Christmas Party 2015

Friends, for your kind comments from my last post... 

thank you so very much. 

I have never, ever had 19 comments! 

I appreciate you all, every one of you. 

So... if anyone wants to skip this post, please feel free to. 

It's the family Christmas Party. 

We have 11 wonderful grandkids, from 3 months old to 23. 

Most were here. 

(One of my favorite pictures, and the perfect picture of son-in-law Jesse, 

who is the best dad to his three little boys.) 

The look on Keith's face about says it all. 

Great grandpa Ralph and the littlest one. 

Son Jim and part of his family (Madison and Chris missing) 

I really should have kept my Christmas jacket on!  

My walking buddies had to stay in the bedroom during the party, but Nathan and I took them out afterwards. 

And they got out in time to see the kids, whom they love. 

Another favorite picture!

Keith's mother gave us six place-settings and serving dishes of her 
Waechtersbach Christmas china, bought in Germany while 
Keith was stationed there.  
It is gorgeous! 

We'll be using it at Christmas for the two of us, and next year at the 
party. 

This is a pitcher and a large serving bowl. 

Here's Nathan at the bridge over Angel Falls... notice we did NOT go down to the creek with his clean shoes on! 

We took Nathan home to Garnett today, and 
are resting tonight.  One more trip... to Independence, tomorrow, to 
see son Jeff.... and then a quiet week for us. 

Gardening Dreams

If you have read this blog for very long, you know that I had 

large vegetable gardens and large flower beds at the "farm", as we 

call our four acres.  Indeed, last summer I spent countless hours out there, trying to 

keep the flower beds in decent shape (I lost that fight!). 

Here was the potato bed in spring of 2013.... I was getting ready to plant eyes and was building up the bed. 

And that year also, I started MANY kinds of tomatoes indoors, as well as 

perennials. 

Remember, we had not dreamed we would be moving. 

We also planted our vegetable garden with its' raised beds... 

here there is lettuce coming up. 

It wasn't long before we were eating fresh vegetables from our garden with dinners. 

Last year I put down a heavy straw mulch in the beds... big mistake. 

I ended up, at the end of the summer, using mulch on the beds... and on one bed never planted... thick, thick straw mulch, in "leaves". 

Remember, by this time, we were living at the new house. 

This is how I gardened at the new house, while trying to keep the old house going. 

This is what we were dealing with by August.  UGH. 

Everything was covered in weeds.  It was a MESS! 

This was the result of no one living there.  You have to do 

daily maintenance.  

You also (take note of this, new gardeners) should NOT build any of your beds under a huge old maple tree. 

 I used my hands, and bent and pulled... the ones I could not pull up, I dug up. 

Slowly, we began to see the beds again. 

It was NOT fun. 

Slowly, slowly, the beds came back, and you could see the flowers again. 

The dirt that we had lasagna - gardened, was still very good. 

Grandson Chris helped me one day... and then I dug and pulled the rest. 

Grandson Jake helped one day, at the end. 

It helped to be able to pull alongside the beds, so I could dump the dirt and mulch. 

Fast forward to today. 

First, I need to explain that we have still not rented the old place... Keith became very ill several times, and was hospitalized, and now we are getting used to Life on Dialysis. 

We did not have a garden here at the new house last year, except for one tomato 

plant in a big planter ... A Burpee Early Girl, which bore and bore and bore. 

We had no other vegetables, but we did have some herbs. 

We had some flowers grown in pots. 

See that fence line above?  I am going to have a man come 

and till the length of the fence line, inside and outside of the fence.  It will be 

flowerbeds, and one or two areas of vegetables, for tomatoes and beans. 

There is a big gate in the fenceline, and to the left of it, I'm also going to have it tilled up. 

I am not so sure about the area where the tubs are on end, on the left (sorry for the cloudy picture)... because that is where water runs off the terrace.  We had hoped to put a water garden in this area, where you see the bird - feeding poles... because it stays wet after rain.  That is something 

that will need to wait, I think, for a while. 

I have also learned that the birds do NOT like the swinging feeders... they sway too much in the wind. 

At the old house, they were hung from sturdy 4 x 4's embedded in the ground. 

I finally took the nice suet/seed feeder down and put it on the table, and as it is... no one has tried the suet at all.  

And heaven knows, I am getting plenty of cataloges! 

My son has asked me to start some seeds for him, so... next week... I'm going to load up my shop lights with their grow bulbs, and set up a seed-starting table in the basement. 

I kept my Fafards seed mix... and we'll get the whole shebang started over again. 

I am going through these old friends and starting to decide what to start this year. 

I'll take pictures as I get set up for starting the seeds. 

Someone asked me what I will do if someone rents our house this coming spring... and does not care to garden. 

Well... I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.  We won't be selling that house any time soon (thank heavens, because I love it so)... and if I have to remake the beds, I will.  I am going to try to bring some of the plants over here. 

Are any of you starting seed? 

Starting the New Year Off Right

The weather for the first day of 2015 held it's tenuous grip on 

bearable temperatures... for one more day.  We are descending into a 

real wintery mix for the weekend, with ice, sleet and snow predicted. 

Thank heavens Keith has dialysis tomorrow, but not Saturday and Sunday! 

