Finally

We finally got a bit of snow this week, the first storm arrived a couple of days ago and the second storm came in yesterday. 

The amounts of snow from both were paltry, just a couple of inches. 

But the snow made a pretty frosting on things, like this glass globe in my back yard. 

I even found a little violet bravely sticking up above the snow.  I'm sure there are more underneath the snow patiently waiting for the sun.  Our high temperature today was only 29, but it's supposed to be up around 40 by Sunday so those violets won't have to wait too long to feel the sun on their petals.

To see more pretty skies and flowers click here and here.

Amazing Hydrangeas

The hydrangeas are putting on a beautiful show in my back garden. 

I only managed to save one plant from the ravages of plumbers last winter; there was a leak in a pipe and they dug up almost all of my back yard trying to locate it.  They never did find it and resorted to capping off the leaky line and running a new one.

The back garden is slowly being put to rights, but I won't post any photos of it until it's completely done.  I'll just focus on the hydrangeas' amazing ability to produce so many colors on one plant!


Linking with: Amaze Me Monday
                       Through My Lens

Iris

A beautiful iris blooming in my studio in a pot.

After the blooms fade I'll plant it in my garden.   

Hopefully, it will like it there and give me more flowers next year!

Linking with:  Macro Monday
                        Through My Lens
                        Image-in-ing

Nothing But Blue Skies

And, horribly hot temperatures.  Our high today was 94...August temperatures in June.  I shudder to think what August will be like.  Some weather people think this is the heat before the monsoon season, which used to bring at least a couple of inches of rain in July and August.  It would be lovely if that happened this year.

Linking with:  Skywatch Friday

Wordless Wednesday - Ruffles

Linking with: Wednesday Around the World

                       image-in-ing

Nature's Gold

Nature has so many shades of beautiful golds and yellows. 

Far more in Her sunsets and flowers than I could ever hope to mix up on my palette. 

I love the crinkly texture of these Icelandic Poppies... 

And, the other-worldly look of their stamens. 

Linking with: Monday Mellow Yellows
                       Macro Monday
                       Amaze Me Monday

Signs of Spring

Cherry blossoms...

Tulips...

Stinging Lupins...

and tiny Baby Blue Eyes among even tinier chickweed.  All signs that life goes on...

Enchanted Roses

I took these in July of last year.  These roses are next to a fast-food place up here in Crestline.

They have blooms of the deepest, most velvety red.  My digital cameras have never been able to capture red as effectively as my old film cameras. They're a much deeper red than these photos show.

I don't think they get much care, but they bloom valiantly every summer.

And, so beautifully.  They remind me of roses that I've read about in fairy tales.


Linking with Through My Lens

A Flower and A Fire

A poppy (Argemone pleicantha) that a bug has been enjoying snacking on.  I love these poppies; their blooms can reach 6 inches across, and their petals are so ruffly and delicate.

The following photos are not mine, but from Twitter and Lake Gregory Weather.  It's burning right over the ridge from where I live.  Right now, it's burned over 6,000 acres.  So far, the winds have been in our favor up here and have kept the fire moving away from the mountain communities.  Even though the winds are not strong, the fire fighters have not been able to get it contained.  Not for lack of trying!  There are hundreds of fire fighters heroically battling this blaze and many water-dropping helicopters and fixed wing fire retardant and water bombers.  It's the terrain that's making containment so difficult.  At least the temperatures aren't in the triple digits like they were last week.  If you have any spare prayers and/or good thoughts please send them to the fire fighters and pilots...and to those of us who live up here.

Looking east across Lake Silverwood.

Looking from the Summit Valley side or the desert side of the fire.

You can see the smoke right behind the trees at Lake Gregory. 


Linking with:  Through My Lens

On the Sunny Side

I spotted these flowers while on a little walk yesterday.

My mother used to grow these in her garden.

She called them Mexican primroses (Oenothera speciosa); they're also known as evening primrose or pink primrose.

They'll grow in nearly any kind of soil, and are cold hardy in zones 5 through 9.  The only thing they're really fussy about is sun - they need at least 8 hours of full sun.

Linking with :     Through My Lens

Vernal Equinox

It will arrive here a little after 3 this afternoon.  On this day the earth's axis is perpendicular to the sun, instead of being tilted a little away from, or toward, the sun as it is on every other day except the autumnal equinox...which also happens of the 20th of March if you live in Australia, New Zealand, South America or Southern Africa.  Of course, in some of those places it's already tomorrow...but that's according to dates and names of days on a calendar that was created by humans.  Nature decrees that there will be longer days after this in the northern hemisphere, shorter days in the southern hemisphere.  But on this day, no matter where you are, just for a brief while, there is balance.

Happy Valentine's Day

It's almost over (well, in some places it is over) but I hope everyone had a happy one!

