Photo of The Day

Female Hairy Woodpecker

Camera: Nikon D5100
Lens: Nikon AF-S 55-300mm ED VR Zoom
F-Stop: f/6.3
Exposure: 1/320 sec
ISO:400
Exposure Bias: 0.0
Focal length: 300mm (35mm = 450mm)
Max aperture: 5
Metering: CWA
Photoshop: Curves adjustment for color;
     cropped to 5x7

Assignment: Depth of Field Control
The Cardinals and the Blue Birds are getting used to me, and the Robins are down right blase; however, this little woodpecker only stayed long enough for me to fire off 4 quick shots and then she was gone.  I've seen her pecking at the holly tree in the front yard though, so I am hoping she will get used to me... and that she will have babies and bring them to visit.

Photo of The Day

Backyard Wildlife

Camera: Nikon D5100
Lens: Nikon AF-S 55-300mm ED VR Zoom
F-Stop: f/5/6
Exposure: 1/200 sec
ISO:400
Exposure Bias: -0.3
Focal length: 300mm (35mm = 450mm)
Max aperture: 5
Metering: CWA
Photoshop: Cropping and sizing only

Assignment: Depth of Field Control
Love the natural spotlighting from the sunlight filtering through the leaves. Catch light in the eyes.  Bushy tail.  Apparently I'm going to have a whole collection of squirrel photographs.

Photo of the Day

Backyard Wildlife

Camera: Nikon D5100
Lens: Nikon AF-S 55-300mm ED VR Zoom
F-Stop: f/5/6
Exposure: 1/500 sec
ISO: 3200
Exposure Bias: -0.3
Focal length: 300mm (35mm = 450mm)
Max aperture: 5
Metering: CWA
Photoshop: Curves adjusted to brighten for printing

Assignment: Depth of Field Control

I think I like this photo because he (she?) appears to be looking at me (ok, he is looking at me). From a technical perspective, I like the back lighting - especially on the tail, the translucence in the ear, and the catch light in the eye.  Also, I think the bushes and weeds in the background are nicely blurred by that wide open aperture. Still, the tuft of grass in the right foreground is annoying, and a faster lens would have let me blur out the shorter grass in the foreground, making this little guy stand out even more.  All in all, I like it.  And even though it is cropped over 50%, the non-web version of this photo will print nicely to about 11x16.

Journal Entry 2013-01-05

Gardening in Middle Tennessee
12:48 pm Nashville

I am so excited - it looks like I may have found some dirt to play in while I am temporarily landless.  Jessica has been visiting and we visited the Oaklands antebellum home.  They have a small garden with plants from the Civil War time period.  Right up my alley.  So looking forward to it, both for the learning and the doing.  So many things to research.  Their master gardener is Connor Moss.  

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How did this entry get here? What are Journal Entries? https://www.thelittlebiddyhenhouse.com/2018/12/combining-blogs.html

Journal Entry 2012-12-07

Gardening in Middle Tennessee

Treasures lost and found. Many things of sentimental and monetary value wer sold half or lost or just tossed along the way as we migrated to what we hope is the Promised Land.  Sometimes I mourned them.  But still, they are only "things."  The important things, for the most part, however, made the treck.  And one of my most prize -my seed collection.  I wonder, did pioneer women long ago clutched tightly to their packets of seeds, training and praying for land to plant them in?  A small handful of bean seeds more precious than gold.  So here is a list of my treasures, hauled 2200 miles from the high desert mountains of rural Nevada.

[Note 2018-12-12: The list is extensive.  Perhaps someday I will transcribe them here, but it contains several hundred entries.]

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How did this entry get here? What are Journal Entries? https://www.thelittlebiddyhenhouse.com/2018/12/combining-blogs.html

Journal Entry 2012-11-29

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.
Thursday. Most of the trees have dropped their leaves. The nights are down in the low 30's & high 20's. The days are lovely, crisp, and while the mornings have been drizzly, the afternoons have been clear. Sounding like perfect weather for spinach under row covers. Missing my garden, but enjoying being a corporate girl. Still, this time of year begs me to buy seeds! What if I buy them and don't have a spring or summer garden, either? Lots of bunnies & skunks here. Pretty much have to cage in everything...Oddly, no snails. Probably due to the late afternoon robin invasion. "That's where I come from, I'm an old Tennessean..."

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How did this entry get here? What are Journal Entries? https://www.thelittlebiddyhenhouse.com/2018/12/combining-blogs.html

Journal Entry 2012-11-23

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.
Weather was lovely for Thanksgiving. Today it is grey and drizzly. The grass and weeds are happy.
Birds are eating about 20% of the food in the feeder each day. So far, I have not seen any evidence of squirrels using them - and we have lots of squirrels in our neighborhood. Lots of cottontails, too.
The indoor mint cuttings didn't fare so well, and I am down to only one now. Some of the basils also culled. Still, the rosemary looks good, and at least 3 of the basils are doing well.

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How did this entry get here? What are Journal Entries? https://www.thelittlebiddyhenhouse.com/2018/12/combining-blogs.html

Journal Entry 2012-11-13

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.

First Hard Frost 2012

28*F this morning
The autumn leaves have been lovely this week, but the winds have been kicking up and blowing the leaves off of the branches. Of course, the wind is nothing like NV. Loving this weather. Been flirting with frost for a week, and finally got our [first] hard frost today.
Already i am dreaming of planting tomatoes! Stop! No! Not yet! Let us see if we can make it to Feb before starting them. And then what will I do with them? Give them away? Sell them? I don't know, but I can't not grow them.

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How did this entry get here? What are Journal Entries? https://www.thelittlebiddyhenhouse.com/2018/12/combining-blogs.html

Journal Entry 2012-09-25

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.
Changing water every day for the basil cuttings. Rosemary outside for morning sun. Time to start October journal. I hope I can get six or seven years [out of each book], I've planned for seven. We'll see how it goes.

[Note from 2018-12-12: I am actually getting 10 or more years out of each book (one book per month)]

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Journal Entry 2012-09-15

Gardening in Middle Tennessee

Made a good haul from the Farmer's Market this morning. One farmer noted that this was an awesome year for tomatoes.

• Carrots - 1 doz at $5 - the most expensive thing, but they are divine. Full sized but as sweet and crisp as baby fingerlings.
• Tomatoes - $1/pound - juicy, luscious, perfectly ripe, you can smell them
• 5 hot peppers - Tabasco style - boxes for canning were $14 - I just wanted 5. the farmer tried to just give them to me - I forced them to take 75cents
• 2 fat sweet potatoes for baking
• One green and one red bell pepper - hardly any ripe ones today - nearly all green. Maybe I didn't get to market early enough
• Bag of peaches - looked way better than the last batch. I may eat some fresh.
• Bag of spinach and one of red lettuce; one cuke. Salad for lunch on Sunday!

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How did this entry get here? What are Journal Entries? https://www.thelittlebiddyhenhouse.com/2018/12/combining-blogs.html