Starting a New Decade

So much happened in the last decade...

I lost my sister, Kathleen, my brothers Mike and Pete, 

my stepson, Brandon, and my husband Keith. 

So many losses, but I am still blessed to be here and 

be in good health and be able to get around and stay active. 

I like to think these were still happy years, despite the loss. 

Keith and I moved away from Calamity Acres in 2014, as he grew 

more ill,  

but I came back in the fall of 2017 (we rented the house out). 

It was rehabbed and is a cozy, comfortable home for me, 

the dogs and the critters. 

So, let's look at what is now "last year". 

We'll start in January. 

Lilly Ann was aging, and her body had started changing, see how her 

legs were bowed out? 

Also, see all the chicken poop on the porch?  That was going to go away. 

I still had three of my original four big Pekins. 

Yes, they swam all winter. 

In February...

We had some warmish days, and some of the snakes woke up! 

And that month, there were only two sheep in the pasture, Fluffy, on the right, 

and Flicka, on the left.  Faithful Lilly Ann was guarding them. 

On February 13th, I got a bucket of eggs!  Right now, I am blessed to get two or three a day, 

but the hens are all getting old. 

On the 16th, with cold and snow outside, I had a surprise in the sheep barn!

More snow in March...

I love tracks in the snow. 

On the 11th, Cookie was wethered. 

Dr. LaRosh has since retired. 

In April, I had a real surprise! 

Fluffy was a lamb when she came here with the boarded sheep two 

years ago.  There was a ram lamb in with them, but I honestly never 

saw him breed her, and did not have a clue that she was pregnant. 

She presented me with Niblet on April 2nd. 

By mid-April, spring was on the way. 

In May...

I planted one of the big planters on my deck with lettuce, and it took off! 

And saw one of my favorite groups, Little River Band, for 

the fifth or sixth time.... (Colin Whinnery)... I know they are 

not the original Australian band... but if you ever have a chance to 

see these guys .... GO. 

May 14, one of the hardest days of my life... My beloved Lilly Ann crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She had spent her whole life with me, it was so hard to let her go. 

In June...

In June, the poultry was rapidly wearing out their welcome on the deck and porch. 

Folks, chickens (and ducks) are dirty, there are no two ways about it.  I have kept them 

for many years, but they are dirty.  I had to wash the porch off every single day, 

and use a shovel to shovel off the poop. 

It was onerous.  

The fun of watching them was not equal to the job of cleaning up after them. 

I had cross-fenced the yard in March, and it was rapidly becoming time to 

fence them up. 

We had some spectacular evenings. 

In July....

these were coming along. 

And I was privileged to have the time to take 

my two grands on the left (and their cousins to the right) to the pool this summer...

In August....

(Sorry, couldn't resist) 

And this happened, our wonderful Fritzi came in to Jester's and my lives, and we were so glad. 

She is just our little doll, thank you again, Bonner Animal Rescue.

In September...

I made a decision to re-home Duckie and the Duckertons. 

I love ducks.... but I was having trouble taking care of them 

as I felt I needed to.... they were rehomed to a women 

with duck experience and a pond, and the young layers and 

their rooster went to a new home, too. 

It was very hard to let Duckie go, let me tell you. 

He was the duck with personality!

We had a beautiful late summer. 

And I watched some fall baseball...

On the 28th, I saw another favorite band...

Toto, at the Uptown theater. with a horrid rainstorm 

as we came out of the venue.... What a ride home! 

(that's Steve Lukather and Joe Williams)

In October....

Granddaughter Paiton celebrated her birthday with a riding lesson. 

In early November, I caught a glimpse of my favorite maple tree 

down beyond my neighbor's pond. 

And we began preparing in earnest for "Santa's Express" at the National Agricultural Center, where I have volunteered for five years now. 

Jester was never far from me.  He is the pluckiest little dog, 

and I am so glad to have him. 

December.... 

Penning the chickens on the far side of the yard was a great decision. 

No more nastiness tracked into the house... hardly any flies. 

Of course Singleton, who was living at the Ag Hall, 

is home for the winter, and every morning, chases his daddy 

Ferdinand out of the enclosure...

and Ferdie now lives by the deck, porch and side of the house 

during the day, with one little red hen.  

I am dealing with small amounts of poop again. 

When Singleton and his girls go back to the Ag in the spring, 

Ferdie will move into the old hen house with his little hen. 

We had a wonderful Santa event at the National Agricultural Center, despite the fact we had a near-blizzard on the second day.  Santa was there, and 50 or so hardy people came through the storm to see him, do crafts, and have some hot chocolate and cookies. 

I built Gnomelandia in my spare bedroom, because great-granddaughter Maci 

was coming for the first time. 

I had so much fun doing this, and am going to improve it next year. 

The dogs and I had our Christmas picture taken.

When family came for Christmas. 

And finally....

The Reason for the Season. 

And so it comes to an end, the year and the decade. 

Like I said, I am so blessed to live where I do, 

to enjoy the fauna and flora (a lot of fauna), 

to have two faithful and loving little dogs, 

and an array of critters coming during the night 

to keep things lively. 

I want to thank everyone for reading this and reading 

for the last ten years about my humble life. 

I so enjoy sharing aspects of it with you. 

Here's to a great new decade for all of us!

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.  

The Aftershow

Well, the old folks (Keith and I)  went to Ottawa, Kansas, to see the Little River Band last night. 

They have a lovely downtown district, which I will take a picture of, the next time I'm there. 

I did at least get the sign. 

Here is the auditorium, and, as you see, it is not very large.  Seats 840. 

Very intimate for a concert. 

Inside... we were in the fourth row of the balcony.  I want you all to notice something...there is NOTHING on the stage except the musician's equipment.  No light show, no explosives, nothing.  See the merchandise in the orchestra pit?  That's where they sold it, and after the show, a table was set up to the left of the hanging merchandise, and the band came out and pressed the flesh.  They also wandered through downtown Ottawa and into the lobby after the show.  

I got them all here except for the guitarist on the left.  I was so lucky, I had no one directly in front of me, and had a good view all night.  They did a one and a half hour show. 

My point is.... without all the extra "stuff" , they put on a great show of 1970's and 1980's hits (in what is about the tenth edition of this band) and thoroughly entertained everyone there. 

I'm afraid the last two mornings of cold temps have done it to the beautiful pumpkin vines.  I'm praying that the fruits on the vines ripen, even though the vines are dying now, it appears.  

Ferdy's marching along the potato bed, looking for his girls under the bushes.  You can see that some potatoes are growing in this bed again. 

The two old Japanese roosters are still with us, One and Two.  Their brothers Three, and Butch, my pet, are also still with us.  There are only fifteen birds in the old henhouse tonight. 

But this beautiful little Mille Fleur, Boots... is not.  

I found him in the pasture when I went to close up about twenty minutes ago.  I won't show you the picture, though I took one.  I must have not seen the circling raptor this afternoon, and it got another bird. 

It did not get to eat much of him... it must have been interrupted by something.  He's down in the bottom of the pasture tonight, for a coyote or another predator to take away.  Poor, beautiful little Bootsy, with the most raucous crow ever, that hurt your ears... but a beautiful color (though too much white for a Millie)... that shone like gold in the sun.  Nugget the cochin was his special little girl amongst the hens... and she is gone too.... slowly, the old henhouse is emptying out.