Catching Up

Friends, I did not know it had been a week since I last posted. 

Sometimes life just rushes past us. 

Yesterday was the second anniversary of our loss 

of Brandon, Keith's youngest boy. 

It seems as if time  has rushed these last two years, with this 

loss and our move, and Keith's illness. 

Anyway, I will try to get caught up. 

Here is a big-eared little friend enjoying some bird seed 

on the patio. 

Oh, if only his friends weren't invading the house, and 

making me realize that the feeding must stop for a while, and 

traps be set again. 

If I just didn't like to watch the birds so much! 

The babies are doing well, at least three are moving around and vibrant, 

and unlike this past year, I am seeing mother there daily feeding them. 

Yesterday was the Tractor Cruise at the Ag Hall. 

There were all kinds of old tractors, restored and not restored, all running. 

The participants (some were ladies) had driven them to Tonganoxie, and back... and were loading 

so they could go down to the barn and have a good dinner. 

While all this was going on... a troop of boy scouts was setting up shop to camp out 

last night.

They had other, smaller tents set up near the tree line. 

What a wonderful place to camp. 

And interesting companions. 

The scoutmasters (four dads) were 

overseeing the boys cooking on the grill. 

I hope they had a good night, because it has been storming here since

mid-morning this morning. 

I have been trying for many weeks to get a picture of a cardinal. 

This is a MUCH cropped picture, I was trying to get a picture of the mockingbird, 

and when I saw it in the camera I realized I had got him picking a bug out of the air. 

Serendipity. 

That's the National Farmer's Memorial mound behind him, throwing so 

much white in the picture. 

Look what I was working on yesterday! 

In the morning, I went to Leavenworth, where I bought tomatoes from a young 

woman who raises them in her basement, as I did last year. 

I bought four different kinds.  She also was selling geraniums she had started from slips... I bought ten, at a dollar apiece!  

I will be pulling the grass from the bales, but it also signifies that there are no herbicides in the bales (and that's a good thing).  

Then I stopped at Home Depot and got four pickling cukes and two watermelon slips. 

As you see, I filled the well in the middle of the bales and put the watermelons there, 

I will train them out the sides. 

See the tomato supports?  They are simply protecting the tomatoes for a few days, 

because they will not hold in the bales.  I am going to have to bite the bullet 

and build a trellis system, with some tee poles and some twine. 

I wish you could have seen the black gold that was happening in the 

bales, it was incredible.  I will try to get a picture this week. 

There were also lots of mushrooms that had come up and died off in the bales, 

also a good sign that they are working inside. 

While I was working, we had a flyover.  The Nascar races were this weekend at Kansas Speedway, about ten miles from our house. 

They actually flew over and back around at least six times.  

I wish you could have heard them! 

My feathered friends were chattering non-stop trying to hurry me along. 

The dogs had been out there, but it was very humid, and I soon took them 

back in the house. 

I will be working on the patio this week and will take pictures. 

Okay, this was odd.  

I turned a corner this morning on the way to church, and there were two hens walking down the road. 

The only people I know on this road that keep chickens are the people that sell eggs at the road, and these hens were about a half mile from that house.  

Strange. 

They were nice birds. 

I am not so sure that isn't a rooster above, now that I look at it.

I passed the little pasture pond I have shown you so many times: 

There are three birds in that picture. 

I turned the corner... 

Uh huh.  It's that time again. 

The sun was short-lived... and we expect storms off and on all week. 

It's storming again now, so I am going to end this long, long entry. 

I hope everyone had a grand Mother's Day! 

Thursday to Friday

I made a wonderful discovery in our yard last night. 

Remember this? 

That's the bog in our side yard.  Yesterday afternoon, after 3 days of heat, I 

went out to feed the wild birds.  I noticed that the bog was almost dried up, but, as 

I walked around looking at it, I saw movement.  I bent down. 

The remaining pool was alive with tadpoles!

