Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Here's another bird that's been around here lately.  One of the photos I took of it showed the reddish  coloring on its head.  That helped in identifying it as a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

 

Skywatch

Here's how the sky looked two evenings ago...

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Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yesterday I was stalking this bird in the yard, 

trying to get photos to identify it with.

 Turns out it is a Yellow-rumped warbler, this next shot showing why it was given that name.

I'm guessing it is only passing through our area while on a springtime journey to somewhere else.

Here's one last look, a rather silly pose...

Last Year At This Time

Look what we had by this time a year ago...

 

       Last year we planted oats on March 16 and started planting corn today, April 24. That I know because of photos I took on those days.  Currently, the trees still have no leaves, there are no wildflowers or lilacs yet, and spring fieldwork has not begun. Amazing how the weather can vary from year to year!

Go Away

Rain, rain, please go away so spring fieldwork can begin!

Barn Charm

This photo was taken last fall.

Visit Bluff Area Daily for this week's Barn Charm.

Another Sky

     Just another sky photo, though a big bird is soaring in the very top of this scene and there are other smaller ones further below.  I didn't know any of them were there when I snapped the camera shutter.

Opening Day

Yesterday, the sun shone bright
and with just enough warmth
to persuade the crocuses to open...finally!

Edited Scene

     This was a morning shot from a few days ago.  Originally, it didn't look quite this striking.  Editing photos is fun and challenging so I tinkered around with this one until it looked adequately cool in my opinion.  I increased the sky color and deepened the contrast until the shed and landscape looked like a silhouette.

A Little Color

     Yesterday I figured out how to add some color to a drab day---take a photo of your John Deere lawnmower being towed to town for its annual tune-up in preparation for another busy season of mowing.  Wear a colorful scarf in case you happen to end up in the photo.

     We had just passed an Amish horse-drawn wagon.  It is hidden behind raindrops there on the shoulder of the road.

Skywatch

Taken a couple days ago...

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Waiting

Yesterday it rained all day and today its supposed to do the same.  

The fields wait patiently for spring tillage. 

These zoomed shots were taken a couple days ago.

The zooming results in some blurriness, but I think its kind of cool. 

  

Light and Dark

The evening before last there was a few minutes of unusual lighting---bright landscape backed up by dark sky.

Barn Charm

Here's a drive-by shot from last fall.  I was aiming for the barn so the old-fashioned corn cribs and new-fangled cell phone tower are a bonus.

Visit Bluff Area Daily for this week's Barn Charm.

Robin

The blogosphere probably doesn't need another robin photo, but here's one anyway...

Abstract Barns

     Just now I was sorting through barn photos while waiting for my husband to come in for lunch.  I found this rather poor quality drive-by shot from last year that I couldn't bear to part with and tried out several effects on it.  I kind of like this sort of abstract one...

Yesterday

     Our weather remains cold and rainy.  This photo was taken yesterday, could have been today, hopefully not tomorrow.  I almost deleted it but then decided I liked the way the raindrops are in focus.  They look like they're right there on the computer screen.

Skywatch

Photo taken several days ago...

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Yesterday

     Yesterday I had to run an errand which required a road trip of several hours. Before tossing them in the trash I decided to first submit some colorful evidence of the day.  I had to leave early in the morning and it was cold out so of course I needed some hot mocha.  Yum!  At lunchtime, I was hungry, so a fast food meal was consumed.  Yum!   Later in the afternoon, on the way home, I couldn't resist stopping for an ice cream treat.  Yum!  

     Rain fell most of the day, sometimes heavy and with thunder and lightning.  

The windshield wipers got a good workout.  

Many farm fields looked very waterlogged.*

*No motorists were put in danger by the shooting of this drive-by shot by a driver.  There was no oncoming traffic and I aimed the camera out the window without looking.

(I would like to always blog about yesterday, that way I can use the title "Yesterday" and avoid spending time fretting over what title to choose.  That really perplexes me sometimes.)

  

Yesterday

     Yesterday I rode along with my husband to get some machinery parts.  I didn't snap too many drive-by shots because the landscape isn't very scenic right now and most of the barns along the way are ones I've already photographed.  It was nice to see some green in the form of this rye field beginning to grow.  I didn't even realize the photo had also caught the snow still there in the road ditch.