Friday, July 23, 2010

FAQ Friday, episode 13

Let's kick off this edition of FAQ Friday with my new favorite photo of Hank.
If this light doesn't make you love New Mexico, I don't know what will.



From JaneK:
Q. Since I am relatively new to your blog, I am not as familiar with your indoor cats. What are their names, etc. And do they get along with Deets?
A. The little flowers in my indoor bouquet are Rosebud, Daffodil, and Snapdragon (Snapper). Rosebud is the eldest, at 14; Daffodil is 13; and Snapper is 11. Until I adopted Rosebud, I was a diehard dog person and wanted nothing to do with cats. My, how things change. I adopted Rosebud to keep the then-piglet Wynonna company. Then I adopted Daffodil to keep Rosebud company. Then I needed a barn cat, so Snapper came along...and promptly became a house cat. They are all strictly indoor cats now. Last summer, I experimented with letting Snapper decide if he wanted to be an indoor/outdoor cat. My rationale for that is posted here. Once he got comfortable roaming the ranch, he started picking fights with Deets, so that was the end of the experiment. Now when he's looking for a little adventure, I let him patrol the garage.

From A New England Life:
Q. Seriously? You eat this [Hungry Rancher-Woman Chicken] almost every night? Wow, you're a consistent lady!
A. You say consistent, I say boring. Yes, I do make this recipe or some close variation of it almost every day. When you're cooking for one, life is too short to spend it planning meals. I will say this – there's something about eating chicken every day that does wonders for one's fingernails. I can haul and stack a hundred bales of hay without breaking one.

From Breathe:
Q. How does Hank's knee do after such big play?
A. So far, so good. He seems to know that his knee isn't as sound as it used to be and respects its limits. He'll continue to have episodes of lameness, and the vet thinks his knee joint might fuse with his leg bones eventually - which will be ok. He will be peg-legged but have less pain. Until then, the pain medication is working, and he has a very good life.

From JaneK:
Q. Would you put the picture with Hank rearing up on "for you"?
A. Done.

From Wade:
Q. Does the monsoon season green the countryside up? Or is the desert too set in its ways?
A. A little bit of rain goes a long way in this desert. We haven't had enough rain this summer for the grass to go crazy yet, but I'm hopeful. The grass in this picture, from August 2006, was literally knee high...if you're 5'4".

From Tina:
Q. Seems like you are taking more pictures of George than your sweet Alan...is he more cooperative than Alan?
A. Both burros are cooperative, but George would rather hang out with me than eat. So he's always right there, waiting to have his picture taken ... or his butt scratched.

By the way, thank you all for helping me choose your favorite picture of George. You're helping me make the selections for the 2011 calendar.

From deejbrown:
Q. What was your vote?
A. The 3/4 head shot. Even though I LOVED the navy-blue sky in the other shots, the light, the twinkle in his eye, the color palette and the negative space sealed the deal for me on this one.

From Marianne:
Q. I hope you're going to label all these posts that you manipulate the pictures in with the Photoshop label. Someday I'm going to splurge and buy PS, and then I'm going to spend time going back through all your pictures that you've "improved" for helpful hints and tricks!
A. My plan is to include one before/after photo in almost every post. I started using the mouseover thing on July 15, so every post after that should contain one mini Photoshop lesson. Except this one. Because I forgot to write down what I did to make Hank's picture perfect.

I will try to keep the number of snake posts down to a dull roar, but it's going to be tough - Smooch alerted me to two ginormous bullsnakes just since the rattlesnake episode, and we're all on high alert.

From Morning Bray Farm:
Q. Umm... were you laying down taking that last picture [of the rattlesnake]?
A. No - my devotion to this blog has its limits. I was kneeling and used a long lens.

From CeeCee:
Q. I wear shoes in the house all the time because of scorpions. Maybe your indoor kitties keep yours all cleared out?
A. New Mexico's hockey team is called the Scorpions, and that's the closest I've come to seeing one. Having said that, I'll probably step on one tomorrow. But the indoor kitties do seem to keep the house bug free.

Hope y'all have a great weekend. Lots of rain in the forecast here. I wonder if that will bring out more snakes or make them go away...

17 comments:

  1. Aaaah Friday ... answers and photos. I really enjoy Friday FAQ's.

    Glad Hank is doing good, and as far as eating the same thing every night, or thereabouts, I could easily do that if I was alone. I'm off now to check out the last rattlesnake picture ...

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  2. We've had regular quarterly exterminator services since we built this place 10 years ago. No shoes in the house. That said, I'd make the sacrifice to be as far away from humanity as you are.

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  3. Carson, soon you're going to have massive amounts of eggs so I'm at the ready with easy omlette recipes. You can even throw in some curry. Oh and if you want any cake recipes with eggs I've got them too. So let me know when the egg factory is up and running. Keep those awful snakes away from the girls.
    Best always, Sandra

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  4. I will send all of my positive thoughts into sending the snakes AWAY! Hope you have a great weekend and I love the FAQ's.

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  5. Can I just tell you how happy I am that you were kneeling and not laying down? :)

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  6. Great questions and thanks for the answers.

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  7. Ooo, patrolling the garage for Snapper. That's a grand idea for our kitten that desperately wants outside.
    Glad you don't have any scorpions! They aren't any fun. I'm guessing bull/rattle snakes trump scorpions on the 'getcha' scale.

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  8. just saw hank at pw's...congrat's!

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  9. OH, OH, Oh......I am so excited for you that your picture is picked on PW's photography assignment....I was so EXCITED for you. I have all but given up on any thing I shoot ever making it in the mix...BUT I was so glad someone I "know" made it!!!

    Lovely picture by the way....breathtaking!!!

    Please...by the way figure out a way to get rid of the snakes...ugghh

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  10. Until Sandra mentioned it, I hadn't thought of the chickens and their eggs being a draw for snakes. I'll bet THOSE girls can put up a ruckus to bring you running with your snake pole!

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  11. The more photos I see of New Mexico, the more I want to live there. How often does the grass need mowing, what is the cost of living like compared to, say, NW Ohio, and what is the temperature range? I was a graphic designer in a former life--any chance of finding a job in that state? Are there many yarn shops around?

    I suppose I could make allowances for snakes, scorpions and fire-breathing dragons if my horses and I got to wake up to such beauty every day.

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  12. Glad to see you submitted your photo of Hank and the water puddle on the PW site! Hope you win. The color in the picture is absolutely beautiful! Good Luck!

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  13. I just discovered you. Where have you been? I'm stuck in a huge humid city and dreaming of dry NM countryside with pintos and puppies. Yee Ha!

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  14. okay, i left an identical comment on your flickr, but i had to leave one here, too. i saw your picture on pioneer woman, and i was like, "that looks like new mexico!" my husband and i lived in albuquerque for 3 years (he's in the air force), and we fell in love with the whole state. your pictures have taken me back - and make me want to move back NOW!

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  15. I am so glad she picked your picture at PW. You have made it there before. Shows just how good your pictures are. Keep them coming!

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  16. Beautiful light--and Hank looks awesome!

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  17. It is hard to go wrong with a handsome horse and that beautiful new Mexico light -- the photo is wonderful!

    P.s. tell your commenter who asked about yarn shops that there is a good one in abq, several excellent ones in Santa Fe and a couple in taos that should not be missed.

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