All the News Fit to Print

Here we are at the end of September already, how can it be? 

September of my life, too. 

Our beautiful sunset after storms Saturday. 

I just read on another blog that at this age, it's time to stop 

thinking of whether your clothes or hair or shoes are perfect, and to 

give up those friends who do not make you smile and laugh. 

I would have to agree with that, I don't think anymore about HOW I am 

appearing to others, as long as I am clean and relatively decent, and treat people kindly.   

And I am still rocking.   I went to see Toto on Friday night, 

and here I am with Steve Porcaro, Steve Lukather, and standing to the side, Joe Williams, 

three long time members of the 8 piece band.  (Steve and Steve two of the founders). 

Though they don't look especially happy in this picture (or most of the others).... they were actually VERY nice people, and couldn't have been more engaging with their fans, and I have to give 

them credit for it, since they are still slogging through 200 plus dates a year on the road. 

I noticed Joe using liberal doses of hand sanitizer after the event. 

Some of you reading this know that I worked as an usher and ticket taker for 16 years at Kemper Arena (now called Hy Vee Arena) in Kansas City, Missouri, and all of the downtown KCMO buildings, Municipal Auditorium, etc..  I saw every band; my very first concert at 14 was The Beatles when they appeared at Municipal Stadium.  I have not seen Elton, Billy Joel, (I took the night off, as I worked a full time job, too) and the Stones.  I have seen just about everyone else. 

I had not seen Toto! 

I thoroughly enjoyed the concert, but the drive home in a pounding rainstorm was frightening. 

I have a CD player in the car, and make my own CDs, and yes, you will find me singing along and "rocking down the highway."

And now, on to farm news, and thanks to Grandson Chris for farm-sitting. 

Saturday was a sad day after my big night out, my first concert since May, when I still had the boot on my leg. 

Most of you also know that I coped for six months this year with a torn Achilles tendon in my right leg.   It was extremely painful, and I feared I would have to have the re-attachment surgery, which would have laid me up for weeks.  I could not figure out how to take care of this place if that had happened. 

Miraculously, as an answer to prayers, it healed. 

However, last week I had the flu bug already going around our area.  As I lay in bed, too exhausted to do anything, I worried myself sick about the ducks. 

Yes, the ducks. 

I changed the two duck pools out up to three times a day, because it is still so hot here. 

Yes, they could have used the dirty water, but I am just like that. 

I had two areas that looked like this, and I wear Sloggers to do chores, and nearly fell four times. 

I am afraid of falling, because if I am stranded in the yard with something broken, it might be days before I am found if I have forgotten my phone. 

I made the decision I would have to rehome the ducks.  

It was very, very hard, because of Duckie, whom I have had for almost two years. 

My friend Tammy Potts, who is a counselor at Basehor Linwood High School and also 

works with Kitty Cat Connection, found a friend who kept chickens who took my eight 

daily layers, and their rooster (Midnight, a miracle).... and another friend who kept ducks 

who welcomed all six of the Pekins.  It was a miracle. 

Her friend Tammy came Saturday with her husband to pick everyone up. 

(this picture just about killed me) 

I know that the place the ducks went has a fenced pond, and there are other ducks there, 

so I was so happy for them. 

The pools have been emptied for the last time. 

There are sixteen old hens here and two roosters.  I have shut the old hen house up for good. 

The little hen house will be cleaned out this week, and Singleton and his six girls at the Ag Hall will come home on October 20 to a new building. (they used to live in the old hen house). 

Both the big and little hen house are on the same side of the yard, so no more criss-crossing with feed, etc.  

I got a total of four eggs yesterday. 

I noticed that there was almost NO conflict Saturday and Sunday with Ferdie, my oldest rooster, and his son, Buddy.  I am wondering now if Midnight, the cochin, was actually the problem all summer, with fighting, etc. 

It is still hot here, mostly, though we did have a reprieve Friday and Saturday. 

The porch plants are fading, and I bought two good-sized mums at Orschelns today, 

they have passed their first bloom... they were 2.00 each, and I am going to go 

out on the deck and trim them back, I think I will get a huge second bloom, well worth the 

2.00 price. 

I am dreaming of Christmas already, which is funny, because I no longer

host a family gathering, and I really decorate for just me. 

Son Jeff is coming this year to have Thanksgiving dinner with me, the first time in a long time, and I am really excited about that. 

