Bowls

Can't seem to pass a bowl without looking at its contents. Folks get pretty creative. 

This time of year, a bowl often contains the season's holiday greeting cards. Some are receptacles for the more mundane things of life: car keys, cell phones, the dog's leash, a shopping list, mail coming in or going out, and the like. Here's one of ours:

Along with a couple Amur Maple leaves, you might recognize seeds from one of our favorites, the milkweed. Not a glamorous plant, it makes itself useful as well as ornamental as the perfect nesting perch for the Monarch caterpillar and butterfly. A much preferred habitat for this threatened or endangered species.

When fields are farmed right to the road, beneficial plants such as the milkweed are often the victim of overly aggressive weeding programs. If you have a ditch bank or area that's perpetually moist, try planting some milkweeds. While the flower isn't pretty, the seeds are among nature's most exquisite we think. Plus our world's dwindling Monarchs will thank you.

It was an "off" year for our little orchard. So no McIntosh for us in 2015. But, the apples and bowl below were set on a table by my wife more than 40 years ago. A good harvest in both fruit and film.

Christmas Trees

Mum's Not the Word

One of the pleasures of the season . . . when the Mums give us a last burst of flowering blooms. Mixed with maple leaves one morning at the Riverside Inn, Cambridge Springs.

And along a country road,  somewhere in Crawford County.

A Little Bit of Big Sky in the Keystone State

That's an appetizer of fried green tomatoes with balsamic vinegar drizzled over the top. A speciality and highly recommended! As is, the seafood bisque.

There's an eatery just west of Meadville, Crawford County, in the northwest corner of the state called the Montana Rib & Chop House. Good fare with a few Montana touches such as the map shown below. Janene is pointing to the Bitterroot Valley where your blogger hangs out.

The company's "PA"locations include Meadville, Hermitage, and Canonsburg. Others are out west in Cody, Sheridan, and Cheyenne, Wyoming and of course, Livingston, Billings, and Miles City, Montana.

Found in the swine barn at the Crawford County Fair

This youngster shared a nap with her entry. 

From this year's Crawford County Fair, northwest P. A.

This is a Holstein. Yes, the familiar black and white cow seen along the back roads of the Keystone State can occasionally throw a red gene. Enthusiasts have taken the idea and created a substantial following and some call the sub-breed, "Red and Whites." More about them later.

And here are Ginger and Clover, enjoying the beautiful and very comfortable new dairy barn on the grounds. Always photogenic, those Jerseys.  The diffused lighting from the fabric roof overhead makes for congenial shooting for any photog strolling through the alleys.