A Break from the Steambath

And boy, did we ever need a break from the steambath!

The girls were hiding anywhere they could hide to get out of the sun. 

Asclepias Incarnata began to bloom, and was covered with 

flying insects and several different kinds of bumblebees. 

This is how dry we have been.  Horrid. 

Jester found the only sun puddle to sit in one day. 

This little girl was trapped one morning in the sheep pen, she could not get through the livestock fence.  She had to have come in under the gate.... but I picked her up and pointed her downhill towards the ponds. 

Granddog Shiner had to go to the vet because he 

pulled a nail out.  Ouch.  He is on pain pills for a while, plus 

antibiotics. 

As I posted on Instagram, my ducks were in a row for about two minutes, 

and yes, we had storms that day.  See the sky? 

These are the hugest Pekins I have ever had, but sadly, all are drakes. 

They sass me constantly. 

This is raccoon poop in the unused little wood henhouse at The National Agricultural Center. I discovered it on Tuesday, and prayed it was from the period when there were no birds there. 

I was wrong. 

We lost two of the new birds, gruesomely. 

ARGGGHHHH. 

The crazy thing is, for two years, we had sizeable flocks there with no losses. 

You see, the coop there has a pophole, but no door on it, because there is no one there in the evening to lock the birds up.  Hardware cloth surrounds the bottom of the coop, and is buried.  Poultry wire covers the top.  The first flock this year began to be decimated, the raccoons were coming down through the top.  That was sealed. 

These, this week, went through the side.  

I can see where they have been climbing the sides of the coop, which sits inside a utility barn. 

For now, our summer intern is closing when she goes home at 4, on four days a week.  I am 

going the other three days, which makes two trips a day for me while I try to think what is best to do. 

Today, Sunday, as I write this, we are expecting severe storms in the late afternoon.  I 

took care of the birds this morning and then left them locked in so I don't have to drive through 

bad weather to lock them up.  Hate to do it to them, leaving them locked in all day. 

The pen has been repaired, but I could see where the raccoons tried to get through again, and, as one of the male volunteers said "Once they have broken through, they will keep trying."  He is right. 

Someone suggested a solar door to me, but... if a hen fails to go in, she is dead. 

I have gone from getting 20 eggs a day to only 8 or 9.  Very frustrating. 

I marked it down to the heat, but I think I know what has been happening. 

Biddy appeared out of nowhere on Thursday, after I thought she was long dead. 

She had two new chicks in tow. 

Wherever she has been hiding, I fear I will find fifty eggs in the nest.  So far, I have not found them! 

I have decided to let her raise those two herself, and we will just let Nature take its' course. 

My innocent Lilly grabbed one of those chicks in her mouth and hobbled off with it, 

I had to chase her.  I don't think she is quite ready to cross the Bridge yet. 

Try as I might, I just can't get good pictures of the hummers on my porch.  I was able to get 

better pictures at the big house, through the patio doors.  

Found this big black rat snake skin on my mulch pile on Friday. 

And this juvenile rat snake was in the coop at the Ag Saturday. 

Our intern freaked out. 

The little stinker struck at me, too. 

(non-venomous). 

I have no clue what Ferdy was doing yesterday, 

but he made a pretty picture.  He is such a gentle rooster... to me. 

Fat little Brownie, grazing in the yard yesterday. 

I have a huge volunteer pumpkin growing just off the mulch pile. 

I swear it doubled in size since I took this yesterday. 

As I was leaving the Ag this morning, I saw the baby rat snake's big brother. 

After storms today and tomorrow, we are to be back in the steam bath for the next ten days or so, 

and I'll be back to constant watering.  I will try to post as I can. 

Our Weekend

We've had a visitor since Thursday night. 

Yes, that's our happy granddog, Shiner, who has been staying with 

Grandma and Grandpa! 

He was trying to get up with Keith this morning, but of course, cannot jump up. 

Lilly is not happy... but Jester was happy to be reunited with his from-puppyhood buddy... however, Shiner no longer wants to run and play.  Jester is bewildered. 

He has spent a lot of time in the hallway, where it is dark and cold, because our temps rose above 100 yesterday, and bulldogs suffer terribly in the heat.  We had the air on, and his personal fan was blowing on him.  Sometime this afternoon, son Jim will come out and pick him up, 

after they have returned home from their Father's Day Weekend camping trip. 

As long as he goes out off and on, he has done great. 

I did sleep in the spare bedroom the last three nights, 

because he was in the hall outside the master bedroom. 

I learned something... that bedroom is QUIET.  Very, very quiet. 

