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! 

A Picture-Heavy Post

A Sunday morning visitor

The hooks for the hummingbird feeders are used by other birds, too. 

Our girl on her porch, where she grew up. 

This finch visited our deck. 

I am going to make an album of wayside flowers this fall. 

This was a spectacular fight.  No wonder I'm going through a suet cake a day at the old house. 

Rose - A - Sharon

If wishes were horses, I would still be feeding the birds at the old house... 

this cardinal girl kept looking at the flat feeder. 

A goldfinch on an echinacea

Our boy loves to go to the country, too. 

Lilly comes out of the pasture's high grass covered in seeds. 

I just love these two girls.  They are so calm and pretty. 

These two are now visiting the back porch frequently.  Remember, I am 

still feeding in the side yard, by my "pond"... but not as much.  Too many starlings began to appear. 

Three crows in a tree. 

Marsh Fleabane, I think... and beautiful. 

A closeup... it's beautiful... the color... 

This sumac has turned... fall is coming. 

Summer is A Comin' In

I don't know what's going on lately, but I saw not one, but two does on the way home from Jax's baseball games last night.  Yes, games... we had two games, one was a make-up.  Grandma can't stay to dark, I'm a chicken driving home.  

With good reason, obviously, as this doe had just crossed the street. 

There he goes! 

Lilly and Jester got to go to Troy's pond yesterday morning, and 

had a blast. 

Jester had always been cautious, and would not touch the pond water.  Over the weekend, however, 

Troy mowed closer to the pond. 

Jes went down and got his feet wet! 

And even had a little drink. 

Lilly ventured clear around the pond, which is now back almost to it's former level.  In 2012, when we had so little rain, the pond went down six or seven feet, and is only just now recovering. 

The "June candles", as I call them, are blooming everywhere. 

Here is one of the red hens I got a month ago.  Do not feel badly, they are doing great... and, if you look at this girl's head and neck, you will see that new feathers are coming in.  There are 

also new feathers on her back, and all of them who were so bare are growing back their beautiful feathers.  

They lay wonderful eggs. 

It's hot, hot, hot out... these last few days... and my favorite small Hereford herd is 

in a tail-swishin' fly-protecting group in the shade. 

This crow made a wonderful silhouette on a bare tree limb. 

I want to thank an "Anonymous" reader who told me that this little creature... 

is a hespid cotton rat, who lives on prairies, amongst other locales. 

You see, we have one here at our house... and we have named him 

Kevin.  We see him feeding frequently in the evening. 

I (seriously) want my epitaph to say 

"She saved the turtles".  

Birdhouses and More

This is a birdhouse in the pasture at the old place. 

When we moved in 9 years ago, there was a birdhouse on almost every pole in the pasture.  Over the years, they fell apart and fell off 

I forgot to take a picture of the barn on the next pole up... it is still usable, as is this one. 

There used to be one on this pole in the corner... and birds used it every year. 

There is still one here, hidden by the overgrown trees in the fenceline 

I'm not sure this one, near the vegetable garden, is usable anymore.  These houses were put there many years ago.  I used to ask Keith if we couldn't put some new houses up, but they were always on the 

"C" list... at the bottom of the chores. 

I wish we had, it would have been a good legacy. 

Troy's tractor stopped in the middle of cutting a few weeks ago, and still sits in our pasture. 

He thinks he needs to put a battery in it, and hasn't had time. 

The pasture is in good shape, and someone is going to get a nice place to keep a horse, some sheep, or some goats.  

The mulberries on Beau's tree have gone by... but the tree is still going strong. 

The pasture was half-cut before the tractor broke down, so I walked a lot of it.  I found these feces... 

coyote, maybe????

(I would have said Abby if I didn't know better) 

I love the wildflowers of Kansas

(When will I learn to step out of the picture and not take my shadow?) 

Coming up to Fortress Old Henyard.  It looks like a green wall, doesn't it? 

And I can no longer get the gate open from either side.  Whoever moves here, if they want to keep chickens in the old henhouse... will have to do some work on it. 

Tomorrow will be a work day at the old place... Keith is over there tonight, working on the floors, trying to get all the staples up.  

We have to get them as smooth as we can, then we will paint the floor with Kilz and let it dry very well before we put the carpet down.  Even this afternoon when Lilly and I ran out there, the house smelled ten times better than it did on Saturday, so, we're making progress little by little. 

And now that I know I can get down to the brush heap (the tractor is sitting next to it)... I'll drag some of the bigger branches and small trees we have cut down to it in the next few days. 

Thank heavens for the polar vortex of July!