The Picture As Janie Sees It

A Never Ending Chore

2010-05-24T10:36:00.000-05:00

The days are definately getting warmer. Summer is but a few weeks of officially starting. The flowers are blooming everywhere.

Of course this means also that keeping them all watered is becoming a constant chore. At least if I want to keep them looking good. I think I may have created quite a job for myself as the summer moves on.

Yet the reward that I receive for my efforts are so well worth it.

Oklahoma Weather

2010-05-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

Living in Oklahoma, one learns that a spring storm can form in an instant.

Yet soon it passes

May Flowers

2010-05-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

Flowers...

are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

A Sweet Treat

2010-04-30T08:55:00.000-05:00

A little bit of Sugar.... a dash of cream of tarter

Mixed with a few egg whites.....

Don't forget the splash of Homemade Vanilla.... ummmm

When all is said and done.....

Sit back relax...... and enjoy a little goodness.

My Furry Friends

2010-04-28T07:06:00.000-05:00

There is nothing more loyal than a furry friend

They never judge, nor do they question your beleifs of thoughts

They just sit quietly next to you listening to whatever you want to say

A true friend indeed.

Natures Colors

2010-04-20T12:40:00.000-05:00

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity

-John Ruskin-

A Little of My Garden

2010-04-13T08:44:00.000-05:00

Emerging slowly from the ground

Their brillant colors show

First blue, then purple and lavender

Up to the sky they grow

By Any Other Name - Beauty

2010-04-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

How simple with its beauty it stands.

Stately, tall and grand

Each petal together combined in Awe

Admired by onlookers near and far

The Rose by any other name indeed

Would never cease to wonder me

Emergence

2010-04-04T07:29:00.000-05:00

As Spring slowly emerges... the warmth it brings seems to encourage all of life around it to come forth, from the redbud and the cottonwoods

to the mighty oak.

A multitude of color seems to paint the landscape. A true treat for the eyes.

Our New Addition - Winston

2010-03-30T10:54:00.000-05:00

Weeds

2010-03-19T10:07:00.000-05:00

One mans trash is another mans treasure...

Awakening

2010-03-12T11:29:00.000-06:00

Nature...

2010-02-22T10:48:00.000-06:00

The Color Yellow

2010-02-09T10:35:00.001-06:00

The Slow Thaw

2010-02-05T07:58:00.000-06:00

Ice Storm 2010

2010-02-01T08:15:00.000-06:00

Early January Morn

2010-01-15T08:15:00.002-06:00

The Color Orange

2010-01-12T13:00:00.002-06:00

Brrrrrr.......

2009-12-30T10:28:00.002-06:00

Let It Snow... Let It Snow.... Let It Snow...

2009-12-28T19:21:00.000-06:00

Birds of Winter

2009-12-16T15:50:00.000-06:00

DC

2009-12-10T10:22:00.000-06:00

Sunsets with a Little Sand

2009-12-08T12:50:00.000-06:00

With the tempertures in the upper 20s to low 30s today.... I was in need of some warmer memories......

More of My Favorite Things

2009-12-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

Flowers in the summer

Birds in the winter

Frogs At My Pond

Any Animal

My Roses

Siblings....

2009-11-20T09:43:00.000-06:00

Nothing quite warms the soul like grandkids.

Simple Beauty

2009-11-18T11:19:00.000-06:00

Simplicity in all its glory never ceases to amaze me...

Shhhh.....

2009-11-16T13:41:00.000-06:00

It seems that the true feeling of autumn has finally blown in. Temperatures in the 40's and a brisk strong breeze blowing helps to make one feel that winter is not far from us. Time for the quiet time of nature to curl up with a warm blanket and enjoy.

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2009-11-13T21:44:00.000-06:00

Puppies

Big Sunflowers

Mushrooms that Appear Suddenly

Ferris Wheels

Nostalgia

2009-11-11T09:32:00.000-06:00

Recently while driving we happened across some things that could not help but make me think of older times. Gas prices at .49 cents a gallon, water from a windmill, and baling hay... Am I getting old?

