Misty mornings and spiderwebs

September 16, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / Leave a comment

The nights are a bit cooler now and the sun doesn’t rise as early. Normally we do not get the fall colors that some areas experience with leaves changing from green into beautiful shades of red and gold. We tend to go from green to brown unless we have an unusually wet and cool fall.

This past week we had some cooler, fall-like mornings with a bit of fog and mist which were a welcome change. The mist also made for some pretty spider webs.

Small spiders web.

Even if the leaves refuse to change color, some of the grasses do.

Our nod at fall color

Wildlife troughs and a photobombing hummingbird.

July 28, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / Leave a comment

We keep several small water troughs around the yard for wildlife. One is hidden from view of the house so the animals can drink in peace. This is where the deer and other shy creatures drink. When I first set it out, I did not put anything in the trough, then I found a drowned mouse that had fallen in and I felt awful. So I added a series of rocks that stair step up to a large rock that leads out of the pond. it seems to have taken care of that problem. It also gives shelter for the fish we keep in the troughs or adventurous frogs.

Wildlife tank for deer

Wildlife tank for birds and insects. The insects like to land in the plants and drink from there.

Close up of solar pump (for aeration) we also keep Gambusia (Mosquito fish) in all the tanks.

Stairs to porch. I have portulaca at several location and moved these here the day before. I wanted a photo showing placement.

Stairs to porch. I have Portulaca flowers at several locations and moved these here yesterday. I wanted a photo showing placement.

As I was taking the photo, this Hummingbird came and stated going from flower to flower.

As I was taking the photo, this Hummingbird came and started going from flower to flower.

Raised bed garden and trellis

July 27, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 1 Comment

I like the idea of reduce/reuse/recycle. So when we get a chance to use any of those principals, it is a delight. I built a garden area in the spring using cut limestone we had brought from our house in town when we moved, as well as rock from here on our land. I finally got around to filling it with soil in early July. I moved most of the herbs that I had in pots – basil, oregano, chives, garlic chives,Mexican marigold mint, some irises, day lilies and a few small trees into the bed. Then we built a trellis behind it using some eight foot tall chain link fencing that we had obtained over the years. I planted passion vines and moved the cypress vines over to the trellis hoping that once established, they would provide some shade from the west sun in the afternoon. One of the nice things about the cypress vine is that it re-seeds easily. This will make for a lovely mix on the trellis next year with the large purple passion flowers and small dots of red from the cypress vine.

Side view of garden

View from potting shed

Added a Turks Cap last week. (Malvaviscus drummondii (M. arboreus var. drummondii)

Close up bloom on Turk’s Cap

Narrow bed for vines

Cypress Vine

Close up of Cypress vine flower

First Passion vine flower

Passion Flower ‘Incense’ (Passiflora hybrid)

I planted a second passion vine that a friend shared from her garden about a week and a half ago. It is finally taking off and I can’t wait to see what the blooms look like.

The main complaint that I have with the new garden bed it that the chickens like to take their dust bath in the dirt. It looks like I will be adding more fencing to the area.

Four little birds and a very busy mom.

July 19, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / Leave a comment

This week I had lunch with my best friend at The Redbud Cafe in Blanco, Texas. One of our favorite places for lunch. ( Road Trip June 08, 2015 to Blanco Texas). While there we noticed a swallow had built her nest on one of the rafters. There were no of chicks at the time.

This time, July 16, 2015, we found a very busy mother and four very hungry chicks. They were so much fun to watch.

Swallow nest on rafter on sidewalk in front of The Redbud Cafe

To learn more about these industrious creatures click here:

Fun with Photo collage software

July 11, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / Leave a comment

I decided to ~~procrastinte~~ play this morning with some photos. I photographed a hummingbird at the feeder the other day and wanted to show the original and then the cropping of the photo. I tend to use Photoshop Elements to edit but I did not like the collage maker that it has.

I went online and found this list of photo collage software, The 14 Best photo collage maker tools on a site called Creative Bloq.

Here is a link to the list:

I have used Instagram’s Layout (which is only available for iphone) and Picasa with my Google account, but had not tried any other the others. I went to the websites of the software that worked with PC. (there are several that only work with mac or ios ) Some required registration.

I tried out Photo Collage.net

From their home page:
Add photos without uploading
Create online photo collages
Save and Share Collages
Works on PCs, tablets and smart phone (ios and Androis)
Free form and template collages
Create Facebook, Google+ or Twitter Covers and header collages
No registration needed.
I found it easy to use and navigate. It has a FAQ swction and a video tutorial available.
It steps you through your choices above the blank canvas. You cannot choose your template until you have added your photos which I did not like as much. It is web based so no need to download it to my computer.

It has a selection of backgrounds you can use or choose one of your own.

I also tried Fotor

It has more features and a sleek look.

You can make a collage, edit a photo and design a card.

It is web based and also available for ios and Android

They have a section titled online editing made fun and simple which is helpful and informative.

