This is Reality

Okay, folks. 

This. Is. Reality. 

It's hotter than two weeks ago. 

Lawrence, 15 miles from me, was 100 today. 

They are talking heat indices of 115 for tomorrow. 

That's what the smaller of the two pools looked like at 3. 

I had gone out at 1:30 and put some cool water into each. 

Notice that the henyard has pretty much dried up in the sun. 

All but one duck-dabbled hole had dried up.  It was stagnant scum. 

The ducks can hear as I start to fill the pools, they like fresh water. 

The teenagers were so excited they started jumping in with only two inches in the pool. 

The big white bullies came running from the yard. 

And ran the little ones out of the big pool. 

I have decided now that there really ARE four drakes. 

They are without a doubt the largest Pekins I have ever had. 

EVER. 

These little ones are so delighted with the water. 

I bucketed that whole pink pool onto garden beds. 

I am determined to keep all my new perennials alive. 

And this is how I looked when I finished and sat down to wait for the pool to fill. 

I had sweat rolling off of every bit of me. 

What I do is go out and work for 20 minutes or so in the heat, 

then go back in and cool down inside.  The dogs are literally out 

for only five minutes at a time. 

Smush-faced dogs need to stay in and suck on their teddies. 

I put a frozen bottle in an open water fortex in the little hen house, because the 

water literally was getting hot in their water fountain. 

They were perplexed at first, that's Singleton looking at it. 

He has turned into a beautiful cockerel.  He is now starting to get some brown 

shading on the tips of his feathers.  He was Biddy's first hatch this year. 

(and the little two better be the last!) 

It didn't take them long to realize the water was COLD, and they started 

drinking it.  I'll bring that container in tonight and re-freeze it, 

and will go buy a couple more tomorrow. 

Yesterday was our annual meeting at The National Agricultural Center, and 

I led a tour before the reception. 

I posed with part of the Oz Exhibit... we are participating in 

a presentation of The Wizard of Oz to be presented August 1 to 5, at 

Providence Medical Center Ampitheater (right down the street from us) by Theater League. 

We are going to turn the grounds into Auntie Em's house and farm, and characters will 

be roaming around.  

It should be great fun for families IF we don't have this terrible heat by then. 

Tomorrow morning, Lauren, our intern, and I are leading a tour for a day care 

group.  I am praying it isn't horrible at 10 AM, because I think those poor kids 

are going to get a shortened tour so they don't bake in the sun. 

Everyone hydrate and stay healthy! 

A Longgggg Post....

I have been seeing Feral Cat Rusty every morning for a week now. 

I have not seen Harlequin (Harley) since Monday, and I am 

worried about her.  These four cats were neutered before they came to me... 

I have not seen the second black and white female, Tippy, in over a month. 

Spooky was running in the yard the other day, so I am pretty confident he is still around. 

I did leave the game camera in the henhouse today and will go out and get it shortly and see who is on it. 

The cat I have begun calling Petey was waiting for me 

this morning when I walked in, and was so hungry he/she jumped 

down immediately to eat.  This cat is the "friendliest" of all the 

ferals, meaning it will approach me, but I can't touch it. 

I am wondering now.... if it is male or female... because I have seen 

it repeatedly going down into my pasture, and I am beginning (thanks, Tammy Potts) to suspect 

kittens. 

I am keeping plenty of food out during the day, in case that's what's happening, and we would 

be trapping Mama and babies, if so. 

Raccoon tracks in the water bowl this morning. 

Petey was so hungry that I emptied the bowl, went out, got water, and came back in to clean and fill it, and he/she never looked up. 

Thursday and Friday, the temps went as high as 81 here in Leavenworth County. 

We actually had a tornado watch Friday night. 

It was so hot that Lilly went under the porch of the henhouse to watch me work. 

I did not work alone, I never do. 

Remember, I have four black sex link babies, and two cochins, whose sex I don't know. 

I also still have the singleton with Biddy, the only egg that hatched. 

Here is an example of what the hens will look like, 

from BackyardChickens.com 

I think I am going to have to take Biddy's baby tomorrow, she wants to go back 

outside badly, and the baby does not need to be out in the big, bad world.  I will put 

it with the other chicks.  

