Happy Halloween!

We open with our spooky inside jack o'lantern man... 

Spooky, huh???

He is guarding the candy we will now be eating until Christmas.  

We have not had one trick or treater this year 

at 7:41 PM. 

Last year we had about 20. 

You see, we live in a 3 street subdivision built on a farm... with 

farms around us, but we DID have a few last year. 

It rained yesterday, and the dogs did not get ONE walk... most days they are getting two. 

Tonight, after visiting our grands with Halloween treats, we 

went to Angel Falls, since it is so close. 

Off we went... Lilly was so eager to go. 

As we walked, the sun began to come out, finally. 

The squirrels had already gone to bed. 

I snapped a picture as we got to the bridge... the falls, which had been dripping, 

are flowing freely because of the rain we had this week. 

I wish you could have heard them. 

Here's a closeup, when we stopped for a drink. 

It's so strange to think that tomorrow night at the time we were here ... approximately 6 PM... 

it will be well past dark. 

Jes LOVES to be by the creek. 

When we got home, we fired up Jack on the porch... 

but I think there is no one going to enjoy him but us. 

Our grands are trick or treating in their respective neighborhoods, 

and it was good to see them today and take them their candy and cookies. 

What a great time my sister and I had in the "old days"... the neighborhood in 

which we grew up was safe, and we knew everyone; who gave popcorn balls (homemade) and 

who gave the best and worst candy. 

We went trick or treating by ourselves as soon as we started school... oh, what fun we had. 

I have an update... 

we just had a little brother and sister at the door!

Halloween is saved! 

An Autumn Afternoon

It won't be much longer that the roadside (flowers) weeds 

will be so evident. 

Days are growing shorter, and colder. 

Boo! 

I'm constantly looking for hawks, but seeing many, many crows now that the 

corn and beans have been harvested. 

I am seeing the odd hawk, though, here and there. (Like WAY off the dusty roads) 

These guys were way out in the middle of a field, and as soon as I stopped longer than a minute, they all began heading for the tree line.  However, I know where they are, now, so will see if 

I can find them later this weekend. 

Our beautiful waysides are fading now. 

I saw these resting in the shade of a tree as we came home from walking... 

and their buddies were grazing in the afternoon sunlight. 

Another memory from Facebook... bringing back the "good ole days"

Our beautiful old Ranger, with his crooked muzzle ... the best dog 

who ever lived in the country. 

Jester's Happy Morning

The leaves are falling fast at the bluff trail at Kelly Grove park in Lansing. 

The path is covered with leaves and hides the 

fallen branches and roots that are so easy to trip on.

I say this because Lilly was so happy to be there again that she pulled me 

headlong down the trail, with Jes running to keep up. 

There is still plenty of beauty to enjoy, though. 

When we came out of the woods, we had some interested cows watching us. 

They came (some running) right up to the fence. 

They were most interested in this guy: 

He was interested in them, too: 

He was not afraid, and in fact, he wanted to play! 

By this time, the whole herd had come up to the fence... 

And they followed us down the fence line to the parking area.  The cows were just as interested as the calves. 

There is so much going on in these woods... here's the proof.  Little worlds all around us. 

There is no tree like this at Kelly Grove... this is the beautiful tree from the Spehar's pond at the old place... I did not get to see it this year, but oh, I have so many pictures of it. 

It won't be long until the color has faded here, but it means Thanksgiving, that 

wonderful holiday we don't celebrate as we should, and 

Christmas... reminding us, I hope, of the real Reason for the Season. 

Up, Up and AWAY????

Well, as events go... it was leaving a lot to be desired. 

It also wore me out. 

Friday, we had high winds all day.  Balloons cannot inflate in high winds. 

At 3, there was a big meeting of all the pilots in the theater at the 

National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame 

There was to be a "glow" that evening, when the balloons 

inflate while tethered, and then the pilots burn their burners in succession... 

creating this effect: 

There was a tent in front of Angry Bird. 