I thank God every day for letting me live somewhere so beautiful. 

I took this last Monday, my nephew came and replaced the front roof of the sheep barn, and three boards in front.  It is ready for winter, and I have a good supply of hay, it's an investment in the future of the sheep. 

These naughty creatures. 

They cleaned up all the apples that I could reach. 

I am still mowing... and yes, I need to mow today.  I think I'll wait til tomorrow, 

since I spent the morning doing errands. 

Things change, and it's still good to embrace change at my age. 

As I lose hens, I will not replace them now.  I will buy eggs for the 

shelter, and continue to contribute to a meal weekly for them. 

Fifteen less birds meant a shortening of chores over the weekend, I noticed.  I have had many years of chicken keeping, and have enjoyed it very much... but it is time to slow down a little. 

I still got 8000 steps yesterday!

My sweet Jester. 

Little Frizi, whom I was so lucky to get. 

Blogging Impediments

Honestly, there would be more posts if life would slow down. 

Also... I have a new charging cable for my phone, and all of the sudden, 

I cannot upload pictures to the computer.  Hmmmm. 

I will try to do a post from the last upload. 

Summer has hung on by its' fingernails here in Leavenworth County. 

My flower box on my deck is still going strong, but the laundry 

tubs full of zinnias faded.  The herbs set seed and faded, and I will not 

grow them in a planter on the porch again, they had NO wow effect. 

I have three of these big planters now, and I am going to fill them with flowers next year. 

A new little friend came into our lives, to fill the hole left by 

Lilly's passing in May. 

Fritzie is nine years old, and she has fit in perfectly here with Jester, 

me, and all the animals at Calamity Acres.  I keep a sharp eye on her, she is 

my watch dog, and she tells me when the raccoons are lurking.  She doesn't get to go out alone because of it. 

On the morning of my birthday, I rolled over in bed to see a Cooper's Hawk sitting 

right outside my window! 

We have had some spectacular sunsets. 

And of course, the beautiful Harvest Moon. 

Singleton the Rooster, attacked by a coyote in August, 

is thriving with his six ladies at the Ag Hall. 

They will be home for the winter on October 20th. 

The outside of a horse really IS good for the inside of a man, or two little girls, riding buddies. 

I am so proud of Paiton for sticking with her lessons for the last year and a half. 

It amazes me to see her go in the stall, throw the halter over the horse's head, lead it to the crossties, 

groom it, pick it's hooves out, and then run over to the lesson horse barn and get the saddle and bridle, 

and then put them on herself, which she could not do a year ago.  I'm so proud of how far she has come, and how far she wants to go. 

BFFs taking some sun together.  These two get along better than Lilly and Jester, 

because Lilly always reminded everyone she was the Boss. 

A tomato hornworm, parasitized by another bug (wasp?) 

it hung on all week on this plant, but is gone today. 

Naughty, naughty sheep on the side deck this afternoon, snarfing up spilled birdseed.  I have been 

letting the sheep graze in the yard every afternoon. 

(I just discovered I can post from the phone directly via the USB cable... ) 

This is a pot with chives in it.  I just read twenty minutes ago that chives will take 

over your garden if you let them.  You see what the root system did in this pot!

They cleaned up all the dead fall apples yesterday, I stopped and picked about twenty more for them. 

The cottonwoods on neighbor Troy's pond are dropping leaves like crazy, and I crackle as I mow now in the pasture.  Yes, we are still mowing around here on September 20, I don't remember the grass every growing this fast, this late. 

Now we expect rain all weekend, I am grateful I got the yard and pasture cut the last two days. 

Last week, my friend Judy from The National Agricultural Center, gifted me with a 

beautiful roast.  I cooked it all night til it fell apart, and I always keep vegetables in my freezer... I made a huge crock pot of vegetable soup for the shelter. (I also use Better Than Bouillon, and Lipton's Beefy Onion soup mix)

This past weekend, I  was gifted a sack of potatoes, and a bag of tomatoes, and 

I made Ina Garten's Garlicky Roasted Potatoes, and a BBQ Pasta Salad. 

I have done both before, both are really tasty. 

My dear brother Mike would have been 77 on the 18th. 

My dear Keith would have been 60 on the 10th, and stepson Brandon would have been 27, they shared a birthday. 

Son Jim turned 51, and my mother would have been 105!  

Fall baseball has begun!

You go, Jaxton Michael!