Different Pictures

You are really supposed to photograph the 

moon in context with something else, so it's majesty will be apparent. 

This is the unframed uncut version from this morning, with a shorter lens. 

Beautiful! 

We had an Easter morning suprise!

(that's our side yard) 

In one day, we had rain, snow... and then sunny with mild 

temps, so that the dogs and I had a good walk after I had 

gone to church and Keith and I had had brunch. 

The new portion of the park at Basehor was landscaped 

on Friday, and some terracing was done. 

Just in time! 

There was a runoff creek running through the old and new sections of the park, spilling into the creek whose treeline you see in the distance. 

Park employees have also installed numerous benches on which to rest. 

Last year I had tomatoes in the big barrels on either side of our garage. 

This year, they are planted with perennials, a sage and a heuchera on each side. 

The neat thing is, I got each of these perennials at Grass Pad Nursery, they were 

last year's plants just coming back to life. 

$2.00 a piece. 

Uh huh. 

They will be joined by geraniums. 

This boy was on a pole on Leavenworth Road on our way to the park. 

And this grackle and about a hundred of his friends were in the yard when we got home. 

And this robin serenaded us from above. 

I have been trying to get a Western Meadowlark, and a Killdeer. 

I did pretty well with the meadowlark today.  I LOVE their song. 

We see you, Mama.  (click to enlargen) 

This is our friend hanging out at 155th and Fairmount. 

About 4:30, the phone rang.  It was Keith, who was coming 

home from the store with Chinese for dinner. 

He said "Mary Ann, get the camera and come out through the 

side door, the hawk is here". 

This is the Coopers Hawk that was hiding in the tree on Friday. 

He is watching for cotton rats on the patio. 

I was all Stealth Operations behind him, but he eventually flew. 

These guys were not coming back down, no sirree... until he was good and GONE. 

LUMEN CHRISTI!

DEO GRATIAS!

The Light of Christ has risen again, for the 61st time for me...

Easter morn dawned clear here at Calamity Acres.

As the full moon said goodnight.

I went to church early, and came home and commenced to fix a brunch for Chris, Nathan, Keith and the boy's mom, Sherie.

I didn't take even ONE picture!  I have no idea what I was thinking!

We ate at 1, as they had to drive home to Garnett, and had to stop for groceries along the way. Ham, the balance of the potato casserole, and lots of rolls went with them... and strawberries.  I forgot to load the shortcake!

Keith worked in the garden this morning, and tomorrow, I'll show some photos of how things are progressing.  It was only 41 degrees when I did chores this morning, and is predicted to be as cold tonight.

This afternoon, after the boys had gone home, I worked on cutting the garden part of the yard, and then decided to cut the pasture for the first time.  Last year, I did not cut the whole pasture... or rather, I should temper that to say that I do not cut the southern end.  It is hummocky, and tears the mower up.  Once a year we have been lucky to have Troy go through and knock the large growth down, and I need to find someone to brush hog it this year.

I did, however, decide to cut several areas that I had left long last year, and the absolute lowest tier by the Spehar's fence (our east fence) where I had usually left it long.  This gives the llamas some additional grazing of good grass.  We have a problem, you see.  The north end is getting more acidic (I think) and we are losing huge areas to bare ground, no grass.  Enough that I talked to Keith about it tonight, and I am going to contact our county agent.  At the same time, the pond guy left the middle in a mess last year when he pushed the dirt into the pond.  It brought weeds up to the surface, and the middle of the pasture has a huge nasty spot that needs to be re-seeded. 

As I was cutting down there, I decided to shut the tractor down and get off it and pick up some branches that had fallen from a tree.  I was going to cut around this tree so that the llamas could lay in the shade there.

So, this guy decided to join me.

As I talked to him, he decided to have a pow-wow.

He literally laid there and listened to me talk to him for five minutes.  He didn't get up until I got back on the mower.

