Early Morning on the Farm!

Here on the farm/ranch the day begins early......like 5:00 AM early! Getting up and out before the sun pops over the mountains is a necessity during the summer months or we would all melt like Popsicles in the sun.  Heat and summer humidity wait for no man --  or woman.  So, as summer progresses,  my 6:30 AM walk has become my 5:30 AM walk.  And oh, the things that I see.........

I see lots of cattle.  Sometimes I carry my trusty whip to make sure they stay away from my path.

This stubborn cow refused to retreat.  No matter how many times I cracked the whip she just kept on munching!  She didn't even blink an eye!!

Sometimes I see wild geese looking for a place to take a quick bath.

Sometimes I see wild clover and grass with drops of dew clinging to their stems and leaves.

Most of the time on these early morning walks, the mist plays tag with the mountains.  First  it will rise up to the top of those hills then settle back down in the valley.  Up and down, up and down, up and down it goes until the sun gobbles it up!

Sometimes the donkeys will trot over to meet me thinking I have a pail of sweet feed for their breakfast.  

Sometimes I see old, lazy Mr. Turtle.  He was totally giving me the "eye"!

One of the best parts about walking early is smelling the unforgettable scent from a mimosa tree.  I could stand near by for hours just breathing in that intoxicating aroma.

Then there is my new friend Mrs. Killdeer.  She has a nest of eggs that she has been sitting on for several weeks.  Can you spot the eggs?

Mrs. Killdeer definitely gets her feathers ruffled when I get to close!  Smile for the camera Mrs. Killdeer!  (Her eggs are right behind her tail in this picture.) 

See if you can spot Mrs. Killdeers eggs.  She flew off trying to divert me from her nest.  

Sometimes I see "Miss Bunny".  When Pooh was very little she had several  domestic rabbits that escaped one fateful night.  I like to think that the rabbits I spot are the descendants of Pooh's runaways.  

 Sometimes I see a bumble bee zeroing in for his breakfast.

 Nothing like a drink of wild nectar to start the day!

This morning I saw the most gorgeous lace looking leaf caught in a tree branch. Why, oh why has the leaf  turned red?  It can't be autumn yet can it?

Sometimes I see a rainbow after a quick morning shower has chased me back to the house.  Look closely and you will see it is a double rainbow.  After the rain stopped, I searched for hours for that pot of gold but, alas, it was nowhere to be found.  Those little leprechauns must have beat me to it!

Hoping you have found your "pot of gold",

Dee Dee