Staying Focused........

I read a post the other day that helped me make a decision....one that I have been pondering on for a while. Sometimes we have to make changes and let go of some things to prosper and grow in the things we love to do. Since I love my Photography work so very much I have decided  to focus on it more and more. So I am letting go of this Blog...it saddens me but it has to be...this will be my last post here at "Nothin But Country Living".

I now have a new website http://www.lindasegersonphotography.com/ at Zenfolio.....I am adding to it often so please visit often.  I will still have my photography blog, http://www.lindasphotofarm.blogspot.com, so please if you follow me here and not on my photography blog please do so. I do not want to loose any of my wonderful friends. If you are new to this blog I invite you to follow me on my photography blog along with my other dear friends.

I am currently working on some other photography ideas and projects and they will be announced on my photography blog http://www.lindasphotofarm.blogspot.com as well as my Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lindas-Photography/190002387505

 Please join me in my new adventures and please when you visit leave a comment so I will know you came by.....

Thank you Nancy @ http://www.aruraljournal.com/
for your inspiration. Some of you may already know and follow Nancy....she has a great blog with lots of great information.

So this is NOT good bye....this is an INVITATION for you to join me in my photography adventures. I will be looking for you on my new site @ Zenfolio....my Blog.....and my FB.

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

A 40 Year Old Story.....

About a Monkey!

This is a true story about a boy and his Spider Monkey, sometimes called  "organ grinder's monkey"......this boy is my youngest brother, Don. This goes back to when he was around 12 yrs. old. My oldest brother, Carl, owned a pet shop at that time and had all kinds of animals and critters.

Internet Photo

He looks innocent enough and somewhat cute.....but read on!

Chico was his name, I wish my mom would have taken a picture of him when he lived with her and Don.

Now consider this is a very small monkey, no problem, and it was love at first sight for mom & Don.

Let the fun begin........

Chico, a very intelligent and also rogue-like animal, was not satisfied to sit meekly in his cage. He learned to rock the cage about in the bedroom. Then he found he could open the closet door.

This done, he systematically snatched every dress and other article of apparel from the closet and generally acted tacky.

He also pulled all the dresser and bureau drawers from their places and dumped the contents out on the floor. Things went from bad to worse. My mom tried to discipline Chico, but her efforts were in vain. Chico remained a problem, he accidentally got out of the house and ran up a tree and the fire department was called to see if they could get him down. After a long period of trying to coax Chico down out of the tree they left mom & Don  to spend the night under the tree until Chic came down. This was the final straw for mom, so she came to a decision. She called Carl at the pet shop and told him Chico was coming back.

Carl told her Chico was a good monkey and that she was over exaggerating. Mom was adamant and she bundled Chico and cage in the car and took him to the shop. Once there, she gave him back to Carl and took a white Persian cat in trade.

Carl put Chico in the middle of the back room in his cage with other animals and went up front to talk to mom. This is when Chico pulled his "big" stunt.

In some manner, he opened his cage door and free of his small prison, he did what he considered his duty as he saw it. He let every other animal, bird, etc. in the place out of their cages. 

When Carl, hearing the commotion, rushed to the back room, Chico was just reentering his own cage and was vainly trying to refasten his door.

The question is....do monkeys really think? Do monkeys just imitate, or do they come to some conclusion of their own?

My mom owned a local restaurant in town and she was known by a lot of people and when this story was printed in our local paper she was the talk of the town.

I am glad mom saved this article all these years, when she came across it the other day I borrowed it to make a copy. I hope you have enjoyed this little story today and I hope you have a wonderful & blessed day.

I have now posted BARN #2 on my photography blog....hope you enjoy it as well!

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

It's Finally Posted.....

Hope this week has been a good and productive week for each and everyone of my dear sweet friends.

I have had a very, very busy week at work......hardly time to stop and take potty breaks!

BUT.......

Tomorrow is Friday and its our short day.....we get off at 2:00 on Friday's and I "LOVE" it!