That's just an example. 

Before all this... 

There were  200 people at a time in the line to ride the train... and 

people marching back and forth all day.  There were vendor tents set up to the right. 

Free hayrides were also being given. 

People had to be directed to portable potties, as the septic system 

could not hold this many. 

People had to park quite a distance away. 

There was not enough signage.  The event planners learned from all this, 

and I hope the Ag Hall did, too. 

It was chilly, cloudy and breezy, and it ended up 

that the balloons could not inflate.  They burned the burners, 

but people were (to put it mildly) very disappointed, and 

vocal about it. 

Saturday morning, this was going on, and I had a chance to 

go out and take some pictures... I loved them!

I never did understand if it was balloon crews flying these, or whom. 

Jellyfish! 

They were beautiful, even though skies were still cloudy. 

It was also breezy, at 14 mph... and again, the pilots met. 

They had had to cancel their competition for Saturday morning because of the winds, so they 

decided if it went down to 10 or under, they would inflate and do the glow. 

Dusk fell, and the wind cooperated. 

And the balloons began to inflate. 

The crowd grew and grew and grew.  

And grew. 

I got better pictures of the trees and sunset than I did of the balloons, I was 

behind so many and they were uphill. 

So, they inflated and were something to see. 

The pilots take turns burning their burners, so that the glow 

hops all around. 

It was beautiful, but the crowd... surging and pushing. 

I left at 7, worn out... and as I inched out of the circular drive, 

there were hundreds of people trudging up the hill. 

It turned out that some of those people trudging up in the dark were turned away... the grounds were filled. 

Yesterday morning, I was worn out.  

I did get up and get the paper, and sat at the dining room table to 

read it.  From time to time, I looked up at the horizon to the south. 

It was a clear, beautiful morning. 

Pretty soon... I saw two balloons in the distance, about 7 miles away. 

I needed to be at church at 10:30, but it was only 8:50, so I went about 5 miles 

to take some pictures. 

It was fun to think of the pilots we had seen for two days up in the air, going where the wind 

(in this case S x SW) took them. 

They drifted, one after the other. 

Until they were disappearing. 

I decided after all to run down to the Ag Hall. 

Only one balloon was left, and it was inflating. 

But suddenly... something was wrong. 

They ended up deflating it and rolling it up.  Sometimes, discretion IS 

the better part of valor.  This is the beautiful balloon pictured glowing above. 

I stopped on the way to take a picture of the beautiful bluffs along Stranger Creek. 

And of this beautiful bird on a wire above me. 

I'm worn out, I admit it.  

I was glad to get home from church, and walk the dogs, and then 

rest during the afternoon. 

I have some nice pictures from early this morning that I'll share with you 

tomorrow. 

At Last, Some Nature Photos

This morning, Leavenworth County. 

I tracked another, but this was the best I could get: 

Stinker. 

I've seen the Northern Harrier twice, from the rear end, seeing him take

off after a small animal on the ground.  Always driving, and can't get 

the camera up fast enough. 

Here is the black squirrel's red cousin... same street, one house down. 

I went the back way to church, and did not see one turkey... I have not seen any for two weeks except up near my brother's nursing home, on a busy highway. 

Then, I turned a corner, and missed this group of ten by a minute. 

As soon as I stopped, they took off for the tree line. 

Now that our big events are finished at the National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame , 

I'll have more time to go out "hunting". 

This came up as a "memory" in my Facebook feed the other day... 

how I miss Winnie, Windy, Kelly, and even Big D (mama) 

and all the other critters at our beautiful Calamity Acres. 

(Mary Ann Yoder on Facebook, where I do post pictures almost daily) 

Happy memories! 

I'll post tomorrow about the Great Midwest Balloon Fest... it was two 

very, very busy days... and very interesting. 

Here's a picture to whet your appetite: 

Why I am bullied by my dogs: 

Lilly Ann letting me know it was time to go walk, about an hour ago. 

I hope everyone is having a peaceful Sunday.