There are the Eggs That Never Hatched.  Several were empty. 

I am going to get a candler so I don't have to go through this again. 

And by the way, I buried them in the compost heap, and covered them with 

an extra load of dirt from one of my push carts. 

(sorry for the blurry picture) 

Jester received a wonderful gift from @Bostondottie on Instagram, 

because we donated to a medical fund for a Boston who needed surgery. 

It is a wonderful blanket, and he earlier won a cool tug toy from 

another Boston owner for the same contest.  

(Thank you, Royal Sir Boops!) 

Four acres to roam, and this is what is on my doorstep numerous times a day. 

This morning, we woke up to this.  This is the third Sunday in a row, and remember, I said we had 81 degree temps on Friday. 

Lilly bravely went out, and the wind chill at the time was about 14 degrees. 

After I put the cat food in the old hen house and fed Petey, I came back in to do something 

before going back out.  When I did, I saw Lil disappear into the pasture.  SHE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO RUN. 

This explains why.  See her track?  She has a torn 

ACL on the right rear, and is not a candidate for surgery.  She hobbles at best, 

steps are becoming harder.  I am medicating her daily now.  She is NOT supposed to take off after anything, and I suspect she saw Petey going back down to the woods.  She made her way back 

up eventually, but has been in all day. 

I would not normally post a picture like this, but I HAD TO GET MY CUDDL DUDS BACK OUT ON APRIL 15.  

Ridiculous!!!  The wind made it feel like 14, and believe me, my bones felt it. 

I have long jeans and a sweatshirt on, and my heavy Carhartt. 

I am a diabetic, and my hands and feet especially suffer in the cold, so I double-gloved, too. 

I also know to do chores in increments in this cold. 

Here is an egg lesson. 

The egg on the left is one from the home flock. 

The egg on the right, from the Ag flock, both my flocks. 

Some of the Ag girls broke out into the feed room this morning. 

I fixed these for the dog's breakfast. 

All together now. 

The darker yolk is caused by the fact that my girls here at home free-range all day long, and can eat bugs, grass, etc. etc. that they find on our acres.  The girls at the Ag are penned 24/7, and are 

eating only their 20% layer pellets and scratch, and whatever little bugs get into their pen. 

What a difference, yolk wise. 

Here is my little friend Braden at the Ag this morning, 

he and his grandpa showed up to get the train out on this cold day for 

a birthday party being held in the barn. 

Here comes Grandpa Wayne out of the tunnel!

Only volunteers would show up to do something like this on such a cold day. 

It turned out I knew the birthday celebrant, so I got to drive the train around for them. 

(no movie of that) 

We were very careful to make sure everyone was hooked in and understood no standing, keeping arms and legs in, etc., and we had a fun ride that turned everyone into popsicles. 

I came home and made a treat for the chickens, 

oatmeal with sunflower seeds mixed in.  The trouble with 

making a big batch is that it takes forever to cool down... but I finally gave it to some of them. 

I'll give them the rest in their hen house when I go out to get eggs. 

I'll try to post again during the week, and not wait so far in between posts. 

Thank you to Ramona, and to Terri, who sent me plans for a 

raccoon-proof feral cat feeder, and Ramona, you actually described the one that 

Terri sent. 

I have actually found someone to make it, too!

My Hair is Full of Chicken Feed

Seriously. 

My hair is full of chicken feed. 

This is why: 

Camp Grow, from The National Agricultural Center, entered ten chickens in 

the Wyandotte County Fair this weekend.  I went over to feed them 

yesterday and today.... and the cages are located UNDER the tables. 

Everything is dropping on our chickens, see the poop on this pullet's wing? 

UGH. 

My hair became full of chicken feed, thrown down by the birds above, as I fed and watered. 

I just reached up to scratch my head and discovered I was full of chicken feed! 

So, here is what the kids earned: 

A Reserve Grand Champion in Open for the black brahma pullet entered, 

and seven second place winners in other open classes.  Oddly, this fair has 

blue ribbons for second, or so I was told this morning.  I'll confirm that tomorrow. 

