Thursday, August 19, 2010

In the Neighborhood

 
Neighbor Bill's Barn on an August evening. 

This barn is directly across from the end of our driveway. I remember when we moved here 20 years ago. Someone commented that it was such an eyesore. I'm so glad no one tore it down. I've always thought it was beautiful, especially in the evening light.


The huge round bales across the road from our house,
next to Neighbor Bill's barn.


The neighbor girls

A bird house at the edge of the corn field


 Angela, visiting the neighbor kids


More of those cute kids
'The grass is always greener...'


While we were visiting the goats, the Amish man who owns them came walking along the road to the goat pen, thinking that perhaps we had stopped because one of his goats was stuck in the fence. It wasn't. During the course of the conversation, he said we could get baby goats from him. Oh, how I would love to raise goats! I think.  



Wouldn't Bridger love to herd them!  Just kidding.
 We have a pen that would work great for little goats!

While we were visiting with the Amish man, his two little girls came along the road, pushing an old non-powered reel lawn mower, and stood, watching us. What a perfect opportunity to practice self-restraint and not take that perfect shot of those cute little girls in their dark dresses, aprons, and bonnets. So you see, despite someone-who-will-remain-nameless' assertions to the contrary, my EQ is improving. :-)



 Yes, it's just an old post at the edge of the field.
Look at all the barbed wire wrapped around that poor thing!


Wildflowers in the ditches



Last, but not least, a little roadkill
Why? Because it was there, and I had my camera with me.
I think this squirrel is a cousin to those that sit on my bird feeder and make faces at me through the window!


As September and October roll around, I'll be posting more neighborhood pics. There's nothing like the beauty of the NW Wisconsin countryside in the fall. I love visiting the Big City from time to time, but the countryside - rolling hills, barns, cattle, pastures, fields, trees, creeks -  seems to be etched into my soul. There is a calm that comes over me when we leave the hurry and traffic of the city, pass the smaller towns, and eventually turn onto our road.

I suppose it is possible that someday I might live in a city, but I would then be a country person living in the city. I really can't explain that phenomenon, but Willa Cather captures that feeling well in the pages of My Antonia and O Pioneers!



Hope you all have a great Thursday!








21 comments:

Stacey said...

I can't believe you actually took a picture of roadkill and posted it on your blog. Ewwww! You don't want to know what your son thought the caption should be...

Unknown said...

Great blog! When we sold the dairy, we had several Amish here looking to buy this and that. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to take their pictures. DUH! I learned quickly though! We just put up our first round bales of the season! Nothing like getting a late start, but our weather here has been so wet/humid that we could never pull a three-day stretch of good weather to get it done! We are rolling now and getting ready to put up silage! Wooo!

Denise said...

Thanks for sharing your neighborhood, enjoyed it.

Yenta Mary said...

What a beautiful neighborhood you live in! I am, admittedly, a prissy city-girl -- born 'n' raised in NYC -- but it's awfully hard to resist the beauty of the countryside ... :)

Michelle said...

Looking forward to your fall pictures!! I know they will be stunning. Beautiful pictures today too (expect the roadkill, ew). I love old barns. My friend is a fan of this one photographer that takes pictures I think primarily of old barns, I'll email and see if I'm remembering right.

Caution/Lisa said...

I'm am pretty sure that guy in the last picture is just taking a nap. Right??

Thanks for letting me visit your neighborhood. It's beautiful?

What will you do with your new goats? Cheese?

partialemptynester said...

OMGoodness, quite possibly one of my favorite posts of yours ever...which is saying a lot...I love the way you capture your quintessential life and share it with the rest of us...thank you for taking such pictures as the "post" with all its barbed wire, the barn, the birdfeeder...even the squirrel (Harley, the weimeraner, got a BIG kick outta that one, "nasty squirrels, always taunting me from the birdfeeder in the tree", he says)! Thanks for sharing more of you with all of us!

Debra Hawkins said...

Oh my gosh these pictures are gorgeous! I love the barn. I would love to have that so close!

Judy S. said...

Autumn is THE time to visit the Midwest, and your photos prove it, even though it's not quite officially fall. Great photos! Do you know the name of those yellow flowers? I have some like it in my garden and don't know what they are.

Jill said...

These pictures are wonderful! I love the ones of goats. I always said I wish I had more land to have some goats! Have a great week!
Blessings,
Jill

Diana Ferguson said...

I so enjoyed your photos this evening!!!

mzzterry said...

i LOVE that barn. and the post with the wire wrapped around it....the mailbox/birdfeeder, the hay field. all my kind of photos. love them all.

i see more than my share of real road kill so that wasn't a big deal!! most of ours is grey squirrels, opossums and armadillos here in east texas! we have lots of hay fields also, but i never tire of seeing them. (they do make me sneeze in real life though!)

So glad to have found your blog, we share many of the same interest! Have a great weekend.

The Baby Store Plus said...

That looks like MY neighborhood! I love the country life. Visiting from Friendly Friday! Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Your newest follower,
Anna
http://thebabystoreplus.blogspot.com

Karen said...

Thanks for talking us on a stroll through your neighborhood. I can breathe in the fresh air, see the sun shinning, and feel the breeze lightly blowing. I love seeing old barns, they stand as a great reminder of time passing and the people who enjoyed, lived, and worked the land before. Popped by from Trendy Treehouse and I'm glad I did! :>

Jenna said...

I'm happy to be your newest follower from friendly friday. Please follow me at www.momsbalancingact.com

Unknown said...

I love these pictures and can't wait for more. My brother lives on a farm in Missouri and the view is similar. I enjoy sitting on his back porch drinking coffee and soaking it all in, because Lord know I don't do farm chores.

Signed a City Girl Through and Through

P.S. what kind of dogs are those white ones with the horns ;)

Becca Ross said...

Beautiful pictures (except that last one)! Thanks for linking up!

Becca

Cranberry Morning said...

My wildflower book tells me that the yellow tansy pictured above is a 'common tansy.'

Bethany Nash said...

Haha... I love the roadkill picture. He has such a tragic expression... nothing like a little country realism. ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

New follower from Meet and Greet Monday. I love these blog hops, they are great ways to meet some really awesome people. :)

Hoping you'll drop by for a visit whenever you get a moment. Thanks

Marie
The Things We Find Inside

Linda... said...

Hi - I'm a new blogger and am following you; please follow me back.
I enjoyed browsing your blog.
http://Lindalovesblog.blogspot.com

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails