Black and White Photos

Ansel Adams is a well known photography that captured many natural photos in black and white.  So when I am teaching a photography class this coming week, I am going to follow his examples and do some black and white shots with the students so they can see how outstanding some topics look in black and white over color.  It seems to me that some objects just stand out, pop off the page, take center stage, when you use this contrast form.  

                                         My Granddaughter, Alorah.

                                          Trees and sky.

                                          Sidewalk around pond at sunset.

                                         Wonderful Canadian geese in black and white.

Gratitude

In working on my Mary Jane Farm Merit Badges, I finished one on Gratitude.  I have worked on parts of it for months now.  One of the things to do for the badge was to read "The Book of Awesome".  It was very interesting.  I have also wrote notes to newspapers and friends and relatives and storekeepers to thank them and encourage them.  I enjoy writing old-fashioned notes that have to have a stamp and go by "snail-mail".  I enjoy it because I also appreciate and enjoy when people write me back.  There is just something special about holding a piece of mail in your hand that someone held in theirs and wrote to "you" on.  I enjoyed using cards that I had made from photos that I take so abundantly.  I also did a merit badge on photography.  Even with doing photography for years, there were things that I learned during this badge.  I am grateful for all the fun things that I have to do by being in the sisterhood of Mary Jane Farm.

So my challenge to all of you is to post on facebook, your blog, or by snail mail to others about being grateful for things in life.  There is so much to be thankful for.  I am thankful for all of you who will be reading this.  Blessings and gratitude to you.

COUNTRY KITCHENS.....Katie Style 

My husband and I like auctions and used book sales also.  He has a thing for purchasing boxes of old magazines such as Country Living, Martha Stewart, etc.  He never has found any Mary Jane Farm at these sales and I tell him it is because we all keep those magazines as "cherished goods".  Anyway, I have four stacks on my bottom bookshelf and take several at a time out to peruse through, keeping what I want in my idea folder stash, and putting the rest in paper recycle bin.  As I have looked through many of these magazines through the years, I got to thinking, Katie Style Country Kitchen is okay by me, and this morning as he headed out the door to an auction, I sat "working" on another cup of coffee and looking around at my kitchen.  So I am giving you a peek into my home, no magazine purchase needed...not even at auction price.

CAMPING

During my last camping time, we had heat, rain, and some breeze, but you always make the best of what is given you as a farmer and that is what we did.  We enjoyed outdoors and then rested from the heat or rain inside my wonderful camper.  Daisy Mae Foxhound would watch me quilt or knit, and she most often enjoyed my tea/coffee times with some oreos, her (well, mine also) favorite break time.  

I finished my hand pieced Grandma's Flower Garden English Paper Piecing (size 1.5 inch hexagons) during this camping time.  I started it in the camper last August by cutting the squares and learning to hem them and then piece seven together to form a flower of hexagons which measured 1.5 inches each.  I used prints of the Downton Abbey fabric and background of unbleached muslin.  It is so pretty.  When I finished the last edge pieces I called my husband to tell him.  Of course, he was not as excited about it as I was.  I then had a nice glass of wine and toasted my quilt, my work accomplishment, and my Daisy Mae Foxhound.  Then I folded it up and set it aside.  I still have to put the batting in and backing all pinned together, another big step, and then hand quilt around each and every hexagon.  The final touch will be hand stitching the front and back together with a binding or just the pieces.  Lots to do yet, but the joy of quilting to me is the process.  It teaches me that all of life has process.

It has been a process for me to get to a point of retirement where I can camp, quilt more, enjoy time by myself with my Daisy Mae of course.

I also found this trip to be full of new acquaintances, women campers. I camp during the week, and there were two sites with families, two sites with fishermen, and then a site with a woman and her ten year old son, and another woman and her dear dog, Merlin.  I enjoyed getting to know Clarie and Merlin.  She was camping all the states west of the Mississippi, coming from Texas, after she retired.  We will keep in touch and maybe plan a camping meet for next year.  The newest set of gatekeepers are a couple who also love to camp,  Julie and Dianna, who recently retired.  They have camped lots and thought this a nice way to spend part of their camping days, volunteering as gatekeepers three days per week, but then being able to camp at the same site the other days through the season.  I enjoyed getting to know them and will see them through the season as I go camping in this park about twice a month.  They also have a wonderful dog named Ace....so my Daisy Dog made new friends also.

Daisy Mae Foxhound after an afternoon nap.  She needs to be under the covers even in the summer, but I do have air conditioning in my camper, so the breeze was blowing on her.....excuses for my child.

x

FIVE DAY "GLAMPING" TIME

Daisy Mae Foxhound and I went camping for five days at our favorite spot only 16 miles from our farm.  This pretty butterfly kept us company for two days.  We also enjoyed many wild flowers such as this large field of Black-eyed Susans which happen to have been my grandmother's favorite flower and my son is partial to them also.  I had a great plan to set up my tripod and take photos of Daisy Dog and I among the flowers, only going to the front edge as not to disrupt them.  Then when doing this "thought", I realized I would have to lift my 55 pound dear friend up for the shot.  She does not look to comfy, but we did have a great time.                                                                                                                                               

FLOWER POWER IN MY ACREAGE....

Today I spent some time with my camera capturing the pretty flowers that my yard shows off each year.  Even with this wet, too wet, year in N.E. Missouri, the flowers have done pretty good.  Now the garden, fruit trees and even my dogwood tree have died, but like me, enjoy some of the flower power, and beauty.

Sewing Day

Sewing Day = Fun

Repurposed cutter quilts made into totes, even making a yoga mat/quilt tote and gym bag so I now can go to the YMCA in the style that Country Katie should go.