And then there were 3...

 Mother Nature came into play with the addition of those 4 eggs. Being they were laid 1 week later then the initial 3, they began hatching out 3 days ago. See the little beak raised between the back larger 2 hatch-lings?

 On that day, I found 2 of the 4 extra hatched out.  The scenario I imagined was not what I thought I would find during my tool grab on Thursday. Being they are so much younger, I thought for sure the older nest mates would smother the younger chicks or dominate the food train mother, in worst case scenario. Instead, I found all traces of them gone. Not even an eggshell. I searched inside the potter shed as well as the ground in front of the entrance, with their dive bombing parents yelling at me the entire time. My assumption is mother Robin disposed of them herself. Her "instinct" indicating they are the weaker links and as in the normal ways of many in wildlife, the weak are rarely kept or tended. 

So now, the Potter shed thieving Robin is back to feeding just 3 mouth's. 

Telle est la nature {Such is the nature}.

Sweet Dreams,

~Tammie

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Photog share & Year 2 Mrs. Robin in the potter's shed

 Remember last year when a certain Mrs. Robin made a nest on my garden hoe blade that leaned on the back wall of my potter shed? Her eggs hatched out & the babies survived, flying away by June. I finally had my shed back with plans to thwart such an event from ever keeping me from enjoying the benefits of a potter shed.

That didn't work out so well... She's back and this time she made a nest in the corner of the shelf under the window. It began as 3 eggs...

 Within a week of our discovery, 3 became 7... As of the other day, what I assume were the first 3 eggs, hatched out. I have not been back to grab my tools since this shot taken last Saturday.

Apparently my sharing of the shed with her 2 years in a row does not cause enough distress to where she does not feel it to be a proper nesting sight. In fact, I think she is & feels far safer being hidden yet surrounded by the openness of the field. Safe inside with a view from both windows and the missing door  giving a great defense from sneak attacks.{yeah, I never did get that back on}.

I'll keep you up to date on how this whole 7 eggs things work out.

Photography has been my consume all of late. I've stepped down from my previous consume all of the gardening and animals. As mentioned before, it became too much work and not enough enjoyment being the main & majority source of labor. The garden is not as big. We are bringing in a trio of Welsh Harlequins due to hatch the end of this month and will keep things simple from now on. 

I have debated a new site, like I have not done that a hundred times. I may very well do it this time, linking into this site or simply share the link for those who wish to stop in and watch my progress and experiments within photography. I'm hooked on themes & story telling with my photos. No matter how small, my drive is behind the inclusion of a theme.

 I thought I would share my latest practice & experimentation which consisted of Panda & a guy friend. Yes. He's a guy and not a boy being this Fall they become Freshmen.

This time out was not about capturing the right light as most know really makes the shot. I've had some beginner issues using my new 50mm 1.8 lens. Getting both faces in focus, finding the right angle, the right pose & surroundings to make it happen. This happens to be in the #1 slot of the top 5 in the shots that day.

I really do not like having my signature copyright image overlay in the photos but stealing images is rampant on the net. Not giving credit of source as well as playing it off as their own. I try to make it more discreet but hard to hide should someone post or share elsewhere..

Yes. That's Panda. Lil Miss going on 14 in 6 weeks. 

I strongly feel railroad tracks have been overdone in the sense of so many doing "the walk down tracks" look. My own treasured photo from May 2010 showcasing my 3 kiddos is of that very scenario, taken with a point and shoot. I love that photo and will recreate the same shot every 2-3 years as they grow for a series on my future "old lady hall of photos". Just not a shot I would willingly take for others.
 I discovered this great abandoned warehouse environment a few towns over. The railroads are dominant in our area from the Past industrial meets farming life. The two of them proceeded to do their own thing, wanting to explore around the factory as I snapped away.  It's not the common railroad scenario, giving it exclusion from my above mentioned notation.

Panda is showing her own interest in Photography with plans of having it as her Minor in college.. which is in just 4 years... She has become my assistant {the reflector holder} as well as a source of inspiration & ideas with our themes. The clothing and hair for this very shoot were all her doing.

There is something about this shot I just love. The softness of her face and the playful shadows dappling with light from the apple tree above. I would have played more within this area but alas, the heathens were tired and hungry. An area in the plans for another day playing with light & shadow experimentation. 

To see the full set of this practice session, which I titled Summer of Youth, hop over to this Flickr link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95517275@N02/sets/72157633434194768/

I'll try not to be so absent from my posts in the future. The decision on the start of another site may come into play being I have less Farm Chick and more Shutterbug going on in my life. I'll let you know what I decide.
Sweetest Dreams,
~Tammie

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New Garden residents & Zentangle treasure

I'm back & finally settled into routine after the moving trip of my little brother & sister in law. Some of my plants were dead but thankfully nothing like it was when I left The Captain in charge of the seedlings a few years ago. The mass of my herbs are dead with a few holding on. Hopefully by planting them yesterday, they will be rejuvenated and thrive. The garden, as I have mentioned before, has been mulched with wood chips. The fight of the weeds is in yet another year of experimentation. I know, your thinking that whole nitrogen robbing thought as many do when I mention the wood chips. Have a look at this site which is my reason to give it a go*.

I left a few spots bare for the purpose of direct seeding, leaving FAR less space which will need my attention. The spot closest to you in the picture, with the 2x4 barrier is the flower space, just in front of the Potter Shed.

