by Susan Lobb Porter | Everyday Ordinary, Photography |
I love this time of year. Every day has a few more minutes of light. And I luvvvvvs me the light.
It makes things so much more interesting.
Like this cedar. You’ve seen it in countless pony photographs, most of them taken in the morning. The morning light is different. Softer. More diffused. And of course from the opposite direction.
But ka-boing! Check out the bling from the setting sun. The camera doesn’t begin to capture how bright it was.
A couple minutes later? Shrug. Meh. Faded glory.
It was more dramatic in the paddock. But not for long. In a few minutes all that beautiful light went away. Somewhere.
I thought the play of light and reflected color on Lana’s neck was beautiful.
Then I turned the camera on me. The sunlight was at that level where it could catch my hair, and I love what it did to it. But Lana’s back was just a little out of range by this time. If you squint you can see the faintest of outlines but that’s about it.
The sun went wherever the sun goes and I went back to the house.
by Susan Lobb Porter | Cool Apps, Photography, Ponies in the Morning |
A lazy afternoon. Da Boy was hangin’ out in the barn-which-is-a-shed, hiding from the bugs and the sun. He was dozing but I woke him up. Said, hey, let’s take some pictures.
He was all droopy eyed and sleepy. Between that and the lighting (dim interior contrasted with bright outdoors) I figured we were in for an arty good time. Arty meaning out of focus, blurry, light leaking PERFECT for day dreamy shots.
Sigh…these all make me very happy. There’s a time and a place for focus…and this was not one of them.
Technical info: These were taken with an iPhone 4. They were arted-up and edited in Aquarella and Photoshop. They look even better if you leave a comment down below. Really, they do. Has something to do with light bending quantum physics blogging. I read all about that on the interwebs so you know it has to be true.
by Susan Lobb Porter | Country Living, Life |
Evening, not quite dusk. A walk to the mailbox, camera in hand. Here’s some of what I saw.
Lilacs entwined with blackberry brambles. Smelling like heaven.
Wisteria growing through blackberries. Growing up trees. Once upon a time DearDaughter called them purple pinecones.
Looking down the lane from the foot of our driveway. The treetops in the meadow lit up by the setting sun.
The neighbor’s lab. Yes, he’s every bit as active as the photo implies.
The lane beyond the bend.
The organic farm. Much better gardeners than I. Or should I say me?
Wildflowers in the meadow. Something yellow. I’m sure they have a name.
Mr. Mailbox and friends hangin’ out on the corner like they always do.
Now I’m heading back home.
The only bird who sat still long enough for a photo before flying off in a blur. There were a lot of them and they were noisy…in a good way.
Heading up the driveway. I’m home. And so lovin’ these longer days.
by Susan Lobb Porter | Food |
Hello hellooooooo my best beloveds and favorite people everywhere. I have a TREAT for you, my sweetums. Indeed I do! But first, a word from our sponsor…
Today’s blog post is brought to you by the letter G and the color G-R-E-E-N.
TA-DA!!! Now take it away Kermit–
Kermit may be my favorite singing frog friend of all time but folks, he’s got it ALL WRONG.
Because being green is easy-peasy.
Look at that. This is what went into my breakfast this morning. Spinach. Parsley. Cucumber. Celery. Banana. Almond butter. Flax seed. A splash o’juice and a chunk o’ginger root.
Oh, and ice. Mustn’t forget the ice. And sometimes water instead of the juice. Most times, actually.
Toss it all in the blender. And it doesn’t have to be a fancy expensive blender. I have one of those, it lives under the counter. I use this one more often than not, something I picked up at the cheapo store. Works just fine. So don’t let that be your excuse.
If you’re new to green smoothies, start with more fruit. Maybe a 60/40 ratio. And the milder greens like spinach. After awhile, at the point where you begin to CRAVE these suckers, you’ll find you don’t need the added sweetness. I’m at the point where a single piece of fruit—a banana, pear or an apple– is sweet enough. But in the beginning start with more.
You can even add cocoa powder. OMG, yes! The first GS I ever made was bananas, spinach and cocoa powder. It was the color and flavor of a rich dark brownie and I remember Mama trying to lick the inside of her glass, a little old lady sitting there struggling to get every last drop.
I gave her a spoon.
The color in this one isn’t the gorgeous emerald green they usually are because of the cherry juice. Berries will do that too.
One of these in the morning will last me the better part of the day. I make a quart or so and if I have the time, linger over it. If I go to work I take it with me.
Experiment! Try different combinations of greens. Chard. Collards. Mustard. Bok Choy. Mix ’em up. Play around.
Adding the flax seeds will give you your Omega 3s. You can toss in other seeds or nuts. I like a heaping tablespoon of almond or peanut butter, gives a rich and creamy feel to the smoothie. And I’ve read that you need to include fat with your greens for the best absorption of the minerals.
You can read more about green smoothies here. And find all sorts of recipe ideas here. There are testimonials all over the interwebs, too many for me to list but it’s a great way to kill an afternoon on the net and get all inspired.
Better yet, just throw some spinach and a banana into the blender and give it a go.
And if you have a favorite recipe, I’d love for you to share it with the rest of us in the comments below.
xo
by Susan Lobb Porter | Life |
One week ago today the bad guys thought they’d won.
It took only five days for Boston to prove them wrong.