The Last Dance

2009-11-08T11:41:00.000-06:00

Still signs of the summer past hold on to their last grasp of existence. Knowing that it is only a matter of time until the coldness will cease their blooms as well as their brilliant color. I hold on to each moment of their dance enjoying all they have to give to me until they can give no more. Knowing that once the winter comes it will me some time until I see them peek through once more to welcome the warmth of spring.

One of My Favorite Things

2009-11-04T19:35:00.000-06:00

Muse

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The Who

Bono & Edge

One of my favorite things to do is enjoy good music. To me good music could mean just about anything, however I have been lucky enough to attend some truly awesome concerts the last few years. I thought I would share a few of the photos I took during the times I was not crowd surfing and trying to get up on stage... Just kidding.... I don't crowd surf anymore.... enjoy

Autumn in Her Glory

2009-11-03T10:10:00.003-06:00

Lo, sweeten'd with the summer light,

The full-juiced apple, waxing over-mellow,

Drops in a silent Autumn night.

All its allotted length of days

The flower ripens in its place,

Ripens and fades, and falls, and hath no toil,

Fast-rooted in the fruitful soil.

-Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Lotus-Eaters -

My Kitchen Window Sill

2009-10-30T12:36:00.000-05:00

I love my kitchen window sill. It faces the east and each morning as I start my day I open the blinds to allow mornings first light in. It is my way of greeting the day as well as the new opportunities that are to come. The above photos are of my kitchen window.

I Love A Parade

2009-10-28T13:21:00.001-05:00

Everyone loves a parade... Last weekend we attended the 3rd Annual "Ghouls Gone Wild" parade... It was so much fun. The best part was the march of the 1000 skeletons. You could see them in the distance with their torches of fire... It was an awesome sight...

Rest in Peace

2009-10-26T12:46:00.002-05:00

The Forgotten

Taken on one of my many trips to surrounding cemetaries.

The Keeper

I love how old trees are littered througout cemetaries, as if standing in a watching vigil over the souls who have been put there to slumber.

Just Visiting

On a recent trip to Tennessee, where wild life seems to be literally everywhere, I snapped this picture. There were a total of 5 deer in all. From the appearance of the site, they frequented it often to nibble on what was left my those who came before.

Tennessee

2009-10-21T09:48:00.001-05:00

Our recent trip to Tennesee was cold and rainy for the most part, yet the dirve home was perfectly sunny. I snapped this picture along side the road while we were held up in construction. The colors were just starting to turn... It is a simply beautiful area....

The Face of A Child

2009-10-19T19:34:00.000-05:00

There truly is nothing more precious than children.... and even sweeter are grandchildren. I honestly think I could take pictures of them non stop... I never cease to be amazed at their simple beauty.

Kaliedascopes

2009-10-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

"Zen"

"Slow Drip"

"Bloody Corn"

A few more of my kaliedascopes. I love semetry... therefore this is definately a favorite playtime of mine....

My Many Friends

2009-10-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Living in the country definately has its benefits... One if not the best is how nature is ever present. No noise of the city, just peace & quiet. I feel I am rich in friends simply by the many creatures that nature allows to visit. I see beauty every day, just outside my back door.

Marigolds in Autumn

2009-10-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Recently before the cold weather set in I cleaned out my flower bed which was home for some of the most beautiful marigold plants I have ever seen, if I do say so myself. They gave to me an abundance of seeds for next season of which I am eternally grateful. I wanted to take a few last photos of my friends before they were gone for the coldness of winter and thought that I would share them with you. Enjoy...

Here Kitty Kitty

2009-10-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

Sassy

Jimbo

M&M (Mayo & Mustard)

Nosey

Fatty Matty

Living in the country as we do, we have had our share of cats... Above are photos of some of the cats that have given us the pleasure of their time to enrich our lives in only a way a cat can. Some were with us for longer than others yet each one left a mark on us in their own unique way.

