Long Time No Post

We have had quite the weekend here in Leavenworth County, 

and I have not posted for several days now. 

It has been unseasonably VERY Cold, and 

we have had record-breaking low temps for the last week. 

NOT as bad as Buffalo, Thank God. 

Monday, I ran up to pick up my sister in law, and we went to visit 

my brother Pete.  This is the best picture of the group I took... he 

has broken his upper left arm in a fall.  He has become very, very frail 

in the last month, and is almost unable to communicate at this point. 

Yes, it hurts to see him like this... but he's my brother. 

He was the funniest, goofiest kid when he was younger...

was a teacher, and a fireman... and had a bug-control company on the side.
It's hard to see him like this.  

Yesterday was the FIRST time Keith has gone 

under an anesthetic for surgery!  I did not know this about my husband... 

and he had his permanent "fistula" connection implanted in 

his upper right arm.  He was anesthetized for the surgery, but he 

did not tell me until this morning that he has never had that 

happen before!  

Prior to going into the operating suite. 

Smiling. 

Six hours later.  No, the surgery was only an hour or so, but we were there 

all day.  He had to go to recovery... and did not go under the knife until 3:25. 

I freaked out, see his hands?  One was very, very pale, and one was dark and 

discolored. 

I asked the nurse... and then breathed a sigh of relief because the hand on the 

left here... the hand where the device was implanted on the arm... has betadine on it. 

He was still pale, and he did not feel a bit good. 

He's better today, but is sleeping as I type this.  He did go to 

dialysis this morning. 

I did not go out to the old place over the weekend, and agonized about the waterer on the porch there.  You see... the wild birds still use it.  I  knew it had frozen solid, but it was just so cold I couldn't go out.  I've become a wimp. 

I was delighted to see that it had started thawing, so any bird trying to drink would have been able to do so. 

I think I've thought of a solution for this problem, but I will show you in a few days. 

The dogs were in for four days, except for jaunts around the yard... so they were more than happy to get out there this morning. 

While I fooled around with the water fortex, the dogs disappeared into the pasture. 

I had to go in search of Lil, and finally saw her tale wagging at the brush pile, where Troy had cut the tree up.  She was pointing at something... I suspect mice. 

She was pretty intent on the search. 

Jester started looking, too. 

And for once, Lil did not go after him to warn him away. 

I took him away, though, after a while, because I worry about his getting his 

extruding eyes hurt with the branches. 

I took him in the old henhouse, and he was looking around carefully... I can't tell if the mice are still living in there, it is so quiet and empty. 

He could hear the pophole banging in the wind, and he kept stopping to watch it. 

I would have loved to see him around the chickens. 

Everything has died in the intense cold.  These were the big orange zinnias. 

I'm going to save a bunch of those seeds. 

In the monarda patch. 

(but not monarda!) 

Where "The Tree" was.  Now a sere, cold landscape in a week. 

Friend Jill is of the opinion that this is a young redtail hawk... and I think redtail or 

red-shoulder... juvenile.  He was perched on a pole on our way to the farm... 

and happily, was on the same pole on the way back! 

I stopped in the middle of the lane... no one was coming... and shot some pictures.  Jill suggested switching to black and white the next time so I get the detail in the cloudy day... and I will. 

Black and white would have shown you those hawk eyes better. 

A car pulled to a stop on the cross-road (gravel) and he flew off, but I suspect not far. 

I'm going to look for him again. 

You can see it was windy! 

Here's Jester, all-excited, getting ready to run down to the pasture after we got out of the car.  

We'll be back to our regular "programming" the rest of the week.