I hurriedly filled the whole bog again. Then I worried, because of the chlorinated water, and came in and called my friend Jill.  Jill has numerous little ponds in her backyard, and told me to run to get some Aqua Safe, which dechlorinates... and I did. 

We are to get rain over the next few days, and I'll keep my eye on the tadpoles. 

I just love having them there! 

The horses I've shown you several times were all grazing up at the road 

yesterday... they are in such good health, they are sweating because it was very hot yesterday afternoon. 

Remember their bay companion?  I saw her the other day, she is still 

not bearing weight on the bad leg she hurt.  

She is being kept on stall rest, but was out for a few minutes as I drove by. 

The hurt mare is the other bay.  You see the rains have brought us wonderful grass this year, 

but... no hay has been cut yet, it has been too wet. 

I took this at 11:20 Thursday morning, and it was the second doe I saw this week during the daytime.  The other jumped out in front of me when I stopped for a turtle. 

This one watched us for a minute and then turned to go back in the woods.  She didn't go far, I could still see her standing in there, waiting for us to move. 

This is not a very clear picture, but this bird was doing his job, cleaning up the road until I got a little too close.  He flew back down when we left. 

Last night's sunset, but as you see, a storm was coming over.  It was not very strong. 

I helped at the Ag Hall all day today; we had a large group of 75 kids this morning, and 

three of us split them up into smaller groups, and led them from place to place. 

Keith came over for the first time, and was able to stay about an hour and a half, getting his feet wet.  He is going to volunteer during the summer. 

I went to take care of the chickens and found the lilies blooming away. 

My only surviving kniphofia, Red Hot Poker. 

Some of the sedum is already blooming. 

Dragonflies are everywhere, and so beautiful. 

There is still a stop-movement order for poultry in the state of Kansas, because of Avian Flu. 

There will be no poultry shown at any city, county or state fairs this year... and 4H 

poultry superintendents are rushing to figure something out for the youngsters to show 

their knowledge and be judged, without birds being present.  No auctions may be held, either. 

There are also rules about sales of birds off your own farms. 

The Kansas City Star ran an article about the fact that egg prices 

are climbing sky-high due to the losses of millions of birds to 

avian flu earlier this year, as well as chicken for us to eat. 

Those of you with small flocks.... treasure them! 

Bumblebees are so happy on the milkweed. 

Try not to see the weeds.   I have decided to spend Wednesday morning trying to tidy up the beds at the old house, but you see I am fighting a losing battle.  

We had some wonderful news in the last three days... Keith's sister's son, P.J. Higgins, signed with the Chicago Cubs after being drafted on the third day of the draft in the 12th round. 

P.J. was playing at Old Dominion University in Virginia, but will now be joining a Cub's farm team after orientation.  We are all so happy for him, because he is not just a good ballplayer... he is a respectful, hard-working guy.  We wish him the best! 

Look what I saw on the way home!  The State Bird of Kansas, the Western Meadowlark. 

Looking good from either side!

So beautiful. 

And then gone! 

Roadside Flowers and Rain and the Mystery Bird

This year has been wonderful for roadside flowers, and 

I am so happy seeing them.  

We had more rain today... there was supposedly only a 20% chance... but it poured and poured and poured. 

Corn is up, but many of the lower fields are under water, so we will see how it grows. 

concensus... 

Thank you, Donnell, Friend Jill and Old Friend Terry, 
that the mystery bird is 
the Western Meadowlark... you  know, the State Bird of Kansas! 

I had never seen one here... I had never seen one at the old house... but I see them all the time as I drive back and forth. 

That is, of course, not my picture, though I would love to capture one like that! 

Okay, I agree.  

The one I saw sure looked big, though. 

So, is this one?  (female) The beak does not look right... but maybe it's my foggy picture through the windshield tonight. 

Jes was ready to come home tonight, even though we made a very fast trip to the rain-sodden old house.  I can't go into the old henyard now without bug spray, it's ... buggy. 

Our side yard, as we got home. 

It has been full of water for three weeks, but it did go down enough that I was able to cut around it. 
Now, I'm afraid, we're back in the soup.