Winter begins, and let sleeping dogs lie

We knew it had to happen, and I guess opening day of deer season is as good of a time as any..... The white stuff is falling..........

Poor Lola is resigned to another winter.  Good thing she'll soon don her Santa hat and have a little badly needed color in her life.  

This just started about an hour ago.

Meanwhile, back in the house--

Life is tough for these two.

I hope their owners are having good luck.  I have a cheesecake bounty on all deer taken from our little neck of the woods, we'll see how many I have to bake this year!  :)

Until next time, be a joy giver!

Midweek pictures

I took a few pictures at the beginning of the week and just now edited them.  I have a couple of really nice pictures of the Walt Hilgart farm at sunrise.  It was gorgeous!

Then I got home and there was the sweet little moon making its way around to the west, ready to disappear for the day.....

It was a joyful way to begin the day!

Sunday Photos- November 13

I did get some pretty nice shots over the weekend. Mostly of the sunrises and  sunsets, plus a couple of nice portraits of Lola and Jacpot.  The landscape is a challenge right now, there isn't a ton of color, which is fine, but the problem is that it is sort of static.  Things aren't changing too much as we haven't had a snow fall to knock the grass down or any drastic temperature changes.  Thanks heaven mother nature gives us a new and unique beginning and end to the day - every day!  It is kind of a nice theme for life- find something unique in each day or at least a nice variation of something you've already seen.  It gives life some joy!

Tomorrow will be a little different- we have conferences in the afternoon and evening, so I can get in a walk and a trip to the gym early.  Then will have to stay a little later at school.  That works! It'll be interesting to see what the sunrise brings tomorrow.....

Sunset- Nov. 13

November 13- late afternoon

Stupid deer

Don't bother me, I'm eating

Off of Maple Ridge Road

Another view off of Maple Ridge road

Not much grass left

Moon set in the morning

Lola in the morning

Fluff

Corner of Trout Rd and Cty E

Butternut creek

Land of Milk and Honey

Butternut creek

Hard at work

Until next time-- be a joy giver!

A few photos from 11/11

I missed 11:11 on 11/11/11, both times.  The first time I was apparently teaching art (gasp) and we noticed it at 11:21.  Dang.  And the second time I was willfully sleeping.....  11/11 was a very tired day for me.  I had hit my Thursday workout really hard- first bench press I ever did with a bar (ANYONE who lifts weights may not make fun of me for not knowing the exercise names!!) which was really fun, then I went on to kill myself on the rest of my chest and back day.  Omg.  Combing my hair on Friday morning of 11/11 was a challenge, but I worked through it.  Anyway, I came home and did very little activity-wise on Friday, as I was tired from the week.

I did get outside for a while- man was it cold- and put away some of my gardening and mosaic stuff.  How do I get so much stuff??  Idk, but I have a lot of it.  Oh, wait, I know, I gather glass and other mosaic junk everyday of my life.  Yep, that's it.  That is why I really need my "gardening shed" which is really going to be an art and garden shed, but that is for another post.

But the camera called to me both morning and evening on 11/11.  Nothing too dramatic, nothing too overly special, but these are a few gorgeous shots of the morning and then bookended in the evening.  The birds nest I have been scoping out for a few weeks, since the falling leaves revealed this little newcomer to my neighborhood.  I took these pix, but feel it isn't quite right yet, not the right angle.  I may have to stand on the sink and remove the screens to take the right angle, that might happen 11/12!!!  :)

So enjoy my not particularly exciting, but quite satisfying photos, from the start and end of our incredibly short days here in Northern WI  on 11/11.

It was a really beautiful sunrise

Another version

A little later 

Sunset through the trees

Vacancy

Parting light

And be sure to find your joy and give a little back to someone who might need it!

New size, new project!

I have two cool things to share tonight. 

One thing is the new size I am!!  I got a sweatshirt from the new shipment of clothing at the school store, and instead of just going with an "L", I tried on an "M"!!!  DINGDINGDING!!!  WIN!!!!!  I have never in my life been a real live Medium.  HOT DAMN!!!

HOO-RAY!

The next thing I have to be slightly more mysterious about.... I am making a Madrigal dress and have now started it.  I will show bits and pieces here and there, but until I get it signed, sealed and delivered, I feel I should always show Jenna first.  But these little pictures won't really spoil anything as nothing has been really constructed here, yet.  I do have some of it done now, but I have to try part of it on her tomorrow!  It is going to be GORGEOUS!

So BEHOLD the fabulosity of this fabric!!  It has an awesome hand, so luxurious, and heavy weight, yet really easy to sew and it presses like a DREAM!!!

On the ironing board...

This is just beautiful fabric!

This is very close to the actual color- 

Here are a few pix from last year's Madrigal.  I made the gold dress for the flautist and the blue outfit for dear Anthony.  

Until next time, be creative and find your joy!!

New Route, new pix!

If you have been following my blog at ALL you know that I enjoy walking for exercise.  I find it relaxing and calming, plus it has helped me get rid of a lot of weight.  I am still holding at -48 pounds which drives me absolutely crazy that I can't get to 50- and believe it or not, all for a ridiculous, on-line, virtual 50 lb badge on Lose it.  (The weight loss website and app that I use).  I work well for shiny, sparkly things apparently!  And though I tend to not be real symmetrical, logical or organized, I want that BADGE and it's nice round number!!  My 2nd goal (of three) will be achieved right after that, when I get to 51.6 pounds and my kind of arbitrary chosen weight.  But that somehow to me is not as enticing as the 50.  I don't know about me sometimes.  

I have been lifting weights and walking and am experiencing some great results from each.  I am seeing muscles that have been hidden for years, and I will gladly flex for you if you want to see them too!  LOL!!  I LOVE the lifting, I leave all of my troubles on the gym floor when I am really into it.  It does the same sort of thing that walking has always done.  And it has made my walking improve as far as distance and pace.

Walking the loops

I use the app, "Runkeeper" to keep track of my distance cardio activities, mostly walking.  I have been running intervals once or twice a week- as often as my knee will allow me.  I want to run, but am not sure if my body will let me right now.  My fitness level is now to the point that I have to find ways to raise my heart rate to a training zone.  If I can't run intervals I need to do fast walking and hills, so I am always looking for routes to walk for a change and additional challenges.  The most recent one is an extra loop off a well worn route I use- I add in a turn on Trout Road, off of County B, which adds a bunch of hills and about a mile and a  half to my west loop.  With new roads to walk there comes new photos to take!!  It is a win/win!!!

 I recently increased my allotment of calories, as I was sliding down really close to having barely enough food to eat!  It seems counter intuitive to eat more to continue losing weight, but it sort of makes sense when people explain it.  Especially if you are working out HARD, you want to refeed yourself so you can recover and get out there for that next walk, or weight-lifting session.  I am going to give it a month and see if the numbers go down.  Let's hope!  In the meantime, I am adding in an aerobic dance class on Mondays along with my ballet class on Thursdays to balance out the rest of my activities.  I hope that some variety will keep the scale moving as well.

ON TO THE PICTURES!!!  These pix are from this weekend, the less than sunny ones are from the new route.  It was cloudy and windy and nasty this morning, but with proper attire, it was a good morning for a walk.  And a wonderful way to spend some of that glorious extra hour today.

Birch grove

Almost gone

Grown over

Inside decay

New route pix:

Mr. Personality

Butternut Creek

Land of Milk and Honey

Butternut Creek, v.2

Butternut creek. v. 3

Butternut creek v. 4

Signs to no where

Land of Milk and honey, v.2

Land of Milk and Honey,  v.3

Until next time, be a joy giver!!