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Autumn

2009-09-30T10:06:00.002-05:00

2009-09-27T07:47:00.002-05:00

Although Autumn has come and is heavily leaning on our door, still small remnants of Summer linger. I enjoy these moments while I can, knowing that soon the door will be flung wide open allowing the colder days to come and the dormant cycle where nature sleeps to begin.

Shrooms

2009-09-24T08:24:00.001-05:00

Autumn brings us many things. A vast variety of mushrooms seems to be one of the many this year. My yard seems to have a new one everyday. Magical fairy rings can be found everywhere. These sights are not around for long. As they can come up in a matter of minutes and be gone from sight just as quickly.

On a Clear Day

2009-09-22T08:17:00.001-05:00

There are a few things that I truly love to photograph, ok.. more than a few... A couple of these are Crosses & bridges.. Once again I think it lends itself to my love of symetry. These were taken about a year ago when I went out to Canadian Texas to visit Vincent on site.

Welcome Autumn

2009-09-21T09:02:00.001-05:00

"Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For summer has o'er brimmed their clammy cells."

-John Keats, To Autumn

The Color Before the Fall

2009-09-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

Fall is fast approaching and soon the cooler temperatures will lull the bright colors of summer to their winters sleep. A few of of the last splashes of color Summer has given to me.

My Yard - Part 1

2009-09-15T10:13:00.005-05:00

As summer slides away to give way to the beauty of Autumn, the butterflies and wood moths gather on an old willow near the pond. Their number astounds me at times. The cats dance around with them as if to music played by the rustle of the willow branches as the cooler north breeze blows. Soon nature will lull much of its inhabitants to the soft sleep of winter.

Full Moon Fungus

2009-09-09T13:23:00.004-05:00

We are blessed to have a small pond in our back yard next to our home. It is a special place for many reasons. Recently one of the large willow trees had a large growth of mushrooms just before the full moon. It was a fascinating sight yet only lasted for a short while.

Kaliedascopes

2009-08-31T15:59:00.004-05:00

Pink Ballet

Soft & Blue

Summer

The Beauty of Simplicity

2009-08-26T12:57:00.003-05:00

Children are by far one of my favorite subjects to photograph. Their expressions are so genuine, especially when you can catch them not looking... and even when you do. There is such simple beauty in a child's face.

Holding onto Summer

2009-08-25T09:16:00.004-05:00

Yesterday as we worked in the yard, I couldn't help but notice the signs of Fall fast approaching. The cooler breeze, the leaves slowly turning, and the slowing of the growth cycle. There were still a few signs of summer sprinkled through out the yard. The brillance of the hibicus bush as it lifted its face to the sky, the lone sunflower by the pond which stretched itself for all was worth to bask in the sunlight, and the fragile mushrooms which peeked out early.

A Few of the Many

2009-08-24T09:48:00.003-05:00

Willow

Turd

Sunny

Momma

Emma

Flowers from My Garden

2009-08-21T09:02:00.005-05:00

The beauty of a flower never ceases to amaze me. They are so simple yet so intricate. Throughout the years I have planted many in my yard, both domestic and wild. These are but a few of the many... It is by far one of my favorite things to photograph.

My Grandaughter - My Angel

2009-08-20T08:45:00.007-05:00

There is something about little girls.. especially when they are your granddaughter. The dress that she wore to her moma's wedding was simply beautiful, a close replica to the actual wedding dress. She looked like a little bride. She graciously agreed to let me shoot her later in a quieter setting. I love the way these photos look so nostalgic. Her expression seems only to lend to their appeal.

Butterflies

2009-08-19T18:51:00.002-05:00

On a recent visit to DC to visit my son, my husband & I were able to visit a live Butterfly habitat. Although all the butterflys within this habitat were not native to America, (most were from South America) I still could not help but marvel at their beauty.