park walk

Esme and I took a walk in the park today with Lucy.  They both enjoyed it.  Then we stopped at Sweet Jordan's and had some strawberry ice cream which we ate on the way home.

Painting Potential

These are all photographs.. but studies towards what I'm trying to capture in painting

I painted a little the other day but was using someone else's picture.. haven't finished it yet, probably can get into it soon I have a few days off.  I could have kept going that night until it was done but I had an early-early shift and didn't want to rob myself of the sleep... and for several reasons I haven't felt I could get back into it until I didn't feel rushed again.  Went out in the early morning light and took some of these pictures (thanks to dogs waking me up even though I'm on the late shift today)... tried to capture some of the sunlight coming down and making the greens light up brilliant...and the dappling, feathering etc..

I liked the greens here and then Daphne in the little pool of sunlight up at the top of the road pointing towards some big trucks she was hearing

I like how the light pools in the geranium 'cups' of the leaves... and the flourescent red of the flowers.

Commander Lilies have been teasing to bloom for a week and now they are beginning.

Shepard Lane Garden

We went out and did some weeding today, planted a few new things, took pictures of all the bounty that is getting ready to bloom soon!

The pole garden (new for this Mother's Day) is coming along well, weeded out the grass and put cedar mulch from our chicken pen around all of the new things.  Several lilies getting ready to bloom here, too.

 elephant ears, moon flower vines, cardinal climbers and morning glories

 pumpkins!

watermelon vines!
I saw a giant spider in here, carrying her egg case.. let her have that space for a bit and pulled grass elsewhere for a little while!

Door to Night Minecraft world (Drws i'r Nos) huge cave, mesa biome, mineshaft

'Door to Night' (Drws i'r Nos in Welsh) huge cave in Minecraft, savannah biome
mod : PlentyofBiomes and Harvestcraft
 World seed -3782039027719029110 at coordinates x,y,z  59,199, 68, 210.769

This 'door to night' cave is huge and actually is a network of caves.  This is not exactly at the spawn point but visible from a very cursory look-around.  I was ripping through a set of new worlds to hide a world I was actually playing in from a visitor (who loves to blow stuff up but doesn't look at the bottom of the list) who was playing on my computer... and then when I saw this world I knew I had to keep it.  

Although, I have to admit, I was scared to approach the cave with monsters on for fear of the sheer quantity of monsters that might be coming out of those depths of dark!  Hence, the name 'Door to Night'. 

And there was a lot more as I explored - notable of publishing the world seed and some coordinates for you, if you are finding this.
 
There are ebony trees and jungle trees with cocoa plants not far off, as well as nearby sheep, a village, and most uniquely, a mesa biome with an exposed mineshaft.  

The village coordinates are : 95.68, 67, 7.247 (it is pretty ordinary, didn't photo it)

But - the mineshaft in the mesa biome.. that is something I had not seen before!
The coordinates for the bottom pic are -142.97, 67, -496.333
It is quite a large mineshaft with chests and a spawner and more.

 

I hope you enjoy it!

Garden day

 The bleeding heart root has taken very well

 Mikey's canataloupe grown from seed is doing well

 Chickens in the playpen 6 foot by 6 foot we made from PVC and wire

 Little Dark Galaxy tomato seedlings have made it through the adjustment period.

 This is Gwen's cabbage, planted here by Mikey.  It is getting big enough to eat birds!

 The lambs ear has tiny purple flowers.  We didn't even know it had flowers!  We were all a little urprised.

 

Esme proud of her lambs ear plant, standing in front of the shade garden

 Liatris coming up

 Asparagus

 Onions

 Out in the heat talking about weeds and chickens

 Purlsane and petunias

 Miss Irene in her sun hat

 The double tiger lilies are starting to bud to make blooms

 A tomato budding out

 

The tomatoes and peppers and two new places I planted pole beans

Esme and Grandma looking at the things in the raised bed

Chickens in pen

Well, one of these aren't a chicken.  Esme moved her chickens into the new playpen for the day.  They were a bit worried at first, especially when she walked away and left them alone for a bit... they weren't sure what to do.  Then they started eating grass and digging for bugs and exploring.  

There is a sunshade on top, and they had their barrel cage and a bucket that provided more shade in one corner.  When I got home from work half of them were lounging in the shade by the barrel cage and the other half were scratching around in the grass. 

I helped her clean out and change the bedding in the barrel cage before we caught each one (fairly easily, compared to Gennet chicken) and tucked them back into the fresh bedding.  They all worked themselves down into the wood shavings like it was a blanket.. and that was pretty funny.  We brought the barrel cage back inside to the hallway again and they will get more outside time today when I'm at work.

Also last night Esme asked me to make the onion she had gotten at the store.  My dad used to caramelize an onion for me (rarely, he didn't like to, but sometimes I would beg really hard) at the grill at the restaurant he worked at.  Esme had asked me if I could make soft sweet onions like the onions in an onion ring the other day, while holding a giant onion at the supermarket.  I told her I could ... and we bought it with the groceries.  So, even though I was really tired last night, I was making her fish sticks and that takes a while.. so I put the butter in the pan and slowly sauteed the onions to golden.  We cooked a couple of frozen pancakes and put the onions over them with the fish.