More This and That

When we bought this house two years ago, 

we inherited a big refrigerator, that happened to have an icemaker 

and a place in the door to get ice or ice and water. 

I was wiping the refrigerator down on Saturday, and 

decided to take a good look at it. 

You see, the ice tends to clump together, and I have to clean 

out the icemaker regularly.  I turn it off, actually. 

It's a pain because I have to stand on a stool and 

pick at it. 

Keith likes to have cold water at breakfast, though. 

Here is a somewhat blurry photo taken of the icemaker with my phone.  Notice anything? 

MOLD. 

I took a Lysol wipe and cleaned as well as I could, but I asked Keith to please 

stop using the ice from the ice maker.  

He has. 

I don't mind getting it out of the basket in the fridge, but UGH. 

Not this. 

And that's clean, compared to what it was. 

Here is something else odd. 

Friday, I was having trouble keeping anything down, in fact, Thursday 

was the same. 

I was going to the Ag Hall to help with some cleaning, and I stopped and 

got a chocolate milkshake from Sonic, so I would have something in me. 

This was taken on Saturday afternoon, about 6 PM, after church. 

It is part of the whipped cream from my milkshake, still sitting in the drain more than 24 hours later. 

Hmmmm. 

Tulips are coming up in the planters!  YAYYY! 

I am missing my big garden at the old place, I know 

the daffodils and narcissus must be up. 

This is a big barrel planter that I had a tomato in last year. 

I believe a hispid cotton rat has taken up residence there! 

I am going to leave it unplanted. 

I have been cleaning up in my garden area, and I am going to 

get the "pond" ready for tadpoles. 

Someone LOVES his daddy! 

Way too much light, and I forgot to check before I shot. 

Same hawk.  I had to manipulate this, it was so light.  If I had checked before shooting, I would have had great shots from this one. 

Tomorrow, I take my first official lesson at Wolfe's Camera, a very-well thought of shop in 

Topeka for photography equipment.  Keith gave me two hours of lessons for Christmas, and 

I am going to buy another, I think, depending on how we go tomorrow.  I am also going to find out 

about getting the camera cleaned. 

I hope that when I have a good chance like this one today.... I'll be able to get a really good shot. 

I'm having fun learning. 

This N That

Thank heavens for the big computer, that's all I have to say. 

I can see again! 

And fix my pictures! 

So I am going to show a little bit of a lot of things today. 

I ran to Leavenworth to liberate the computer yesterday, and stopped at 

Riverfront Park. 

I kept seeing something bob in the very fast-moving Missouri. 

It was a channel marker, I finally saw... the first I have ever seen there. 

The river is big and very strong! 

I took fifteen minutes to play around with my light and shutter speed. 

This is TOO light. 

It's an antique railroad signal, the active tracks run alongside this park. 

Better,  These beautiful lights run throughout the park. 

It was a beautiful day. 

This guy flew directly over our driveway as the dogs and I got home from walking. 

Crazy. 

Still playing. 

You can't tell, but it was very windy today.  The dogs and I went to the 

park early this morning, as I had gone to church last night. 

I am not sure what we will do when summer comes, Lilly is 

wearing out as we walk daily. 

Here is an example of playing around with lighting.  I had come to a corner when the phone rang, and I was on a VERY dusty country gravel road.  I stopped to talk to Keith, and looked at this 

wagon sitting on the corner of the property. 

I took a few pictures, changing the aperture to let more 

light in, as it was clouding up. 

I was satisfied with this one. 

I went around the corner. 

Look at the difference!  

Light! 

Time to take the wreaths down at Little Stranger Church. 

I wish I had gotten out of the car to take this. 

It's across from the Jersey dairy that I have shown you before.  

They are such beautiful cows! 

So Wild

The parks where we walk require the dogs to be on leashes.

Today, we drove to Basehor the long way, seeing this on

the way-

When we , there, I noticed two other vehicles.

One belonged to a man I see walking there almost every day. 

While we do not visit, we nod to each other as we pass. 

I parked near him, leashed the dogs, and put on my jacket. 

He was standing by his car, watching someone at the back of the park, where I could 

see several people moving around.

As I started to leave the car with the dogs leashed, he came over and stopped 

me. 

He warned me that he had been walking, and one of the dogs that two 

ladies had was not leashed, and it had approached him and scared him.  The leashed dog 

was very aggressive.  He reminded the ladies that the dogs were supposed to be leashed, and they ignored him.  I told him I did not want a dog to approach mine (it is my biggest fear while walking)...and I decided to load the bewildered dogs back into the car and go to Lansing. He had been waiting to see if a policeman drove by the park (as they do regularly) but none had come, so he left, as well. 

We went to Angel Falls, where we walked alone in the beautiful weather.

As soon as I took this picture, the little dingleberry began to run around and jump, he was all wound up when he dipped his foot in the water. 

It was gorgeous down by the creek.

Lilly walked a long way in the water.  There is a lot of moss in it right now.

The falls are still running strong.

