Our Backyard Chickens - Let Us Out!

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Okay, we've had our breakfast,

we've laid our eggs for cryin' out loud,

you promised we'd be free-range hens,

can we puh-leeze come out now?

And of course I did let them out, but these gals will lay eggs pretty much where ever they want and looking for them around the yard, under bushes, in the forest, is not my idea of fun. So they stay in their pen until egg laying is over for the day. Plus I get a hoot out of the way they "talk" to me when they want out. Such demanding girls.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Winter in My Garden 2009 - Moss and Lichen

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I never get tired of this micro-village of moss and lichen sitting atop an ancient redwood fencepost, and I photograph it often. To give you a sense of scale, the round line across the top is a piece of fencing wire and the dark spot in the middle of the green moss is a rusted nail head. 16 penny, I believe.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Winter in My Garden 2009 - Christmas Eve Sky

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Well, it's not in my garden, but it was taken from the back deck.

With sunset colors like this, I just knew that Christmas Day would be beautiful.

Stay tuned . . .

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Winter in My Garden 2009 - Frosty Morning Leaves

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Yesterday morning was not as frosty as the hard freeze of several weeks ago, but just enough to make the trees, fence posts, plants and fallen leaves look as though they had received a sprinkling of sugar.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

The Dustbath - A Day in the Lives of Our Backyard Chickens

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Oooooooooooooh! Dust! They found dust!

Can I get in there too? Please? Please?

C'mon! Lemme in!

Ignore her; she'll go away. Uh oh, here comes trouble.

Hold your ground.
Just remember when feathers fly, we got here first.

Told you it would work. Ameraucanas rock!

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Winter in My Garden 2009 - Low Morning Solstice Sun

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I took this photo the morning before the solstice at about 7 o'clock. The camera angle was straight out from my eyes, not pointing skyward.

I say this because as I was walking up our road to feed the horse, a flash of light at eye-level caught my attention. At first I thought it was car lights in our neighbor's field, but I could hear no sound. And anyway, that would have been strange.

Peeking further through the thicket of shrubs, I saw that it was the sun. Just barely above the southern horizon, way across the neighboring pasture.

No wonder we don't see it until it clears the redwoods around 10 AM.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Happy Winter Solstice 2009

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I didn't think this photo would come out.

I took so many of them, hoping against hope, with my little camera, that I would get just one good shot.

It's certainly not the best moon shot in the world.

But I managed to catch the penumbra.

And Jupiter.

And that's good enough for now.

On this night close your eyes, take a deep breath, let it out slowly and welcome the return to light.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Autumn in My Garden 2009 - Frost-Nipped Teal Hydrangea

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This small hydrangea lives along the pathway to the house. In the spring, summer and early fall it's a soft blue color but when the frost starts nipping at it, it turns a beautiful teal blue.

Tonight's weather forecast, down in the 20s; it's possible we'll have some snow soon. Brrrrrrrrrrr!

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

White Camellia

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The weather may be cold and gray in my little corner of the northern coast of California, but it was sunny, warm and wonderful in Sacramento when we visited family over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Look closely and you will see the blue sky peeking through the leaves of this lovely camellia.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.