Gardening Electronics

I went to the farm today to ride a little horse.  Wait, I didn't ride a little horse.  It really was just a normal size horse.  I mean I went to the farm today to do a little horse riding.  No wonder rumors get started!  It's all about how you say things. 

And, there was a perk to going to the farm to ride a little horse.  I've decided I'm just going to say it that way even if it might make you conjure up an image in your head of me riding a pony.  It's fine.  It actually might make this more interesting. 

Anyway, the perk.  The perk was that I stopped at a neighbors on the way to the farm to pick up some fresh lettuce, spinach, and cabbage.  In other words, she grew it in the dirt.  In other words, it was from the garden. 

Fresh produce is pretty glorious. 

Fresh produce can be a little tricky though.  You have to watch for bugs and dirt and things like that.  But, then you remind yourself that is a good thing. 

After I washed it all up, I realized she gave me enough to feed a herd of people.  This is not even all of it; I had already gifted some to my friend who also loves fresh produce.   

In return, that friend gave me some tomatoes out of her garden.  Apparently I'm the only one not gardening.  I think next year I'll start. 

Because tomatoes and cell phones go together like Saved by the Bell and the 90s, the next random topic is cell phones.  My phone has been masking taped together for 4 months.  And, yes, this is the original masking tape.  It is time for a little refresher.  This phone needs to last until March.  I see it as a challenge.  A masking tape challenge. 

I seem to have problems with electronics.  Earlier this week, I went in for an oil change.  I've developed quite the repertoire with the three men that sit at the service desk and when they see me coming they just LOVE it.  Well, I tell myself they love it.  They have to.  They have to love that I always tell them ridiculous stories or give them random pieces of advice or try to introduce them to each other while they are trying to work. 

The three men that sit at the service desk are on to me.  They are on to the fact that I have problems with electronics.  Here's how I know that.  When I picked my car up, this is what I found on my key chain. 

That would be a battery taped to my car starter.  That was not there when I left my keys with the three men that sit at the service desk.  Apparently, they were over the fact that I had not had a battery in that thing for about a half a year.  So, they took matters into their own hands and taped one on for me.   

I questioned them about the battery taped to my car starter and they asked me why the antenna was all wonked out.  And, then I had to tell them the whole long story about the antenna which also actually explains why I didn't have a battery in my car starter for a half year. 

I'll give you the shortened version. 

Car starter beeping like the checkouts at the Walmarts. 

Me trying to get it to stop.

Me banging it over and over and over again on the dash.

Antenna flying off.

Car starter beeping like the checkouts at the Walmarts. 

Me trying to get it to stop.

Me banging it over and over and over again on the dash.

Me finally realizing I should just take the battery out. 

Problem solved. 

I guess I was just scared the Walmarts beeping would start up again if I put a battery back in.  For a half a year I was scared.  Actually, I think I'm still scared because the battery has been taped to my car starter for a few days now. 

It's really no wonder the three men that sit at the service desk LOVE when I come to see them. 

Picture Palooza!

A family session.

An engagement session.

A farm session.

Whoo hoo!  When Janelle contacted me about snapping some pictures for her family, I knew it would be fun.  She and Denver are getting married this fall so they wanted some engagement pictures and they have two extremely cute kids so they wanted some family pictures too.  And, Denver is a farmer so he wanted some in the canola.  Check yes to all!  

Audra has some of the most blue eyes I've ever seen.  I did not do anything to enhance those beautiful eyes because I don't believe in doing that.  She is a lucky duck.   

Sam is very handsome and did an excellent job at being patient and cooperative. 

Grandma was on hand to help with smiles during the family ones and Grandmas are always good for smiles!

Grandma took the kids to play for awhile so I could work with Denver and Janelle for a bit.  It was so much fun!

