Love That Blue Ridge Mountain Blue

I feel we are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world. We don't have to long for the countryside...we can live it. This is the old Buena Vista Farm.

I long for the countryside. That's where I get my calm and tranquility ~ from being able to come and find a spot of green."
~Emilia Clarke

This post is linked with Friday Fences, Signs 2, and Skywatch Friday.

Frozen

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the wind and feel the rain. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams."

~Ashley Smith

SOOC

If you go hiking up in the Blue Ridge Mountains these days, you still see lots of sights like this. What a beautiful work of nature's art...pretty as a picture.

This post is linked with Watery Wednesday II over at Bluff Area Daily.

The Tulips Are Changing

Last Friday I went to the florist after my doctor's appointment and bought 2 pink tulips to photograph. I couldn't believe it...5$ for the two! Not cheap, but worth it! I already posted a mosaic and one macro taken on February 22nd with my 50mm lens. This morning I took these shots with my telephoto, and as you can see they are finally beginning to open up. 

A Tulip Doesn't Strive to Impress Anyone

W00-HOO ~ ANOTHER SNOW DAY WITH NO SNOW

This is my world right how: eating, sleeping, working, and spending lots and lot of time on my eCourse. I am having oodles of fun, but there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day for me. These are pictures taken with my 50mm in my new white room Buddy painted for me for my 74th. I am such a happy camper. At the moment we are studying DOF and light. These pictures were taken on February 22, 2013.

“A tulip doesn’t strive to impress anyone. It doesn’t struggle to be different than a rose. It doesn’t have to. It is different. And there’s room in the garden for every flower. You didn’t have to struggle to make your face different than anyone else’s on earth. It just is. You are unique because you were created that way. Look at little children in kindergarten. They’re all different without trying to be. As long as they’re unselfconsciously being themselves, they can’t help but shine. It’s only later, when children are taught to compete, to strive to be better than others, that their natural light becomes distorted.”

~Marianne Williamson

This post is linked with Our World Tuesday, Texture Tuesday,  and NF Blo-Ma.

Some Barns of Rockbridge County

Since I cannot figure out the enlarging feature, I am posting the first two pictures individually. Even with some suggestions from y'all, I am still stumped. Sometimes it is just hard to teach an old dog a new trick :-) These are some more shots from my  snowy "Joy Ride."

I was so excited to finally see a barn with signs and a big star. It is in awesome condition.

 Poor Baby. This was such a sweet little mini-barn. It breaks my heart to see any of these wonderful old structures fall into abandoned disrepair. Don't you know it has some wonderful stories to tell if only it could talk. 

This post is linked with Barn Charm over at Bluff Daily Photo.

Sometimes Getting Lost Really Is a Joy

The skies were unbelievable in their blues, and the SURPRISE snow on the ground last Sunday almost knocked me out of my seat. I thought everything had melted in the county...it certainly appeared that way when I began my "joy ride". Think not, Miss Genie! The bits and pieces of the road you see are slushy snow with ice beneath. I almost freaked out when I came up upon it and started to slide. Being from Florida, I am a failure at driving in this stuff. In the 35 years I've lived here, I've totaled 2 cars only going 10 miles an hour. I have finally figured out it is NOT the speed, it is the way I put my foot on the break and turn the steering wheel. No mishaps this day :-) And, guess what? We have snow forecast for tonight and again tomorrow evening. Wonder what this Sunday will have in store for me.

 Here's one especially for you, Theresa. I nearly flipped when I drove up on this Texas style, spectacular entryway to some impressive Rockbridge County homes. This was at the beginning of my ride so there was no snow.

 This was the SURPRISE I drove up upon...and it was slick and icy. Trust me... 

even though I was poking along looking at the gorgeous fields 

and skies, I remembered NOT to put my foot on the break or turn the steering wheel. This time I came our smellin' like a rose :-)

 Snow, snow everywhere, and a pretty red barn to go along with it.

 Most of the fields were like this one...covered in the white stuff. SO PRETTY!

