Wednesday

When you take your camera out for a walk every single day like I do, you have to retain a healthy critical attitude as to what's photographable at any given moment. Yes, yes, I know -- a serious photographer would find unique compositions everywhere. Why limit your tableau to pretty flowers or gardens or happy cheepers and happy children! But I'm not in that league. I merely want to take note of the best of the best that's out and around me. I look for that and I look differently, depending on the day.

For example, at the end of May or in the first weeks of June, greens dominate. It's not summer yet, but the spring flowers are now nearing an end. And so to me, what's picture worthy is a small corner of a bed, rather than the entirety. (In mid summer, it'll be the opposite.) Like this corner of the driveway bed (it shows off the late spring companion to all those whites -- the purple iris):






As long as we're on the subject of purple, can we give one last nod of thanks to our magnificent lilac? Thank you!






Still, to give the day some perspective and balance, I feel a slight obligation to go back to that entirety. So, from the kitchen window, looking out at the beds.






And now I' can go back to the small wonders here and there...


















You can see that we're having another cloudy day. But I'm not complaining. If you look at the map of the US where tornadoes have touched down in the last few weeks, Wisconsin is the only state in the Midwest and Southwest that has been spared. Too, I think we're all getting a break from gray wet days very soon. I'm sure everyone's looking forward to a return of blue skies and crisp, breezy, sunny days.

Speaking of small wonders, Sparrow comes over early, because the new routine is that he spends the first half of Wednesdays with me. Hi Sparrow, welcome back!






How about a selfie, together?






The serious demeanor quickly evaporates. The giggles come back. Sparrow can produce a laugh on demand perfectly, to get you to laugh back at him.






But the smiles are frequent and genuine.






In the early afternoon, when the weather looks oh so much better, I take the little guy outside again. He still worries a bit about the new stuff all around him, but he worries less. You could almost believe that there is a smile on his face.






One more photo from the first half of the day and this one has to do with goats.





Say what? Where are the goats??

The fact is that in our spare minutes we've been talking about taking in two small goats. Friendly ones that are great with kids. We have the land and the mowing needs (goats are great at eating up your weeds and Ed is a reluctant mower). But we have very different ideas on how such a project should unfold.

Ed and I never argue. Really never. But we're not the same in our habits and so occasionally we get stuck in our own corners, incapable of movement, both convinced that our clearly delineated path is the wise one for us both to follow.

We got stuck with the goat project; we're ready to give up on the whole idea.

Perhaps some of you may be wondering -- aren't we too old for this? Don't we have enough on our hands?

Perhaps. But we both love being around animals (especially those who stay outside!) and the ones we have now are not very social. We care for them, but they stay at a distance. (And anyway, who besides Ed wants to spend time petting a chicken?) The cats have brought worry, without the sweetness of friendship. For instance, Jacket has disappeared. He was always here and now, for a handful of days, he's missing. A car? A predator? What?

Goats seemed like such a fine idea until we plunged into the details of the set up. And now it just seems like a huge chore, and no I don't want little calf huts to shelter them and invisible fences that we move around, and how are we going to manage in February with those little huts, and anyway, maybe making yogurt out of their high fat milk is a little bit crazy after all.

But I mention all this because we have been consumed by this idea. Until today when we got unconsumed by it. In the photo above, Ed is demonstrating how one can get close to Stop Sign and Dance (don't I know it!) and perhaps after a while they'll be less flighty...



In the afternoon, I put all thoughts of animals and plants aside and focus on Snowdrop.

The sun comes out (for a brief spell)!






I'll only post two farmette pics: Snowdrop going in and Snowdrop coming out.






(with a box of cheddar bunnies for the car ride home)






Evening. I continue to battle a cold. Ed is out biking. But, the sun is poking out more and more, and we're still talking about goats.