Denver hasn't changed much since high school {I mean that in a good way}...he's still hilarious and I was laughing so hard while taking these next two I'm surprised I could hold my camera still.  I told him to sit on the bench and this is what he did.  He then said, "I feel like Forrest Gump." And, then he proceeded to act out the movie.  Janelle and I had to agree this was a nerdy way to sit on a bench.  :) 

He let go of Forrest Gump and this looks much better.  And, the whole time, Janelle was working it in the background.

After the kids had a little break, they were ready for action again. 

I captured this without anybody knowing I was taking it.  It's currently one of my favorite photos...it's such a sweet moment.  And, I love that sun flare! 

Canola is an awesome shade of yellow and makes for a nice color pop. 

Although this is not a true silhouette, there's something about it that I like.  It could be that it was a perfect ending to a perfect session.   

Help Wanted

As I mentioned earlier, after the Showdeo last week, we did a little shop cleaning.  There is quite the summer crew helping at the farm this year.  Three teenagers.  Need I say more.  And, Sister Pister is related to all of them, but they aren't all related to each other.  You got that?  You see, one of the boys is her cousin on one side of the family and the other boy is her cousin on the other side.  Totally legit...no redneck funny business going on there. 

Anyways, shop cleaning turned into a gong show.  Imagine that.  A box of vintage farm caps was found and then the teenagers lost their focus.  Apparently farm caps from the mid 70s to early 80s are a hot ticket nowadays. 

Because Dad-o has always bled green, the majority of the hats were vintage John Deere which made them even cooler to the teenagers.  Sister Pister found quite the little number, complete with a pom pom on the top.  This was the ladies hat JD put out back in the day. 

And, this should be the new HELP WANTED sign the farm should use to advertise.  It could say something like:

Help wanted on farm...we'll take anybody.  Are you half cracked?  Doesn't matter.  We'll still take you.  Are you known to lose your focus?  Doesn't matter.  We'll still take you.   

 

It also kind of screams out...two work around here and one just likes to look cute.  Bet you can't guess who the one who likes to stand around and look cute is?  Maybe this will help.  Because everyone knows, you must do some cheerleading while cleaning shop.    

It's rather scary this is the summer crew at the farm.  I feel a little like I should do starting lineups.  So, here goes.  Buckshot, son of Cousin B and Pic, is on the far right.  He hails from the other side of the state {but lives in a camper on the farm in the summer} and his strengths include anything that is loud and has a motor.  Then, you have Sister Pister in the middle.  She hails from the house on the farm.  Her strengths include cheerleading and anything that says "Neigh."  On the far left is The Max, son of Uncle T.  He hails from twenty minutes away from the farm {I'm sure he's disappointed he doesn't get to live in a camper}.  His strengths include anything that is loud and has a motor. 

I should note that both of the boys also have a knack for eating Momma Debi or Sil's cooking and baking until it is     g.o.n.e.     Good thing they don't have to survive off of my cooking and baking.  They'd quit.       

The shop did get clean, it just took a lot longer than it should have.  But, I guess if you can't have any fun while you're working, then that's no fun either.  That was a deep statement.  Any fun, no fun.  Made a lot of sense huh?  

Buckshot got down to business.  

The Max pretty much got down to business. 

But, Sister Pister...well she's a bit of a lost cause.

 

I think it's safe to say at least Dad-o and Brother don't have to worry about anyone stealing their summer crew. 

Disclaimer ::  All three of these teenagers are very hard workers who are tough and aren't afraid to get dirty...they are just easy targets for a little humor.     

A Little Therapy

Last week, we {I say "we" loosely here} had a Showdeo at the farm for wee little kids.  Kids that aren't quite ready to handle barrels, poles, key hole, and the flag race by themselves, but that already have a love for all things horse.  It was a perfect morning and I took a million and one pictures that are on my list to get out to the world, but first, I need to address some issues. 

Issue number one.  After a hot day of Showdeoing and then shop cleaning and then redneck dumpster driving and loading, Momma Debi, Pic, and I cracked into some wine in the evening.  I've decided to call the person married to Cousin B, Pic.  I call her Pic because she and I seem to end up doing weird, hard work together that always ends up in both of us laughing hysterically {case in point...dumpster driving and loading}.  So, I feel like she is my farm work partner in crime.  Therefore, Pic suits her.      