It was still a wonderful first showing. 

They asked me to remove the ribbons, as the chickens were dirtying them. 

I was asked to remove the two roosters taken to the fair, because they were tearing up their pullets (they are really cockerels at this point) but this Columbian Delaware (he is a BIG boy) is becoming ... um... mature.  So, I brought them back to the coop at the Ag Hall, and he celebrated immediately, if you know what I mean. 

He won a ribbon, too. 

The Ag Hall doesn't open until 1 on Sundays, so I had time to walk around and take some pictures in the quiet morning. 

The duck is still here.  I thought for sure it was a drake last week, though it is not colored like one.  I thought I saw a curly tail.  Now I am convinced it's a female, and it seems content to pal around with the geese. 

The cupola on the schoolhouse looked so nice against the blue sky. 

And yes, the lilies are still blooming. 

This common buckeye rested for a while in the garden. 

It almost hurts to look at the liatris in the sunlight! 

This is zinnia "Zahara Red"... I'm growing this next year, it is low to the ground and gorgeous. 

And I would love to have a grass border like this! 

Here are some of my own containers.  The big round one is the mums, one of the plants is trying to bloom, and I am still pinching back. 

The straw bales.  I am going to have to have at least eight next year.  I thinned the 

tomatoes out last night (the branches not bearing) and I don't know if you can tell, 

but there is a cucumber plant climbing up the tomatoes, and there is a watermelon on the right reaching for the sun.  There are baby cukes and decent-sized tomatoes everywhere... Keith and I each had one ripe cherry tomato yesterday, but there are table "maters" coming on and should be ripe soon, now that the sun can get to them. 

I took this while I was pruning. 

I have to be very careful of the trough, it does not drain well, so I water sparingly. 

I need to make some holes in it. 

I'll be up early in the morning to go feed at the fair grounds again... they are only about 3 miles from our house.  Then off to a doctor's appointment in Leavenworth, and back here to get some work done in my own yard! 

Everyone have a peaceful evening. 

Another Wild Weekend

I thought weekends were time for rest. 

Not here, lately. 

Here's Grandpa Keith at the Wyco Sluggers game last night. 

Let me tell you, it was cold out there!  The very lowest 50's, and 

he reminded me ten times his new Carhartt jacket was keeping 

him mighty warm. 

I'm wearing my old pink Carhartt next weekend, for the last game. 

Jax is always intense on the field.  It helps if you hold your tongue in your cheek, and he runs the bases like this, too. 

He is playing first base lately. 

I would have to say all the boys love the game. 

They are so much fun to watch. 

(you know I have to shoot through the fence, for the most part) 

My daughter in law, Amy, is a very supportive sports mom. 

I love this picture of her, she did not know I was taking it.  

She is not the yelling bad things kind of mom to the kids, but the encouraging yeller. 

Of course, our beautiful Paiton, along with her "gang" (all the other brothers and sisters of players) was running around having a good time. 

This morning, the Polack Brothers Circus is setting up at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame.

They will be doing a show at 5 PM and 7 PM today, and again, tomorrow. 

I took pictures of the tent going up after I ran to the post for a medical procedure. 

I belonged to Circus Fans Association for years, NEVER have I seen women help put a tent up, and let me tell you, these young men and women had it down to a science! 

Within 30 minutes, the tent was going up! 

Those are the big baling rings for the four center poles laying on the ground there, and there are three young women in this picture. 

Within an hour... it was up. 

And the human cannonball's canon was moved in. 

The sidewalls began to go up at that point, and props were being unloaded from a truck. 

Oh, seats had also been moved into place on their trailer. 

This canvas looks almost brand-new, but the show is on it's way in to winter 

quarters in Hugo, Oklahoma. 

Maybe an hour to get the tent up, but still have props to set, etc.  

It's a one-ring show, but I like small shows. 

I'm going to the 5 PM performance. 

I had to wander out into the pasture to get decent pictures, and I found a patch of flowers still being worked by bumblebees!  It was a chilly morning and the bumbles were all quiet, and easy to watch. 

Pictures of the show tomorrow!