oh give me a Home...

I am guessing that I am the only one of your acquaintance who spent the morning at a buffalo auction. The Black Hills Stock Show Buffalo auction was held today, free to anyone who wanted to watch and learn. Not so free for the buffalo breeders who were looking to add to their herds. These are all registered animals and come from about 5 states around and are going to new homes is at least that many states. Sales prices were in the thousands for yearling animals.

Coming in

Sold! Going out

 

Waiting in line

 

the Head Wrangler

Yearling at 1300 pounds +

This beautiful bull sold for over $16,000!

A simple square knot in a lariat rope between us and mayhem.

Wooly Bully! look at how well he is insulated, the snow doesn't melt off his back.

rule of Thirds

2/3 pasture, 1/3 fuzzy yearlings

from the tower window of Rapunzel

 

If you are French, you know her as Persinette or if you are Italian, you may know her as Petrosinella.

The Brothers Grimm neatened up her story so it was appropriate for children, as it was originally described as being quite bawdy.

When Rapunzel let down her hair, she really let down her hair!

sky Fingers

 

Birches

by Robert Frost

When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy's been swinging them.
But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay.
Ice-storms do that. Often you must have seen them
Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning
After a rain. They click upon themselves
As the breeze rises, and turn many-coloured
As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel...

four o'clock Artiodactyl

pinewood Phil

 

At 8 am we rousted Pinewood Phil out of bed. He strongly objected, it was -9. He did his duty, there was his shadow declaring 6 more weeks of winter. He has now gone back to bed, not to be seen again for weeks! 

Hope your Phil predicted spring where ever you are this morning.

:o)

siberia, south dakota or Summer?

 

We'll take summer right about now! -40 wind chills have absolutely NOTHING to recommend them!

cow camo Cat

Lucifer is a man who looks after his comfort. If a snowy day doesn't provide a sunny spot to snooze, then he finds the next best thing. I don't think he was trying to hide, but it is pretty effective camouflage nonetheless on Rachel's cow blanket.

jacket sleeve Jewel

 

Guess what...it is snowing, and for once it is just floating down and not driving horizontally!

once upon a Time...

             ...... she could have worn these tiny moccasins.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

boys Toys

 

We had a fascinating assembly at school yesterday, Jay Red Hawk talked to our kids about Lakota culture, goal setting and integrity. He and his family, several generations together, raise and train horses and follow traditional ways. Among the unique skills Jay has is that he is one of the only Lakota men today who hunts buffalo from horseback with a bow. This is the style of hunting that George Cattlin depicted in sketches and paintings from the 19th century (see below). Can you imagine the courage and training necessary to have a successful hunt? Jay hunts with a handmade bow of Osage orange, hand-fletched arrows with stone arrowheads!

 

Among the things that he brought to show the kids were toys that helped teach the children their adult roles in society. The boys' toys on the table are horses. The kids played with them like modern children play with Transformers or action figures. These toys, however, are not plastic, they are toe bones from the foot of the buffalo. They are painted to resemble the roan, sorrel and palomino horses from the family herds.

i love vanity Plates!

 

These two  cars were literally  face to face in the grocery store parking lot this afternoon! Who is your money on in a duel?

a favorite Neighbor

Pica hudsonia

The black-billed magpies love this lone pine lookout tower. I see them most days either on my way to school or on the way home. If I am lucky, I catch them both times. 

This one was soaking up the final rays of the late afternoon sun and hollering about something or other. I didn't see anything to be stirred up about, maybe he was just yelling for the fun of it. Wish I'd had the bigger lens, not the point and shoot, they are so photogenic and very camera shy.

flying between the Clouds

Where are you going, high flying jet?

Heading west into the setting sun,

Is your destination California or Hawaii or Fiji or Tibet?

in the Doghouse

 Rapid City public schools participated in a fundraiser for our local Humane Society earlier this month. The Learn and Serve program students built doghouses and distributed one to each elementary, middle and high school. The kids were to decorate one as they wanted, the houses to be auctioned off to benefit the animal shelter.

Any of our kiddos could enter the design contest and there were many entries. The staff chose the winner and 4th hour Civics class began work. We chose this design, hands down! We live 20 minutes from Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, we are Lincoln Academy, so the kids decided on a patriotic theme.

