She's Off Her Rocker

Evening walk at the Farm...
Afternoon at dad's today you could find this...a flock of kids, all attending to and brushing old SugarBoy. Sugar is 37 years old and really not ride-able now. This year he is officially retired. Not that he has ever seen hard labor. But he was perfect for all kids to ride. He is the sweetest horse that ever lived. Now, we spend our time brushing and loving on him.




While they were content doing that I decided to go get a little me time and get the dog off for a romp too. I can't go down the road he lives on without taking my camera. When we started out, the colors were jewel toned in the late afternoon sun.....here is a field I grew up riding in. Used to be a lot more woods there, now it is more fields.....still beautiful.
Right about here there were only woods, and a logging trail littered with quartz rock. Some were so large I could use them to help hop on my horse who was named Charger. He was black, very tall and long. His gallop was easy and very lengthy in stride. I remember this now-vanished trail that meandered through the woods then was always an adventure. There were a couple of creeks to cross and when the trail finally dead-ended, I would pick my way through the dense woods to the nearest open field and come back home that way. I remember feeling like it was so far away, but it really wasn't. I probably had about a 5 mile radius in all directions from our farm that I completely explored on horseback. The primitive dirt roads and hidden trails through woods were my favorite. But some of the fields were so vast and open, perfect for letting your horse run as fast as he could!

Angus going as fast as he can...

It was bright out still but the moon was already up...

I love the texture of the curved rows of plants plowed into the cold earth...trees are bare now.



And a big old pile of....manure.

Turkey farming is big in Marshville. That was composted, so I didn't smell it.





This little pond looked just like a mirror...


Two cozy little silos nestled together...

I always visit Jimmy, who owns the old store at the end of the road. We grew up getting cold cokes and doritos from his store. He also worked on all of our vehicles and got a kick out of my sister and I's daredevil horseback riding on the way to his store, and who knows what else he must have witnessed back then. He also sells the best tomatoes ever and grows them in the winter in a greenhouse he heats with a woodstove. He looks just like Santa Claus now, and maybe he is because he would give you anything if you needed it. He is a great Grandaddy and proudly shows me his great grandson, also named Jimmy, Jimmy Cole.
There is also a hog he has been trying to sell. I love the sign.


The sign reminds me of a part of my favorite book, "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry.
In it, Gus paints a sign and part of it reads We Don't Rent Pigs". Just in case you were wondering. Everyone has need of a pig renting now and then, but you won't find that service available there.


I turn around at the crossroads and head back as the sun dips lower...

and lower...






Untill I am reminded its almost dark. I don't want to hurry. So I don't!


the moon getting brighter...









These would make really nice large scale paintings.


This one tree looks alive, reaching out for something...

the sky takes on a milky appearance...


Christmas star.....
A warm and cheering sight...my dad's house lit in the dark.


A perfect way to end the day!