Rain, Rain and More Rain

We had a whopper thunderstorm this morning and got two inches of rain in short shrift. 

Lilly stayed out all night long... I thought I heard her at 1 asking to come in (she scrapes the door)... and when I went to the door, I didn't see her on the deck.  At 4, there was a definite scrape under my window for her to come in.  She hates storms.  I saw lightening in the distance at 1, and 

more at 4. 

The storm started at 5, and laid a swath through Leavenworth, doing big damage at Mount Muncie Cemetery and the National Cemetery, both of which I have shown you.  Mount Muncie has those gorgeous old trees, so I will go over there in a few days and take a look.

Can you tell that I am standing IN water in the back yard? 

Our back of the back yard.  It's a long story. 

Yes, we have a pond.  

That's the side yard, by the patio.  See that bare spot on the left?  It's a mound of bad 

birdseed that piled up all winter.  It's REEKING.  At some point, I need

to dig it up and haul it out. 

Yes, I know you aren't supposed to leave it in the bird feeding area. 

It will get hauled out at some point, I have quit trying to hurry to do everything. 

Yes, the sun did come out this afternoon! 

After I helped with tours at the Ag Hall this morning,  I took the dogs 

for a short walk, as the humidity was still high. 

This pretty slider girl was helped across the road, and I watched to make sure she was oriented and started off again.  

Check out behind the calf... the pasture pond is so very full! 

It's been a while since the water came up to the cow's chests. 

I couldn't help it... I wanted to be sure the babies were safe after the hail and strong winds. 

They were! 

So are these babies. 

Keith and I noticed something in a planter out in front yesterday. 

It's hiding under the heuchera. 

It grew while I was gone today. 

A few days ago, I put one of my sweet potato plants out on the porch. 

This morning, it blew over in the storm. 

I picked it up, and look what I found! 

Too wild.  I'm going to cook it tomorrow night. 

I tromped through the water to look at the SBG... the plants I planted on 

Saturday look great!   

I was so glad to see this, I am really looking forward to it this summer. 

Gratuitous picture of my boy.  

I think this will make you laugh... turn it up so you can hear it, 

and sorry for the shaky camera work. 

We expect sun tomorrow! 

Let's Get Caught Up

Saturday morning, the third dialysis.  Kicked butt, believe me. 

However, Keith got to come home that afternoon. 

30 minutes ago, today... with all the bruising on his arms and shoulders artfully concealed... 

He did have his first four hour diaylsis this morning... I drove.... and was exhausted afterwards. 

However, he had a good nap and a good lunch and feels pretty good. 

His weight has gone from around 250 last week... to 193 today.  Incredible what his poor body was carrying around, and no wonder he was so sick. That was all toxic fluid. 

Our schedule is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 5:30 AM to 

9:30 AM... and I'll drive for a few weeks, until he gets in the 

groove. 

We had a make-up ball game yesterday... Jax got a GOOD hit with his new bat. 

And afterwards I ran the dogs out to stretch their legs. 

They are so happy at the farm. 

And getting to be pretty friendly. 

If you were to walk in the gate right now, this is what you would see... on the far side of 

Spehar's ponds.  I wait for it every year. 

Yes, I had the big camera. 

This is the view pulling back a little... that tree is actually along way away, across the two big ponds. 

I am getting to love this camera. 

Troy and Kathy's back yard is like a park... and so beautiful. 

And yes, I did some artsy shots, too! 

We're ready to go home, Mom! 

(It was hot!) 

As I came home from the library while Keith slept this morning, I stopped at the pond I showed you several weeks ago.  But... I have missed the color there, sadly. 

This little guy, a mallard, I think, was all by himself on the pond, you can just see him in the first picture in the left bottom.  He was picking at the algae, and the waves were bucking him around.  

I had just come from a friend's house, where these guys were eating in the yard. 

And there were some chickens and roosters running around, too. 

We have a new road ahead of us, but I think we'll be able to travel it... in fact, I know we will. 

A Sunny Sunday

Didn't quite get to the blog last night... I got a call Friday evening from my son Jim to see if I could watch his two youngest (my youngest grands) kids, Paiton and Jax, so he and Amy could go out for a while in the evening on Saturday.  The thing I like most about Jim and Amy is that they enjoy simple pleasures... they bowl regularly, and go to the Moose Lodge to relax with friends, and Amy loves bunco.  Nothing fancy, just regular - everyday- people fun things to do with their family.  Oldest son Jacob is involved in sports, as is Madison, but the two little ones are just still being kids.

