Two Posts in a Week... It's the Heat!

It's the heat, folks.  Northeast Kansas has been rolling in the heat for a week. 

I walked out the door this morning at 7:15 to be gobsmacked by humidity already. 

My job is now refreshing water for all the living things here multiple times a day. 

The teenage ducklings are  now out of their little pen and on the loose!  They are so much fun to 

watch. 

Yesterday morning, I moved the two small Cayugas out of their brooder 

and into the pen the older ducklings had vacated.  It had dried out in two days, but the 

Cayugas soon took care of that.  There was lots of excited quacking going on. 

This is what the duck pond looks like in the morning, and I am 

now bucketing it and putting it on the new perennials. 

Yes, it's a pain, but the flowers are loving it. 

I give them a full new pool in the morning, and again in the evening. 

I use my little red wagon to drive the water around. 

That was the sum total of eggs I got yesterday.  I have been getting nearly 20 a day. 

I did find one extra one in the little hen house, a hen had gone in there to lay. 

Saturday night, I posted this hen on Insta and Facebook, saying I did not 

think she would make it through the night. 

She died. 

Sorry for the blur... I found this one this morning, 

in the hen spa.  I have a fan going day and night here. 

The heat is getting my girls. 

Some of the flowers loving duck water. 

I always have a helper with me. 

The sheep are actually handling the heat pretty well, I refresh their 

water daily, and I keep a fortex full of cool water in the shade for them.  They 

are smart, and go in the barn in the heat of day, then come back out to graze. 

I have really enjoyed their living here. 

Milkweed is beginning to bloom. 

I have a patch of weeds at the south end of the south garden that 

I have not dug out yet.  I am going to try to establish a big patch of milkweed in the 

spot.  It won't be in the next few days, though, unless this heat breaks. 

I actually did pretty well in it until today. 

Last night, I went to the Yes 50th Anniversary tour at the Midland Theater in KCMO. 

I worked at the Midland for five years some time ago... and it is always fun for me 

to see a show there. 

Here are some shots of the show: 

Billy Sherwood, bass player, who took over for Chris Squire when 

he became ill and subsequently died.  He sings, as well. 

(I was in the second row)

Geoff Downes, who had on sequined tennies (I could not get them in the picture) 

We share a birthdate. 

The very fragile-appearing guitar virtuoso Steve Howe, 

on the left.  

Tony Kaye, who was in and out of the band over the years (weren't they all?) did 

the last four numbers, as did drummer Alan White, one of the original members. 

Alan White is also fragile, having back trouble, etc., and looked tired

 out. 

Jay Schellen did the drumming for most of the show. 

I did not get a good picture of John Davison, the singer for this 

version of Yes. 

Ooops... I'll upload a bit of Roundabout and you can get a glimpse of him. 

One of the other critters around here that appreciates water and clover. 

The four big Pekins are purebreds, and the two tiny Cayugas, as well. 

These "teenagers" are mixed, Rouen and other mixes... but I think they are 

so pretty.

I noticed this morning while doing chores that the grass has stopped growing.  

I had to walk down in the pasture to dispose of the hen... help me out, vultures.... 

and noticed that after I cut last week, nothing appears to have grown.  I'm not cutting again 

until we get some rain!