My eleven principles to live by in 2011 in pictures!

Below are random paintings that have been organized to provide eleven principles to live by in 2011. 

1. Shine Brightly!

2. Don't Live Too Simply!

3. Believe

4. Don't be so judgmental!

5. Lead or Follow!

6. Don't Over Indulge!

7. Try New Things!

8. If you Fail, Keep Trying!

9. Search for the Humor in Things

10. Keep the Kid in you!

11. Follow your Passion!

If you follow these principles, then you may soar like an Osprey!

May you and yours have a blessed 2011!!!!!!!!!!

A Tennessee Tree Hugger!

This little Tennessee tree hugger was caught in action at 2:47am by critter cam. I'm not sure why he's hugging this tree, but I guess it's true that Raccoons are nocturnal. This is just one nights adventure, in the 10 acre woods on paradise ridge.  

The Tennessee Mafia dropped in!

OPERATION REINDEER PHOTO!

It all started with operation reindeer. The goal was to use my new infrared, motion detector, critter cam and capture a picture of Santa's reindeer. Also, I wanted to determine if critters stir on Christmas night. All was set to photo the action. 

11:50 pm - The first picture that critter cam caught was of our cat, Creamy. All looks normal on Christmas night.  (Picture number 52 and temperature of 31)

3:17 am - Then a picture was taken, but I don’t see anything that would have set off the motion detector. Hmmm, this seems odd. (Picture number 53 and temperature of 31)

7:14 am – Again our cat is caught walking past the camera. Well, it appears that I was unsuccessful with operation reindeer picture. The more I think about it, the camera should have been on the roof because this is where the reindeer should have been working. However, I have determined that the critter cam did not capture any creatures between the hours of 11:50pm and 7:14am, approximately 7-1/2 hours. So, it appears that critters do not stir on Christmas night. Feeling sad that I did not get a picture of a reindeer, I went outside to see if I could find out what had set the camera off at 3:17am.

To my surprise, I saw a round object in the snow. I wondered what it could be.

After a closer inspection, it was a red bell. Wow, could this bell have come off Santa’s sleigh when he was leaving our house?  I believe at 3:17am Santa left our home and this red bell fell off his sleigh. The bell must have fallen near the camera and it triggered the motion detector to take a picture and that is why there are no critters around to set off the camera. Wow, I can’t believe it, Santa's sleigh bell. Should I mail the bell back to the North Pole? 

Have a blessed New Year and BELIEVE!

Just what does happen in your backyard at night!

I got my new critter cam and used it last night in the backyard. It is an infrared camera with a motion detector.  It’s amazing what animals stopped by for a visit. 

A picture of our cat @ 6:34pm.

The dog next door @ 8:28pm.

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And Polly the Possum @ 6:29pm. Tonight is Christmas night and I hope to get a picture of a reindeer which I call Operation Reindeer. Wish me luck and check back tomorrow.

BOBBY RICKY THE REDNECK ZEBRA

After a long night of partying with the Zebra Boyz, Bobby Ricky passes out, but not before he shows his………………… As you can tell, even zebras have rednecks among them.

 The zoo mayor was very upset by this incident, but his only comment was:      "Whhhaaaaaaaaaaaat!" 

New elephant species discovered: CHAMELEON ELEPHANT !

NEWS FLASH- It’s hard to believe that scientist have discovered a new species of elephants. The newly discovered elephant will be called elephas chamaeleonidae or Chameleon Elephant. This elephant has the ability to almost disappear into its environment. The lead scientist on this discovery indicated that the Chameleon Elephants have been around for a long time, “we just could not see them because of their chameleon ability.” Also, it’s unlikely you will see them in a zoo because of this ability. By sheer luck a picture was taken of about a dozen, if you look closely you can make out their bodies, some are in different stages of chameleonism. This is the only proof that they exist. However, skeptics question the validity of this discovery with three words, where’s the poop? 

The lead scientist did make this comment: "I believe I have stepped in Chameleon Elephant poop! I don’t think you can see it, but you can surely smell it. So, if you ever smell a bad odor and can’t find it, then you have stepped in it too! Now that's the poop, I mean proof." 

DRAMA IN THE DRIVEWAY!

A female house cat on the prowl catches it’s prey and then encounters an American teenager. How will this drama end?

