Driving#Eyesopen#pics

I don't know about you but when I'm driving along and see something that catches my eye, I want to stop immediately and get that picture.  Along with this need for instant gratification might come an alarming bit of radical driving.... All I'm saying is that when I stop in the middle of the road (due to no turn-off or berm), I am merely taking the chance that no car will rear-end me or vise-versa.  That said, funky turn arounds and radical road run-offs can lead to:   A.  muddy wheels and tires   B. scaring the wildlife  C. auto wreckage  
D. a traffic citation or  E.  possibly the most idealistic photo one has ever thought of taking! The latter being a dream.  Yesterday for instance, I was caught at one hell of a spot.  Cars were zooming past the T intersection as I approached.  The farmer and tractor I wished to catch on camera were behind and to the right of me.  I could not pull out and stop in traffic and I could not reverse.  So what does one do in this defining moment?  Put the window down, point and shoot... Yes, while driving!  Now I know this photo most likely won't be salvageable.  But I guess the point is:  Devotion!  Love!  Rapture! And a little bit of crazy.  

Cheers!

Ants and Blooms

Turns out our Grandmother's Peony flowers need a little coaxing from Mother Nature and ANTS!  So this year as I peruse through my landscape, I have been finding ant hills too close to the house.  I'm certainly not an ANT hater.  It's just that when the little guys make their way onto ones feet and legs and start biting... I want reform.  They've marched through snow and mud to stay alive, I'm not going to spray them.  But one thing we can do is move them to those Peony plants.  That's right folks, those beautiful blooms wouldn't bloom as early without the help of those ants!  The ants actually eat the wax off of the blooms which helps the bud open.  Ants are also known to enjoy the nectar.  Some people will argue with these statements and so be it.  I haven't been alive 200 years but I have seen ants on my peonies for many years running.  Check it out and enjoy those beautiful Blooms!