The Afterwards

What a weekend we've had here, the 45th reunion last night, and our church bazaar and turkey dinner today. 

They say turkey makes you tired... I can attest to that!  I worked in the kitchen for three and a half hours and we won't be having turkey for 

Thanksgiving here, but then, we rarely do. 

Here is a picture from last night... these are the six 1964 grads of 

St. Peter's Grade School that were at the reunion. 

Bruce, Larry, Moe, Steve, Annie (cousin) Jeannie, your blogger Mary Ann, and Debbie, a good friend. 

Parochial school over-achievers, every one of us!  (laugh) 

We had such a good time gathering and sharing dinner with our classmates from Bishop Ward, class of '68. 

Ah, the memories. 

I'll stop there! 

This is one of my favorite fall sights... poison ivy turning red in the trees. 

I'm remembering which trees, too! 

This one grows over the old cistern on our property line, that we have filled (mostly) in with debris. Snakes hibernate down there. 

Another good reason to stay away from it. 

This tree has also been struck twice by lightening since we have lived here. 

Kelly and the two girls were out at different times today; I like to get them out for four or five hours a day to get exercise, and to eat as much green "stuff" as they can.  They love this sapling tree for some reason... Kody also loved it  The girls had just been eating here with Kelly, and had wandered around the corner. 

There is still lots of color around. 

And wonderful textures, though I should have dug this thistle out.  Too late now. 

The ducks were enjoying the afternoon sun, since we are expecting rain this week. 

We need it. 

And here's a face her mommy and daddy love... Abby Lynn.  You see I still have bins on the porch to go through this week from the cleaning out of the storage building.  The goats have enjoyed laying on top of these! 

Everyone have a great start to your week! 

Duck....errrr........Relations

Friends, 

Today is my 45th high school reunion.  I can't believe the time has flown so. 

I was telling Keith this morning that I drove my mother to her 50th reunion, and she was nervous, had her hair done, was all "dolled up" in a lovely dress for the afternoon party.  Notice I said "Afternoon", for they met at a golf club for luncheon, no late night. 

I have come almost full circle, though our class (or part of it) is meeting at a golf club for dinner this evening. 

They had a meet and greet in a bar last night, but I was too pooped to pop. 

I'm looking forward in a way, but also dreading it in a way... those of you "of an age" will know that. 

I'll report on it sometime tomorrow, as Sunday is our church bazaar, and I will be helping in the kitchen from 1 - 3:30, and may not get to post until afterwards. 

Now... to the ducks. 

Donald, as you know, suffered an injury to his foot two weeks ago. 

He spent four days limping badly. 

I should tell you that at least once a day, black-headed buzzards have been dive-bombing our birds... so the ducks have to run as fast as their tiny little legs will take them, and in proportion to their bodies, those legs are small.  We suspect now that Donald sprained a leg while running, because I never saw a wound of any kind. 

He is fine now. 

He does have a small case of angel wing, caused by too much protein. 

But, while at the feed store yesterday, I checked the gamebird ration and it is higher in protein than the chicken pellets I feed.  The ducks also eat maybe 1/3 of their food ration in the pasture daily, much more so than the chickens.  I'm relaxing about the angel wing. 

It is also not as pronounced as it appears in the picture above.  Donald and Aflac had just been dabbling away behind Swamplandia. 

There is a bit of a Swamplandia in the pasture, too, but I don't mind. 

In the winter, the swimming pool will be put up, and the large fortex that is in the pasture will be put in the pen, the ducks like it just as much. 

In two weeks, I'll get six bales of straw, and we will build a fortress (Fort Apache) underneath the little henhouse, for the ducks to shelter in in the bad weather.  I'll also fill the huge dog house (the "duck house") in the henyard with straw. 

What's missing in this picture????

WATER! 

Ducks normally mate in water.  

This is not the only picture I had, but I could not find the other despite sitting here for the last 30 minutes and looking. 

I have a picture of one of the females breeding another one of the females! 

Strange, but true! 

Fawni does not look very happy, does she? 

Donald is obviously back full strength! 

(I use too many exclamation points... I think that's how I talk in real life) 

Sorry for the graphic pose. 

I'm off now to get my hair combed out for the reunion.  My caveat to the hairdresser was
"I don't want to look like Betty Crocker at my reunion". 

I'll have Keith take a picture! 

(another exclamation point, see what I mean???)

Pictures will be taken.