big little red tractor

Spring rounds the corner to Summer.....this I know not from the sights and sounds of nature...but of the throaty chugging of my hubby's tractor. Acquired from a late uncle... the poor, over-worked farm machine had faded to pink with luster gone.
After several savvy coats of International red paint, new flashy decals, rebuilding, fine tuning and a little elbow grease she looked fresh off the assembly line...

Oh, the old girl still gets her workout....a gals gotta keep in shape after all....but, for the most part she's been turned out to pasture...taken out for leisurely strolls past the neighbors and farms. Why get all gussied up if not to be seen after all?

So again with my paintbrush loaded with International red I transformed a canary yellow, cast iron ,lawn sprinkler tractor (of course) to it's proper hue as a gift to hubby.
Guess my hopes of a fancy "working" lawn sprinkler are dashed as it's seemingly stalled on my coffee table...another item just too pretty for hard work.

something to crow about

Birds...

Nests...

Eggs....

they're cropping up everywhere! I just can't get enough! Lately they've been my muse...chickens, swallows, bluebirds, magpies.....it's quite the peep show!

short squatty nests, long stretched nests, mini nests so many so little time!

blue eggs, brown eggs, speckled eggs petite and oversized! Our chickens are laying like it's going out of style...and what an array! With each cackle of the hen I know there's another treasure in the nestbox! Each with their own distinct style....aracanas with the clear sky blue..., cochins with coffee and cream brown, bantams with devonshire cream ....even some perfectly freckeled!

I see I'm not the only one with the fever.....click over to http://earthangelstoys.com and check out Jens blog!

april (snow)showers

Around here winter arrived late like a rude guest and stayed past the party's end.....

That was my first thought this April 14th morning. I feverishly snapped this shot of my flurry-laden bulbs in dismay....a one-gal pity party.....ready to prove to any willing reader the hardships of upstate New York (woe is me).

After loading the dismal photo onto my computer I slowly started to fall under the surly snow's spell. I suddenly felt this surge of inspiration. What a lovely site this persistent, green tulip makes sprouting against the fresh, spring snowfall.

I'm brimming with ideas of paintings of weathered crates crammed with bulbs and moss....chippy painted buckets of lily of the valley, tulips....I'm realizing the possibilities are endless!

This poor thread-bare snowfall won't last.....it'll be gone as soon as the sun emerges....but it sure has inspired me to pick up the brush and recreate it.....ok, maybe I'll leave out the snow...I'll always have the memories.

let sleeping pigs lie

I usually don't jump in the pen with the pigs.....well, maybe I did about 500 pounds ago!
Don't be alarmed....the precious pair were too busy working on their summer tans and freckles to care!..........now, if only they would work on their figures as well! ....Ty Penningtons annoying megaphone couldn't stir these big boned beauties.

me? the jealous type? only when it comes to the "girls"....as my husband endears them. If there's ever a time when hubby is missing...I know where to find him.....over with his "loveys".
The two sweeties are Olive and Violet.....and yes, they are the two tiny, sprite piglets photographed in Country Living Magazine.

Many a car slows down....backs up to make sure they really weren't seeing things......and usually with a worried brow asks us if the behemoth pair will be leaving on a truck to meet "the great big mud puddle in the sky". Of course, the answer is "NO" they will never see the butcher,baker or candlestick maker.

For those of you who love animals....and especially love feeding animals they are a wonderful addition.....just make sure you have good connections with the day-old bakery!

muddy boots

there is nothing quite as grand as a good pair of rubber boots...

maybe it's a childhood thing...being able to slosh through whatever's in your path...mud,slush,rain-soaked earth...devil may care!

what a contrast from wearing my goin-to-town shoes.........tip-toeing through spring mud...searching for small rock islands to save me...where is the gentleman to throw down his silk-lined overcoat for me to tread on?...ok, guess I won't hold my breath.

mine aren't your typical "putter about the garden" British wellies...mine are a rugged pair of men's Lacrosse rubber boots........I'm definitely not your garden-fashionista!

why do companies put so much into making a superior pair of mens boots and not womens? (another example...logger boots. which I also own in the smallest men's size....sort of a "high-heeled" boot for men...fab for the guy with the napoleon complex) I've decided womens boots aren't made for work...just looks...rather pretty and dainty...in flirty colors and patterns...why not a stylish rubber purse to match?

nothing wrong with a little glitz and glam...we all need that at times. But when it comes to chores and sloshing buckets I rather prefer to be practical...ode to the rubber boot!