At the bottom of the home page it has a menu that pulls down information as you scroll over each square. This gives you information about their effects, textures, filters and more. More includes: Photo editing, Photo collage, HDR, Beauty retouching, photo cards and Cover Maker – do it yourself cover photos and banners.

The only issue I had with making a collage on Fotor was when I added a photo it would not let me reduce the size of the photo to fit into the section of collage that I had chosen. Other wise it has many fun features and is easy to use. Also – it asked me to register for free, when I attempted to make a Facebook template. Registration was easy and it did not ask for any personal information other than my email address.

Then I tried Photovisi

When I clicked on the Start Creating button, the page it took me too had options but I never got anything to respond when I clicked on them.

So I went back to the home page and there are examples of collages on the page. they all run together and I scrolled until I found one similar to those I had been using on the other sites. It never loaded. Then I saw a small line of text stating if I was having trouble to go back to the old version of Photovisi. (I did not know I was on the new version) So I clicked that and Voila!

Going to this other version of Photovisi took the collage format with it. I added my four photos. It did not allow me to adjust the size of the photos other than increasing or decreasing the photo which made it either overlap the other photos or left a background space. Once I gathered the phtos that fit the spaces, I went to save the photo. To get the collage with out the water mark, a pop up comes up and states for $1.99 you can gt this collage with out the water mark. The water mark appears in the lower right hand corner of the collage. So far this is my least favorite site. not because of the water mark but the site was confusing and not easy to navigate. This is also web based.

Next on the list is Pearl Mountain Collageit

There is a free version and an advanced version to buy. The free version must be down loaded. Cnet gave it 4.5 stars but I chose not to download it at this time. I prefer the web based programs.

Next up is Ribbet

From the website:

Fix your photos in a single click
Fine-tune your results with advanced controls
Crop, resize, and rotate in real-time
Tons of special effects, from artsy to fun
Astoundingly fast, right in your browser
Awesome fonts and top-quality type tool
Pond-fulls of shapes from hand-picked designers
Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
No download, installation or sign-up required

It has a fun frog them and an appealing layout. It has editing and collage functions and I noticed across the top of the page , there are links to something called MILK (a site to create and buy photo books, cards and prints) , Zazzle (create t-shirts, mugs and much more), their Blog and Forums.

Using the Collage function, I picked a similar format and added photos. It would not let me load multiple photos because I had not registered. If I register it will allow me to upload up to 100 photos at a time. No sizing of the photo except for zooming in. I am not sure if there are more options with the premium version. Once the collage was finished it brought up an editing page. This was nice and the edit applied to the entire collage.

Over all it was easy but not a site I will be using often.

Next is a site called BeFunky

This is a photo editing, photo effects and collage maker. The site is easy to navigate and it asks if you want a tour when you explore a new feature. I found a collage format like the one I have been using. It was easy to add photos and switch between editing and he collage. It did not allow me to decrease the photo size in the frame much like the other applications. Easy to save to my computer too with choices of size and quality. There are effect and other tools, some are locked unless you buy a subscription. $4.95/month or $24.95/year. Has a similar feel to the Photoshop elements 13 that I use not but with more features. This one was fun.

There was one other PC site called Shape Collage. I did not try it as it must be downloaded.

Last but not least is PiZap. I used it quiet a bit because of it’s simplicity. I just wanted to arrange the photos to show the progression of some photos I was editing. It was fun, not perfect and accomplished what I wanted. I also like the choices of backgrounds they have to chose from. Then I started making several other collages because it was just that easy. PiZap Free had all I needed for the project I wanted to do. It has photo editing, A MEME maker and ability to make Facebook and Twitter covers or your own custom cover. Be aware that most of these have free and premium aspects which I found myself wanting to click on premium options several times although the free ones were pretty good too. There is a 30 day free trial fo rthe premium or $3.99/month, $29.99/yesar or $69.99 for a life time subscription.

Over all I liked PiZap for it’s simplicity, Befunky because it feels like Photoshop Elements when I navigate but has better features and options on the creative front and Fotor , also for it’s creative features.

One more:

I found this one online after the fact. It is a site called PicMonkey.

Its features include:

Photo Editor
Touch Up
Design
Collage
Photo Effects
Facebook Cover
Photo Text
Online Card Maker
Resize Image

It has a premium level called Royale. They have a 30 day free trial. It was simple to use. I just used the collage maker and none of the editing software.

I hope you found this helpful. Please let me know if you use any of these sites and your opinions.

Melyna

Sunflower

July 7, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / Leave a comment

Earlier this summer I posted a photo of a sunflower. It sprouted from the bird seed we use in the feeders. A lovely surprise. Once it went to seed, I thought it was just as beautiful.

Sunflower gone to seed.

Someone discovered the Sunflower and took a few nibbles.

When I went back to see how it had changed after a few days, it was gone. I am suspecting it was the same culprit that took my small suet block holder. (Yes, I am looking at you little squirrel) 🙂

Good Morning!

