And Then Look What Crossed the Road

I was on a hawk hunt today... and I saw them everywhere, especially in places where I could not stop and get a picture, because of traffic. 

Here is a blurry one in a tree, who was far off the road. 

One who is also blurry, a little closer to the road. 

I was on a roll... ANOTHER blurry one, who was even farther off the road. 

Why does that tree look strangely like it is in bud? 

And this one through the trees as I was almost home. 

And then, the peacock crossed the road. 

Taking his time as I waited with the dogs. 

Behind him came the peahen.  

What was the DEAL with the blur today? 

I must have had the shakes. 

And behind her... 

the grown peachicks, can you see three in the grasses? 

They were waiting patiently for us to drive on down the road. 

They were all beauties! 

We are expecting a plunge to the 20's tomorrow, and rain, with the dreaded "s" word coming tomorrow night. 

Winter is coming! 

The Saturday Roundup

Okay, the Friday roundup, too! 

It's been hot and humid the last two days, and 

yes, it stormed again this morning. 

The ground is so very saturated. 

That's our mighty Stranger Creek, a mile from the old house.  It's out of it's banks, but 

not up to the bridge, yet. 

It's a major tributary to the Kansas (Kaw) River. 

As you see, it's out of it's banks.  That's a cornfield. 

See the dike?  It was built after this whole valley flooded four years ago. 

The field out of sight to the left is standing water, but from the rain, not from the creek. 

A peacock posing for you.  Note the tail! 

Cattle are taking to the ponds to keep cool. 

Surprise! 

Here's why the cow was calling from the pond... there were six cows and six calves! 

Today, I went to a Pie Social at a very old church in Leavenworth 

County, the Little Stranger Church.  The pie social was held to raise money to start

fixing  this old building to keep it from falling in. 

The McKinney sisters of Moundridge, Kansas, were part of the entertainment. 

They were wonderful, three high-schoolers who sang gospel and bluegrass in perfect harmony. They played the fiddle, the dobro, guitar and one picked a mean banjo.  

This young girl (Mikyl???) had a wonderful voice, very strong. 

You see the building needs a lot of preserving, but it is on the registry of historic places. 

There is a beautiful old cemetery around it, and one woman has been taking it upon herself to keep it trimmed.  The last time I was there, it was very overgrown. 

Those are lilies about to bloom in the middle, there. 

Yes, the old outhouse is still there! 

There were so many different kinds of pie and cake... I had chocolate pecan pie, it was great! 

The Kemps also entertained us with more bluegrass music, and I really enjoyed them. 

I hope you enjoyed this visit to Little Stranger Church! 

More rain coming tomorrow.  I hope we all don't float away! 

And the Rain Returns

I frequently take a gravel road over to the old house. 

I frequently see some guineas in a field along this road, in fact, numerous times 

during the winter I would see them popping about in the cornfield. 

I had to laugh when I saw them, they are just comical birds, 

but they are excellent watchdogs and tick-eaters. 

I could never keep them because they can't be contained and 

Lilly would have gotten them. 

Here they were this morning as we came along. 

So cute.  I really like guineas. 

They hung there for a few seconds and I slowed down. 

And then a head popped up behind them. 

Oh, if the sun had only been shining! 

All four crossed in front of me, and then the guineas took off running... into the gate of their home... 

And their big blue friend posed one more time before he followed them. 

Oh, the things you see. 

Our neighbors to the east moved last month, and sadly, the sale of their house fell through, so they, like us, are paying two mortgages.  Another neighbor is keeping their house cleaned up on the outside. 

These are some of the beautiful plantings on the west side of their house, that I can 

see from our patio. 

I have ONE iris this color, and I had actually forgotten all about it. 

It looks just as good with the pink peonies. 

My peonies are still not blooming at the old place. 

Here I am turned towards our patio.  There is the strip we had plowed in February, and 

then planted nothing on it.  

I rolled the two whiskey barrels out there yesterday and filled them, 

and today I planted a tomato in each.  We are going to put cloth down and then 

mulch that strip heavily and then plant it next year. 

