Bugs and More = Graphic Photo, so Warning!

This morning, I had to take Abby back to Dr. Tom for xrays.  She has become Un-Housebroken lately, and we are checking to see if there are physical reasons why. 

On  our road, just up from our drive, was this: 

It was a full grown possum, killed early this morning, because the blood was still wet in the road.  It actually was killed on the other side, and lifted by the buzzards. 

WARNING  - NEXT PICTURE IS GRAPHIC

That was all that was left of it at 4 PM, when I brought Abby home from her vet visit. 

God's Cleanup Crew, the black headed buzzard, does a great job at keeping our roads clean, and that's why I am telling you about this.  My immediate thought this morning was... "Oh, I need to walk down there and shovel that into the pasture so the road will be clean for the farm tour".  I didn't need to, there won't be anything left by tomorrow. 

Here comes Miss Rotunda, and I am so very happy to announce that she did not have any bladder stones.  Her failure to go outside for the bathroom appears to be behavioral, so as well as the diet, we are working on that.  I was so happy I couldn't wait to get her home.  The words "bladder stones" strike fear into my heart. 

These bugs, that I showed you last night, are "milkweed bugs".  They suck the sap out of the seed pods... so I am going to harvest some seeds before they are all gone.  They are harmless, otherwise, and quite colorful! 

Thanks, Jill! 

And, more good news! 

The Donald is back up on his feet and walking fine.  I am very glad about this, too... so pardon this picture from the derriere side. 

I topped all the waterers off tonight... as we are expecting  storms tomorrow.  We had a thunder and lightening thunderstorm this morning, but it moved out and the weather grew hot and fine. 

Now it is windy out, and tomorrow, we are supposed to plunge from 80's to 60's. 

Oscar's tree against the beautiful October skies. 

Yes, clouds are gathering again. 

Big and Little. 

No, we are not going to have a daily picture of Mr. T.  It just cracked me up, though, that he was laying there facing the hole to the outside, waiting for an unwary mouse to run in.  He's been in the same place the last three days, so the hunting must be good.  

My guess is, if we do go down into the 50's and 60's as is forecast, the snakes are going to go to bed early. 

And tonight, I got this in the mail from the Vet Students at Kansas State University. 

A remembrance of our little brown Kody Moses. 

How I miss him. 

I pray that they were as kind to him as they described him as loving to them. 

He was our good little boy. 

Sleeping in the sun in July.  

Rain in Our Hearts

It's raining this morning in Leavenworth County, and how we still need it. 

I did chores between onslaughts. 

I'm waiting now to go out and get the morning paper.  

Raining in our hearts, too, because we lost our little Kody Moses yesterday at the vet clinic. 

He had so many bladder stones he "lit up like a Christmas tree" as the vet said, when they xrayed him again. 

I have learned so much from this episode, but oh, how horrible a way to learn things. 

We will miss him so very much, as we miss his brother.  

Thank you , Alica, for sending me such encouragement and advice from your own episode.  I am so glad you were able to save your boy.  Not one of my goat friends here had ever had an episode of urinary calculi, let alone two in a month. 

Jocelyn... I saw your comment, and will you please write me at Ksredhead1950@gmail.com, so we can talk about it?  I would appreciate it. 

Donna, at Our Forest Haven... you made my Saturday a better one when we saw our boy suffering and were unable to reach a vet to help us... thank you for your always good advice when you are still recuperating from your major surgery. 

And thanks to everyone else for all of your wonderful comments and encouragement, Keith and I appreciate all of them. 

When we left on Sunday, Kelly was running up and down the pen, crying for his "brother".  He was hoarse when I got home that afternoon.  He spent yesterday eating hay and calling intermittently.  I knew we either had to make a decision to re-home him... and believe me, I was discouraged enough... or to get him a companion right away.  I called a friend from church whom I knew had goats. 

She agreed to sell me two girls that she had bottle-raised this spring. 

My dear friend Jill came over after work and we went to pick them up....

Kelly is not too sure about these girls, that are his age, but only half his size: 

Meet Winnie and Windy. 

Goat owners amongst you will notice the distended belllies.  They have not been wormed, have not had their CD and T shots, and their hooves need trimming badly.  I realize now that our boys exposure to not just their little boulder pile, but access all over the property is helping to keep their hooves down. 

Because they are bottle babies (though weaned) ... they are gentle and friendly as Kody and Kaycee were. 

Kelly let me pet him on Saturday. 

