Peacock Feathers

I spent a lot of time this past week working on an embroidery piece of a bird I find very fascinating -- the peacock.

Here is some information obtained online through Wikipedia about this special character. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks.[1] The adult female peafowl is grey and/or brown. Peachicks can be between yellow and a tawny colour with darker brown patches. The peacock flares out his feathers when he is trying to get the peahen's attention. Peafowl are omnivorous and eat most plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians. During the mating season they will often emit a very loud high-pitched cry. They also travel in hunting packs between ten and ninety. There are many different cultural significances in other lands that picture a peacock in them. He has many different representations even a deity who possesses benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge. In some cultures the peacock is also a symbol of pride or vanity, due to the way the bird struts and shows off its plumage.

Proverbs about bird feathers -- Some I have heard and others are new to me. Chicken are beautiful because of their feathers, women are beautiful because of their make-up. Thai Proverb -*- Fine feathers make fine birds.. Vietnamese Proverb. -*- Every bird is proud of its feathers.. Maltese Proverb. -*- A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is bad.. Nigerian Proverb. -*- The fowl perspires, but the feathers do not allow us to see the perspiration.. Nigerian Proverb. -*- A bird will always use another birds' feathers to feather its own nest.. South Sotho Proverb. -*- The peacock hath fair feathers, but a foul voice.. Chinese Proverb. -*- A bird is known by his feathers.. Yiddish proverb. -*- Words and feathers the wind carries away.. Romanian Proverb. -*- The peacock hath fair feathers, but foul feet.. Romanian Proverb. -*-

I zoned in on my dogwood blooms on this piece as well. One thing I miss living in the South is dogwood trees. We used to have one in our front yard when I was growing up and I loved those delicate petals.

John Deere Harvesting

I was thrilled to spot the Amber Waves Harvesting crew out our front window working away cutting and harvesting Spring wheat on August 2, 2012.

My kids thought I was crazy stopping to snap photos of the big green machines chomping away in the fields and stirring up wheat dust as they kept in rhythm working away.

Hope you enjoy these photos. I think they are massive. My daughter, Savannah Rose, asked "Mama, how did they harvest the wheat before these machines were made?" I told her by hands. Made me think of Little House on the Prairie shows.

A little research also shows that a tool called a Scythe was used to harvest wheat before machines were used.

From Wikipedia: A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper and Death are often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe. (I hadn't even remembered this last part until reading it again.)-- So I am learning and relearning all over again.

Storms Clouds Fort Benton Montana

It amazes me how fast the weather can change. Big white cotton ball like fluffy clouds hanging in the skies for the most part. Blues in so many different shades. I enjoy even taking cloud pictures at times. Yesterday, a huge storm came across the plains very swiftly. It was a big one and thunder and lightening were playing their symphony as well. My daughter and I headed outside -- her because it was cooling down rapidly and me with my camera to capture the moment.

I stayed outside till the big raindrops started hitting pretty hard. Didn't want to ruin my camera.

I tried to capture the storm after it passed over our house but was just over the hill from us. I loved the colors of the ripened wheat field accented by the dark storm clouds...only wish I had captured the shot better, but I had to quit playing and rush to get ready to leave for work.

Same is the situation now for me. Got to get supper cooked and then ready for another 12 hour overnight shift.

Dragonfly Wings

Yesterday I ventured out into the front yard for a while so my son could get the yard mowed. We have mainly garter snakes that like to visit us around the place we live. My kids are like me in having a very strong dislike for these slithering creatures so they request a parent "hang around" when outside.

At first I thought the flying "critters" were bees going for the overgrown clover and bushes up next to the house. Then I realized for the most part dragonflies were in the air. So I grabbed what has become like a best friend lately -- my digital camera. Well, one dragonfly liked having his picture taken. It took over 40 pictures before I captured him and all his detail. I just love the wings. Also, I find their heads to be very fascinating. I found this diagram online of the different body parts of the dragonfly.

This one was much smaller than the other one I blogged about recently. Also, his coloring was very different. Guess I am going to have to do more research and see if there are different species. I did also wonder where these creatures go when storms blow over as one did a little later. Haven't found much online for this answer, but they must "sense" it coming and find places to hide. Can you guess what my next blog will be about? I grabbed my camera for it too.

Stunning Sunsets

Taken Saturday -- July 28, 2012 I have been off work for a few nights in a row this week and have stepped outside just as the sun has been setting a little after 9 p.m. here in Fort Benton, Montana. I am amazed at how each one is so different. Hope you like these photos. It is hard to pick which ones I like the best as I shoot from different places in the front and back yards. I love the ones with the trees in the forefront, but the colors of the sun and surrounding clouds over the wheat fields are equally spectacular.

Taken Friday -- July 27, 2012

Taken Thursday -- July 26, 2012 Even after the sun has gone to bed for the night, the skies are still beautiful in colors as seen in these taken tonight.

Also, I would like to note -- I did not color enhance any of these photos. I left them as taken with my old trusty digital camera. I did choose different settings to see what effect I would get with them though.