Last but not least I give you some more covered hay bales. I saw lots of them, but these were especially nice sitting up there against that gorgeous sky. I had the perfect day to get lost and end up cruising the county. I wonder what this weekend has in store for me. We shall see.

This post is linked with Friday Fences and Skywatch Friday.

A SPECIAL 'THANK YOU" TO YOU, YOGI, FOR COMING ON BOARD TO HELP WITH THE OPERATION OF SKYWATCH FOR ALL OF US. IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MEME FOLLOWED BY SO MANY PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

ALSO, THANK YOU JAN AND JER FOR CONTINUING TO SPONSOR FRIDAY FENCES. IT IS SUCH A FUN MEME TO VIEW AND TO BELONG TO. 

Scenes from a Sunday Joy Ride in Rockbridge County

Can anyone tell me how to enable "click on the pictures" to enlarge?

This week in our "Beyond Beyond (BB2) eCourse one of are assignments was to create a custom package in the "Print Mode" of Lightroom. It was such fun and a real learning experience. These photos were taken with my iPhone while I was on my Sunday Joy Ride. After breakfast with Buddy he went to work, and I decided to take the long way home which ended up taking way over an hour because I got lost. I could not believe my eyes. There was still snow on the ground and slushy, icy snow on sections of the road. The real treat was there were few cars on the road, and I was able to stop and takes lots of pictures of different barns in all colors and conditions.

This post is linked with Mosaic Monday and Barn Charm.

Memories of Valentine's Day 2013

Traditional Nursery Rhyme

"Ladybug, ladybug" is chanted by children when a ladybug insect lands on their person. If he ladybug does not fly away of its own accord the child would gently blow it away chanting - "Ladybug, ladybug fly away home". This insect is found every summer in the gardens of Britain - the most common colour is red with black spots, less common are the yellow variety, In Britain ladybugs are referred to as "ladybirds".

Farmer's knew of the Ladybird's value in reducing the level of pests in their crops and it was traditional for them to cry out the rhyme before they burnt their fields following harvests (thus reduced the level of insects and pests). 

The English word ladybird is a derivative of the Catholic term "Our Lady". The tradition of calling this rhyme was believed to have been used as a seemingly innocent warning cry to Catholic (recusants) who refused to attend Protestant services as required by the Act of Conformity (1559 & 1662). The law forbade priests to say Mass and forbade communicants to attend it. Consequently Mass was held secretly in the open fields. Laymen were subject to jail and heavy fines and priests to execution. Many priests were executed by the terrible death of being burnt alive at the stake or, even worse, being hung, drawn and quartered. The most famous English recusants were Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot Conspirators. 

It is possible that the word Ladybird was exchanged for Ladybug, in the American version of the nursery rhyme, due to the word association with Firebug meaning an arsonist or pyromaniac. There has been some speculation that this Nursery Rhyme originates from the time of the Great Fire of London in 1666. 

Thank you, Rita, for my precious ladybug dip bowl and little knife.

Surprise! Surprise!

 You never know what you might step upon when hiking through the forrest.

This post is linked with NF Blo-Ma.

The Beginning

This is where my love for sewing and handwork began. My mother made all of my clothes, and she was determined I would learn to sew and knit as a young child. She gave me this Singer for my 7th birthday , and it was on this little crank machine that it all began. 

It still works but has some rust. Still, it is one of my "treasures'" 

and would have many stories to tell if it could just talk.

This post is linked with:

Mosaic Monday and Marco Monday.

So Sad

This sweet white-winged Junko flew into our front porch glass storm door the other day and died immediately. My friend who is a birder came over a short while later and helped me to identfy it. He pulled out the feathers so I could see the white. After I took the pictures, we gave him a proper burial.

This post is linked with:

The Bird D'Pot
Camera Critters

Wild Bird Wednesday

NF Winged

Icey Waters

This post is linked with NF Waters.

Chairs, Chairs, and More Chairs

 Plow and Hearth Main Store near Charlottesville, VA

Plow and Hearth Outlet adjacent to the main store. 

This post is link with Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Ball of Fire

This post is linked with Weekend Reflections hosted by James.