I hurried during the day to finish the Saturday errands, and in the afternoon, Mr. Calovich came to seal up the pasture again.

He was very, very fair with us on the cost that he incurred, and we are grateful for that.

We will be buying seed this week, and starting the re-seeding of the pasture area that was disturbed.

Then it was on to Jim's, for the evening.

Jax at three is a typical little boy.  He will be four in October and 

is the only grand who likes animals like I do!  There will be a pony again at Calamity Acres in a couple of years because of this little blond boy.

Paiton is a girly-girl, but also very strong-willed.  She stayed up to wait for her parents, despite Grandma's finally having to put her in her bed at ten-thirty PM in hopes that she would drift off!

We had fun watching Yo Gabba Gabba!, Blues Clues, and other shows on Nick Jr., singing along with the characters.  I also got to meet Woody and Buzz, their guinea pig pets that they got a few weeks ago, and who have a big cage in Jacob's room.  Buzz talks to you when you pet him, he's very nice!

Up early this morning to go to church, and now home to clean this house that has been sorely neglected the last few weeks.

The flower garden is looking wonderful:

See that Big Old Dandelion in the middle????  It's being dug out this afternoon, along with all it's buddies!

I thought it was funny that the llamas were so unfazed by the pasture work that Aztec stopped for a spin at the Mom Milk Bar in the middle of the earthmoving.  I finally had to lock them in the corral, as they were so interested in everything going on they were in the way!

A Big Disappointment, but Life

Today the pond man finally came, and we were very excited that we were finally on the way to getting our pond begun.  His son came with him, with a smaller caterpiller, to help shape the ground. 

A short while after they started, they called Keith.

Here is what the pasture looks like:

A nice bowl was taking shape.

And the pasture above it was being contoured.

Until they hit this.

Yes, it's limestone shale.  It's deep and wide.  It's the reason, we know now, that the little four foot deep pond that the geese and ducks used always seeped at the east side.  Mr. Calovich explained that the amount of limestone in the soil meant that in order to make a real pond, he would have to break through the ridge running under the pasture, and then bring in enough soil to make a good dam.  Hundreds, and hundreds of dollars over the pond estimate.  He said even then he did not think the soil would hold the water right.

We have decided that tomorrow, the two gentleman will put the dirt back, try to make it as "normal" as possible, and then we will reseed the area for the llamas. 

No pond for the llamas to wade into during the hot summers, and even more importantly, no pond for geese and ducks to come home to here.  We have tried sinking a pre-formed pond for call ducks, and had to bail it out once a week, a nasty job.  With my back the way it is, that won't happen in the future.  I had always had a dream to have a pond with the stately geese swimming on it, and frogs singing on it's edges. 

Keith has said we will have a pond in the garden one day, fenced to keep the dogs from tearing the liner, so frogs will live here again.  In the meantime, we can hear them sing from our neighbor's big ponds so close, yet so far from us down the hill. 

We think maybe God has a plan, and we don't know what it is, for this dream to go away.  Maybe that money earmarked for the pond is meant to be used in some other way.  For now, it will stay in the bank, after we pay Mr. Calovich for the work he did. 

Linking to

at Verde Farm.

Random Wednesday

Lil got this one.

Our last two Wyandottes, gifts from friends Paul and Nancy.  Sadly, they have outlived Paul, who succumbed to cancer.  Sprocket, on the right, is fading now.

My favorite of the new blue silkies.  This pullet is one of three.  I managed to bring home a silkie cockerel, too.

The new chicks are doing very well, in fact, we're going to have to put the Welsummers and Partridge Rocks in their own deeper trough, they are getting so big already!

The little pond.  It's a clay hole now.  We have had some snow and rain over the weekend, and are expecting some rain tomorrow, to be followed by a few nice days.  I am hoping Mr. Calovich will be able to come up this weekend and start making the real pond, though it will be a mess for the rest of the year in the pasture. It has been so cold this week, the frogs have not been singing.

A New Era

Tonight, the pond man came.

It caused the llamas some consternation.  I could not get them on camera, but they were running around like wild things.

He had to pull the little pond out, to drain, so that it could dry out a little before he forms the new dam.