I have to get the grass out along the fence, too, but I'll be working on that next week, as it's going to rain the next few days.  See the upturned black trough in the background on the right? 

It has a pot on it with a pepper plant in it. 

I trimmed this afternoon, and I trimmed all that high grass you see against the black trough. 

Someday I'll show you what is under it. 

There are still peppers and tomatoes in pots on our table, but I am 

starting to plant all the pots, and to sit out on the patio more and more. 

If I am quiet, the birds come down. 

My poor plants are about blown away. 

This afternoon, I planted two more pepper plants at the old house, and I'll try to get a picture in the next few days.  It was raining while I did it. 

I'm also planting pink and orange zinnias out there (not together!) and 

marigolds, but... it is going to rain for a few days.  I wanted to get the seeds in before it started. 

Oh, well. 

I found some balsam seeds from 2005 that I saved at the old house.  Just as an experiment, I'm going to plant them.  I love balsam. 

From where I can sit at the table, I can see the hummingbird feeder, and I 

am hoping to get good pictures this summer. 

I have still only seen two hummers, or maybe the same one, twice. 

Despite the rain,  I stopped to see the baby hawks.  You can 

just see the top of their heads... and mom or dad in the nest with them. 

I think they were pretty safe, though we are to have a good storm tonight. 

Mom and Dad will take care of them in their leafy bower. 

That's it for today!  

Yesterday and Today

First off, I have the crud.  I don't want to say it's flu, but 

it FEELS like flu.  Headache, stomach upset, aching all over and little chills. 

No fever...yet. 

Crossing my fingers. 

This... is NOT A NORTHERN FLICKER as I said yesterday on Facebook. 

It's a red-bellied woodpecker, and yes, I know he has a red head. 

He is not a red-headed woodpecker. 

Here is a Northern Flicker, in our yard today...

Not even close, Mary Ann. 

Thanks to Teresa Perrin at Eden Hills... if you have never read her blog, you are missing a treat.  I'll tell you more about Teresa sometime this week. 

I also have GREAT bird support from my friend Jill, whom I can't thank enough. 

These beautiful peacocks are at my friend Roxane's... she has milked goats for 

years, and they are on the roof of her milk storage house.  See the little goat peeking out? 

Roxane is on a list to get bread from a bread store here.  She has been called 

3 times in the last few weeks... she gets a huge load for 24.00.  She does not have many birds right now, and she let me know to come and get some.  She sells 30 loaves for 5.00. 

So.... I have gone over there several times to get bread and take it...

To my friend whose chickens I am caring for.  She feeds bread at night to her poultry. 

It was in the high thirties - low forties today, but is PLUNGING as of tonight. 

The dogs had a great time running around in the good weather. 

I found a door hanger from the tree-eaters last Friday at the 

old place.  Yesterday when I came to do evening chores, I found this. 

Actually, the cedars were still standing, and the two workers asked me if I wanted them down.  I said "YES"... they overgrow fencelines so. 

Here is the view today:

They had the debris picked up by 9 AM. 

Keith will cut these stumps down to the ground, along with the only other one left to the left of these. 

This beautiful red tail was on the levee at County Road Five this afternoon. 

Notice the color of this hawk's head. 

He flew across the road in front of the car near my friend's this morning. 

Now look at the red tail above it. 

Here's a closeup: 

See the bands on wings and tail, and the lighter head? 

This is a juvenile red tail, the only one I have seen hunting around here, though there 

must be many more, since it is the most prolific hawk in this area.  

I have been seeing many, many bluebirds drinking on the porch.  I'm going to take care to keep that heated water bowl full for the next few days, as we dive down into single digits again. 

I have to admit that this is the FIRST bunny I have seen on the porch camera! 

Plenty of kitties, though... look at the eyes BEHIND this one!  

I've switched the camera view around so you don't have to see all the junk still on the porch. 

The wheels of remodeling move slowly. 

Keith has been kind enough to run out and check on the birds tonight and fill the water bowl on the porch for the wildings as I am so under the weather. 

Thanks, honey!