Speaking of the Potter Shed, have I mentioned a Robin built her nest in there on the Garden hoe? Oh yes, I believe I had mentioned it just recently. For 2 days after the nest was spotted, we had rain & cold. Surely the Robin would not lay her eggs in that short of a time... But I was wrong. So ALL work on the Potter shed roof and door as well as the painting of the interior has been put on hold long enough for Mother Robin to raise her chicks.

As you can see, she is rather protective and watchful over the Potter shed. There simply is not a solution I can deal with that would prevent me from disrupting her off the nest. I take breaks from the garden every 30 minutes to ensure she can get back in there as well as when I see she comes back with worms hanging from her beak, I leave the area so she can feed the babes. I had hoped she would become accustom to my presence and not be such a nervous Nelly every time I would be working in the garden. Instead she yells at me from every fence corner to the shed rooftop, flitting between the Bentwood arbor and the expanse of the wide open grass just beyond the pickets. Silly Bird. Or is it more like silly human...

Mama Robin is perched on the middle temporary roof beam, above, on the Potter shed I made.

Another new Garden resident is this little songstress who has belted out such charming calls, I can not help but hope he or she stays. I have seen it coming & going from the shabby coffee can house as well as bring what I can only guess is a mate. I'm not too knowledgeable on bird species but from what I was able to find as a possible match, this may be a Winter Wren ,{correct me if I'm wrong. I truly would like to know the variety}. For Winter Wrens, In their life, they have just one mate. The male finds nest locations and the female will choose amongst them her preference. I saw her visiting this nest last Sunday. I'm not sure if she has chosen it or not but this other bird has been bringing little twigs to insert into the hole. At times, it becomes comical watching it try to fit them in through the hole when the only obvious solution is to NOT clench it the beak sideways.

Before I go, I must share a most treasured gift I have received. My Mother in law has been enjoying the hobby of what is called Zentangle. Panda quickly picked up the art herself and both have been enjoying workshops and time together with this new passion. Now, I must explain WHY this gift is even more special. On this very shelf, I desired something of my 3 wee ones to be framed. I thought I might take them out & do a photo session for the perfect shot to be framed & placed in this very spot. Then, to my astonishment, I opened this Mother's Day gift and could not have been happier. It is the PERFECT piece to go in the spot I had long contemplated filling. I will treasure this for a lifetime.

Obviously, It is a tracing of each child's hand and filled with the art of Zentangle. You may wonder, What exactly is Zentangle? This site**link will be far more helpful then I could explain.

Be sure to have a look around the site linked above. Zentangle is such a beautiful form of ink work. I for one, could never sit still long enough to produce such pieces.

As you can also see from the photo, my Rugosa Roses are in bloom. I am not able to identify it's exact variety name but they are a hybrid. A mix of Rugosa with another Rose Variety, the parent for it's multi petal form. Which ever variety it may be, it has a scent I wish I could fill the air with all day long. Thankfully, they are a continuous bloom rose I can enjoy up into the Fall.

There is mention of Rain in the forecast for Wednesday so I have been rushing about to get so much done after being away for so long. Yet I feel I am running out of things I can do by myself. I can only recruit The Captain on the weekends for jobs that need more muscle then I can provide. I do believe I am hitting a lull in my daily amusements. 

I am sure it will not take long for me to find something to get into, being I flit amongst my interests like a field of flowers to a butterfly.. For the time being, I wish you the best of...

Sweetest Dreams,

~Tammie

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This Week's Round up & I KNEW I should have built that ark years ago...

Remember the Robin eggs we found not too long ago?

Well it must have been a nest that was washed away in the Ohio monsoons since a rather determined mother robin has built another nest exactly where I thought one had been.

Now that the weeping cherry trees have filled out with their green coverage, her nest is much safer from the down pours.

We have had about 45 days out of 60 producing rain. I am not kidding when I say the garden looks like a beach where the tide had gone out. I can not retill being plants & seeds have already been sown and thanks to the moisture content, i have had to pull back all the black weed cloth to prevent anymore green mold growing underneath.

The rains have been so bad that our trip to the Backyard Mushroom grower has been put off for a few more weeks. The area where we would be standing is in about 1 foot of water! Although it may be entertaining to you, seeing me dog paddle through her backyard, I opted to move the visit for hopefully sunnier days.

I know they say the rains are good for the flowers & trees but with as much as we have had it looks like it is only good for drowning them...and preventing any road trip adventures. So frustrating that here we are almost to June and I have not been able to do any video destinations or projects.

The good news is that The Captain is almost done with all the posts for my garden fencing. The chicken pen has grass finally growing {well in most of the areas}.Plus I was able to swing for a new Sony Cyber shot 560 point & shoot after my 4 yr old digi dropped out of my garden basket,unbeknownst to me, and was destroyed in one of our hard rains. I'm still saving my pennies for that Nikon D3100 and am half way there. Just taking a little longer then I estimated.

Now I normally do not share much about my children's personal lives outside of our playing farmer but this time how could I not share? Little Miss Frog graduated Pre K Friday and during her graduation she was given an award. What award? For "Fashionista"! Thanks to all of her "original & colorful choice of outfits" she so often wears to school. THIS is one of my top favorites and will help give you an idea of why she was awarded "Fashionista" by her school:

The award, the above picture & her "diploma" will go into a Framed custom collage for hanging in her room. I hope she will always hold on to being independent in thought,behavior & hopefully...always remember to never fear standing out from the crowd.

The rains have really bummed me out so I best focus on getting some Mojo back to spice things up a bit. Maybe a trip to an estate sale or even a country market will get us back in touch.
Until next time...

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie

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