A Full Weekend

And I mean full. 

Friday night, my spouse treated me, his mom and dad, 

daughter Amber with husband Jesse, and their 3 kids, 

my son Jim and wife Amy and two of their kids, and our good friends
Troy and Kathy and their family to a party for my birthday. 

Yep, we were in a suite at the good old ballpark. 

(Keith's dad watching the doubleheader) 

Tiny baby Hayden, born just a month ago, was there. 

Sizzle the Mascot was there, along with Troy's daughter and 

grands... 

Here is your blogger opening gifts... my awesome husband 

gifted me with photography equipment... this is a professional-quality 

tripod.  The equipment is so awesome, I am going to have to take 

some lessons at Wolfe's camera to learn to use everything. 

Saturday, we were so tired ... and Keith had a bad day physically... that I took only a few pictures. 

Today, through, I had time to do some "playing". 

In 20 years of keeping chickens, I have always believed that a busy 

hen is a healthy hen.  I was given some old straw at the Ag Hall 

when they got their new straw for this year's hayrides... and I give a 

flake to the girls from time to time, since I don't let them in the pasture as of old. 

They have a blast with it! 

My beautiful Silver was used to running in the yard with the cochins that 

have gone home to my friend. 

She tries to get out every day when I go there.  She talks to me a lot, too. 

She and another hen are going to come here to live at some point, we 

already have a little coop for them. 

Here is our girl Lil laying on the new back deck here. 

I will show you this week... we had a very old, unsafe 

builder's grade deck here, and it has been replaced by two 

awesome framers from Sands Construction of Leavenworth, KS. 

It should be finished tomorrow, and I will show you the grand unveiling. 

I took this picture tonight with my new Tamron 150-600 mm lens

which Keith gave me. I was on the deck at the old house, and did not even have it extended 

the whole way.  MY GOSH.  I should be able to show you hummingbird eyeballs with this 

baby!  

Speaking of hummingbirds, the migration will be starting soon, so keep 

filling your feeders and tending your flowers for our little migrants. 

Hopping back to this morning, for the first time in almost four months, 

I was able to see the hawk's nest.  It has been hidden by leaves all summer... more proof that fall is coming like a freight train. 

The camera kept trying to focus on the umbels of the Queen Anne's Lace. 

I am going to collect some of these seeds. 

Can you see the tiny "no see-ums" in the air? 

They are everywhere right now. 

This is a blurry picture, but you get the idea... I came upon a murmuration of starlings. 

That wasn't even all of them!  Please don't let them find my house! 

This little guy was grazing right by the road... with the little pond still shrinking behind him. 

So goes another weekend in Leavenworth County, Kansas, 

end of August, 2015.