I Used to Post DAILY

It is literally all I can do to get myself into the chair to do a long post.  

How did I ever do it daily in the past? 

That is my son, Jim, with my beloved Lilly. 

She is still with us, for a while longer.  It is hurting 

daily now, her body failing, and my heart failing. 

These gorgeous deep purple lilacs are next to the 

Smith House, the pioneer home at the Ag. There is another lighter blue bush to 

the left of the entrance.  Both smell wonderful. 

Friday night, I saw these guys at the Ameristar Casino. 

My cousin's husband was kind enough to drive us over there... and wait for us. 

Keith and I had seen them five years ago in Ottawa (Ks) and I so 

enjoyed them.  I had seen the original Australian band years ago, 

these guys have no original members with them, but the bass player 

and lead singer have been with them for 40 years.  Well worth the 

cost of the ticket, and a rockin' good evening. 

Friday, we had a tour group from Rushville, Missouri.  These kids study 

pioneer days every year, and come dressed as kids from the era of 

the 1880s and 90's.  This year, their teacher and parents did, too. 

They are very well behaved and so much fun to see and help. 

Two of us docents dressed up in period clothes for them. 

Here I am in my farm clothes. 

We washed clothes with the washboard, ground corn for the chickens, 

learned about chicken eggs and chickens, and toured the beautiful old farm home 

and talked about how it is different from today's homes. 

The good thing was that several  families not with the school group came that day, 

and they got the full tour benefit. 

And don't forget the train rides!

I found these striking BLACK petunias at 

Kaw Valley Nursery in Ottawa. 

I have never seen a true black petunia, this are called
Black Magic. 

My colors for the deck this year were purples, magenta and green.  Oops. 

I am putting these in a corner. 

I got deep red and red and black to go with them, but you know what? 

I think the color combo is kind of creepy. 

These guys have just about outgrown their brooder in two weeks. 

I have GOT to get them moved, so, if the new hen house is not coming this week... they will go into the Little Red Hen house.  It is darker in there than I like, but they will be safe. 

And they will have room to move around, and.... I will need Jax's help getting them out when the new hen house comes. 

Grandson Chris and I have started working on the fence surrounding it... and in two weeks he will be back and we will begin stretching wire. 

If you notice, Singleton is with them now... Mama Biddy literally left him one day, 

walked out the door, and never looked back. 

(and yes, it looks like a "him" to me) 

Back to color scheme for a minute.  This is part of it. 

Love the rich purples. 

(didn't realize this was so blurry!) 

There is the sum total of morels I picked this year. 

I am going to have to say this.... there were SO MANY BUGS in them, 

I let them soak for a while (you know I hate to kill anything).... and 

then fixed them.  I ate exactly one, and gave the rest to the chickens. 

That's it for me and morels. 

There were many more out there, but my son does not eat them, either. 

My sweet Ferdie suffered a lot of comb damage this year, 

with the winter holding on so late. 

He is the mellowest rooster I have ever had, and I love him. 

Last week's Pink Moon from the front yard. 

Reminds us of why we are but specks in God's eye, you know? 

Grandson Chris installed my hooks for my flower baskets and hummingbird feeders on Thursday, and within a day, the hummers had found them!  

I want that old Hughesnet satellite to go away from my porch roof.  

Here's my own lilac I started from a six inch slip many years ago, as the yard light happened to come on one night last week. 

I think I have some better pictures in my big camera right now, 

but goslings have come back to the ag.... I did walk down to the pond this 

morning and think I got some better pictures.  One family has 5 goslings, and the other, only three, but the moms and dads are taking good care of them. 

This picture just makes me laugh.  Every so often, I see the sheep streak across the pasture... something has scared them, obviously, but who knows what.  They run up into the corral, 

hang out for a while, and slowly go back out.  There are two new ewe lambs that came this week, 

but they are still outcasts, and not in this picture.  I worry about them all the time. 

This morning, I left to do the chores at the Ag, and my grass guy (I have the yard cut and trimmed) called me to say that the sheep were in the yard.  The enterprising young man who works for him 

rounded them up and got them back in the pasture!  Kudos to him, he showed presence of mind. 

It is so much fun watching them, they are so peaceful.  I am not scared going among them, I often put them in in the evening, and their owner comes and lets them out at 6:15 in the morning so they can graze all day. 

I know the ram lambs will be going away soon.... but they are a good experience, and despite my being a horse lover since childhood, a better experience than the big horses here last summer. 

Tomorrow I will take the big mower in and knock the grass in the pasture down a little more for them.  They are doing an excellent job of grass control for me, though.