Horses, Cows, and the 2009 Lunar Perigee over Brackettville

Above: The horses aren't ours but they hang out on our place. They are Jumper and Stetson and I hardly know them. They're very skittish but they stick somewhat close to the cows. They came running when they realized we were feeding the cattle this evening.

Feeding the cattle anything but treats is a relatively new thing for us--our grasses held out for a long while but this long drought has really kicked our butts and we're having to buy feed. Hopefully we'll have our irrigation system set up in another month or so, at least part of it, and then we won't have to feed anymore. It's SO expensive. And it defeats the purpose of having a grass farm.

Above: #50 giving my camera a good sniff.

Below: Bob of Blackholes and Astrostuff kindly left me a comment yesterday to alert me to tonight's perigee. Thank you Bob! Thank you also for the new, my third, pair of Hannah Montanna/Miley Cyrus 3D Glasses. They came in the mail today! Sweet!

Above: Such a cloudy horizon. I had begun to think I wouldn't get to see the moon at all. It finally began to play peek-a-boo with us through the clouds.

The big beautiful moon over Brackettville.

I've taken several shots of it in the last two hours trying to get one clear shot but I can't. Without a tele-converter lens, my camera just can't quite see it through the thin, cloudy veil overhead. Yet it's as bright as dawn outside. You know that sort of gray/blue light before you can see the sun's color in the morning? That's what it looks like outside. I half expect the sun to leap over the horizon when I look out the window and see that light.

Because of the clouds I also have no hope of shooting Pollux and Castor tonight--they are the two brightest stars in constellation Gemini which is right where the moon appears, from Earth, to be nestled tonight. You can read all about that HERE.

Below: a couple of extra farm pix from today. The first is Wes being followed by all the cows. Sometimes some of them are so focused on following him for food that they don't stop to eat what he's already set out. The second is of our newest additions. These two still have umbilical cords attached--although I don't think you can see them in the photo.

So THAT'S why everyone shoots horses that way!

Got Corn?

I've often seen large beasties shot this way. I never gave much thought as to why, just figured it was the thing to do. But I've never shot horses or cattle close up so I didn't know.... these animals don't give you much choice about this particular shot. If they're even remotely comfortable around humans and if they think you might have a bucket of corn hiding behind you somewhere, then they're going to keep coming at you and there you are, madly trying to shoot their serene and precious faces with their big wet eyes but they're still moving and by the time they finally stop (just out of arm's reach) this is pretty much the only shot you're gonna get.

More of these cloven hooved beasties.