Back from the Edge

I have good news!

The illness was not covid, or flu.  I am diabetic... I have been on Metformin for 18 years.  

Six months ago, my doctor added Trulicity, a once-a-week shot.  I began experiencing side effects almost immediately... fatigue, no energy, diarrhea (constantly and without warning) and no appetite, and when I was able to eat, I could not keep it down.  I became dehydrated over and over. Finally, last month, a nurse practitioner at the walk in clinic where I go told me it was time to go get hydrated at the emergency room. 

So, I saw my own doctor for an hour, face to face.  He told me that the AMA recommended a month or so ago that if someone was on Trulicity, that they take no other diabetes drugs.  He stopped the Metformin that day. 

Friends, within 24 hours I felt better, even though meds stay in the bloodstream for a month. 

Within 48 hours, I felt like I was back to normal. 

I have been full of pep, getting over 8000 steps a day on my fitbit... I am able to not just do chores but tackle some of the projects around here, too.  I have thanked God and my doctor over and over. I was getting a double dose of diabetic meds, and a double dose of the side effects. 

I actually had talked to my son about funeral arrangements! 

I am helping again at the National Agricultural Center, and in fact, I am rehabbing one of the exhibits.  I would not have been able to do it even three weeks ago.  It really is a miracle. 

Thank you for all your prayers, I appreciated them. 

There ARE times I can't get the steps in!  Those two look for an excuse to pin me down. 

Last time, I wrote about how I was changing the way I feed wild bird seed.  I have a friend who is The Bird Whisperer.  One day, I contacted her on Messenger, to tell her what was going on, and that I could not keep buying the expensive feed. (She also used to buy it).  She told me that she only put our FOUR cups of feed a day, and when it was gone, it was gone.  She told me she was feeding ONE fancy feeder, stocked with only one kind of feed to attract specific birds and that the feeder had a cage around it to prevent larger birds from getting in.  She is going to keep me appraised of how it is going. 

We talked about hummingbirds... we both feed them.  I am going to put two feeders out, and that's it.  I keep them scrupulously clean. 

So... what I did was go to Walmart, and found a nice young woman employee to help me lift a 50 pound bag of black oil sunflower into my basket, and a 40 pound bag of Pennington deluxe mix into the basket. I got up to the checkout, and asked for help loading it into the basket... and was sent to the "money services" counter for customer help, because I was told the utility people did not answer radio calls.  The wonderful assistant manager himself came out to my car and lifted the heavy bags for me, and I spent right at 50.00.  I have only used half of it... I bought it last Saturday, a week ago yesterday. 

When I got home, I pulled the bags off onto the ground and then bucketed the grain into the can, mixing it as I went.  Here is my report:  The birds are eating it just as they did the more expensive brand.  There is some wastage, but not much.  I have trained myself to NOT look over at the feeder, so I won't be stewing about who is or who is not eating.  I put a bucket (about eight cups) on the feeder in the morning, and about a half scoop in the Frisbee on the ground I feed the squirrels on. In the evening, I pick up the Frisbee and pour whatever is left on it on the feeders, so that the late-feeding cardinals have a meal. 

They are the last to eat daily. 

Cardinals and cowbirds. 

I am using a small Rubbermaid square container and putting 

one container of finch mix on the small platform feeder, along with some mealworms mixed in. I have noticed the last two days that the birds are not eating a lot of it, so I only put a bit out this morning.  We have had high winds many days in the last seven, and the wind is back up today. We are facing severe storms, too, this week... and I suspect the wind is discouraging the birds from eating. 

Now, if graphic pictures bother you, don't look.

My tiny little black Silkie hen was killed by the two Silkie roosters 

last Sunday.  I saw them fluttering about from the kitchen window and went out to see what was happening, but I got there too late.  She was still warm.  I could have wrung both their necks.  It is spring, they are in Breeding Mode... I didn't dream they would kill her, though they had killed one other hen last summer, also a Silkie.  They are in with the seven red production layers, but cannot reach them... so... I feared for Olive, the tiny Silkie left with them. 

Olive doesn't even weight quite a pound, and already had a bare back and a plucked clean head from being chased by them.  I removed her and let her spend the rest of Sunday in the brooder pen where I keep Brutus, Mary and Martha, also Silkies... but they would not accept her.  So... she spent the week in the big hen house, in the second brooder pen.  She acted so dejected that I borrowed a cage temporarily from the Ag Hall, and last night, I put her back in her own house. 

I did put her down with the other birds this morning, but the roosters immediately chased her outside and jumped on her while fighting each other, so she is back in the pen, you can just see her on the upper right.  I have checked on her three times today, she is not happy... but I do not want them to kill her.  My goal is to get a rabbit hutch and put it in there, and she can have a nesting box and some space to scratch in.  