Yesterday evening, while I sat and talked to the two new babies and loved on them... he quietly came up to me and stood with his head down a little.  I reached over and began to scratch his back along the spine, and did this for 3 minutes, talking to all of them and scratching the girls with my left hand.  Then I gave them all a pat and stood up, and he stood there looking for more.  It has taken almost 2 1/2 months to get to this spot, so no... I don't want to rehome him or give up on him.  He is a nice little boy. 

Sunday, when I got home... I sat for an hour in the barn with him. 

We sat so long, talking (!) (okay, I was crying) that he began to doze off.   I realized that Kody was so like a big dog that Kelly was always in the background, and I did not pay attention to him.  He was not as spectacularly marked as Kody and Kaycee, but he is a lovely young goat, nevertheless.  We began to be quite good friends after this, and he followed me to the gate. 

I also noticed how well his mama taught him... he is a good hay-eater, and went to the minerals while I was in there. 

That's good, because the vet told me yesterday no more commercial feed for them. 

Tomorrow, I'll take Windy and Winnie separately to our vet here in Tongie for a well-baby check, for shots, and for worming advice.  I'll talk to him about the advice I got from K State and go from there. 

I did purchase prairie hay, four bales, and am mixing that with the brome I had left.  We intend that Kelly will not develop the urinary calculi that killed our other two babies. 

I just realized, looking at this picture, that Kelly appears to have a heart on his forehead! 

Whew, that was a jarring change of pictures, wasn't it? 

I show you this because I truly lost my temper at him. 

See where his tail hooks up to the left, and yes, it WAS a big thick one? 

I've never seen a snake swallow an egg so fast... he coiled up and got ready to srike when I took hold of that tail above just out of view the left of the picture, and gave it a shake. 

Guess what?  I went back out there about ten minutes later, and he was long gone. 

It is still raining steadily here, so I think I'll grab a hoodie and trek out to the gate to get the probably sodden paper. 

Our prayers are going out this morning to all those affected by yesterday's shooting... and to those who are stranded or have lost so much in the flooding to our west.  

We are so blessed here in our wet little world. 

And the Winner Is....

The winner of 

"Chickens in the Garden" by Jessi Bloom 

is
"K".  

K, if you will contact me here at the blog, or at Ksredhead1950@gmail.com, I'll be glad to get the book to you. 

I did stop by your gardening blog at 

"K's Garden" 

and left a comment, too, so I hope you see one of them. 

Congratulations, and thanks for commenting! 

Guess what time it is again? 

Time to trim Buffy's beak... already.  See how long it has grown?  

I've never had a chicken that has grown a beak as long or as fast as this one. 

She is almost five now, and no longer laying, but she also layed longer than any chicken I've ever owned. 

Someone asked yesterday if the goats were eating the flowers. 

In a word... YES.  I didn't really mind because the petunias were about finished.  The two mums you see have not been transplanted yet... and oddly, they are not nibbling on them, the plants just need to be trimmed.  The only thing they really damaged was the balsam... and I have plenty of seeds from it for next year. 

Kody, pictured above, has not been himself for three days now, and I am quite worried about him.  I am keeping an eye on him this afternoon, he is not his usual happy little self.  He did do a little browsing, but is laying outside now in the yard in the shade. He is not running and jumping as he usually does, and I went out to do the henspa water, and no happy goat came running to see what I was doing and get in my way. 

I won't hesitate to call the vet tonight or tomorrow if we need an emergency visit.  Kelly is sticking close to him, I notice... but he is showing the same signs as Kaycee did. 

Someone else is very happy that the horrible heat has broken.  We are at 81 degrees this afternoon, and I have jeans on. 

I am going to stop here now.  We have been watching Kody and are worried about him.  I have called our vet and left a message with a "911" notation after it, and described what was happening. 

I'm going to go out and check him now and wait for her call. 

Foiled by Daddy!

We have had a bad problem with the goats getting into the old henyard. 

You see, there is no shade in their yard, and the old henyard is completely shady.  I can't blame them, really. 

The problem is, they like to eat the chicken feed... AND... the other real problem is that they began tearing at the drywall in the henhouse. 

Drywall in the henhouse, you say????

The old henhouse here was used as a place for children of those who were picking strawberries on this strawberry farm to stay while their parents were picking.  It had air conditioning and a heater, and the young boys of the family who lived here before us used it as a clubhouse.  It was left a nasty wreck by those teens after we closed on the house... but that's another story. 

We converted it to a chicken coop. 

Snakes and mice began to tunnel and live behind the drywall with the effect that nearly all the electrical sockets in there are out.  Thank heavens I won't have to run a line to a water tank OR to the little red henhouse, which is now closed up, this winter, because there are only two sockets working. 

Someday.... we intend to tear it down.  Someday. 