Of course, I stood there and worried about every frog I saw hopping from the pond and praying that they would not get squished by the big caterpiller.  Keith was golfing, so did not get to see it. He just got home, so is going to go down with the spotlight and look at it.  Mr. Calovich made sure the llamas had something to drink from before he started.  (a full, clean trough)

I'll try to take as many pictures as I can of the process.  We expect rain here tomorrow, and he really needs to let the pond area dry out a little before he starts in earnest, so it may be a few days.  We will end up giving up about an acre of the pasture for the pond.

Bye Bye, Little Pond.

(Addendum:  We went down after dark with the spotlight, and there were many frogs standing in the ruins of the little pond, singing their hearts out.)

A Short One Again

Another short entry tonight, the weather was gorgeous this evening, 70's, after snow on Monday!  Mother Nature has teased us all week.  Late in the evening, the pond man came to remind himself what needed to be done here to make a good pond for us.  As we have only five acres, we are giving up almost an acre for the pond, which will be stocked so that Keith, the grandkids, our friends and hopefully, my brother can fish in it.  I wish I had gotten a picture of Tony as he ran toward the strangers (the pond man and his son) when they and Keith walked into the pasture.  For protection itself, the llamas pay off.  Tony, Inca and Aztec all came up to see what was happening.  Keith has asked the pond man to please come only when he is there, since we have to worry about keeping the llamas in while he goes in and out the gate to the pasture.  The man lives down our road a mile, and is willing to do this.  We are having him tear down an old frame that Keith started out in the pasture for a separate shed for our turkeys many summers ago, and to fill in and modify some

ditches that were dug for a project never finished. 

There are two ditches and  you can just see the frame of the building behind them to the south.  The pond man will smooth all this out, and take out the foundation neatly. When we had the waterfowl, they loved to dabble in these ditches, and the frogs have loved them.

Here is the pond as it has been for three years:

It is basically a scooped out hole where Keith and friend took a bobcat, scooped out dirt to make a level pad for a barn (also to be built) and scooped down four feet at the deepest so the ducks, the geese, and Beau and Lacey had a place to drink out of and swim in.  The Pekins, the calls, and the geese loved it!  Unfortunately, as you see, it had no dam, and the bottom soon silted in. 

Then it breached, and does not hold more than two feet of water right now, though that picture was taken yesterday.  The frogs love it, but even they abandoned it last August when it dried up.

When the pond man comes tomorrow, (he has a name, Mr. Calovich) he will not only make a proper pond, 12 feet deep, but also a good dam, a spill pipe, and clean up around it.  We know it will be months before it settles down and fills, but the frogs will hopefully hop away and avoid the caterpiller, and come hopping back when he is finished.  Then I'll be doing the rain dance and praying for rain, to fill it. 

The llamas will still have two acres to graze and browse, and we have two acres of yard and gardens. 

All that planning and walking wore Keith, Abby, and Gertie out.

It will be about 3 times the size of the current pond.  We hope to build a small dock or a gazebo to sit and enjoy it, and for the guys to fish off of.  Of course, we'll stock it.  When I retire, I'll have some waterfowl again, in fact, to sit and watch them on the pond.

I wish I could tell you all that I will be here to take pictures of the process, but unless he comes tomorrow evening, I won't be able to.  I'll ask Keith to try to take a few. 

The Pond in September

Well, it rained last night, a gentle rain for hours.  The pond has a little water in it again, but I am dismayed to see that now grass is growing where the bottom of the pond was.  The frogs are ever hopeful, and some jumped as I walked down to see if it had retained any water.  It was never a proper pond, you see... but a hole dug out to make a pad to put a barn, still yet to be built, on.  At it's deepest it was four feet, but that has silted in, and the "dam" was simply dirt pushed up into a hill.  It has become torn up by the ducks and geese, though, over the last two years, and little animals tunneling in it.  This spring we realized it was seeping through into the pasture below it, and by the end of summer's heat, the water had gone. 

In the spring, perhaps, if we can save enough over winter and after Christmas, we will have the pond man come and make a proper pond, so that when we are retired we can stock it.  By then maybe we can have some ducks and geese again, because those feathered friends are gone now too.  This year has seen so many of our animal and bird friends go, either as gifts to friends, or like Uncle Beau, across the Rainbow Bridge.  The pasture at Calamity Acres is quiet now, except for Tony and Inca the llamas, and the chickens and roosters who are left.