Just in time for Christmas giving

 

 

The days are passing too quickly, and many of us are in the middle of our Christmas shopping, some are finished, and others...well, Christmas Eve isn’t around the corner yet, so everything is still fine.

And just in time for Christmas giving, if you are looking for something to tuck in a stocking Muddy Boot Dreams art cards is having a Christmas sale.

Perfect for gardeners and flower lovers, these are original images, locally printed on heavy card stock, folded 5 x 7 card, blank inside for your special message, with a crisp white envelope, and cello cover for protection.

Buy 3 cards get one free

@ $5.00 each, and get the fourth one absolutely free!

[That’s only $3.75 a card.]

Regular shipping costs apply.

The cards also fit perfectly into frames, and make great artwork.

So when you are making up your Christmas list, don’t forget to add a few Muddy Boot Dreams art cards to your list.

You can see the full line here:

www.muddybootdreams.com

For more information, or to place a order please contact me [Jen]

 

muddybootdreams[at]gmail.com

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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Almost famous?

 

Bootsie was reading the newspaper, [well you know, he’s a well read cat] this morning, and saw a article on a politician’s cat who has many fans. He started contemplating the possibilities of being almost famous.

Imagining his own FB page, Boots thought that it meant he would be in control.  At his beck and call would be his two servants, [how is that different?]. Food brought to him when he wished, doors opened and closed behind him. Fans adoring his every move, each whim allowed, and birds lined up to entertain him from afar.

Then in a moment of inspiration he thought of opening his own Twitter account, envisioning such gems of tweets as “oh I just got a treatie.”  “Going outside to see the birds now.” Oh the furry possibilities. “Still waiting for food, must seek new servants.”

 

Thousands would flock to hear his every purr...

And then a harsh reality set in, what if someone trod on his tail? What if his little world was interrupted by a fan while he decided to nap? Would the camera flash bother him when he snuck out at night? 

And the worst, what if his paws got tired after signing so many paw-tigraphs?

 

Maybe it was better to stay “just Bootsie” the cat without the FB page, or the twitter account.

Besides, he thought that twitter was what the birds did all day.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams 

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Icy lights glitter and glow

 

 

Well, now that it’s really sinking in that we have broken up with Mother Nature, we are having some second thoughts. Maybe we were a little bit harsh, after all we have known her for a long time...

And this unexpected, and early, cold snap has been good for something.

Icy lights, they glitter and glow outside, and while the temperatures remain cold they hold their shape perfectly. When it warms up again, they gracefully melt down into the ground.

Homemade giant ice cubes that you can dot all around your outdoor area.  Lot’s of fun to make, and you can even use up those old withered cranberries that have been lurking in the freezer for ages.  I know that those berries in the photo look kind of like raspberries, but they are cranberries.

I used my Angel Food cake pan, and filled it with water, then sprinkled the berries on top. 

I also had every intention of having them perfectly spaced, but let’s just say “out of sight, out of mind.”

Then in a fit of inspiration I took more unbreakable containers and filled them with water, the tall thin ones in my mind to be filled with branches and layers of cranberries.

Like I said, “out of sight”...so when I went back to place the branches the water was completely frozen.

Oh, and –10C [that’s extremely cold in any measurement] temperatures made me loath to go outside to do any shaking and stirring.

Note to self: when doing this next time, be patient and don’t try to turn out the icy lights before they are truly frozen.  And yes, it takes longer for them to freeze then it does for your fingers to do that.

So it looks like I am going to have plenty of times to practice my ice making skills in the coming months. We have another snowfall coming, and then a warming trend.

But meanwhile my icy lights brighten the dark skies.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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Dumped!

 

Dear Mother Nature,

We are writing to let you know that we have come to the conclusion that you are better off without us [we are breaking up with you!] No let’s not call it being dumped [that’s what you did to us last night, look at all the snow].

Really, this was a hard decision and we have put a lot of thought into it before deciding to make this difficult move. We know that once you get over us, [and yourself, what were you thinking?] life will be better for both of us.

No, we are not dumping you, we are exploring our options, and giving you a chance to discover new people [those who will put up with your tantrums].

 

Maybe it was your running around, [read all the rain] and your unpredictable moods, [snow in the middle of November, and you are wondering why we dumped you?]

It’s barely after Halloween, and we all know that around this part of the world we don’t get snow until January, and then only a small scattering of the white stuff.

We just feel that the situation has changed, we’ve grown, we are no longer the same person that loved you before.  And you, well let’s just say the La Nina mannerisms that you are parading around make you a bit of a diva.

 

And we really need simple things in our life now.  

Like sunny, warm weather.

What? Who’s being sarcastic?  This is a benign breakup, and we hear there’s a really hot climate just over the border.

We wish you only the best, we will always hold a spot in our heart for you, and think of you fondly.

Love, White Rock

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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Me, and my camera

Me, and my camera.

We are both melancholy, a little sad that we haven’t spent any time together lately.  Not too thrilled about the November rain that lashes against the windows, making even indoor  shots almost impossible.

To my camera and I, November Rain is a GnR song, one with wailing guitar strings, and sad tones in it’s voices. 

The reality is November rain is wet, cold, dark, and miserable.

Me and my camera, with it’s one single eye staring disbelievingly at me from it’s perch as I swing out side during a brief late autumn sunset.  How dare I leave it behind, the guilt fouls the air as I leave, how dare I? 