Did I say that all this catering wears me out?  Truth. 

 

Zoey is sitting like this right now, watching the chickens scratch around in the yard.  She seems so happy here, and I hope that is true.  She comes to the side of the bed after I get in bed at night, and stands up and hums to me, telling me she wants on the bed.  Then she gets over on "her" side and sleeps soundly unless one of the cats jumps too close to her in the night.  In the morning, she rolls on her back and gives me baby eyes until I rub her tummy for her. 

Things are greening up, fast.  I sent my John Deere large lawn tractor away to be cleaned up and tuned up for the season, and cut a bit when it was returned on Thursday.  I thought I would cut today, but it is so windy I am waiting.  

If you click on that, you can see the chickens sunning themselves in the garden. 

There are three out there right now, laying so still in the sun you would think they had died. 

Like this! 

Singleton is still the boss of his dad and his brother. 

However, he also is the rooster that goes in earliest.. he was at the Ag Hall three years ago, and they got used to going in at four.  He leads his little flock of two hens back to the big henhouse early on, like 6 PM.  I was used, in the past, for the flock to stay out until dark.  Now... I go out with treats at about 6:15, and the red hens follow me right into their house, and I give them their treats and lock them up.  

There are only seven hens, all old, left in the big henhouse.  They know it is treat time, and start to move in.  Ferdie and Buddie follow them, and within thirty minutes, they are mostly in. Buddie keeps his dad out for a while, and then I go out, make sure they are on the roost, and lock the doors. 

Martha, Mary, and Brutus get carried in as soon as the red hens are in. 

I like getting them to bed early. 

2/10s of a mile separates me from Highway 24-40.  I cannot see the highway, except for gaps in the trees.  Directly across from where my road comes out, there was a large farm when we bought this place in 2005.  The people there lost part of their frontage when the highway was widened.  The man who owned it bought buffalo, and put them on the pasture.  He did nothing with them, and when he died, the daughter moved out and the buffalo were, in effect, abandoned.  Their pasture has slowly become covered with red cedar.  A few years ago, three broke out and were killed on the highway. 

Neighbors at the back complained that they were breaking out over there, looking for grass.  The "owners" live in another suburb in the next county, and I believe want to forget them. 

Two years ago, they sold the front thirty acres to a developer, including the house and barns, and he cleared the acreage.  

I have asked the local Humane Society to look into it, and it seems everyone's hands are tied.  I called the sheriff's office once about them, and was told "they are wild animals that can take care of themselves, little lady".  He actually called me "little lady".  I don't know how they are going to take care of themselves with one small pond and all the acreage turned over to cedar trees.  As you can see, there are at least two big bulls left.  I happened to have my camera in the car one day last week and turned out to go to the post office before going to the ag, and was surprised to see them so close to the front. 

I just realized all the pictures are blurry... I apologize. 

Bullseye, the birds can see you. 

Zoey wants everyone to have a good week!

 

The Buffalo

Two days ago, I showed you pictures of the buffalo across the 

state highway from our old place. 

They are magnificent, are they not? 

I saw them as I came out of our road at the 

highway (called either State Ave. or 

24/40 highway) and decided to turn left. 

Now, a story about them. 

The owners had to surrender all their animals at one time, 

but the buffalo were eventually returned. 

They have about 100 acres.  

The people who lived there no longer do, the house is 

largely burned, but there is the large pole barn you see here, and another smaller barn to the left. They still own the property. 

There was a gentleman living there in a trailer, but he has been gone at least since 

we first lived there. 

Two years ago, I came upon a dead buffalo cow on the side of the road, and 

a mile farther, another.  I was told then that they are frequently getting out at the back 

of the property, but this was along State. 

Over the last three or four years, the red cedar trees grew up on and in the fenceline, until you could no longer really see into the property.  In the last few months, someone is clearing the red cedar in the pasture, and along the fence.  

When the buffalo saw me stop, the cows and calves immediately came down the hill to the fence to see what I was doing, just like cows everywhere. 

Leavenworth County Humane Society, and the Humane Society of the United States 

are both aware of the buffalo, but there is not a lot that can be done.  

The Leavenworth County Sheriff's office advised me one time (in the

tone you can imagine) "... "Little lady, those are wild animals and they can take care of themselves just fine".  

There are two ponds on the property. 

So, I have not talked to anyone yet who knows what is going on, but here 

is the rest of the story.  I suspect it has something to do with the clearing. 

There is a large pond on the next property over, which is unimproved, 

meaning no structures.  The owners want to put a fishing operation 

in there, along with a trailer parking operation (where people can 

park their recreational trailers while traveling).  We, in the neighborhood, are afraid it will 

turn out to be a trailer parking "neighborhood" that will bring property values down, 

and we have protested it over the past year.  