June 25, 2015August 28, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / Leave a comment

I woke up way too early this morning. The sun had yet to peak over the horizon and I was in dire need of caffeine. Still there were things that needed done. As I went about taking care of the pets and plants, I decided to take my camera along. I went looking for spiders, but oddly, none were to be found. Trouble followed me. The cat. That is her name. She always follows me when I am out for a walk. ❤

Wishing you a lovely day,

Melyna

Bountiful harvest from a small garden.

June 16, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 1 Comment

I have a small container garden this year. It is necessary until I get some raised beds built. Out soil is very rocky and the actual soil shallow.

Container garden

Green cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes. These are so sweet!

Pickling cucumber

Jalapeno peppers

Bell Peppers

Broken pottery herb garden. Topis chives and trailing rosemary (this did not do well and I transplanted it to another area) English Thyme and peppermint

Broken pottery herb garden. on top is chives and trailing rosemary (Not visible, this did not do well and I transplanted it to another area) English Thyme and peppermint

Garden Harvest

Last but not least, I planted a purple heirloom tomato. I bought a small plant from a local school that was having a spring sale from their green house projects. They were not sure of the variety. After researching heirloom tomatoes, I think this is a Black Krim tomato.

Black Krim purple heirloom tomato just beginning to ripen

It needed less rain and more sun than we have had recently. Unfortunately the insects found it when we had so much rain. I managed to get a couple of tomatoes that were good. The texture is good and the flavor is slightly tangy but not overly acidic. Here is what I picked this morning.

Black Krim heirloom tomato.

Backyard visitor.

June 14, 2015August 26, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / Leave a comment

We had a furry visitor at the bird feeders yesterday. This young squirrel decided the suet block with nuts and seeds looked like a great breakfast buffet. It must have realized the camera wasn’t a threat because it stayed there eating even after I called to it several times. It darted looks at me a if to say “Wait, just one more bite”, then finally decided to leave when I moved closer to the porch railing.

Squirrel on suet block.

Going for a bite of breakfast

Tasty!

Oops! I’ve been spotted.

Time to go.

Squirrel running down pole. Rather impressive.

Maybe if I walk on two legs they won’t notice me. (This is not the squirrel you are looking for..)

The birds were happy to see it leave, especially the Scrub Jay.

Scrub Jay on bird feeder structure

Glad the squirrel left some for me

Yummm, breakfast!

Hope you have a lovely day,

Melyna

Road Trip June 08, 2015 to Blanco Texas

June 9, 2015August 28, 2017 / coffeeandcapturedmoments / 2 Comments

Yesterday I took a road trip to Blanco, Texas to visit my sister of the heart. We have been friends for forty years. So, yes, she is my sister. As often as we can manage, we meet for breakfast. We picked Blanco because we like the town, it has a good feel and it is between where we both live. This week we decided to eat at the Redbud Cafe market & pub.

They serve a breakfast (brunch) on Sunday. They have Quiche and croissants and sweets for breakfast the rest of the week. Here is a link to their Menu. We met about 10:45 and opted for lunch instead. We have had coffee and dessert here several times but today I felt like trying something different. My friend is vegetarian and they have a nice selection of options to choose from. We both had the hot portabella mushroom sandwich. I had fresh fruit with mine and she had their homemade coleslaw. Unfortunately I did not get photos of the food. We were too busy talking and sharing photos and stories of what has been happening in our lives and eating. I forgot, but it was delicious.

They serve specialty coffee drinks as well at the self serve coffee bar with their own Redbud blend and today they had a Brazilian blend as well. If you prefer real half and half in your coffee, they have it. (I am very happy about this myself)

The Cafe is directly across from the courthouse on the square. You can sit outside and chat with passersby or just enjoy the fresh air.

Exterior of Redbud Cafe market & pub.

Inside is open and inviting. The tables are covered with oil cloth in an array of bright and cheerful patterns.

Interior of Redbud Cafe market & pub

They have a great selection of locally brewed beer from Real Ale Brewing

as well as their handpicked selection of local wines.

Redbud Cafe Bar area

Real Ale Brewing at redbud Cafe market and pub

and Live Music on the weekends.

Music schedule at the Redbud Cafe for June 2015

One wall is used for art exhibits. They are currently featuring artist, Melanie Fain

‘Bluebird’, Etching by Melanie Fain

One of the fun and interesting items on permanent display is a series of rainfall table starting in 1900.

Rainfall totals for Blanco Texas 1900-1920

Rainfall totals for Blanco Texas 1920-1940

Rainfall totals for Blanco Texas 1940-1959

Check out the rain totals for September 1952. yikes!

The owners of the Cafe, Jon and Jan Brieger, also have Brieger Pottery next door.

Brieger Pottery

They have a wonderful assortment of pottery, handmade items, locally made as well as imports (beautiful selection of items from Peru) including textiles, jewelry, soaps and cards. They have clothing, imported and vintage, plus used books, various antiques and knick-knacks. Be sure to explore their selection of lavender products. Blanco is known for their lavender festival which is happening next weekend: 11th Annual Blanco Lavender Festival