My camera is usually nearby. You might think it would be a pain to always carry it around, but it’s mostly just a habit. I never know when there’s going to be something I want to capture, and often when I don’t have my camera, I miss one of those moments.
This week I tried a couple of times (unsuccessfully) to get a pretty picture of some bright sunflowers that Harper bought me the other day (for no reason. I know–I’m a lucky girl!). Even though my photos didn’t do the flowers justice, I caught some other moments that made the attempts worthwhile.
There’s nothing particularly beautiful about this–except it’s the first egg the fat ladies have laid in a long time. I was so excited about it that I texted a pic of it to Harper while he was at work. We have missed their eggs!
It was a nice sunny day, so I let the hens out of their enclosure so they could soak up some rays. Sunning and dirt baths (or dusting) are the way that chickens keep clean and bug-free.
If you’ve never seen chickens sunning, it can be a shocking sight. Sometimes they fall asleep while basking, and when they’re all spread out like that, they can easily be mistaken for dead. When we’ve had friends or someone doing work at the house witness the sun-bathing beauties, they’ll invariably ask, “What’s wrong with that chicken!”
I love this picture. I was just a spectator as Tice was playing. He’s leaning over with a toy on the seat of a metal bench, and my lens is peeking through a two-inch gap between the metal slats of the seat back. You’ll be able to see the bench in some of the photos below, and it looks like there wouldn’t be room for a fat lens to get much of a shot between the slats, but I tried it, and it worked. From any other (easier) angle, I wouldn’t have caught this look of concentration. I was also kind-of hidden behind the bench, so I was easy to ignore. You can see the dark blur (the slats) on each side of the photo framing his moment of play.
The next day, it was overcast, so I attempted the sunflower pics again. Still didn’t like my results, but I caught this little story between Tice and Queso…
She came out as soon as he went on to something else. And she sauntered over and rubbed on him before he even knew she was there! It happened so fast, I pretty much missed it with the camera. Then, the pursuit started all over again…
After the whole episode, I gently explained to Tice that that’s just how it is with girls. They purr and shake their tails in your face and run off when you chase them. Ignore them, and they come back and act interested–until you start following them again. It was quite a teachable moment. The first of many, I’m sure. I’ve got this whole motherhood thing down pat.
(P.S. When I was a little kid, I always thought all cats were girls and all dogs were boys. Also, all horses were girls, and all “cows” were boys. Hmmmmm… )
Here are a few of my other favorites from the week.
Oh my gosh that bomber jacket and red hat are adorable.