Last night I had a scare... Kody exhibited some of the same signs as Kaycee did, discomfort in the belly, peeing, etc.,  I came in and told Keith, who, to give him credit, sprang up and went out and looked for some plywood. 

Here is the result: 

Ta da! 

Here is the "entrance" to the henyard.  Unfortunately, most of the hens have not realized what it is, they just know their gate is closed. 

HEY!  What's the deal here????

Our gate is closed!  (on left)

What's THIS thing? 

No problem... I can.... ugh... get in... ugh.... here.... 

NOT! 

Ummmm maybe we'll just eat some of this grass for now. 

The boys were foiled, thanks to Keith.  

For today, they are in the yard since I am home all day, until evening, when I must go get Nathan. 

I try to keep them in the yard many days, as there is lots for them to browse on, water on the porch for them, and safety and shade. 

I don't mind sweeping a few goat berries off the deck now and then. 

How glad I was to see Kody playing normally this morning! 

And you see... I have replaced our beautiful red, white and blue petunias that smelled so luscious all summer with the colors of fall, and mums. 

In an effort to get everyone interested in the new doorway, I poured some corn inside and outside.  The ducks immediately came over to see what the corn was all about, but the chickens have accepted that they are prisoners.  There IS one hen on the outside... she went over to the goat yard earlier to lay an egg.  I'm hoping she figures out where the hole is, and shows it to everyone else. 

That's okay, Mamaaa... I like it better HERE anyway! 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the book shown on yesterday's post... 

We'll be pulling a name in the morning! 

A Different Load on the Duck Pond Express

This morning, I carted the debris Chris and I had cut down to the brush pile, which grows ever larger in our pasture.  At least little critters have some cover under it! 

I wish some quail would move in!  We have not seen quail here now in three years. 

Then I came back up to start the sprinkler in the garden for a while, since the hot sun these last few days has really beaten down everything. 

Pitiful, huh?  It's the pumpkins. 

They are getting water daily, but the sun is just beating them to pieces.  They were all perked up and nice this morning.  The draining raised bed is not for them, I'm afraid. 

The garden mums are about to start their fall display, just when the petunias have ended their summer show. 

I am watering in this bed this morning, but this mum and the one behind it are about to burst into flowery flame. 

I cut down the now-spent sunflowers, and Chris and I cut weeds and pulled vines off the compost area. 
That's a small tree growing there on the left, and I am going to cut it down this week.  Chris will be back up in October or late September to cut down a number of saplings.  You see my helpers were hard at it this morning. 

There is still some color in the beds... and you can see the sunflowers that were about to get loaded in the cart and moved down to the brush pile.  As much as we enjoyed the sunflowers, they are going to be planted somewhere else next year. Their massive stalks had to be sawed through, literally... and their roots will pull up big holes in the beds, that I'll  have to haul dirt to fill in.  I want to pass on that next year. 

And here's the Duck Pond Express, loaded with fall decorations for the house... let the decorating begin! 

Please PLEASE don't go to work, Daddy! 

Sprinkler Time

We were sprinkling...

And swimming...

And wading....

And drank lots of cold, good well water...

Because guess what? 

Guess what else? 

The petunias gave it up in the heat. 

Let the fall  mum planting begin! 

(your blogger went down for the count after morning chores and church for a good three hours.  I revived to do afternoon chores... twice... so everyone has had good cold water multiple times today, and the popholes are staying open again tonight. 

In other news, the goats ate half of the balsam on the deck. 

Oh, well.) 

The Good Shepherd and More

I often mention the food pantry, and I thought I would show you a picture of it. 

The Good Shepherd Food pantry is supported by the thrift shop that is part of it.  This little building was a house, built onto. 

The volunteers here come from all the different congregations in Tonganoxie. 

As you can see, our shelves are currently pretty bare.  It's the end of summer. 

Ummmm... there IS some cereal.  We are low on soups, boxed potato mixes, etc.. 

The grocery store here, B and J Country Mart, is extremely generous to the pantry, and there is often salad mix and lots of baked goods to give to those coming in.  

On Tuesday and Thursday, the inmates at the Lansing Correctional Center deliver fresh produce here and several other places in Leavenworth County, to be given FREE to those who would like to have it.  

Our eggs have gone here for several years now, and a another lady has begun bringing some eggs, too. 

Keith and I are trying to get a few extra boxes of food each time we go to the store, and then taking it down with the eggs.  

I want to thank everyone for their kind birthday wishes... my birthday was actually last Sunday, and I had a most peaceful one here at home with my Honey. 

63 years YOUNG! 

Keith took this picture last night at the T Bones last game.  It was 102 when we left to go. 

This picture is remarkable for ONE THING. 

