My Favorite Things -- Hot Air Balloons

Memorial Day Weekend

I hope you are having a good Memorial Day weekend so far!  I took a vacation day yesterday so I ended up with 4 days off in a row.  I needed a nice relaxing weekend after a stressful week though.  

This morning, Charlie and I went to the farmer's market together and had a nice time.  I bought a few plants to add to the garden (eggplant, sweet potato, lovage, chives and mint).  Charlie bought a few Rada knives from the 4-H group and some cookies from a local bakery.  I treated him to a cup of coffee   at the Harvest Coffee House and we watched a little bit of a bicycle race that was running through town.  It was a very pleasant morning.  

This week was stressful for me because I lost two chickens from our flock.  The two in the front row on the right in the photo above are dead now.  Prudence, my Speckled Sussex, had a prolapsed vent.  I didn't realize it right away -- I thought she was just being broody -- until I noticed some blood.  I researched what to do, but after bathing her and examining the situation, it didn't look like she was going to get better.  We put her down with quite a bit of sadness.  Poor sweetie.  :(

Then two days later, I came home and found Gertrude, the Buff Orpington, dead in the coop.  There had been no signs of sickness/weakness at all.  I'm not sure what happened, but I'm assuming it was a heart attack.  I am, however, keeping a close eye on the rest of the ladies.

The other sad news is that my gorgeous outdoor cat that we had grown to love has not been around for a couple of weeks.  At first, I was hoping he was just out trying to find a female friend.  Now, I'm afraid he is gone forever.  Perhaps he was injured in a fight, or ran into a coyote.  I didn't see him along the road, but being hit by a car is also a possibility.  Regardless, I miss his friendly greetings and his funny antics.
So, it has been a sad week.  I try not to get too attached to my animals, but it is nearly impossible for me.  I get upset over road killed raccoons and possums and I only kill insects when absolutely necessary.
This four day weekend is just what the doctor ordered.  I intend to relax as much as possible.  I'm also looking forward to a week long vacation in late June.  We've booked an overnight trip to Detroit and left the rest of the week wide open so far.  Hooray for time off of work!

Mali, 1995

I shot this image near Kolokani, Mali (West Africa) during my stay there back in the mid 90's.  I like this shot for several reasons:  It clearly shows the type of terrain in that area of Mali, the man is carrying something on his head (usually something the women did) and carrying a chicken (possibly heading to market), and the man is smiling at me -- happy to have his photo taken.
I would love to go back to visit someday.  I have friends there who would happily house me if I were able to go.  For the past few months, Mali has been in turmoil with an armed Tuareg rebellion in the north and a coup in the capital city of Bamako.  Sharia law has been enforced in the northern cities that the rebels have captured.  Please send prayers/healing vibes for the country and for safety for it's people.

Tulip

My posts seem to be getting few and far between lately.  I realized that I often have photos I'd love to show off, but not much to say.  So, you might be seeing more posts in the future -- but fewer words.  :)  Hope everyone is having a splendid Spring so far!