The delightful sense of humor won us over, and Zach, Matt, Quinton and Alfredo put hours in copying their design and hand painting. Neat, neat project for an Active Citizenship requirement in 9th grade Social Science.

another view, Mr. Sandburg

FOG

THE fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg

Little cat feet on the front porch.
He sits looking over the front lawn on silent haunches

and then moves on.

a Puzzle

Do you know what you are looking at? I bet somebody does.

the Wolf

The Full Wolf Moon sets over the Black Hills

44N 103W

7:15 AM  

1/19/11

the Utilities

They have everything all flagged out. This is the north corner of our yard, absolutely no idea what they are up to. Or even who they are.

dear Turkeys,

Can you tell me exactly where you are going? You seem confused, do you need a map or a compass?

...and here they Come

Sometimes they are the "bully boys",  sometimes up to mischief, but not today, just lookin' for lunch.

aw, Nuts!

Waiting for the blue jays.....

winter Scallops

Curious as to why the ice formed along the edge of the creek this way.

winter Sheep

Sometimes you have to give up and take them off, you can't take the picture with furry mittens in the way. I don't part company with them for just anything!

winter Roses

they were lovely in June, but on a snowy and cold January day they may be even more so....

bathers, Beware

You might just freeze your little feathered fannies if you take a bath this morning!

pacific Panic

Odontocidium "Pacific Panic"

A present from my friend, Mary.

Welcome, small orchid.

You are brave.

It was -4 this morning when you chose to open.

snug as a bug in a Rug

...on a January night when it is -0, I hope so.

Not all ladybugs are “ladies.” There are both male and female ladybugs. So how did they get their name? In the Middle Ages, European farmers were grateful to the little beetles for saving their crops from plant eating insects. They believed the way the ladybugs ate those insects (probably aphids) was a miracle that came from God in answer to their prayers. The Catholic farmers of the time named the insect for Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is known as “Our Lady.”

treasures in the Mailbox

I love it when January comes with cold and snow, only because with it come the GARDEN CATALOGS!

a personal challenge and a Project

This is my youngest daughter, she is a college student and photographer. She has set herself a challenge to do a 365 day post on her blog Sans Parallax. She has selected 365 adjective/noun pairs and is photographing something daily to illustrate each one. I am fascinated with her vision and view, take a look, you might be too.

www.sansparallax.blogspot.com

cranberry/Orange

Cold days at the feeders bring all kinds and varieties of diners. These fellows are both male house finches, the typical cranberry/raspberry color and a less commonly seen orange variant. It is only 15F at noon today, so there are lots of visitors in for lunch.

umm...flying Fish?

Canyon Lake is a popular fishery for trout whenever the water is open. Somebody had a big OOPS, and caught a honey locust branch about 15' in the air, rather than a tasty treat for dinner.

:o)

january Gold

People often mistakenly think they have a "new" bird in their yard or at their feeder. When it is in truth, it is the familiar American goldfinch who has been there all along.

The catch is that the male "wild canary" changes his brilliant dandelion and ebony breeding plumage to a softer hue.

He more closely resembles his Mrs. than his glorious June self.

the lacemaker's Art

from Claeys Antiques website

Sample antique Belgian bobbin lace (circa 1920)

Sample Bedroom window lace (circa 2011)

first of the Year

The South Dakota birding community does a fun tally on our Yahoo! listserv. People post their FOY (first bird for the year), the first bird seen in the New Year to begin this year's list. All of us hope it is something cool, not a pigeon or a starling. My first visitors were a band of 6 chickadees after sunflower seeds the morning after the blizzard and 2010 ended. They are always most welcome.

Happy New Year 1/1/11

With wishes for a bright, healthy, happy and prosperous New Year to all.

a farewell toast to 2010

Bottoms Up!

at the Edge

At the edge of the ice at Canyon Lake, open water and melt water, reflections of the canyon wall.

The lake is Rapid Creek dammed up, with a spillway. The  water passing under the thin edge of the ice sheet was singing. It had a glassy sort of musical sound that was quite intriguing to listen to.

through the Window

Winter storm warning, cold and snowy, house finches through the laundry room window at 2 pm. Inside the window, the summer's impatiens is spending the winter days waiting. Pink and Pink

melt Water

A December visit to Art Alley, Ma Nature makes her own compositions. Meltwater off the roof.

some things are Universal

pigeon in Provence

( borrowed from blog Paris Postcard)

pigeons in Rapid City

Some things are just Universal!