I guess it was this Australian wine to start with.  I don't know my wine.  I do know that it did its job in relaxing us and making me down right goofy.  I was a story-telling machine.  You really should have been there. 

I even had new material to share from that day.  The redneck dumpster driving and loading was quite the scene.  Let's just say someone {she just might be married to Cousin B} tried to use a hole in the dash of the old tonner pickup as a cup holder for her Diet Dr. Pepper.  When the can kept dropping and never found bottom, I had to tell Pic the hole was indeed a hole that had been made my mice, not a hole to be used as a cup holder. 

Then, there was a moment in the drive, when I wanted some sunflower seeds so I grabbed the bag with one hand and proceeded to dump seeds into the other hand.  Well, the old tonner pickup started to go in the ditch and I said to Pic, "Oh!  I forgot  was driving!  Will you dump some seeds for me?"  She did.  She's good like that. 

Then, while trying to stop the old tonner pickup going down a fairly steep hill, I was stung by a horse fly.  Yeah, that was a great.  I started grabbing the inside of my thigh and yelling like a mad woman, while trying to keep my foot on the clutch because I was mid-shift while also trying to steer one handed while also trying to keep my other foot on the brake so we didn't die.  We barely made it.  It was close.

So, needless to say, during story-telling and wine drinking time, everyone was in stitches.

  

The second bottle we cracked into was this lovely number. 

And, after finishing that bottle, I made a decision.  The decision is my issue number one.  Aren't you glad I can just get to the point without telling a bunch of random things first?  Anyways, here's issue number one...I really only like the wine that comes with a screw top.  What that says about me, I'm not sure and I don't think I want to know.  No corks, screw top wine all they way.  I'm so classy...someone should take me to vineyard. 

And, here's issue number two.  Issue number two is odd.  Like odd enough it might require that I need a little therapy.  Odd enough that I'm not even sure I should share, but I'm going to because I really think there might be others out there that have issue number two also and I'm all about making people feel less weird. 

Alright, here goes, issue number two is that I've started this odd behavior of not wanting to go to bed at night because I don't want to "unmake" the bed. 

Insert cricket chirping silence here.   

Yes, you heard me.  I don't want to "unmake" the bed, so I prolong going to sleep as long as possible.  Now, I've always been an obsessive neat freak, but never have I ever not wanted to go to bed because I have to "unmake" the bed.  It's a whole new weirdo problem I've developed this summer.

If that's not bad enough, it gets worse and I really shouldn't even admit this part, but again, I'm all about sharing my weirdness in hopes that you won't feel so weird.  One night, I even slept on the couch because I would not and could not "unmake" the bed.

Insert cricket chirping silence here.

Yes, I slept on the couch so my bed would still be neatly made in the morning, BUT...I only did that one night because I realized that is grounds for real therapy.  See how normal I am...I realized that was completely bananas and didn't do it again.   

Until last night. 

What can I say?  I have issues. 

The Strands

This busy Mom and Dad have three boys.  And, the three boys could not be any more fun to be around.  They were plain and simple charming, hilarious boys.  This busy Mom and Dad have done a superb job of raising their three boys.

The whole family was amazing to shoot; they let their personalities shine and those are my absolute favorite kinds of families.  It took a little mention of candy bribing by Corinne and Papa every once in awhile and then the boys were back on track.  There was also mention of an elusive prize of some sorts that was going to happen if everyone cooperated.  Well, let's just put it this way, at the end of the shoot, I told the boys, "Whatever prize your parents promised you, make them give it to you...you rocked!"

Here are some of my favorites...

This was the very FIRST picture I snapped.  I knew it was going to be a perfect evening! 

Some keepers. 

Three boys. 

Who doesn't love a gun show? 

The Mom and Dad who do a great job with their sons.  

 

Strands, I'll take your family's pictures anytime!