 On the prowl, ears alert and nose to the ground ready to pounce, the American house cat.

 Its sharp senses detect a sound under a layer of snow. Could it be the cats prey?

 Using its powerful rear legs, it pounces on its target.

 A few seconds and a minor struggle, the female house cat is victorious.

 Proudly prancing with its trophy, a terrified coal black field mouse, the cat tosses it on to the driveway.

 Now the “cat and mouse game” is on, entertainment for the cat, but terminal for the mouse.

 An American teenager, upset at what has transpired is ready for an intervention.

After a good scolding the cat runs and the mouse scurries away. All is normal again in “Drama in the driveway.” NOTE: The mouse was not harmed in this drama. It was a stunt mouse.

Snowmen are getting larger at an alarming rate!!!

 The U.S. Government Study suggests that you slim down your snowman and stop feeding it snow. Stop the maddness.

New for Christmas, an electronic cat warmer!

It was so cold this morning that Creamy the cat used his new cat warmer!

Creamy the cat got his Christmas present early this year. It's a new electronic cat warmer with all the functions. Pictured here is Creamy enjoying the warmth. Creamy indicated that the electronic cat warmer is easy to use, warms fast and will even warm a bowl of milk. Creamy said "I really look forward to it after my morning patrol around the neighborhood, soooo relaxing." That Creamy cat is one smart cat.

A cat in the the hat? Nooo

A cat in a bowl.

A family farm tribute!

Without the farmer there would be no thanksgiving meal. This picture is of a cool fall morning and a cardinal perched on a rusted barb wire fence, with a cedar post that was placed in the ground years ago by a farmer. 

The loss of the family farm

Rotting externally into a time unknown,

Giving way into the land unsown,

The ghosts of the family farm it once knew,

are replaced by a world that is desperately new.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

These two turkeys are on the run. They certainly don't want to end up on a Thanksgiving table. I am sure they wished Ben Franklin had his way and the turkey was our national bird. Thank goodness the majestic eagle won the award because it just wouldn't feel right to have a national bird that gobbles. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Reptile behaving badly

Little Bear

This summer we went to the Smokey Mountains and stayed in a condo near Gatlinburg. It's always exciting to see a bear in the woods and on this mini-vacation we were visited by a young black bear. We named this bear "Little Bear" because he was so small.

Each day Little Bear would visit the condo. It was obvious that Little Bear was looking for food around the  trash bins and I think he slept in a brier patch just the down the road.

We never did see his mother, but others staying near us said they had seen a mother bear around. I was never near the bear and used my long range lens to take pictures. In this picture I was about 30ft above the bear on the condo deck.

NAME THAT PAINTING!

Your vote counted. The painting name is "RUBY AND ICE" It will be displayed at Main Street Arts Gallery, Pleasant View Tn. for the “Pleasant View’s of Cheatham Co." 

I LIKE REDHEADS, Woodpeckers that is!!

 

oldfieldstudio.com 

A few weeks ago Woody Woodpecker(Pileated Woodpecker) came to visit our home.  Normally, when they see me they fly in the opposite direction, but I tricked him this time and dressed up in a Woodpecker costume. It is Halloween, but I am just kidding. I was lucky to take a nice picture of this Pileated Woodpecker traveling up a tree looking for bugs. You can tell he is a male by the small red strip under his eye, which is missing on females. These birds are fairly large (16” long) and are a bit shy. They are common in the southeast and like mature woods. You will know they are around by the large oval holes in trees and the wuck, wuck calls they make. In spring you may see a pair flying together. Sometimes I have a pair that nests nearby our home. Also, checkout my humor tab above, you will laugh. Comments are always welcome too. Enjoy!

A Walk in the Woods!

 

oldfieldstudio.com

Many companies advertise about how good natural products are for the mind, body and soul. If this is true, then the closer you get to nature the better. So, take a walk in the woods and listen to the sounds. It’s free.

A Picture of a Murder of Crows at a Condo!

Yep, here is a picture of a murder at a condo in Gatlinburg Tn. You see, a group of crows can be called a murder of crows!

A Black Vulture is at our back door?

I am not sure why this lone Black Vulture came to our back door. He did not knock, but did stay for a while. Our cats just watched in amazement and I think he must have smelled the cat's food.http://www.oldfieldart.blogspot.com/

A visit from a Tennessee Owl!

