Catching Up on the Weekend

We had a good weekend here, and I'm sorry I did not 

get a chance to post... it seems my days have become pretty busy. 

The snow has begun to melt... and though we need more moisture, it's helping the ground and the fields around Tonganoxie that will soon be plowed. 

Meanwhile, it makes slogging through the chores a pain in the patootie. 

This is not the sweetness and light that hobby farm bloggers talk about. 

Here's Big Brother Pete in someone else's clothes on Saturday. 

The nursing home had lost his clothes in the laundry. 

I shopped three thrift stores at the end of the week and found him 

shirts and jeans and pants to get him re-clothed... but my point is that I am 

showing you that after his terrible sickness in January... he is adjusting well to nursing home life and has gained some weight.  He suffers from dementia, and though he knows me when I visit, he 

cannot care for himself, so is settling into his new home.  

And yes, it hurts me to see my happy go lucky big brother in this condition. 

These beautiful spring blooms were outside my brother Mike's room at KU Medical Center yesterday... Mike is fighting for his life at this point, and was taken back to the ICU yesterday morning. 

He has been hospitalized for over a month this time, and his poor family is 

worn out with worry. 

If you could all take a minute to pray for them, I would appreciate it very much. 

Little Abs has been trying to do chores with me now that it has warmed up a little... but she is so low to the ground that walking through the snow and mud leaves her a mudball from the chest down. 

I looked out the window yesterday and saw these two coming across the yard.  The pasture still has quite a bit of snow in it... and I am worried about coyotes running up from the bottom... so I let the goats into the yard for an hour. 

The other two were on the deck, eating the plants out of my pots. 

The ducks are soldiering on in their snowy yard... and still getting their lettuce treats.  They 

haven't noticed yet, but I opened the gate to the pasture this morning, so they could stretch their legs a 

little in the sun.  The bottom of the pasture has melted a bit, but the top is still pretty snowy. 

Thanks for bringing us some warm water, maa maa! 

You're welcome, Windy!

I wish this picture had come out clearer.  The white hen in the corner does not roost any longer, and she often covers the bantams with her wings, as if they were her chicks.  You can just barely see one little mille fleur girl, who was under her... and the little white bantam hen is often right at her side.  

Saturday night, looking down on the Spehar's ponds.  Simply gorgeous. 

The clouds were breaking this morning as I finished doing chores... and we have sunlight and 

38 degrees at 9:30.  What a blessing for us, after weeks of frigid temps! 

We are supposed to go to the sixties at the latter end of the week, and I hope to hitch up the cart and get a little of the mess cleaned out of the henhouses.  

I hope everyone else is getting a great start to your weeks... and thanks for remembering my big brothers in your prayers.