We had a quiet New Year's Eve here, Keith watching the History Channel 

downstairs, and me watching the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" on 

Turner Classic upstairs.  (A great way to end the 50th Anniversary 

Year of the British Invasion).  

So... today, I took the dogs to the farm for a bit.  If it is 

bearable temperature-wise, we go. 

Oh, HI! 

Um.... Byeeee

Something was in the old henyard, or so we thought....

Nope, it was a VERY NAUGHTY Lilly Ann, over in Troy's yard. 

I need to stop and explain, for those who have forgotten.  Lilly spent the first seven and a half years of her life within in the confines of Calamity Acres fenceline.  The ONLY time she left was to go to the vet.  She was able to get out about 5 times in that time, and every single time, could not figure out how to get home.  We had to climb over fences to get her. 

Our neighbor's the Spehars now have a huge mastiff, Bob... who is protective, and there is 

no fence around their property at Troy's end. So... I am careful. 

Lilly knew she was in trouble, I yelled to her, and then ran up to the yard walk-gate, where I found it open.  

She came right away, back to the safety of our yard and pasture. 

The sky came alive above us, and they were going in every direction. 

I have a theory. 

The geese know the bad weather is coming, and are feeding heavily. 

Jester did zoomies around me for five minutes, and wore himself out. 

I can't find the little camera... I had it this morning... and I usually use it to 

film his zoomies. 

Lilly was okay with being in her own pasture... 

Because she's the Queen of it. 

She really shows her bird dog heritage. 

All of the sudden, far overhead... two birds appeared out of the northwest.  I ALWAYS keep an eye on Jester, and I immediately called him back to my side.  Long ago, our min pin Oscar was attacked by a large raptor, and wounded badly.  

I thought they were turkey vultures from a distance, but no.... here it is.... 

I think it's a red-shoulder, but I am going to have to look him up.  I'm so glad I 

called Jester to me, he was huge, and very powerful-looking. 

This picture is cropped... he was actually far above us. 

I filled the tank on the way home... can you BELIEVE this? 

Then, I dropped the dogs off, and took off for Wyandotte County Lake. 

I need to digress for a minute... 

I belong to a Facebook group called 

"I'm from the Dotte".  I grew up in Wyandotte County (Kansas). 

This group is 10,000 strong, but there are about 100 people who 

post regularly.  

Lately, several have been posting pictures of eagles, deer, geese and other animals that 

they have taken at Wy Co Lake, a huge recreational lake. 

There were just a few geese there. 

Actually, there were thousands of geese and ducks.  See that little white pin in the distance? (channel marker) 

There were scores more out there, in the middle of the channel. 

They appear to be in good flesh. 

And I was not alone in taking pictures, I was glad to see. 

Long ago, there were grain feeders stationed around the lake where you could buy a handfull of pellets for 10 cents and feed the fowl.  I think they have given that up when they 

let all the park rangers go.  Now, the sheriff 's deputies patrol the lake as part of their duties. I was glad to see, though, that the lakesides appeared to be pretty clean of debris and trash. 

It amazed me that hundreds of the geese and ducks were content to stand or sleep on the ice.  

Though there were many out on the open water, as well. 

Then, groups began leaving... taking off on the ice as well as the water. 

They were flying off in every direction.  Remember, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties still have substantial agricultural land, and the bean and corn fields come alive with geese in the evenings. 

Off they went, by the hundreds. 

I was craving some treats... and made a run to Walmart on the way home.  This 

particular Walmart is across from the Kansas Speedway, the NASCAR track in 

Kansas City, Kansas.  To the west are many of those fields... bean and corn... and as 

I got out of the car, I looked to see hundreds of geese in the skies there.  Our day had gone from 

sunny to gray, but there was a little sun trying to break through.  I was not (brave) stupid enough to 

get the big camera out in the Walmart parking lot to take a picture, though. 

I went home a little different way.... and found this lovely old barn in an empty pasture.  There are 

homes across the street from it, but nothing built on the side where the barn is located, and it's a beautiful pasture. 

And finally, here, flying away from me, is a Cooper's I saw on the way home. 

I have promised Keith as of this evening I will no longer stop on 155th Street, or Fairmount road, around our own neighborhood.  Too dangerous, and two many trucks coming full bore down these roads which have no verge, nowhere to go.  It was stupid to do so... but... on the less-traveled gravel roads, and the less-traveled paved roads... I'll still snap what I can see. 

I did see ONE deer... but she crossed in front of me in a neighborhood on my way home that is a little on the wild side.  I could not get the camera, I had slowed down because I frequently see a policeman at the bottom of this block... lucky thing I did, because she trotted right out and crossed the street. 

I also saw these guys, and there was absolutely NOT where I could pull over and take more pictures, there was a big group of about 20, 50 feet to their west. This is a little-traveled road, but 

no verge where I can park... only the driveways into people's homes. 

You know I love turkeys.  I'm going to figure out where I can park and look for these again. 

However... we have ice, sleet and snow coming in on Saturday, and terribly cold temperatures next week.  

Tomorrow... I'll go see my brother early on, and take the dogs for a run that hopefully will last them for the weekend. 

I hope everyone had a safe, happy New Year's Eve, and that your New Year has 

gotten off to as good a start as mine, and I thank you... again, for taking time to read 

our blog.