Different Pictures

You are really supposed to photograph the 

moon in context with something else, so it's majesty will be apparent. 

This is the unframed uncut version from this morning, with a shorter lens. 

Beautiful! 

We had an Easter morning suprise!

(that's our side yard) 

In one day, we had rain, snow... and then sunny with mild 

temps, so that the dogs and I had a good walk after I had 

gone to church and Keith and I had had brunch. 

The new portion of the park at Basehor was landscaped 

on Friday, and some terracing was done. 

Just in time! 

There was a runoff creek running through the old and new sections of the park, spilling into the creek whose treeline you see in the distance. 

Park employees have also installed numerous benches on which to rest. 

Last year I had tomatoes in the big barrels on either side of our garage. 

This year, they are planted with perennials, a sage and a heuchera on each side. 

The neat thing is, I got each of these perennials at Grass Pad Nursery, they were 

last year's plants just coming back to life. 

$2.00 a piece. 

Uh huh. 

They will be joined by geraniums. 

This boy was on a pole on Leavenworth Road on our way to the park. 

And this grackle and about a hundred of his friends were in the yard when we got home. 

And this robin serenaded us from above. 

I have been trying to get a Western Meadowlark, and a Killdeer. 

I did pretty well with the meadowlark today.  I LOVE their song. 

We see you, Mama.  (click to enlargen) 

This is our friend hanging out at 155th and Fairmount. 

About 4:30, the phone rang.  It was Keith, who was coming 

home from the store with Chinese for dinner. 

He said "Mary Ann, get the camera and come out through the 

side door, the hawk is here". 

This is the Coopers Hawk that was hiding in the tree on Friday. 

He is watching for cotton rats on the patio. 

I was all Stealth Operations behind him, but he eventually flew. 

These guys were not coming back down, no sirree... until he was good and GONE. 

On to the Big Weekend!

Tomorrow is the first day of our busy weekend. 

The National Agricultural Center (Ag Hall of Fame) has 

"Tractor Daze and Touch-a-Truck" this weekend, 

and it's all hands on deck. 

I was asked to take pictures for them, and am gearing up for this with 

comfortable shoes, shorts, water, and plenty of protein bars. 

So, I tried to get a lot done today. 

I did extra chores at the old house, and cleaned out the water bowls. 

I keep refilling the big water fountain in the old henhouse, and the 

red hens keep getting straw in it.  It's up on a cement block, 

but they rearrange the straw every day! 

I put out extra feed today, and then went again tonight.  However, I've 

decided now to go out really early in the morning, 

and double-check everything, since we are to have temps in the nineties tomorrow. 

I'm telling on myself here... I've been practicing making landscape shots.... and you can see I am FAR behind pulling weeds.  I'm going to try to get to them next week, and then put some straw mulch down. 

On Sunday after church, grandson Jacob is going to do some serious weed-eating here. 

The crazy thing is, those weeds pull right out... but I just haven't been able to get to them. 

I was in Michael's on Monday... and realized they were putting summer away, and getting fall out! 

I realized, too, that the colors in the fields are changing ever-so-slightly, and browns are coming to the fore. 

Does anyone know what this beautiful bird could be?  It appeared out of the blue 

this evening... and disappeared quickly.  I have never seen it before, and it was larger than the 

finches that have been feeding.  I'm assuming it was a female. 

We had a swim in the full-to-the-top pond this morning, because for the next two hot days, the dogs won't be going to the farm. 

Even though Jes doesn't get INTO the pond, he loves running around it, and splashes along the edges.  They both love to chase the frogs. 

Another little visitor today. 

I wish I had gotten these girls in focus, they were both on beautiful horses.  

I think it was a mother and daughter.  I had to hold onto Lilly's collar as we crawled past, as 

she barks (crazily) at anything unusual. 

It was a beautiful day for riding, in the low 80's with sun and clouds. 

I passed this red tailed hawk as I was leaving the old place, and 

backed up to take another look. 

It let me take a few pictures before it took off after something. 

I'm going to try to post tomorrow night and Saturday night, with 

pictures from our big event.