Violet

Flowers--roots firmly founded in the earth

face reaching toward the sky. 

Dancing in the free air in between.

White Bunny

This little white rabbit is quite a handful! She seems to trust completely Brenna's care.  

Soft and quiet. Too quiet.

 What noise do rabbits make anyway? 

Ask a kindergarten student and he can make the sounds for all the common animals but ask him about the rabbit and you will get a puzzled look.

Daffodil

You come early.

You give us hope that winter

Is almost past.

You sing us joy.

Daffodil, melted sunshine. 

Trumpet of butter cream.

You shout spring.

Lilly and Boo

Horses in the orchard 

Watching us pruning pecan trees. 

Open spaces, 

Sunshine and warm breezes. 

A beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon.

Cage

This old cage has only 4 sides and a top, with the bottom missing.  It's a holding cage for a rabbit. I thought the roll of wire and the flowerpot holders on top turned it into art, especially with the iris fronds coming up under it.

Cowbirds

Brown-headed Cowbirds line the telephone wire

 against an awesome February sky. 

You can get acquainted with the big blue wide-open sky

 here in Oklahoma.

Standing water

How wonderful this standing water looks to me 

you won't imagine unless you have lived through a long hot summer of drought in Oklahoma. 

Rain has fallen in plenty lately 

and our farm ponds, streams, creeks, and lakes have refilled. 

What a blessing to hear that rain falling.

 The warm weather has grass growing and it may be in time to save some hungry cattle and horses where hay supply is low. 

Thanks to God for the grace of rain.

Barn

Our old barn is in poor condition, 
as you see on this lower back corner.
We plan to take the barn down and replace 
it with a more modern shelter.
 This old barn once housed turkeys.
 An elderly man told me that when he was a five-year-old child, his mother brought him to Howard's Farm to let him choose the turkey, from that old barn, which they would serve at Thanksgiving dinner. 
Soon the building will be taken down. 
 It will seem sad to see it go, but as the Bible says;
There is a time and a place for 
everything.

My House

My home in the country is a blessing.

 Even though it's an old house with many flaws, 

it is a good place

 full of peacefulness and happiness. 

There is plenty of quiet. 

There are lots of trees and the kind of space 

you need for a large family. 

I love being out here far from city crowding 

and the noise of traffic. 

Our place in the country is a gift from God.

Blue Pansies

Spring is still a ways off, 

but the tulips, hyacinths,and daffodils are up and coming! 

Oh, Spring! 

Our favorite time of year, 
Come on!

Dipped in Gold

Orange rose center , tinged with yellow, dipped in gold.
It seems that everything God makes is 
beautiful.

Food for the Soul

These are some of the Valentine roses 

that my husband sent me. 

He has always been sweet to show his love with flowers. 

Flowers are food for the soul 
 because they remind us
 that we are loved and cherished. 

Camper Trailer

Ramblin' Rose was the title of this retro camping trailer. So cute It made my day!

Woodpecker

A pileated woodpecker on the hackberry tree behind my house.

 This is a large bird about 18 inches. 

This male has been coming closer and closer

 to the house this winter.

Sweet Treat

Chocolate dipped shortbread.

 I added ground pecans to this shortbread and dipped the edges in dark baking chocolate.

 It's made of 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon almond flavoring, 1 egg yolk, 

2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup pecans. Spread on a greased cookie sheet 

and baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

 Cut while warm.

 Dip in melted chocolate when cooled.

 Delicious!

Valentine Rose

A rose is never just a rose. 

 A rose is a sweet message that God loves us. 
A rose is an expression of God's creative genius.

 A rose is a soft, fragile, sweet, sweet, sweet,

 song.

Rabbit

A barn without rabbits? What use would that be? 

A little boy once asked me, "What is in your barn?"

"What do you guess is in my barn?" I asked him in return. 

He guessed cows, horses, pigs, chickens, and rabbits, but at the time I had no farm animals yet. I had to disappoint him.

Glass feeder

A bright new bird feeder for spring. 

The birds ignore it. They don't like it yet, 
but I do.

Ballet Dancer

Delicate and graceful, the pink lily in its whole is lovely. 

 Each part is of itself lovely.

Each petal spreads itself softly on my day.

 Leaf, stem, petal, stamen, and stigma.

 Each is beautiful part of the whole

Flower.

Tree Art

Finding myself in the part of Oklahoma which is home of the Kickapoo tribe, I wonder at this tree art. 

I wonder if it has a significance beyond artistic expression? 

Does it serve a purpose or state a message 

only tribal members can decode? 

Like a set of chimes it hangs from a branch 

and wobbles and waltzes in the wind. 

Curiosity for my memory's collection.

Moonshine

The moon lights up the whole sky some nights. 

This was one of those nights. 

The light was like a thin icing on the tree branches

 and on the ground and road. 

Everything seemed to be lit from inside. 

Night was light as day 

but much more beautiful.

Flowerbed

Winter flowerbed with pansies, warmed with dry fall leaves  and encouraged with pecan shells, and letting the signs of coming spring poke through to the cold air. 

Great Aunt Ruby

My mother's Aunt Ruby, ninety-seven and still very much 

alive and kicking! 

A sweet and lively darling old lady. 

I am so happy to have had a visit with her.

Gravestones

I am so curious. 

I want to know the story behind these stones 

and the purple scarf left on a gravestone

 in the Prospect Cemetery.

Church

The Untied Methodist Church 

in Beggs, Oklahoma 

is a wonderful old brick building. 

I love the design of the upper story. 

This church is still being used 

as a house of worship.

Nuthatch

The nuthatch wears blue-gray and white trimmed smartly with black. He is a skilled acrobat always moving head down on tree trunks. I love his costume and he loves this new seed bell.

Baby Dutch Bunny

There is nothing quite as intriguing as a baby.

 This baby bunny drew lots of Ohs and Ahs because he is so small. We love miniatures, little things, tiny things.We wonder at them. Shouldn't human babies bring the most awe and wonder? 

Winter Blue Sky

A winter day when a front has blown through from the north

 and brought cold, clear, 

and almost unbelievable bright,

 the sky is more beautiful than any garden on the ground.

Single Rose

There is nothing quite as stirring as a long-stemmed rose. 
A green stem and five sepals like a hand lifting
 to faces color, texture, and perfume 
all a glamorous cup of fresh, pure 
joy.