I dared...because it was simply too dark outside to shoot, even with a sunset.

 

Me, and my camera, reminiscing over the light, the warmth of summer days, and bright nights.

Regretting not getting out more, not spending time together, not remembering that Autumn is a dark time, and winter is darker still.

Me and my camera, looking forward to the changes in the light, the coming spring.

To the days that me and my camera can spend together again.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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They’re still hanging on

 

There are select fall leaves that are still stubbornly hanging onto those branches.  In protected spots, and surprisingly some trees out in the open. 

My heart goes out to those trees, buffeted, and blown.  November frosts have not yet touched them.

And they are barely noticed by us as we scuttle  by in the driving rain, intent on our errands. 

I wonder if they wait for the rare sunshine days to see us scatter them with our feet. 

All their hard work of growing during the summer wasted on those who do not always see their beauty?

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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No walnuts in my brownies: pet poisonings

 

Imagine this scenario, you are sitting down with your favorite indulgence, chocolate brownies and a cup of tea for a quick pick me up. Sitting at your feet are are Fluff ball your adored cat, and Woofer you faithful dog. 

Although you know that the vet tells you not to feed your pets human food, you do occasionally cheat, and sneak them a well deserved snack.  After all, who could deny those soulful eyes that follow every morsel of the brownie from your plate to your mouth.

Before you pick the walnuts out of your chocolate brownies and throw them to Woofer, read this.  It might just change your mind, because walnuts and chocolate are toxic to both cats and dogs.

Danielle a Muddy Boot Dreams reader, has a blog called Probioticsmart.com, which is chock full of really useful information for both you and your favorite pets.

She has included a chart describing the 13 most common causes of pet poisonings supplied by a insurance company.  High on the list is the well known chocolate, but did you know that walnuts are poisonous also, I had no idea. Or that onions, and garlic, and all related root veggies are also toxic to cats.

One of my most hated pet poisons is Methaldahyde. The common ingredient in slug bait, stuff that most gardeners use all the time.  Woofer will be attracted to the grain base when you spread this poison around, and the birds that eat the dead slugs will also be killed. In my years at the nursery I made sure that each customer purchasing the Methaldahyde based poison knew that there are safe alternatives that don’t kill our beloved pets, and most of them choose to switch to the non methaldahyde one after learning about it’s dangers.

Winter is well on it’s way, so make sure to clean up any Anti-Freeze spills, and keep the leftovers in a safe place, well away from curious pets. The sweet taste is appealing to animals who will lick up the puddles, resulting in a slow and painful death.

If we love our pets, we will do what we can to make sure that we keep them safe for a long and healthy life. 

And keep the brownies for yourself, you deserve them.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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A day of remembrance

 

 

They sacrificed so much so we could have freedom. 

Take a moment to remember, and say thank you.

Remembrance Day November 11, 2010

You be the judge

A few weekends ago my neighbor and I went to Dart’s Hill Gardens in Surrey.  They were having a rare open house, and a photography contest.  Any photo submitted had to be taken during the open house, on the grounds of the garden. 

We had a lovely time, there were lots of other photographers, ranging from tiny point and shoots, to honking big telephotos, and tripods.  Darting through the foliage, wowing at the amazing collection of plants, we took hundreds of shots.

My big finale was a huge spill right in front of the entrance tent as we were leaving.  It seemed to take forever in slow motion, falling, tipping, sliding down on the sloping gravel path, landing all 6 feet plus of me completely spread out on the ground. 

The only good part of it, was my camera was completely safe the entire time.  Go figure, and I still have gravel shards in my palm, but I was fine, this happens occasionally, us tall people have a different centre of balance. Especially when we are not paying attention to where we are walking.

Well, it seems it was a wonderful day all around, except for the spill of course.

I got a email the other night saying that two of my photos had received a honorable mention, and will be on the web site.  Congrats to the other three winners, I am looking forward to seeing their shots. It was such a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the foliage was stunning, I think that I might do this again.

We were allowed to submit up to 3 photos, the second and the third photo received the honorable mention.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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A bridge too far

 

 I had three things coordinating perfectly.  The weather, while not sunny wasn’t raining, and around here that’s as much as we can hope for.

The time, having just gotten off of work, there was still a good chunk of daylight left to enjoy.

And my Sweetie, who was available to go with me for a walk.

So we headed for Crescent Park with the camera, and high hopes.

A beautiful urban park, it boasts acres of trees, miles of pathways, a pond, and even a bridge or two.  With it’s meandering paths snaking through densely forested area, and looping around like a skein of wool, it’s easy to miss your destination.

Our objective was to find the two paths that included the quaint wooden bridges.  I was hoping to find some fall color framing them. It had been too long since I had taken my camera out for a walk.

First we hit the duck pond, this is always one of the highlights of our trip, and then we set off into the woods, the twisting and turning paths making it hard to remember which one ended up exactly where.  Somewhere out there were my bridges, and a background of colorful trees.

Each time we came to anther fork in the road, we would look at each other and say “I think it’s this one,”  and off we went on another jaunt.  Eventually after one too many roads taken, we had to admit that we had ended up traversing the entire park from one end to the other, and no success in finding the bridges.

By this time the shy sun had taken cover, the wind had picked up, and the forest was no longer a inviting place to photograph.  Mushrooms were dark blobs, and leaves no longer golden, so we had to head home.

This time it might have been a bridge too far, but I am certain to find it next time, and think of the exercise that we got.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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