Musings After Nearly a Month

I have been a bad, bad blogger. 

I intend every night to sit down and write a blogpost... and every night, 

I am so tired, I sit and fall asleep in the recliner or on the couch. 

You see, I am doing a lot of this: 

The pasture was not mowed last year, though it 

was burned off. 

It was a mess.  I had Odin's Lawncare come in and bush hog it.... 

(shoutout to Brandon Beary) and then I cut it a week ago for the first time with my own mower. 

I had to go very slowly.  

Then, I got on the mower Monday morning to cut the 1/5th I had not touched last week, and I ended up doing the whole thing again.  It was a beautiful morning, as you can see, and the temps were perfect.  

In the fourth picture is the brush pile where this will go: 

and that 's only PART of it, bwahahahahaha. 

There is a bigger pile east of this one.  Somewhere under there is the round trashburner/hot dog roasting place that Keith built.  I can't wait til it can be used again. 

Pears are growing and ripening.  

I know longer know the variety, but they are very sweet. 

Oh, yes. 

Some of the girls from the Ag have joined me at home in the henspa.  

There are actually 9 there now. 

The first. 

Raccoons continue to visit the deck. 

Longtime readers will remember the little red henhouse, in which I used to keep bantams. 

Keith built this for me to isolate the smaller birds.   

The old henyard, once so sunny, is overgrown and gloomy, but that little henhouse is being put to good use. 

These three little dolls are living it in right now.  They are 13 weeks old, have been vaccinated and neutered, and will be living as supported ferals (supported by me).  They are NOT friendly.  

(turn up your volume)

In another week, I will open the front door, and they will be able to come and go as they please. 

I'll make sure there is food and water, and I'm planning something even better for their winter. 

It has been storming all morning here, and I have not been to the Ag yet, or 

out to take care of my own birds and check on the kittens.  I need to get myself in gear. 

Little Jester went to sleep last night sucking on his bear. 

Tomorrow, I will give you a hint as to what's been happening with the little farmhouse. 

It's Flower Time

The Master Gardeners of Wyandotte County (Kansas) 
take care of the perennial gardens at the 
National Agricultural Center, where I volunteer. 

There are so many beautiful blooms right now... 

I have rarely been able to grow clematis, which requires cool roots and 
its' head in the sun. 

I had some here at this big house when I moved in, but I managed 
to kill it! 

Spirea "Anthony Waterer", one of my favorites. 

So, there are a few blooming here at the house, too...

Why I have ONE iris blooming in June, I don't know!!!   Monarda is about to cut 
loose around it.  (and yes, I'm pulling those weeds and re-mulching next week) . 

But the daylilies have begun their annual display. 

I guess I better do some digging, too! 

These are at the farmhouse... 

And look!  The pasture at the farm has been cut! 

There goes Brandon on his tractor.  Brandon, of Odin's Lawncare, has been 
doing the yard at the farmhouse.  He drove his old tractor four miles down 
24/40 highway with his bush hog (called "brush hog" here in our town), and cut 
it for me last night.  

My own John Deere X320 is being hauled out there on Friday, and 
I'll be able to keep the pasture down.  Brandon will continue doing the yard and the weed eating, every ten days.  

What a relief to see the grass down. 

However, this is my goat yard.  It's HORRIBLE.  

I can't even get the gate open. 

I'm buying a corn knife tomorrow and 
next week, I'm going to town on this mess. 

Somewhere, in the middle, is the pile of stones 
Chris gathered and built for the goats. 
They were scattered by the hogs the tenants kept 
in the pen.   I'm going to get the huge weeds cut, 
and then gather the stones again, and a friend is 
going to put some goats in there. 

I'll be busy next week! 

I took this tonight when I went over to take care of the chicks 
at the Ag. 

This is the younger of the two gosling clutches. 

The older clutch is now looking like miniature geese! 

You see the older bunch are really feathering out. 
They are used to me watching them. 

All of the sudden, heads came up and everyone turned as one towards the pond, hurrying down quickly. 

I leaned forward from my bench, because whatever scared them came from my 
left, or east side.  I never did see anything. 

It was not this guy... they see him all the time... I suspect a fox in the trees along the dam. 

I have had Nathan and Chris here for two days, up from 
Garnett... we go back in the morning, and then the 
dogs and cat and I will be back to our normal routine for 
a while! 

Where do the Weeks Go?

''

This guy.  Because of him I follow about 50 Bostons on Instagram. 

In fact, once I get moved, I'm going to make his own account for him on 

Insta. 

That's Sister's paw in the picture. 

My heart swells when I see my old girl in her element. 

This is where she grew up, and probably, where she will die. 

You remember that I started out feeding the abandoned half-grown kitten at 

the farmhouse?  Then two more cats started eating, along with 4 raccoons, 

and two opossums, and many, many birds. 

Now they are passing judgement on my choice of cat food.  I bought this 

generic cat food at the feed store, it came in a thirty pound bag for 

much less than I had been paying.  You notice they are not cleaning 

their plates as they were before, but leaving some every day.  Some days, 

the water bowl is even full (raccoons dip their feed in the bowl). 

I had to laugh. 

At least I'm saving some money, and according to what I see 

on the game camera... the cats are still eating. 

More of this...

And this! 

The yarrow is blooming!

and my only kniphofia left... 

The globe thistle is hanging on... 

And look what is starting! 

Yes, the beds are still full of weeds, but 

I'll get them, little by little. 

Next week sometime, towards the end of the week... 

a dozen of the hens at the Ag will come home 

with me to live in the henspa. 

Until I am living there full time, they will have to stay in the fenced 

chicken yard.  Once I move, they can roam around in the yard. 

I end, as I started.  Jester bruised an eye 

a few days ago, and after a trip to the vet 

yesterday, he is on medicine for the bruising, 

and taking it easy.  He will be fine. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!