Then the weekend begins....the list of things that need to be done is very long but we will just take one at a time and leftovers will get done another day.

~~~ A couple of post back I mentioned I would be posting some barn pictures that I took on Memorial Day while Hubby & I were out looking for old cemeteries where his ancestors are buried. 

Finally Barn #1 has been posted. Just click here and it will take you directly there (but don't leave yet, there is more to read below)~~~

I don't know if any of you have trouble with Japanese Beetles.....let me tell you they get worse around here every year! They eat up everything, they will destroy all shrubs, flowers whatever  resembles a plant, they will "EAT".

Internet Photo

I found a concoction on the Internet the other day and it has worked so far. I still have more plants to treat, on my to do list for this weekend.  I will probably have to treat them a couple of times. 
This is all "natural" ingredients & you probably have them already in your cupboards:
Fill a 2 gal sprayer to the 1.5 gal mark with warm water.
Add the following:
3 tsp of garlic powder (do not use garlic salt..it will stop of the sprayer)...don't ask how I know...I just know...Ha Ha!
2 tsp of cayenne pepper, a couple squirts of dish washing liquid and a  little under 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. Shake well and spray. Be sure to wear safety goggles and it would not be a bad idea to wear a dust mask over your mouth. The cayenne pepper is pretty "hot"....don't ask how I know...I just know...Ha Ha!


It's almost my bed time....4:45 a.m. comes around pretty quick. Wishing all of you a blessed weekend!


Don't forget to click here to see the barn shots!

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

Rosemary.....

“There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember.”
  William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Do you like Herbs and what is your favorite?

Rosemary is my favorite.......love the aroma it puts out when cooking with it.

 

  A co-worker brought me some "fresh" Rosemary today at work and I added it to my Turkey Chops, while they broiled in the oven.......

and enjoyed the wonderful aroma all through the house.

I have always wanted to grow herbs but have not taken the time to learn more about them. I did read about them once and some of them require a lot more care than others. Do you grow them or do you buy the herbs you cook with?

If you have never tried Rosemary hope you will....I have used the dried  Rosemary but I really prefer the "fresh".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I would like to invite you to check out my new texture I applied to one of my flower shots at my photography blog. Just click on the link and it will take you right to it....Linda Segerson Photography.

While you are there please feel free to leave a comment.

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

Now There is Evidence..........

We have lots of small holes all over our yard, front and back, and I have been telling my hubby that some of them are from the "squirrels" digging for nuts because we have lots of acorns. "Don't think so", he says......ok I know that some of the holes are from the Armadillos, Fox, Groundhogs and what other critter decides to pay us a visit and dig but you can not leave out the Squirrels.

I went for a stroll around our property yesterday and when I got back to the house I stood on the edge of the carport and watched this "cute" little fella at "work" and "play".

 He never knew I was there watching and snapping his picture. Looking so innocent minding his business and then it happened....

The Digging began....

right where he is sitting. I waited and watched patiently.

Here is the "Evidence"......

The little rascal left 3 of these....would have been more but I think I spooked him.

Now you know the "rest of the story".

I love "all" of Gods creations....even though some can be a nuisance. 

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

 

4 Day Work Week (at work)......

In my previous post I mentioned a wedding I went to last weekend......if you would like to see a few more pics of the wedding please go to my photography blog at Linda Segerson Photography. While you are there I would like to invite you to please check out some of my other photos....I would love to read your comments on them.

Only a 4 day work week....YEAH! I loved my long 3 day weekend off last week but it sure was hard to go back to work after being off that extra day.

I keep an old stainless steel mixing bowl out under a tree in the front yard filled with water (I thought) for my squirrels and the other day I was standing in the kitchen looking out the window and saw one of the squirrels take his paw and pull the bowl over to look inside and it was empty.....my heart sank....I felt so sorry for him, he was looking for water. Shame on me for not keeping it filled...so I immediately went outside and filled it. Now I keep a check on the bowl about every other day and keep fresh water in it. 

"boy do I feel better" 

This cemetery dates back to early 1800's

Hubby & I rode around looking for grave sites of relatives on Monday, Memorial Day, and I was able to get some shots of a couple of barns. I will be posting the barn shots on my photography site soon......

Linda Segerson Photography...and I hope you can make it to view them.

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

 

Family Time..........

We have had a busy but wonderful weekend......lots of "Family Time"!

Friday night I took my mother-in-law to her nieces wedding......

 My hubby took our picture after the wedding while we were still dressed up, I was so ready to get my PJ's on and relax. My mother-in-law spent the night and all the next day with us......

it was a great visit.

The bride was beautiful and they make a very sweet couple....

 I pray they build a beautiful and long life together.

 

 Sunday, hubby and I went with our daughter, son-in-law and our two precious grandsons to the Nashville, Tn Zoo.........we had a wonderful and fun time together.

Caleb loves dinosaurs....he is counting the dinosaurs teeth.

Grandpa, Kelby, Caleb & Me (Grandma)

 

Our daughter (Sheila), Kelby, Caleb & son-in-law (Quade)

