back, again

Yesterday morning I drove the rest of the way to the farm.  The weather was perfect for a drive and around Rockford the sun rose behind me in deep pinks.  Beautiful.  Although I was sad to be leaving Matthias again (and Holden, too, this time, as he's spending some time in Cleveland), once the drive took me into hillier, more rural country, I felt such peace.  As I watched the scenery, I kept finding potential paintings everywhere.  It really is so beautiful here.  It was nice to see Mom and be back in our cozy house, too.  It's starting to look very festive with all sorts of decorations.  And I'm getting excited thinking about looking for a tree. 

Yesterday afternoon I spent a little time outside.  First doing a few chores and then just walking around the property.  The wintry landscape is so appealing.  Soft, muted colors.  Wintry light.  A dusting of snow.  Unfortunately the pond has frozen.  I'm not sure what we can do about it at this point, but I'm going to try melting a hole through the ice.



As I was walking around the property, I noticed something in the meadow behind the house.  I thought it was a cat.  When I got closer, I realized it was a raccoon.  He was just sitting in the meadow, totally unaware that I was maybe 12 feet from him.  His fur glowed in the sunshine looking so soft.  I stood there watching for maybe 10 minutes.  I didn't have a camera of any sort with me.  I was worried that if I left, the raccoon would leave, but after seeing that he seemed to be in no hurry, I slowly backed away.  I wasn't really in a hurry, though, either, and stopped to get a couple things from the potting shed to take back into the house.  Then I grabbed my camera and went back outside.  I tiptoed to the spot I'd seen the raccoon.  He was still there.  I took a lot of pictures, but as his back was to me, in most you can't tell that it's a raccoon.  While I watched, he was grooming himself, much like the cat I'd originally thought he was.  The other photographic challenge was the fact that there were stalks of Queen Anne's Lace between us, obscuring a clear view.


I'm still enamored with the Queen Anne's Lace.  And will probably keep taking photos of it, picking it to bring inside and painting it, too.  I can't get enough, it seems.

A couple photos of the raccoon turned out fairly well.


The fur and the soft ears!  I just wanted to pet him.  I was not silent while I snapped more and more photos.  And I sniffled a few times because my nose was running in the cold.  When I did that he turned to look at me, but either didn't see me (in orange coat and red hat?  Can raccoons see in color?), or wasn't concerned by my presence.


I also snapped a couple bird pictures.  The birds are so fun to watch at the feeders behind the house. 


There's a great variety here.

And then there are the sunsets and sunrises.  I missed those when I was in Cleveland.  Last night's sunset was subtle, but lovely.


This morning Dovey woke me up for the sunrise (by climbing on my head and then stepping off my pillows onto the windowsill).  My cameras were downstairs, so I didn't snap any pictures, but it was a nice way to wake up.  The sky reminded me of an opal.

I'm not entirely unpacked, but some of my supplies are put away, ready for me to do more creating.  I'll get to the rest eventually.  I just felt so tired yesterday.  Mom and I watched a movie last night and I didn't even crochet during it.  I went to bed somewhat early and stayed in bed somewhat late.  I think mostly I'm just emotionally drained. 

A big snowstorm is supposed to be on its way here.  The farmhouse is fully stocked and we're ready for our first taste of Wisconsin winter.

Comments

  1. What stunning photos..such a beautiful part of the world you live in...and rocky raccoon...awwwww, I can only dream of seeing these little fella's in the flesh (or should I say fur!)
    Thankyou for sharing such a beautiful visual window into your world. Hope you keep cosy :)x

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  2. big smile reading your post.
    I eel much the same, AEDM was a lot and now it's time for a nap (not a full sleep!) we are having one blizzard after the other, are totally snowed in. I walked two miles to the shop today just to get milk no way to go by car on the roads. It's hibernation time in the countryside at the moment. Which film did you watch? (we watched Casino Royal last night)
    Enjoy!

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  3. Sounds wonderful. I also love winter. Your photo of the Queen Anne's Lace (it's your flower, no wonder you're obsessed) is beautifully constructed. Not typical. I love those lines.
    You reminded me of the time a chubby baby coon came out of hibernation one winter and came up to the house. I was standing at a window that went pretty much to the floor, and he approached from the other side. just the glass between us. He reached up and kept opening and closing his paws. Looked like he was either doing the "up, up" gesture of a child or begging. One of those moments when time stood still.

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  4. Beautiful photos!
    Sounds like you need a little you time. Make the most of family nurturing.
    Great post!
    Kat :-)

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  5. Stunning photos and a beautiful post. I really enjoyed reading about your adventures.

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  6. What a wonderful adventure you are on! The photos of the raccoon are wonderful and the sunset photo took my breath away. So glad you are sharing this transition - I live in the suburbs and can only imagine what it would be like in the country! Beautiful!

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  7. What a beautiful time of year for reflection and it sounds like you are in the most wonderful place. I'm feeling a little disconnected from nature - I so love visiting the mountains his time of year. Thanks for your lovely comments. I'm happy we've connected. Did you download Kelly Rae Roberts ebook or take her ecourse? I'm reading her ebook now. Happy weekend, Anne! Stay in touch.

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  8. Hi Anne, Wonderful photos and story! You are a wonderful writer and think the stories of the giraffe and giant strawberry need to be told! The raccoon and bird look quite at home! Wonderful!

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  9. Hi Anne, Thank you for visiting my blog (via Judy Hartman). It was a pleasure to visit yours, too. Your photos and work are beautiful. It takes courage to dramatically change your lifestyle and follow your dreams. Wishing you success and fulfillment!

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  10. Thank you everyone! Nice to have heard from you all!

    ines, we watched The Lake House. A far-fetched love story, but I like it anyway!

    Shannon, I took Kelly Rae's ecourse. It was really great. I made PDF copies of everything because at the time I couldn't devote all the time to it that I needed. Great to be able to go back to it for reference. The ebook looked really good, too!

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