...seems a little confused.






She eventually did figure it out...!

My Dogs...

This is Phoebe, my adopted dog. She and her sister Thea were found, as puppies, abandonded at a high school basketball game. Thea died shortly after being rescued and Phoebe came to me as a foster. She was adopted, but the family sent her back, saying she was "untrainable." In other words, she was smarter than they were. I fostered her again for about a week, before I adopted her, for good. She is so sweet and loving...just the best dog...




Here is the dog I'm sponsoring from Soi Dog Foundation (http://www.soidog.org @soidogphuket on Twitter). His name is Sure. Isn't he a beautiful boy? You should sponsor one!

Practice Has Not Made Perfect, When Photographing this Chickadee

These are my rejected photos, from this morning. This chickadee is too fast!