Some Friday Ramblings

"Photography is an art of observation.  It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."  Elliot Erwitt


I agree with this quote, except maybe when it comes to landscape photos like mine above.  I mean, it's there.  The view is what it is; I'm not sure one could "see" it any other way. 

I can't believe how fast this year is zooming by!  September in a few days...I can't wrap my mind around that.  I didn't get out on the lake much this year; I have Lupus and being in the sun is becoming harder for me.  My family enjoyed it, though.  If this drought keeps up, I'm wondering if people will be able to put their boats on the lake next summer.  It's pretty low now, as you can see in the photo below.

In years when rain and snow has been at normal amounts, you won't see the ramps that lead down to the boats, and all the exposed sand is normally underwater.  Several years ago (well, maybe more than that, I can't remember exactly), there were very few boats on the lake because there wasn't enough water in it to allow for recreational boating and to supply people with water for drinking, etc.  I recently read a report that said by 2020 (less than five and a half years from now!) the Southwest, including Southern and Central California, will be in a permanent drought.  That's a really scary thought.  It wouldn't just impact the people who live in California, but people all over the United States.  Well, those who like to eat vegetables, various kinds of fruit and nuts, etc.  California farmers supply nearly half of what the nation consumes of these crops. 

On a happier note, the nurseries have started putting out Chrysanthemums, so I bought a couple.

And I've started putting out some Halloween things because...

One month is just not long enough to really enjoy all the Halloween and Autumn decorations! 

Bliss

The chrysanthemums are doing great and the bees are loving it.  Mums are one of my favorite flowers because they're so easy to grow and they don't need a lot of water.

The sky today was that beautiful deep blue that I only see up here in autumn.  The summer sky is almost as blue at this altitude, but not quite.  The leaves on the Box Elder tree aren't as pretty as they usually are this time of year.  Usually they're all a brilliant yellow, but this autumn only a few are turning while the others are mostly just drying up and dropping off.  I'm hoping the dogwoods, maples and oaks put on a better show.

 

I just got such a fright!  I looked up and saw what I thought was smoke drifting by the window.  I rushed outside and found it was a heavy, wet fog.  The Ponderosa pines are collecting it on their needles, where it drips off and provides 'tree rain' to their shallow roots.  Not real rain, but better than nothing.  That is one of my pathway lamps above.  I was trying to think how to take a picture of fog at night and this is the best I could come up with.  It's really dark except for where the lights are.

 
It was chilly today (yay!) and it actually felt cold when I was outside, so I came back in and made a fire for the kitties.  I'm going to have to clear everything off of the hearth except for cat blankets because Merlin takes up just about all the space by himself!  Our low for tonight is supposed to be 33, just one degree above freezing.  Bliss!

Faeries Friday - Sparkling

This little fae person zoomed away from the flower she was sparkling up while I was out in the garden.  I think I caught her mid-sparkle as I was misting the fuchsia plant, and I think she wasn't very happy with me.  I apologized profusely, so I'm hoping she forgave me, but you never know with faeries...

We're still not lucky enough for any of those water drops to be from rain, although there are lots of gorgeous clouds around and the air smells like rain, so at least that's something.  The temperatures have been nice and cool, too, and the weather people are saying we have a 30 percent chance of rain tonight.  When I told my husband this, he instantly pointed out that means there is a 70 percent chance it won't rain...so I squirted him with the water hose and said, "You never know!  There might be a rain goddess up there who will take your comment as a challenge!"  He squished away muttering something I couldn't quite hear, which is probably for the best...

Faeries Friday - Rose

Rose flew in during the middle of July and promptly enchanted one of my roses so it looked like it was made of bronze.  Now she sits on it during the day, pretending to be made out of bronze, too.

The rabbits are having none of it.  They know what she really is since they are a little magical themselves.  All of the faeries that live here, and all of the bunnies, disguising themselves as little figurines during the day light hours, are quick to leave the house as soon as the sun sets.  They play in the light of the moon, if She is out, or make their own light if She is not.  I'm sure you've seen little lights twinkling about in the dark out of the corner of your eye, haven't you?  Now you know what they are!  (If you didn't already...and I bet you did).

Wordless Wednesday - Ruffles

I Love Crinkles

I took these photos back in 2010, but I have literally thousands of photos that I've taken through the years, so if I just used the current ones...well, think how many photos would never get their moment in the 'spotlight.'

I love the crinkly texture of the petals of these flowers...

Perhaps because I'm starting to get quite a few 'crinkles' on my own face, lol.  Wait...the title of this post isn't quite accurate, because I don't love the crinkles I'm getting on my face, but I earned every one and I'm proud of every one.  Crinkles from laughing, crinkles from toughing out hard times, crinkles from being outside in all kinds of weather in the forest and on the mountain tops I love.  I just wish that I wouldn't have a new one showing up every few days!