I suspect this clearing has something to do with that, but as I say, I don't know for sure yet. 

So, putting out feelers. 

In the meantime, I'm enjoying seeing the buffalo again. 

The Reason for the Absence

Nothing like an entire month in between posts, especially when I told you I would be posting more regularly! 

I have rarely been posting on Facebook, either. 

So what I have been doing is this:

That is the view from the porch of our old house. 

Our renter moved at the beginning of April, 

and I have been going out there daily.  

I don't know what to do. 

The house is not in good repair, but the property 

can be restored, the whole property, uncut yard, uncut 

pasture... overgrown garden beds.  

I'm going to be 67 this year, and only TWO friends 

think I'm not nuts. 

My kids and step-kids think I'm crazy to leave this beautiful 

big house and squish back into the little house. 

The little house needs 4 months worth of work done on it, first, 

and it's almost May.  

See what I've been doing?  Going back and forth, literally and figuratively.  

That's the lilac I raised from a six inch high cutting given to me by 

Kathy-next-door. 

Lilly Ann was raised from a puppy there, and she is so happy when 

we are out there. 

As you see, the garden beds are almost unseen in the grass. 

The view down the hill to the Spehar's ponds. 

I can't get down into the pasture, it's so overgrown and there 

are burrs.  I let Lil in the first day, and she got covered, we had to go to the 

vet for her to be shaved in several places.  So, no morel hunting in my tiny 

patch of woods, out of sight to the right.  

My plan is to get it mowed, and keep it mowed. 

At least that's today's plan. 

My beautiful vegetable beds. 

Three cats are eating on the porch (you knew I would feed them). 

One, the one on the bench, was left there by the renters.  I am going to try to trap and neuter it. 

The other cat is also fed by the neighbors across the road. 

The third, not in this picture... is a grey tabby, and acts like a feral cat, it does not 

like to be around the other two. 

All I know is, the bowl is empty in the morning. 

That's the other reason the food is all gone by morning. 

I bedded down the henspa to move the hens from the ag hall out there... but 

have not done so.  I won't do anything until my mind is made up, one 

way or the other. 

There are many factors involved.  Yes, this big house is 

gorgeous and in a good neighborhood, but an unfortunate neighbor 

dispute happened here, that involved a drawn-out court case. 

That case is finished, but we also have a case with the people 

who sold this house to us, who failed to advise us of the prior neighbor dispute concerning this land. 

It is a big, nice house that would sell fast.  

Why would I want to move back to a tiny little house 

that needs so much work? 

Keith's handiwork is all around me there, but that's not even the reason. 

I just love it, I can't explain it.  I had the same kind of feeling for the 

first Calamity Acres, too, and I had to give that up. 

I just don't want to give this one up. 

It's pretty simple. 

So, I'm still agonizing.  

I'm going to get an opinion from an agent as to what the property is 

worth at the moment on the open market, with the house "as is". 

There are almost NO small acreages listed in Leavenworth or Wyandotte Counties, 

Kansas.  It would be a great building site, with a deep well and new septic already in. 

So... we'll see.  I'm praying about it.  I have been for weeks. 

So, as the dogs and I left today, we saw this: 

We are 2/10's of a mile off a busy state highway, 24/40, also 

called State Ave.  Remember, I have shown you the bison herd that is directly north of us 

at 198th and State on the north side.  In the last year, red cedar has grown up in their pasture so badly that the grazing was almost gone.  Red cedar trees also had grown into the fenceline, and that fence was put up by the state.  Some time in the last 3 weeks, someone began clearing the red cedar from the pasture, and this morning, a quarter mile of fenceline had been cut down. 

When I pulled off the road to get my camera up, the bison began approaching the fence line. 

I counted 25.  You can see that the trunks were left in the fenceline, probably a good idea. 

I only saw three calves... one is in the middle here. 

I saw at least two huge bulls. 

The house here had burned years ago, but there are still two big barns. 

The brush and saplings that had grown up on the driveway are all down, too. 

I am not sure what this all means. 

Another van pulled up behind me when they noticed me taking pictures (from the car). 

That man WALKED UP TO THE FENCE, I could see him as I pulled away. 

I would not want to be so close to thousands of pounds of inquisitive 

buffalo. 

So, I really WILL try to post more often.  

Think of me agonizing over my choices!  

1 ton road hazard: Roaming buffalo pose danger to drivers

1 ton road hazard: Roaming buffalo pose danger to drivers

Folks, here is a post from the news last night on Channel Five in KCMO, about the buffalo which I showed you on Monday.  They used my picture of the poor dead cow in the broadcast! 

