Happy Halloween 2012

Eek!! Happy Halloween!!

(Click on the photo for a larger view.)

Rural Iowa, Rural Thursday

Okay, here's a quick post for "Rural Thursday" - and by "quick," I mean I'm letting a photo do the "talking," because . . . well, as they say, "a picture's worth a thousand words," right? (And since I've got to read thousands of words today, I'd best lay off writing thousands of 'em.)

Rural scene, Swisher, IA, October 21, 2012.

"Rural Thursday" is co-hosted by A Rural Journal and Two Bears Farm. Please click on the rooster button below to view the rest of this week's "Rural Thursday" entries:

Instagram Barn Charm

I know I've been away from Under the Desert Sky for a long stretch, but I've been so swamped by my school work this semester - more so than any other semester thus far.

While taking a break from the books this past weekend, Livie and I went back to Bart's Farm and Pumpkin Patch so Livie could have another pony ride (which they offer on Saturdays and Sundays in October). Plus, we needed to get a couple more big pumpkins. 

Anyway, while we were there, I thought I'd take a couple more photos for "Barn Charm" since I haven't participated for a while, and I really wanted to get another blog post up!

But since I hadn't taken my camera with me, I used my iPhone. And to make it a little more interesting than your average "phone photo," I used the Instagram app.

So here are my two "Barn Charm" photos from Bart's Farm: 

Main barn, view from pumpkin patch.

Another barn on the property.

"Barn Charm" is hosted by Bluff Area Daily. Please click on the button below to view the rest of this week's "Barn Charm" entries (viewable Monday evening between 6-7PM Central Time):

More Farm Photos - Rural Thursday

Okay, I saved a few of our farm photos (from our pumpkin picking/pony riding trip to Bart's Farm) for today's "Rural Thursday."

You may recognize the view of "Bart's Farm" from this past Monday's "Barn Charm." However, in this photo, I had Livie posing next to the barn (near the straw bales).

Of course, Livie HAD to get a pony ride (or in this case, a horse ride, as this guy was a couple hands too tall to be a pony). She loved the Palomino, and picked him because it looked like a Palomino Appendix Quarter Horse I used to have.

 The farm wouldn't be complete without some chickens! Livie LOVED these chickens because they were "bock-bocking" like chickens! Haha! (What else would they do, right?)

 Livie and I took advantage of this photo opportunity - there was an "autumn scene" all set up in the front yard of the "Bart's Farm" family house. When we got home, Livie helped me decorate the photo with PicMonkey. 

And, of course, Livie went crazy with the PicMonkey decorations on this photo. She's posing with a couple of the pumpkins we'd gotten from Bart's Farm, plus the awesome orange mums I'd gotten last week (and the sucker she'd gotten after her pony ride).

And yes, that's a spider plant holder (made out of metal parts)! We'd gotten it a few years ago at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market, and usually put it out every fall; this was the first year I'd actually remembered to go out and get some mums for it. 

Rural Thursday is co-hosted by Two Bears Farm and A Rural Journal.  Please check out other "Rural Thursday" entries by clicking on the "Rural Thursday" button below:

 

First Weekend in October Barn Charm!

I absolutely LOVE autumn!! And I'm so glad October's here. Anyway, over the weekend, we went to a local farm to pick pumpkins and let Livie enjoy a pony ride.

And, of course, while we were there, I had to take some photos of the barn, specifically for "Barn Charm."

This is Bart's Farm in Marion, IA. (Click here for a heartwarming story about the family that runs the farm). And this is their barn.

During the autumn, you can pick pumpkins of all sizes, either by going into the field and picking your own, or choosing from the scores of pumpkins they've already picked and have waiting in rows in the yard. They also have decorative straw bales for sale, as well as gourds, "Indian" corn, and such. 

Plus, there's a paddock where they give pony (and horse) rides. Over the weekend, Livie rode a palomino horse named "Hulk" (you can see him in the second photo). In previous years, she's ridden a small pony named Princess and a Quarter Horse named Duke.

Anyway, it's a fun outing, which we all look forward to every year. Our first year visiting their farm (2008), we'd just learned about it by chance; but since we'd had such a fun time there, it's become an annual autumn tradition. That's where we get our autumn/Halloween pumpkins every year!

A bit of texture on the photo!

Some of the pre-picked pumpkins!

"Barn Charm" is hosted by Bluff Area Daily. Please click on the "Barn Charm" button below to check out Bluff Area Daily for other "Barn Charm" entries:

The Fall Shot 2012

I know I've been hit or miss with blogging lately (mostly miss), but I've been absolutely SWAMPED with school work this semester.

Anyway, while I was on campus yesterday, I realized I just had to get "The Fall Shot, 2012" while I was still on campus - for some reason, I was compelled to get it yesterday, no excuses. So after my last class (around 3:20 PM), I headed over to the Main Library to get the autumn shot. It was an overcast, blustery autumn day, nice and cool. And it smelled like autumn - so good. 

"The Fall Shot, 2012," outside the University of Iowa's Main Library, the North Entrance, at approximately 3:20 PM, Thursday, October 4, 2012.

You can kinda see some of the golden leaves scattered about the ground on the hill in the background. 

I'm thinking of getting "The Fall Shot, 2012, Part B" after all the leaves have completely changed colors and have all fallen off the trees (like I did last year). In the meantime, here are: Winter 2012, Spring 2012, and Summer 2012 from more or less the same spot, and approximately the same time of day. And if you're really curious, here's the Four Seasons 2011 series.