And Even More

Boy, talk about an un-original picture for tonight, but it rained and rained yesterday.  Today dawned cold and fine... here is what was in the little garden cart:

Compared to yesterday, I think we got about four inches all told, over the two days.  I noticed two small ponds on the way home that have perked right up with the rainfall.  It will help everything, especially our year-old apple and pear trees.

Here is what we are feeding the wild birds right now.

Yes, we're saps.  We love to watch the wild birds, and I discovered when home sick last week that crows are eating at our feeder.  I love crows. 

This is gamebird mix, with some extra black oil thrown in.  I could just afford a ten pound bag for 8.99.

Here are current prices:

Premium "Backyard Blend" mixed by our favorite mill in Bonner Springs, Valley Feeds:

27.95 per 50 lbs

Gamebird mix:

13.50 per 50 lbs

To be fair, they do have a cheaper birder blend, but it is all filler.  We can't afford Backyard Blend right now, and just for laughs, I asked what a bag of black oil sunflower seed costs:

35.00 per 50 lbs.

Right.

According to our miller, he expects black oil to come down dramatically in two weeks, I am not sure why.  Maybe there is a harvest happening somewhere. 

Anyway, for right now, the birds are getting pellets, some sunflower, and peanuts mixed in, courtesy of ME.  They seem to be liking it, and we are not getting the horrible wastage we were getting with the filler seed.

I'll take a picture of the base of the feeder so you all can laugh.

I am rushing to clean up and put things away before Keith gets home tomorrow night.  I am a magazine magnet... I admit it... and I just went through and bundled up the last two months of some for the thrift store, where they are given away.

The rest are going to recyle.  I can't bear to throw away Mother Earth, Hobby Farms Home and Hobby Farms, and Grit.  They went into the bookcase.  Hopefully the kitchen table will be empty by the time he gets here tomorrow night after driving clear across Kansas. 

Here is a gift my wonderful sister brought me on Saturday when we had lunch:

These are dresser scarves and doilies that belonged to my mother.  My sister is divesting herself of a lot of things, and she meant these for me.  I am so glad to have them, and will get them out over the weekend and take better pictures of them.  Some came from my Grandmother Mahoney, I'm sure.

If the weather stays decent, I can hopefully get some pictures outside tomorrow.  I wish I had been able to get one tonight... all three llamas were on point... staring at something on the side of Troy's pond.  They were on the highest point of our land, the barn pad.  I looked to see if I could see anything, but I could not in the darkening light.  Whatever it was, they were all transfixed, so it could have been a coyote or even a deer, that blended in.  We are seeing all too many dead already on the side of our roads.