I have had several people call me from this story, and I am hoping to pursue tomorrow putting one of them in contact with the sheriff's department, so he can contact the owners.  Cross your fingers that something good comes of this! 

Here is an example of how hard it is to get a black bird or animal on camera. 

This was taken yesterday morning, and this bird swooped in front of me (I stopped) for two minutes, lower and lower, and then landed in the road to pick something up.  When I started to move, it went up.  I took 20 pictures, none came out well. 

Six hours later, the dogs and I pulled into the gate of the old place, and I automatically 

looked up at the comm tower across the road.  There was a red-tailed hawk. 

(and another smaller bird, can you see it?) 

In just a moment, it flew off... 

Here's why... 

If you click on this, you will be able to see the red head. 

I had the light just right. 

I actually like this picture better.  

The red tail flew clear across our pasture, and over to Spehars. 

There were two vultures. 

By the time we got to the corner of the road... they were clear over flying over the buffalo farm. 

This is as close as I've gotten to any turkeys in the last few days, and I don't blame them. 

This horrible mess was in the old potato bed at the old house. 

Can you believe the stalks? 

Some were taller than the fence! 

I spent an hour digging.  Keith and I built these beds well... I did not have to 

work terribly hard to get the weeds out. 

And by this afternoon, the fenceline was MUCH cleaner.

And it looked much better. 

Friend Jill, do you recognize this nest?  It's the one in the tree on 175th Street, off of Leavenworth Road.  

Can you see her sitting in it (or him??) 

I would say we have some little red tails coming along this spring!  

We're Back!

Catching up a week's worth of photos... yes, a week! 

As much as I love the wild birds... I have finished feeding them at the old place. 

Back Yard Blend, the blend I buy from Valley Feed in Bonner Springs, 

has gone to 17.99 for 20 pounds.  Years ago, we paid that for 40 pounds. 

I can't afford to keep feeding at both houses, so I have chosen to 

feed only here at the new house. 

The sad thing is... and it is sad for me... is that the birds all gather 

when they see me get out of the car in the morning and afternoon, and 

chirp and call to each other because they think I am putting feed out. 

They will learn soon enough, I'm sorry to say. 

I AM still leaving the nyger feeders up and the suet... except something... a critter, 

is stealing the suet.  That will be next to go. 

I'll miss them so, I admit it. 

Driving back and forth, I see lots and lots of animals. 

This is a black squirrel Keith and I saw on 171st street.  I have not seen any others, 

only on this one street.  

It's difficult to take pictures of black animals and birds. 

These sheep were so funny.  When I stopped to take their pictures from the car, they heard me talking to the dogs. 

They came all the way to the fence to see what we wanted. 

Their ear tags, prevention against flies and ticks... also bear their names! 

Lilly made a friend at the fence.  She was barking ferociously, but her tail 

was wagging and she did not want the dog to leave. 

With the trees leafed out, it is harder to see the hawks.  This one was 

on the pole and took off, but I had no sun yesterday, at least when I saw him. 

The iris show has started at the old house. 

I have lost the name tags for both of these. 

I also have started bringing plants here to our new bed. 

I'm still seeing a few turkeys, but they are warier, after two weeks of being targets. 

Never. Slows. Down. 

Wears. Himself. Out. 

The big irrigation ditch is getting lower and lower. 

I did find an upland sandpiper in it this morning. 

And this afternoon, a big blue heron.  You see how low the ditch is now. 

It is raining tonight, but not hard. 

And this, is a sad, sad picture, my friends.  This morning, instead of turning east from 

198th street, after doing morning chores, we turned left, to go down towards Tongie. 

Along the highway, 3/4 of a mile past the buffalo "farm"... I saw this girl. 

She was obviously pregnant. 

30 feet beyond her, I saw this: 

Another pregnant cow. 

The people that own these buffalo have left them on a farm with 

no one to care for them.  The farm is overgrown with red cedar now... there is 

little grazing for a herd of 20.  

There are two huge pastures on the west side and two months ago, the herd broke through and was grazing in them... and then was rounded up and sent back across. 

I called the sheriff's office about them several years ago and was 

patronized by an elderly deputy who was assigned to talk to me, 

and was basically told
"Little Lady, those are wild animals and can take care of themselves". 

Obviously not. 

They are laying just out of the westbound lane of 24/40 highway, a very busy roadway. 

They appeared to have been shot... but... I did see manure in the roadway... and one piece of chrome plating from a car or truck.  Tonight, I went by there, and they were gone... and I did 

see a streak in the road near where this girl lay. 

There has been nothing on the news... our neighbors near the old place knew nothing. 

My guess is it happened during the night or wee hours of the morning.  Poor animals... and poor people who struck them or had to put them down. 

I leave you with last night's beautiful moon.  

I'll try to post more regularly this week.