I NEVER WEAR FLIP-FLOPS (Thongs) OUTSIDE IN PUBLIC!!!!

I wore them Friday night and Saturday night, and I was glad I did!  

My gosh, it was hot and humid at the game, but we did enjoy watching our team for the last time this year.  I even tried to eat a hot dog (I can't swallow bread, really) and the kind lady to my left, who was sitting next to me, moved down with her husband when the rest of the row remained open, so we could all breathe a little easier.  Whew. 

I drank a LOT of cherry lemonade this season! 

We called flip-flops "thongs" when I was a girl, and that's how I still think of them! 

I've noticed in the mornings that the chickens in the old henhouse are slower and slower to come out. 

Even the (little) Big Guy didn't want to come out in the morning's humidity. 

Buddy stayed inside with the hens. 

And Boots at the other pophole wasn't much for coming out, either. 

Of course, it might have been Abby, the Scourge of the Chicken Yard, keeping them in.  She had just chased the ducks when I took this picture.  I had to escort her OUT. 

The asclepias is still going strong, and see the most unusual seed pods on them?  Wow!

That's a volunteer sunflower growing up amongst them. 

In fact, the hot border is still giving us plenty of color here at the end of August. 

I took this early this morning while it was still pretty clear, and I'm happy to say it's now very overcast.  I'm going to do some water and maybe cut some grass this afternoon.  I can't believe how much it's growing after the heat of this past week. 

I also ran to Walmart after I delivered eggs this morning, and bought some 1.98 mums in yellow and white. 

I can't wait to show you all what I'm going to do with them this afternoon. 

And what post would be complete without these guys: 

Ritz Crackers taste pretty good now, don't they, Kelly? 

You already know that, don't you, Kody?

Notice that Kelly is now almost as big as Kody! 

This is NOT a dead Polish hen. 

She is SUNBATHING.  

Incredible. 

PS

Keith has just come in from the post office to tell me that it is raining in Topeka, 50 miles to our west.  It is so overcast here that I am crossing my fingers.  

YAYYY. 

Everyone have a safe start to your Labor Day weekend! 

The Last of the Beans

You can read a "thank heavens" behind that line. 

'

Yes, there ARE bean plants in this picture.  We are on the "green side".... yellow beans are planted on the east side of these beds.... and the weeds in back are growing amongst the melons, so I can't cut into them for fear of tearing the melon vines up.  The problem in this picture is that the entire middle of this bed has grown up with bristly greenbrier, which HURTS when you grab it accidentally.  Try as I did to dig it all out in the spring, it has all grown back up.  We are going to take the supports out, and dig the whole bed up to remove it.  We... I mean, I am going to. 

The poor pumpkins.  That's what the heat and yesterday's blowing wind did to them.  They got three buckets of water.  Then the other three went on the melons on the other end. 

Can you see the melons peeking out?  These are the muskmelons from Baker Creek I planted... "Collective Farm Woman", and the melon, "Kansas".   Both are doing very well, considering they were planted one on top of the other.  

While I was changing out frozen water bottles in the henspa, I checked the nest boxes.  Lest you think we are buried in eggs... these under Reddy were IT. 

This actually alarmed me, and really, still does. 

The box next to it had a lot of feathers in it, too.  I did a quick look around. 

Here are the three girls who have been setting forever, and they seem to be okay.  I've noticed that we are going into the moult VERY early.  The Farmer's Almanac people announced this week that we are expecting a VERY COLD winter.  Could this be why feathers are dropping already?  Can you see little Bitty in the back of this corner? She has pressed herself up against the wall and is laying her daily egg.  She has also been broody for weeks. 

I did not see little brown Fluffernut, so I am going to look for her tonight. She has also been setting. 

Watch out for the brier, Kody!!!

Everyone appreciates a cool drink at midday, and these waterers will all be changed out again at 5. 

Kelly got tired of waiting for the green beans, and laid down to chew his cud for a while. 

These guys are my granddogs, Shiner and Jester.  I stopped to see my son Jim this morning, as he has become laid up for the next six weeks with a broken ankle.  

Ouch! 

Here he is this morning, still in his soft cast.  Jim works out every day of his life... and drives a truck for a living, so he is going slowly crazy from boredom and lack of activity.  He was trying to show me something on his phone and I was just.not.getting.it. 

The soft cast will be replaced, he thinks, by a hard cast on Friday. 

And finally, 

here are Kelly and Kody five minutes ago at the door. Kelly had been laying there right on the doorstep, but heard me come up. 

And this was the scene on the inside: 

Aunt Abby, who could tell her little friends were out there, was listening for them! 

Everyone try to stay as cool as you can!