We walked a whole mile, slowly.  Lilly is on meds now, and tho we watlked slowly, we made it,

What did we see on the way back back but two black labs loose in the 

corn field alongside the trail.  I saw a man following them, but more importantly, he saw us.

We hustled along to the car.

Look what we saw on the way back!

Breeding season!

This was just around the corner from our house.

He went back the other way.

Day five on the laptop...I can see to crop so much better on the desktop, so I am 

praying I get a call to pick it up tomorrow. 

I can't remember how I selected all the other night, so we are going to have to 

cope with the small type tonight, my apologies! 

The Computer and the Eagle

The big computer has been at the fixit place since Monday. having some

things put back on it.

I thought it would be ready today, so waited to do a 

post.

I gave up and am struggling with seeing the small screen and close 

keyboard of the laptop. NOT complaining!

I have pictures to share.

I had lunch with a close cousin yesterday, and then, even though it was cloudy,

I decided to run to Wyandotte County Lake before going home. 

Look what I saw coming towards me across the lake!

A juvenile eagle!

I was actually watching gulls diving on the choppy waters of the lake, and trying to get

pictures of the diving ducks behind them.

I may run over again tomorrow.

The wind was so strong, the birds were hovering.

The smart ones were on terra firma.

I only stayed about 20 minutes because of the  

sharp wind.

As I was leaving, here he came again...I jumped out of the car.

He was majestic.

I didn't forget our old friends.

Praying the computer is back soon.

A Beautiful Sunday

The new ride. 

It's a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan.  The only thing Keith 

did not get on his wish list was a vehicle with 

Onstar (GM).  My HHR has it, and I feel safe with it. 

We took Dave Ramsey's advice and did not buy new again. 

This is going to be a great vehicle for Keith and I 

might get to drive it a little, too! 

I left this in the fridge too long... it amazes me, though it was starting to get fuzzy, 

it was also trying to GROW. 

I should have planted it to see what happened. 

You know what?  I might dig it out of the trash and try it. 

Trying again to pick my settings.  I love seeing mallards come down and rest on the ponds. 

I saw these girls a few minutes later. 

I saw these guys away out in a field in between the deer and the pond. 

And despite last week's terrible winds, some have started to burn off pastures.  This is a winery... and someone did a good job of keeping the flames from jumping across the road. 

I saw this red bellied woodpecker out in our feeding area.  Now that the weather is nicer, we are 

not seeing as many birds. 

He was patiently waiting for these guys: 

I looked down at the feeding area and noticed this on the patio.  I had the back door cracked, so she can come and go. 

Pretty soon, I looked out again... 

She has some furry paws, doesn't she? 

She was waiting in vain for the cotton rats. 

No walking today. 

Playing around again tonight.  I have so much to learn.  Look at the buds, though! 

The moon looks better with something to frame it. 

It's pretty awesome any way you look at it! 

A New Bird

On Valentine's Day, I took the dogs for a walk... 

As we came along the field where I saw the coyote this week, I saw a bird in a 

wild area where the roads come to a "T".  I could not get a good 

picture of it, but here it was that day from a distance: 

There he is, he was looking down on a very wild woody area. 

See those distinctive stripes? 

I saw him again today, on a tree branch over the small pond in the middle of a big cultivated field, a quarter mile from the first place.  I have been looking for him daily. 

This is what he is: 

(from the web).  

Oh, someday I am going to take pictures like this!!!

A red-shouldered hawk, not a red tailed hawk.  

It was a juvenile red shoulder that attacked two of our roosters about five years ago, 

and the two roos fought him so hard, he lost some flight feathers.  Keith was 

able to throw a blanket over him and we caught him and took him to 

Operation Wildlife, who rehabilitated him. 

This is not a small hawk, though this picture makes it look like it. 

I'll be looking out for him now. 

This girl had a hard, hard day.  We walked about a half mile at noon, and I could tell she was limping a little, but she seemed eager. 

When these two got here: 

We decided to go back to the park for a while, to walk a little more, and 

so the kids could play at the playground. 

Lilly was worn out, I didn't realize it.  She was unable to jump into the car and I helped her scrabble up into the back seat.  The kids had to sit there, so I had to help her out again... and she could not get back in.  I finally lifted her and she went for me, the pain seems to be in her rear right hind leg and hip.   She made it home, but she is pumped full of rimadyl now, and won't be walking again. 

At least, until we go to the vet this week. 

I think she was pretty pooped out, and I didn't realize it.  This was right before we went back to the car. 

I have been trying different settings on the camera.  I have GOT to learn to shoot manually. 

Some pictures come out better than others. 

Fail. 

Better. 

I had to run by the grocery before the kids came, so I ducked into the cemetery to practice 

for a few minutes. 

Keith got a new vehicle today, a Dodge Grand Caravan.  I'm glad he didn't go for another truck. 

I'll get a picture of it in the morning. 

Right now, we're watching "Goosebumps" on tv before the 

kids' parents come back. 

I hope I can sleep tonight! 

Sunset. 

And moonrise.