I had an escapee from the dog pen where the milles and the little birds from the little henhouse are living.  She darted around and had a good old time in the pasture.  I finally was able to herd her back in.  I wish I could let this little flock out, but Rambo would beat Cocky up, I'm afraid.  He's so small he would not be able to defend himself.

While I was mowing, I looked over at the calves in the Spehar's north pasture, and something caught my eye.

Biggify this to see the Egyptian Geese still on the pond with the calves.  I watched them swim around... one is directly below the two calves, and the other to the left.  They are doing fine.

There go the llamas lickety split across the pasture... there were two strange dogs at Troy's today, visiting.  The llamas ran across to watch them.  They are VERY good protectors!

So finally, I got really tired and decided to sit down by the llama trough and watch "Chick TV" for a while, so guess who came to join me?

Since we have not renamed these two guys yet, I just call him Boudreaux, and he seems to like it.  He relaxes and sits there and listens attentively to what I say.  (I kind of like it!)

The chickens were running back and forth the whole time I sat there, and he ignored them.

From this angle, it is pretty evident these are young boys... I must have been blind to be so stupid last week!  I'm happy, though, because, as Keith reminded me last night... we aren't breeding turkeys here.

(Yet)

Happy Easter, Everyone!

A Quiet Weekend

Five days have gone by since we got the newest members of our family, Mama and Tony and the geese. Two days after their arrival, Stepson was leaving for school in the morning. He went out the door, then came back in to look at his dad. "When did we get LLAMAS???" was the question. Once baseball season starts, real life is over!!!!

The llamas appear to have settled in nicely, though we have not exactly laid hands on them yet. I am able to get them to come to me with a bucket of feed, but have not touched them. Today was the closest, within a few feet, but I watch the ears switching back and forth. Like a horse, the llama shows it's concern and interest with it's ears. I am not afraid of being spat upon, as that is mostly reserved for other llamas, but I would just as soon not tempt Mama. She appears to like the feed we got her, and also to like the chicken feed! I went down to the pasture this afternoon to discover that the goose feeder was empty... and as soon as I filled it, the geese tucked in. The two groups, new and old, slept peacefully by the pond in the sun this afternoon.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, but rain and cold is expected here the next two days. Friday was also rainy, and poor Beau stood, soaked, in front of the porch. He did go into the pasture that night, but soon requested coming back into the yard. We are happy to oblige the Old Gentleman, as he seems more comfortable with us now that little Lacey is gone. He likes to stand in the corner under the mulberry trees, and I notice that he is sleeping more and more. I mentioned it to husband, who shook his head and said "He's so old". We have begun to wonder if we won't find him some morning, before summer comes, having gone to sleep for the night and for the last time. For now he is still eating his senior feed, and drinking, and pooping, so we know it is not time. Tomorrow I'll move his feed and water bowls into the makeshift stall in front of the chicken house, so he can get some shelter from the storms that are affected.

We are having dinner here tomorrow. I cleaned house this afternoon, after delivering Easter baskets to the grandkids. Easter is not a gift-giving occaision here, but I collected nice baskets from thrift stores in the last few months, and filled them with grass and candies. I dyed eggs last year, but did not do it this year, time got away from me. After a short time with the grandkids, I moved on to the hairdresser for my coloring and then to Wal-Mart for a sifter for the cake flour, having mislaid my old one. This will be our menu: Ham, our "own" potato casserole, which is made with potatos, onions and cheese, green beans cooked very slow with bacon and onion, rolls, a salad brought by my sister in law, and pound cake for dessert. Very simple and good, easy to make and easy to clean up. I bought new napkins today and set the sideboard up with an Easter theme, stuffed papers into drawers, and cleaned floors. In the morning I'll vacuum after church, and then start baking. The ham need only be warmed, thank heavens, it is spiral sliced and pre-cooked. I intended to make the cakes today, but there is just so much to do at this time of year that I ran out of time again, and sit here, tonight, blogging when I should be in bed sleeping.

Happy and Blessed Easter to all!