It was very "HOT" but we did not let that hinder us from having a great time....we drank lots of water and wore hats....this zoo was the greatest....lots of shade and places to cool off.....we had so much to see and do. After a fun day at the zoo we went back home with them and stayed the night....hated to leave them this morning but back to work tomorrow.

 Hope all of you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend....

God Bless "all" of our soldiers!

 

 If you have not had a chance please check out my photography site @ Linda's Photo Farm 

 

God Bless

&

Be Safe

 

~Linda~

Simon....Theodore....Alvin.......

Not really.........just our little Squirrel friends......

I know some people don't like squirrels but I love to watch and shoot them (with my camera)....and yes I know they are from the rodent family but you just got to admit that they are "so cute".

By the way I took my window screens down in the kitchen (just above the sink) to get better pics...those darn things just get in the way of a good shot. 

These were taken Saturday through my kitchen window... 

without the screens....

much much better!

 

 You just gotta admit that this little fellow is the cutest....the first pic looks like a garden statue.

These pics were taken this morning on our back deck......

 looks as though it's saying his/her prayer before breakfast.

 

So sweet....stopped to give me a pose.....yeah right!

Hope you have had a great weekend and hope you enjoyed my little squirrel friends!

Until Next Time......

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

 

Enjoying Mother Nature & Her Beauty.......

There is so much "Beauty" around us that God provides us to enjoy.....

we just have to take the time to "look" around.......

As I was driving up my driveway coming home from work.......

These beautiful little flowers caught my eye.....

they were growing right in the middle of all the green at the edge of our woods.....

In the 14 yrs we have lived on this property, I do not remember seeing these little flowers until today....or maybe it's because they were all in this one little spot.....no other flowers around but just the same I think they are splendid!

Cute as a button!

I have had other wildflowers come back year after year but it was the first time I ever noticed these little jewels.....they are more than welcome to come back next year.
 
Looking out my kitchen window.....I had a visitor.....a pretty  female cardinal.

Don't forget to feed & water our sweet feathered friends!

 God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

Fresh Scent......

Don't you just love driving by  "Fresh" plowed ground.......aah...the aroma....I love smelling dirt after it has been tilled!

 Driving to work I see fields that have been plowed and I get excited thinking about how in a few weeks I will see small growth of whatever the farmer has planted. I can not imagine how long this took when farmers only had mules & ox instead of the tractors we have today.

Internet image

 

 

Our Tulip Poplar trees have been in bloom......the aroma of these blooms are so sweetly scented. I try to get out and enjoy this wonderful fragrance as much as possible, they only last a couple of weeks.

Then there is the Honeysuckle...what a sweet fragrance. The other day while our youngest grandson (4yrs) & I went for a walk I showed him how to get the juice from the Honeysuckle...he thought this was pretty cool!

Internet image

What kind of Fresh Scents have you enjoyed lately around your part of God's Country?

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

LOST IN TIME!



Internet Photo


Gotta put the brakes on .....my life is flashing by before my eyes.......I wish it would just slow down some.
I can not believe it has been 12 days since my last post....where did the time go?

We had a full house last weekend and our 2 grandsons came up this afternoon to spend this weekend with us...love it every time they come! We are planning  to go to yard sales in the morning.....hope it does not rain them out. We will work in the yard for a while and cook hot dogs and hamburgers over the fire-pit Saturday night.
I am so thankful we are in good health and can have fun with the boys. They keep us very busy and I am worn out when they go home but its a good tired.

We have been cleaning up around our property......much needed.....and of course I get poison ivy...I tried to doctor it myself for a week and I kept breaking out with new places so I went to my dermatologist Wednesday after work and he gave me a steroid shot and some steroid spray...much better already....my face & neck is real red and hot but that is part of the steroid shot....I am just glad the itchy stuff is finally drying up.



Internet Photo

This stuff is my outdoor enemy.....I usually just break out with a few places but not this time....it is the worst I have ever had....lesson learned...I will not wait a week and a half before I get it treated next time.

We were just talking the other day at work how we could not wait until March rolled in and now it is almost May......where did the last 2 months go? Looking back I ask myself what have I accomplished over the last 2 months....NOT a whole lot!  

I still have house projects that are not complete and my list keeps growing. I have been working on photo projects which take a lot of my time, and like most of you I work full time at a job away from home, then I come home cook dinner...we do not go out to eat.....then the normal daily stuff like laundry, cleaning and try to squeeze in some blogging and reading.

Did I just answer my own question.....I guess I just figured out where my time as disappeared to.....ha ha!

I think our lives pass by faster and faster the older we get....but I am so thankful for my life and glad I am able to do the things I do and have the people I have in my life.

Hope all of you have a wonderful and productive weekend.......

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

Time Well Spent........

with the boys this weekend....at their house this time.

I surprised our grandsons this weekend when I showed up at their house....they had no idea I was coming.  Needless to say they were 2 happy boys when they saw me drive up.

Lots of hugs and kisses and more hugs and kisses until I had to leave to come back home. It was a beautiful weekend weather wise so we got to play outside a lot and take lots of pictures.