Yesterday, I looked out of the front window and in a tree was an owl looking back at me. It was a Barred Owl and I was lucky to get a nice photo. He was about 20" tall and had cold dark eyes. I checked the bird field guide and Barred Owl's are fairly common in Tennessee. Interestingly its call is "who cooks for you, who cooks for you all.". I think it's a southerner because I heard it call "who cooks for ya'll.

Great Blue Heron takes 2nd job!

The economy has gotten so bad a Great Blue Heron takes a job as a Stork.

Woman finds bear pooh under bed!!

It all started on one fall day when Callie, 4 years old, noticed that her 1 ½ year old sister had a poo diaper. Now Callie had watched her mother change diapers before and decided that she could also change diapers, but better. She quickly and secretly took Sarah to her room, found a new diaper and started the poo change process. As she removed the poo diaper, she apparently discovered that there were no wipes around. Now what do you think a 4 year old will do in this situation? Very simple, find the nearest object around and start wiping. After Callie completed the good deed, a new problem surfaced: What to do with the evidence? There's a very obvious solution, toss everything under the bed and no one will ever know. The next day a bad, bad, bad smell came from Callie's room. Karen my wife and their mother, made a complete search of Callie's room to determine where the smell was coming from. Finally the discovery, it appears that pooh bear was used to clean up Sarah and was tossed under the bed. Now that's how a woman found bear pooh under the bed!

A BIG STORY!

Checkout: http://www.oldfieldstudio.com/

Will the Post Office Deliver Crayon Mail!? Part-1 &2

It all started one fall day while coming home from work. As I started to open the front door of our home, I would find 4 or 5, folded sheets of paper out on the steps. I wondered who was trashing the front porch. I found out that Sarah, 4 at the time would scribble a stamp, an address, fold the paper in half and toss it out on to the front porch for the mailman to pick up. It was written in green, red or blue crayon and normally had a heart inside. Sarah believed that if she tossed her mail out of the front door, the mailman would pick it up. Wouldn't it be great to scribble a crayon stamp on a letter and toss it out and the mailman picks it up? Well, Sarah seems to think so from watching us do the mail, however she didn't completely understand the concept. I enjoyed coming home finding Sarah's, crayon mail on the porch. It was very cute and sweet but hard to read.

Will the Post Office Deliver Crayon Mail!? Part 2

For about a week, I kept finding crayon mail at the front door. I decided to show Sarah how to mail a letter. I went through a simple process and pointed to the mail box up the drive as the place you put the mail for the mailman to pick up. She listened as intently as a 4 year old could. The next day was Saturday and I decided to go to the gym and workout, leaving Sarah, her older sister Callie, and Karen my wife at home. As I drove up the drive, I could see a little, red headed girl, with a white, folded piece of paper in her hand and she was headed to the mailbox across the road. It was Sarah. Ahhhhhh! Imagine, your 4 year old is about to cross the street by themselves. I became frantic, visualizing in my mind what could happen. I zoomed up the drive as fast as I could in hopes of getting there before she crossed. I was blessed and I made it. I screamed out loudly, "STOP". Sarah stopped before crossing and I pulled up next to her. She looked up with big eyes, and a tear starting to form. I asked "What Are You Doing!" She said "I am mailing my letters like you showed me."

What Santa says before he goes out on Christmas Eve!

Man finds pillow top bed in mailbox! PART 1 & 2

On a fall sunny day, I opened the mailbox and to my surprise it looked like a mini pillow top nest had been made right on top of the mail. There were many leafs, long strips of grass, and fluff. In addition, there were strips of white paper shredded and laying on top. All this looked like a mini pillow top bed all swirled in a circle with an impression in the middle. It was obviously a connoisseur of comfort.

There were two questions that came to mind, what creature lives here and how did it get in our mailbox? I could see the mail was under the nest. It appeared to be vacant, but I was cautious because last year as I was reaching my hand into the mailbox a red wasp flew out and chased me down the road. It is a good thing no cars were coming or I would have been dead. Unlike most folks, if it had stung me on the head I would have blown up like a Halloween pumpkin on a fall day. You see, I am allergenic to bees and will automatically react without thinking. I once even jumped off a 10 foot roof, but that's another story for another time.

