Monday

Let me tell you, being a tour guide for grade schoolers at the Ag Hall is no 

picnic.  We have one volunteer who has helped there for years... Charles... 

he does them very frequently, and I don't know how he does it!  

These four groups today of 25 each with teachers and 

parents asked the best questions. 

We did chores, and the kids learn how to wash clothes 

with a washboard and wash tubs.  

It made an impression on one little girl, and she 

asked me what they did about diapers. I told her they 

used cloth diapers, and then washed them out after 

using them. 

Her reply?

"And USED THEM AGAIN????"

"Noooooooooo" 

Everyone thought the chamber pots were water holders

for during the night. 

Well, they are, sort of. 

Yesterday, we had rains off and on all afternoon, in our area we got 3/4 of an inch of 

rain. 

The pasture pond is filling nicely. 

More storms are expected for tonight. 

These cows had the right idea, it was 77 degrees but the 

humidity was climbing. 

I should have taken pictures of the calves, you could just 

see their little faces in the grass, now that the grass is growing taller.

Two of the ponds I watched are now out of sight in their pastures, because

the hay is growing. 

I did not take pictures at the park, but there was a lot of 

standing water from the rain yesterday. 

Something happened that made me stop and think. 

You know that we had four pugs before Jester. 

Three had physical problems, and the fourth, seemingly healthy, 

dropped dead just after turning 3 of what the vet said was 

either a heart aneurysm or a stroke. 

They were brachycephalic dogs, with short, short noses and 

heavy breathing. 

I did not walk them, and did not really let them out on hot days. 

I forget Jester ALSO is a flat-nose.  Today... he gamely 

followed, but I noticed he was walking slower and slower. 

Then, he went to a big puddle, drank, and did something 

he NEVER does.  He pawed at the water, took two steps, 

and plopped his whole body down in it. 

I let him lay there for a minute... and then we went straight to the car. 

No more walking for Jes unless we do it early in the morning, or the humidity is 

low. 

Very clearly three. 

At the last, I thought I saw a fourth draped over the side of the nest, like a body hanging. 

See why I thought there were four?  I think the hawklet on the left 

has his wing draped over the edge of the nest.  

This sight made me so happy this morning! 

You see, I had lots and lots of iris at the old house. 

I did not have any here. 

This is the first to bloom, yayyy!  It is not a transplant, I got 

it from Cherokee Acres last fall.  You can see their beautiful iris 

on their website. 

Here are the baby geraniums in their barrel.  You know I will 

have to transplant them all, but I want to see the colors this summer. 

A dollar a plant!  Wow. 

These are three of the mums from the Ag Hall that I made a donation for last fall.  We had used them for decorations.  I know one is a bronze, I am not sure of the other two, and I 

can't wait to see.  That's cat mint to the right. 

These look like sunflower seedlings to me... I'll know in a day or two. 

If they are, they are going. 

Million Bells... callibrachoa... I love all their colors. 

Yesterday's rainfall.  

I know they are hard to see, but when I went out this morning to spread birdseed 

I checked the bales.  There were hundreds of mushrooms blooming.  When I got home 

tonight, they had all died or bent over.  The gray stuff is mushroom. 

Mushrooms are a good sign! 

Even though she was small, I used the shovel on this 

alligator snapper.  I don't want to be caught on a country road with the dogs in the car and have a snapper hanging off my hand.  

As we came back by the park this afternoon, there was one of the 

great blue herons, poised to get his dinner.