 Our son-in-law giving Kelby a lesson on how to hold a snake....I found almost stepped on.....eeeek!

Kelby was so excited......

Of course the little one wanted to hold it too but he is not quite old enough to do this yet....he always wants to do what big brother does.

He was happy just having it hanging out with him....just for a few minutes!

The boys got a new rooster  so I would like for you to meet.........

  "Big Red"

He is a handsome fellow and he is a good rooster....not like the other one they had...Alvin was a handsome rooster too but he was mean!

 

Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed weekend!

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

New Birth.......

Spring is such a wonderful time of the year......

so much going on......

beautiful flowers blooming everywhere......

New critters.....frogs, lady bugs, spiders, snakes even those pesky mosquitoes....BUT....nothing like this........

Isn't she beautiful.....If I had only found this a little sooner I would have seen her emerging from her cocoon (see it right above her head)...Oh well I took lots and lots of pictures of her. I got down and dirty, laying down on the ground to take some of my shots of her but she was worth it!

I think she is so pretty sitting on top of my purple iris

There is just something about butterflies....they are so delicate and graceful and so beautiful!

I hope to capture more images of many other butterflies.....they are one of my favorites.

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

I Can't Believe It's Already Easter!

This is a little house hubby and I spotted while we were riding one day on the back roads......could not resist shooting it.

Just too cute!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Easter celebration....

Lots of fun with the kids.....Easter egg hunt, lots of candy, eggs, games and good food.....

But....

....lets not forget the true meaning of Easter.......

"The Resurrection of Jesus Christ"
 

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

This weeks Scavenger Hunt with Ashley Sisk at http://www.ashleysisk.com/

Clouds - Sun Flare - 7 - High Angle - Low Angle

Soft fluffy clouds in a bright blue sky!
I play this game with the grandsons...."what do you see in the clouds...I see a puppy dog with his mouth open waiting on his treat, now what do you see"?

The sun popping out after a cloudy day.....love the way it reflects on the lake.

7 hungry chicks....they belong to our grandsons and they provide us with lots of eggs. The boys have 15 chicks and 1 "mean" rooster named Alvin.

High Angle....I know this is a little eeeerie, Vultures on the TVA power lines.

Low Angle....We have several different kinds of mushrooms that come up every year on our property.

Have a Blessed Sunday!

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

DARN MOSQUITOES!

Such a busy time of the year...at home and at work.

I hope everyone is having beautiful weather....it has been absolutely gorgeous here in West TN. Oh how I wish it could stay like this all the time...I love all of the beautiful mixed colors of God's creations.

Even all of the little country critters....except for those "Pesky Little Mosquitoes".

I think I know who loves critters more than I do......

Hubby did some research and found a non-chemical bug killer

 (for the pesky ones) called....

"Mosquito Barrier"

which we will be ordering.....here is the link if you are in need of it too....

 http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/

I don't care what time of the day it is these "Pesky Mosquitoes" are attacking me .....and I don't like it especially when I am shooting photos!

"Sweetness"

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~

Yummy Yummy.....Good for The Tummy.....not really but it sure does taste good.....

Birthday celebration at work....

once a month we celebrate the birthdays for that month in the office.

We order lunch....usually pizza, I normally bring my lunch cause I can't eat regular pizza, and I bake the cake. We did order a pizza with a white sauce (Alfredo Sauce) and it was pretty good....you might want to try this sometime if you like Alfredo Sauce. Now at home I make pizza usually every Friday night and I use Cream Cheese for the base on my side of the pizza and use pizza sauce on hubby's side of the pizza.

We had 2 birthdays in March so we celebrated them yesterday and I made this wonderful chocolate cake.......if I have to say so myself.

Best-Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

It was a "Big" hit at work......but chocolate always is.

What You Need
(recipe found at kraftrecipes.com)

8 oz. BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix - I used chocolate fudge cake mix

1pkg.  (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding - I used instant chocolate 

fudge pudding

4 eggs

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream - Any kind will do

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)

2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Sliced Almonds

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.
CHOP 2 oz. chocolate. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with mixer until blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into 2 (9-inch) round pans sprayed with cooking spray.
BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.
MICROWAVE COOL WHIP and remaining chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken.  While making this I thought it was not going to turn out right...but it did!
STACK cake layers on plate, filling and frosting with COOL WHIP mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Be sure and put the cake in the refrigerator...the icing gets a little stiff and kind of like fudge....it will not be real sweet...which is the way I like it.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Variation

Prepare using 1 pkg. (1.4 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding, BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream and COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping.

Make Ahead

The fudge-like texture of this cake improves when it is stored overnight in the refrigerator.

How to Store

Keep refrigerated.

This cake will go good with Vanilla Ice Cream or just with a good cup of coffee. It is a very moist and light cake.

God Bless

&

Be Safe

~Linda~