I carefully reached in and removed the nest out of the box. I could see that the mail had been munched on around the edges and torn in strips. I went to the mailbox three more times during the week and found a nest, torn mail and no sight of a creature. By now, I really started to wonder what was living here; perhaps it's a band of fairies that like to sleep comfortable on a pillow top nest. I thought, the next time I will bring my camera and take a picture. Part II of the story will be posts in the next few days.

Man finds pillow top bed in mail box – Part II

After about three weeks of finding a nest and no creature, on this day I went to the mailbox wondering if this will be the day that I will find out what is living here. I have learned that it prefers the Sears advertisements over all other mail. I'm thinking it's the softer side of Sears that makes the best bedding.

I have my camera in hand and I carefully opened the mailbox. This is different, I find two black sticky pads in the box and a nest built on top of the sticky pads. Hmm, it seems the mailman is interested in what's living in the mailbox too. This does bring up a question: Do all mailmen carry sticky pads with them or only in our area? Also, I was charged $5.39 for mailbox extermination. Have you ever heard of a Mailbox Extermination charge? I haven't, because I'm kidding. They did not charge me, but did provide the sticky pads for free. Now back to the story, I'm not sure how this creature avoided not getting stuck to the pads and was able to build a nest on top, but it is apparent, this is one smart creature. I cleaned out the box and hoped for a lucky tomorrow.

This is a new day and a new trip to the mailbox. I opened the mailbox and to my surprise there is a brown, furry, warm blooded, little creature, all curled up in the nest. It's a field mouse! I did capture this picture of Mrs. Mouse. Shortly after I took the picture, Mrs. Mouse scurried away to the back of the box and out through a small hole. I have now plugged the hole and have no longer seen Mrs. Mouse. With a little improvement and a few changes here and there, I think this could be a good children's story, "Mice in the Mailbox". Catchy, What do you think?

Cat questions everything!

There is Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Hound, and now, Smokey the cat. What is Smokey's name to fame? Well, he always ends in a question, can you tail. Smokey questions everything no matter where he travels. When we found Smokey and his brother they were living in a hole on the side of a road. They appeared to be about 5-6 weeks old and now they live with us. I would say that Smokey and Stormy hit the kitty cat jack pot. I'm not the biggest cat person around but, they have brought a lot of joy into our lives.

WOW! YOU GOT TO READ THIS !!!!!!!!

Is it a UFO, a strange fish, or a child's toy, nope?   It measures about 5 ounces with an 8 eight wing span and is warm blooded and furry. Hopefully, you have figured out by now, I am talking about a bat.

You see my nephew was fishing at night on the Duck river in Tennessee and bats were flying around catching inspects. One bat was apparently having trouble with its radar or it was joking with all the other little bats and must have said: "hey y'all watch this". Anyway the bat ends up flying directly into the fishing line that was stretched out over the water. Somehow the bat gets entangled in the fishing line and can't get free. Now that's the way you catch a bat on a fishing pole. Is this a state record for bats or the only bat ever caught on a fishing pole. I'm not sure, but this is a unique story  Lucky for the bat, he was removed from the line and flew off like a bat out of hell. I can just see his little bat buddies laughing and giving him a hard time. Checkout my web site: www.oldfieldstudio.com

Fence Post and Barbwire on Old Farms

Before the pretty white, plastic fence, or the green T- posts so common today, there was the cedar fence post strung with barbwire along road sides around the south. This fence was the choice for most farmers in its day and time. Cedar was selected due to its ability to resist decay, strenght, and availability. Most were cut by hand by the farmers and their family, trimmed from all the branches, cut into lengths and buried into the ground about two feet.

The fence was used to keep some things in, like cows and pigs or in some cases, things out, such as goats away from the garden. Fences were a very important element of the family farm. Without them, the farmer would have had a difficult time suviving. The farmer understood the important of the fence and often rode or walked the line checking its integrity and repairing as needed.

Today, the old cedar posts fence, which were placed in the ground years ago, are quickly disappearing. It is no longer a clear line between properties; it has deteriorated to being barely visible with only rusty barbwire sections and broken or missing posts. Not too far in the future, the cedar post fence will be gone forever, returning to the earth in which it came, just like the family farms it once protected.