The Soggy Weekend

Yes, the weekend was very soggy, raining and raining. 

That is standing water that has run down off the high end of our yard, and is 

now making a pond at the low end. 

There is standing water you see beyond it, on the left... everything is draining down there. 

It's a muddy mess. 

I took this picture of a local creek Friday night. 

Same one today. 

And another in the same vicinity. 

The dogs and I did get out and walk this afternoon in the cold... and stopped just short of a mile.  Jester has been out like a light since we got home. 

There is a large pond near us that is now very full.  It had been surrounded by 

small saplings, but about a month ago, the farmer came out and knocked down all the underbrush around the street side and the north end so his cattle will have more grazing next year. 

Now we can see the birds on the pond. 

These three migrating mallards were on the little pond I showed you all summer. 

Look how small they looked on the pond!  It is full again, too. 

And here are the cattle who hung out in the pond all summer.  

I think all those mamas are in calf again, so I expect to see this year's calves disappearing soon. 

I have been trying for two weeks to get a good picture of some of the geese 

flying over here.  You can see our skies are still leaden, and this was as 

good as it gets. 

Here though, to end with, is a very sad picture.  This goose was in distress. 

When the dogs and I left to go walk... we passed it.  It was in the backyard of someone's house along 155th street, very near us.  It was standing just like this. 

An hour later, we came back, and it was in the same exact position. 

I am sure it was dying. 

It has a very odd spot on it's neck where it has lost feathers, but 

I immediately thought H2N5.  We just had our Kansas poultry travel ban lifted a week ago after an outbreak here in the spring.  It is spread by migrating birds. 

I sure hope not... but I suspect this goose is already dead, or will be by morning.