July Ends

Friday, I showed you two very bad pictures of the newly-contoured land around the Big Ditch, an

ongoing project of the Corps of Engineers. 

Here is a better picture.  You can see an herbicide has been spread for some reason. 

Maybe they are going to drain the Ditch. 

The white pipes are markers where little trees were planted. 

You can see the contouring being done to the east of the ditch.  That's the creek line on the right. 

A group of boy scouts worked on the fire pit at the Ag Hall yesterday as 

an Eagle scout project.  

They made a beautiful pit. 

All of the sudden, we have gone from mid-summer Fourth of July to amost-fall... and the roadsides are reflecting that. 

Now that Keith is no longer on peritoneal dialysis daily at home, I am 

having to dispose of his unused supplies, many boxes of dialysis fluid (that 

I could not place as a donation).  I am making trips to the dump, about ten 

minutes from our house... and there is a big pit-pond there.  These geese 

were sparring on it yesterday, and I stopped to watch them for a while. 

 They finally settled down. 

I got a good picture of two scissortail flycathers today in Wyandotte County, as I took my son home this afternoon.  I always love to see them. 

I suspect the bird on the left is a juvenile. 

We are about to go back into the furnace this week! 

The Rest of the Fair

I spent an hour at the fairgrounds today, walking around and taking pictures. 

Production hens. 

Total. Cuteness. 

Love the poodle cut, but it had just awakened from a nap! 

Hogs were being shown. 

The Corps of Engineers has been contouring the land around the Big Ditch.  I was totally dismayed to see on the way home that an herbicide was sprayed on the banks. 

I can't imagine that the herons will be back, or the ducks who came down at night while migrating. 

If I had had the color right, you could see the acres of contouring, you can also see plants dying.  The big earthmovers are gone now.  The creek line is at the right. 

I stopped to take a picture of the crossvane... but got my color all out of balance again. 

You can see how low the creek is now. 

Can you see the flies on the poor calves? 

Those ear tags in their mamas are not just for identification, 

there is usually a fly ear tag, too.  The calves have not been 

tagged yet.  I felt so sorry for them. 

Sometimes I get the color right. 

I felt guilty about the grape jelly for about two hours 

this summer.  You see, I read an article about how it 

did not really "feed" the birds, it was more of a treat. 

I can testify to that, because they do not come and eat all day long. 

They fly off, eat seed on the ground in the side yard, go far off and 

eat... and come back for little bits and bobs of jelly. 

They are so fun to watch. 

I change the jelly bowl out every other day.  I wash them the day 

I change them, so in other words, I put this one out Wednesday night, 

topped it off several times yesterday, and then will take it in 

tonight and put a fresh one out tomorrow. 

I should find a little lower container, then I would not waste hardly any jelly. 

These little bowls are just so handy, they are ridgid enough for the birds to perch on 

and we don't eat anything out of them. 

The hummers are every where on our feeders these days! 

County Fair The Second

It's Leavenworth County Fair Time! 

Thank heavens it was not last week, in the dire heat. 

As it was, it was hot enough. 

I have not really talked about it, but Keith 

has been hospitalized since Monday.  He was released an 

hour and a half ago, and is home, sleeping soundly. 

We had a scare, but everything is okay for now. 

I snuck out to the fairgrounds while he was in dialysis. 

The poultry judging of showmanship had already happened, and the 

judge was taking a lunch break. 

When he came back in, I was still lingering. 

Showmanship winners with the judge.... and yes, I always 

have a camera around me somewhere! 

I have to say this about Leavenworth county... the 4H kids were 

ON TOP OF IT!  

Every cage had food and water, every one.  I looked. 

There was a crew of kids checking them constantly... and I found out that 

the Leavenworth County 4 H Poultry Project kids must sign up for 

specific hours.  If their parents work, they need to take off 

or arrange for the kids to get to the fairgrounds.  When the poultry 

super called out for the kids to gather for the picture, they came from every direction. 

Remember, this was not all of them, just the showmanship winners, minus one or 

two. 

Oh, how I miss my Mille Fleur D'Uccles. 

There were some handsome ducks, too! 

There were lots of bucket calves, that's dad pulling one behind this tethered one. 

And lots of grooming going on. 

And already groomed cattle drying in the sun. 

There are lots of dairy cattle there, unlike Wyandotte County. 

and Red Angus... 

and Gelbvieh (with some Herefords staring at them) 

There are not many rabbits entered, either, this year, but there were some beautiful ones, and I have to say... the kids were right on top of it again, there were three or four checking cages, and putting frozen bottles in them.  All bunnies had food and water, this one was lapping lazily. 

I stuck my head in the 4H horticulture barn, it is just the end of a barn. 

Prizes had already been awarded. 

Gorgeous! 

I made myself leave at that point, I had to do errands and get home and get the dogs out before going back to the hospital. 

I am going to try to sneak away again tomorrow night with the big camera, after I am sure Keith is feeling well. 

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! 

Where Do the Days Go?

Is it just because we are getting older? 

I really do intend to post every other day, and here it is Wednesday, and 

it's been the weekend since I posted! 

We have been having a heat wave, and I'm grateful it wasn't last 

week while the fair was going on in Wyandotte County. 

Next week is the Leavenworth County Fair, and Camp Grow will be 

entering four birds in it.  I am hoping the heat breaks.  

Gardening still goes on. 

This is my balsam, from my ten year old seeds. 

Not good. 

See the mums on the right? 

The poor zinnias. 

The heat is brutal, and yes, they are watered daily, sometimes, several times. 

An hour later. 

I do not want to lose this balsam, it grew in containers on the porch at the old house. 

Yee ha!  A watermelon is growing!!!!  I am so happy about it! 

Next year, we are going to 8 bales. 

I am watering, watering, watering.  I am also picking LOTS of cukes so we will be 

making pickles this weekend, I believe. 

We are also going to be inundated with tomatoes. 

Oh, yes. 

We visited the Dogtor yesterday. 

Lilly is still having old-age issues with pain.  We are changing her meds around a little. 

Jester is having trouble with vomiting, and maybe back to the doctor tomorrow.  Right now, he is taking an anti-emetic  We are NOT walking in this heat, they are outside very briefly to go to the bathroom, and that's it. 

I stopped at a friend's to drop something off yesterday, and noticed this goose has beautiful blue eyes! 

And this poor duck was born with no eye on the left side. 

This lovely duck was with the group. 

I miss having ducks! 

Yum!