i'm going to stop my regularly scheduled day to bring you a blog post.

(that means editing client files is going to be on hold for a while).

: )

i uploaded the photos a few days ago and that's what takes the longest, so now i'll

just chat a little and hit publish.

the first few photos were taken right after i

wrapped up a photo shoot. it was a senior guy and it was the surprise of

the year for me.

there was rain in the forecast, but the mom and i decided to take a chance and not cancel

 and as i was driving to their home the skies opened up and it started to pour!!

mom saw me pull up and ran out to walk me in under an umbrella.

(she was soooo much fun).

i went in totally thinking we'd just talk a little and figure out our

reschedule date.

nope.

mom told me her son had been dressed in his suit ready for his pictures for

over 2 hours and that he has loved rain since he was a little boy.

*fellow rain lover? yes we clicked.

then she asked if i was game to take his pictures outside. in the pouring rain.

he in his suit and dress shoes, me under her umbrella and i

was all about it!

i love a challenge and trying something artsy and new.

*if you want to see more of that session watch for it on face book under

brown sparrow studio.

***************

i came back home afterwards and sat in the garage and just watched it rain.

it was beautiful and relaxing and good.

rain bouncing back up off a table~

raindrops dancing off the pavement.

and running off the roof.

and watering my gardens.

these photos are taken another day when it was sunny.

i have morning glories in my window box again and it fascinates me

how they reach out and trail all over, grabbing onto anything within their reach

and vining around it. don't you love their heart shaped leaves and bright blue blossoms?

this is a surprise guest in the garden this summer. no one planted pumpkins but i wonder if

squirrels carried the seeds in. this is one plant. yep just one lone plant that

came up in the landscaping rocks! if the critters don't get to it first, i'm going

to have a homegrown jack o'lantern this year.*score!

i hung a garland across the swing frame and have loved it cheerfully fading in

the summer sun.

scarlet runner beans growing on the picket fence.

other than the japenese beetles messing with things, my plot at the community

gardens in town have been really fun this year.

they hung a new sign recently and it just so happens to be right in front of my garden.

yep those are my sunflowers peeking out of the fence to say hi.

another gardener made these for her garden... ka-ute!
(lettuce romaine calm).

dill.

here's a couple shots of my happy little cutting garden.

i got my butt out of bed and made coffee, grabbed my camera and walked up to the

garden before the sun was even up one day. it was dewey and quiet up there.

i surprised a few rabbits who were sneaking their breakfast on the way in.

this is what i've got growing there. (a handful of happy)!

in my own garden at home i'm again enjoying dahlias this year.

this plant below is taller than i am you guys!!

it has taken a lot of staking and tying up to keep them from toppling over

and i have had two huge sections- full of buds- break off much to my

dismay, so next year i'm going to put a real fence post in the middle for support.

cosmos. i'm a fan.

and speaking of our yard... i've been trying to remember to show you what showed up in

our woodpile on the 4th of july. our dog smelled him and barked and

that's how lars discovered him sleeping on his back, wedged down in there

looking up at us like "what? move along... there's nothing to see here folks".

check out the possum's long feet. woa  these guys are way bigger than i realized.

it was about the size of a cat.

i don't want to end on that pink nose (although it is kind of cute) so here are a few

last pictures of my flowers.

if you're reading this and you live near me, i'd love you to go pick yourself a big

happy bouquet of flowers from my cutting garden!

xo, beth

my silly sister~

my sister and her hubbie live on a farm. they have critters on their farm and

today i  thought i'd give you a walk around with me to meet some of them.

(this is just some of them...i missed Shasta the dog and about 32 cats).

let's start with nimrod the goat. grampa david got this goat in the spring for their

granddaughter isie. she toyed with the idea of entering it in the fair but

instead she just comes out to the farm to play with him and hear him

bleat "baaaaaaa" real loud.

goats are funny and entertaining and unpredictable and he's all of that.

: )

my sis gets stuck doing the chores (which for you non-farm kids means feeding them) a lot.

her hubs works long hours and is gone overnight a fair amount this time of year. i followed sis

around their peaceful farm and watched her bring water and food to the animals and laughed

at her (ahem...with her) as she spit and sputtered about how she doesn't really

enjoy this part of farm life, but hey someone's gotta do it.

i was back home for a family reunion and hadn't been to my sister's

for over a year. that's weird to even write because even though we haven't lived

in the same town since we graduated from high school, when we were younger

and raising our kids we'd probably never go a month without seeing each other.

 next up was the chickens. it was a hot evening when i was there and the

hens were lined up in the hen house window trying to stay cool.

"hello there girls! nice to see you, but shouldn't you be over on your nests laying an egg or

two for my breakfast"?

don't you love the girls only painted on the chicken coop?

this is the granary and silos. dawn also painted a cool American flag

on this building that greeted us for many years, but rats- last year when the

granary got painted it was covered up.

say hi to the dog with no name.

 no- just kidding, he does have a name, but sis doesn't use it.

this is the dog that has tormented her and caused her to have nightmares.

all this poor dog wants is a chance to live in the house like the other dogs,

but nope.

they got him to guard the farm and he has to stay outside and bark at everything

like a good guard dog should.

in the meantime he jumps up and looks in the windows at the nice

family who lives in the house and scares and irritates them.

(hi peaches).

*i mean seriously. how cute is this face?

this is called a machine shed. that's because farmers use a big building like

this to store their machinery in.

nimrod lives in here too.

the big farmhouse my sister lives in is well over 100 years old and has

always been in my brother in law's family.

it's a really cool house and

they have remodeled it and made it so nice.

it used to have a wrap around porch on it.

why would anyone EvAr take that off? (that was done many

years before dawn and dave bought it.)

my apologies to the 39 (or so) cats. i didn't take any pictures of them. they have a purpose

on a farm too. they are the rodent police.

that's why they let a lot of them live there.

more cats = less rodents

***************************

and here is "baby girl"

this is my sister's new baby.

she's never fallen in love with a pet before, but this winter after

turning 60 and finding out she had thyroid cancer in the same week,

she decided she needed something new in her life to bring her joy.

and man does she love this little girl dog.

she named her cherkhan and won't stand for me trying to

nickname her like i want to.

*my ideas were:

cher

khan

sherry

khan man

CK

(all good i thought)

although my sister is totally gaga about this little critter, she also wants her to

be a "good dog" so there is an obedience stick on the table.

(it's a empty paper towel roll).

it totally cracked me up when CK came from the laundry room with a

sock and wouldn't drop it when asked, so here they are having

a battle of wills over it.

bahahahahahahaha

(obedience stick in hand~ see)

dawnie is more bark than bite though, so don't worry about the doggie being

mistreated. recently CK got on the table and chewed up sis's

expensive perscription glasses during the night.

sis's response?

"baby girl didn't mean to do it."

yesterday she sent pictures of CK after she gave her a haircut herself.

it was tragic.

just say'n.

it'll grow back in about 5 minutes though so it's all good!

I'm seriously so happy for her that she has this sweet

little companion to cuddle up with and love on.

CK is going to have a good life on the farm.

aren't they just the cutest?

love you dawnie irene~

be well,

xo, beth