How Could It Be March 26?

Despite promises to post more frequently, I have not posted for 2 weeks! 

I'm sorry.  Life keeps intervening. 

For those of you who have been widowed, you know what I mean. 

My son Jim has been ill... he is normally in good health, 

works out at a gym at 4 AM daily, has, for years.  

He was playing catch with Jax, swung his head around suddenly, 

and caused calcium deposits to move in his inner ear.  He 

has had vertigo for going on ten days now.  For someone 

who delivers for a living, this is not good! 

Next Thursday, I'll take him to a specialist (he has been 

to Urgent Care and the ER) to see if there is anything 

that can be done for him, he cannot drive, and cannot 

walk hardly at all.  He is on FMLA to protect his job. 

Prayers requested for his quick recovery. 

Or just his recovery!  

I have taken many pictures. but I find that I

delete as many as half now.  I do not get satisfied with 

them as easily as I did in the past. 

I'll share a few with you. 

Oh... and I have a surprise coming up, but 

am not able to share it for another week or so. 

Look who was visiting at the Ag Hall one morning! 

He came back by a few minutes later. 

I kept Jax and Paiton on the first day of their spring break. 

For the first time, I let Paiton roll out her own cookies, and she did a GREAT job. 

I should have taken pictures of the final product. 

More visitors at the Ag. 

The geraniums are blooming again.  The tomato plant 

bore flowers, and then faded, but I took a look at what 

was left of it today (not this picture) and it is STILL alive. 

In fact, it looks a LOT better than it did in this picture, taken 

about the 12th. 

This one talked all the way down. 

This big guy attacked me yesterday... I have never been 

attacked quite like that before.  In fact... he broke skin on my leg 

two weeks ago, but yesterday was an escalation.  I moved him back with the 

help of a young woman who will be my future backup.... I was grateful she was there. 

This morning, I went in with a broom, and moved him back before he could get 

near me.  It's not fun collecting eggs and worrying about spurs in your tush! 

I'm guessing breeding maturity is kicking in, he has turned one year old.  

He is a Speckled Sussex, (heavy)  by the way, and now I am wondering if he really DID 

kill his brother two weeks ago, and I just didn't find the wounds amongst the feathers. 

Not in trouble, lifting his leg. 

Also not in trouble, just worshiping the sun. 

Can you see him on the left? 

That's a heron at the Ag. 

Here is a not-very-clear picture of it! 

I have never seen one land in a tree! 

This, I don't know what to say about. 

Sister went to the vet last week. 

Sister is a BROTHER! 

He had been neutered previously. 

Name to come soon. 

I had to put this in Kansas Birding on Facebook to find out what it was. 

I thought it was a fancy sparrow of some kind. 

I will reveal the answer below.  

I had NO IDEA. 

Another deck visitor! 

Action Jackson. 

My hawk nest I have followed for three years appears to be unoccupied. 

I checked on it again today, and still do not see any birds using it. 

I also am not seeing hawks along this road, where they have been so plentiful. 

Amazing just the hawks are gone. 

(yes, I'm suspicious) 

On my way to mass last night, I cut across country.  Movement at the back 

of this field caught my eye, and I thought I was FINALLY seeing a turkey. 

Nope. 

Well... it IS a turkey vulture! 

It rained for two hours yesterday morning, and we need it so badly. 

This kildeer was happy at the little pond. 

Michelle at Boulderneigh , this last set of pictures 

is for you. 

I could not get the black and white lambs, and the "black" lambs that were 

to the right, they were moving around too fast. 

I know these all have Shetland names for their colors, and Michelle, 

you will know what they are. 

We are expecting more rain in the next few days... HURRAH!!!

( It's a female red-winged blackbird) 

Some Pictures I Missed

I took these a week or two ago, and forgot about them in the heat of the last week. 

I was coming home from church, and saw a heron not ten feet away from me at the 

Big Ditch. 

I got a bunch of pictures of him, but they were all washed out.  

Then he flew to the other end of the ditch, where I couldn't get a 

good picture of him with the shorter lens. 

Someone is laying mighty big poops on the side patio.  I can't figure out... I would almost think it was a goose!  It's not that big, but very, very big compared to the other birds. 

Oh so close.  Oh, so badly lit.  

laugh) 

Ironweed... I love it!!!

There are some hay fields right around the corner from us, and I was coming home from 

the grocery last week, and found these guys looking through it. 

They flew, but not far. 

The white underside of the turkey vulture is so apparent in these pictures.  

Our dear girl spends a little time every day on the deck, despite the heat.  We have not walked since around the 4th, though, just too hot for her. 

She is getting a joint supplement daily now, and pain medication. 

And someone else had another bout of nausea and vomiting, but I still had medicine from last month, so... after talking to the vet, he had a Cerenia and it settled him down.  His appetite is back, and no more vomiting. 

As you can see, he is still eviscerating his stuffies! 

Everyone have a good Sunday! 

The Elusive Bird

As you can see from the header, I finally got the elusive Kildeer! 

And of all places, in our neighbor's yard, right next door as we were 

leaving for the park this morning! 

He was peeping the whole way. 

I just didn't get him with his mouth open.

Two days in a row I have tried to get this blue heron at the little pond. 

No luck. 

I'm going to try sneaking slowly up on the pond tomorrow to see if I can get him. 

My favorite birds are back. 

This guy was a long way away from me the other day. 

Off he went on his way! 

When I went down to put bird seed out, I saw this in the planter by the door 

where I had a tomato last year... I know cotton rats have moved in, because Lil goes straight to this barrel. 

So... I have an announcement... when the suet I put out yesterday 

is all gone, I am taking down the bird feeders for a while. 

They have created a nuisance with the starlings, cowbirds, 

red wings and grackles, and I know they are bothering our neighbors. 

Once the big mobs of birds have gone away, I'll put one back out for the smaller birds. 

My hummingbird feeders will be out soon, too.  

The cotton rats are going to have to look for food! 

We were forecast storms for this evening, and we do need the rain... but they have 

not materialized and the sun is coming back out. 

Tomorrow, I'm going to work on the patio, and go through my gardening things. It's time to do some paring down. 

Wild Kingdom

Friends, I am hurrying to do a post before the computer crashes again. 

I have NO CLUE what's happening, it literally turned black 

yesterday afternoon as Keith and I sat here talking, and 

then came back up with the screen stretcheeeeddddd out.  

I have finally gotten it back to normal, but I suspect it 

needs work.  My firewall finds no virus. 

Anyway, we're going to try it! 

Yesterday morning, I saw this guy far in the distance, in the pasture. 

Remember, it is so dry here now that clouds of dust cover every car, and 

hang in the air.  It even gets IN the car and gets on my tongue, UGH... so 

I don't blame the birds for staying away from the roadside. 

This was on the way to the old place. 

Different birds, same road, other side. 

Also far away. 

This was under the bird, and I've never seen it before... it's a stile! 

I saw this girl, and another, on the way, too. 

This cracked me up... when I came back, the hawk I had taken from the 

front was on the same pole, and had turned his back to look the other way. 

I am seeing hawks everywhere I look now. 

Our beautiful girl in the sunlight.  We are having wonderful weather this week, 

true fall weather. 

Here's our friend again! 

We saw yet another mighty hunter on the way home that day!