I can't hear the pipes sounding, etc. downstairs... so... 

I'm not moving, but I'll sleep there when I'm dead beat and need the sleep. 

Yesterday morning, we traveled to Lecompton, Kansas, to Territorial Days. 

We beat the crowds... but the heat was so oppressive. 

This is Constitution Hall, where we discovered some not so nice things about our neighbors in Douglas County.  For a very short time, Lecompton was the location of the capitol of Kansas. 

It was also a Pro-Slavery town!  We did not know that! 

More about that in a minute. 

We ate some biscuits and gravy at Aunt Netters

They are also a Cupcake Bakery, but we saw no cupcakes but this cute sign. 

There was no sausage in the gravy... two tiny pieces in each of our bowls, so no, we would not go there again probably. 

This beautiful old building is the community center, but we suspect may have been a school at 

one time... 

This bell tower and bell stands next to it. 

This jail was just behind Constitution Hall. 

It had a bed in it, with a mannequin-prisoner, a tiny 

heating stove, and a chair and stool, with a water bowl on it.  

There was one small window on either side, and surprisingly, it was NOT cool in there, but very warm.  I would not like to have been a prisoner back then. 

Read this carefully. 

VERY interesting.  I had always thought the Democrats were the free-staters. 

In Lawrence, which is not ten miles from here, there are many "Free State" businesses and Free State High School.  They were definitely anti-slavery there and are still "liberal hippies" as Keith says. 

We are going back when it's cooler, as we did not get to see the second museum, which is in a beautiful old school similar to Constitution Hall.  

There were some vendors, but as the celebration had gone on until late Friday night, they were filtering in slowly.  By now, the heat was building and Keith was going down. 

There were many re-enactors, and I don't know how they were standing the heat.  This 

gentleman had on high boots with spurs, on top of it.  

Keith visited with some of them. 

We would love to get some of these guys to come to the Ag Hall... and I grabbed a brochure that tells about them. 

A beautiful old flag was flying. 

I took this as we were making our way to the Methodist church you see in the background for a fried chicken dinner. 

I did not realize it, but Keith was very ill.  We sat down to eat, and I realized he was sick, and I bundled him out of there and drove him home.  His blood pressure had plunged badly and he was disoriented and confused.   

He was better by the end of the day, thank heaven.  He is going to talk to his dialysis nurse about one of his medications. 

Anyway, all was well that ended well, and we stayed home from the T Bones game in the heat. 

Before Keith got sick yesterday, we had had a pleasant discussion about 

how "we" drive so fast from place to place, that we don't really "see" things. 

My average speed is 27, and if I am blocking someone on a gravel road, I pull over, and wave them around.  I do go a little faster on the paved roads if someone is behind me. 

So... here was this red-bellied woodpecker this morning on my way to church, with 

no one around.  I was able to take several pictures of him. 

As I was able here.... look who is back outside!  The mare with the star and snip is able to come out of stall rest now, but is still in a pen.  Her friends are standing behind her.  While her leg is still wrapped, she is bearing weight on it.  The last time I saw her out for a moment, she was still holding it up.  I'm so glad for her, and for her owner, who takes wonderful care of his little place and all of his animals. 

Fields that were flooded are being plowed now... and haying has finally started! 

However, we had a light shower this morning after I got home from church, and 

there is more behind it.  I hope that freshly-cut hay is not going to be soaked. 

Ten miles distance makes all the difference. 

Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there! 

(I was adopted.  This is for those who think adopted kids don't belong to their adopted parents, and yes, they are out there!) 

Off the soapbox now, and out for the afternoon! 

A Holiday Weekend

You know we had "guests" here for the holiday weekend. 

Granddogs Shiner 

And Jester. 

Someone's nose was very out of joint. 

And then, it was on to the T Bones. 

On Saturday night, there was a double-header, starting at 6 PM. 

We stayed for both games, and we WON both games. 

Sunday night, there was another game, since it was the last home stand.  Sunday games are 

usually played at 5:05 PM, this one started at 7.  Sunday's game was truncated by a 

very strong thunderstorm. 

We played the last inning today. 

And we won on a walk-off homer by T.J. Mittelstadt, one of our favorite players, and this was one of 

T.J.'s TWO walk off homers of the weekend! 

Then we had a break before the 100th game was played, the last of the 

season for the T Bones and the St. Paul Saints. 

Keith and I love to watch the string guy, who marks the diamond before the game.  This 

man is so very precise, and we love to watch him measure every thing.  I guess we are easily amused! 

Mascot Sizzle was every where on the field and in the stands and concourse... and of course, he is 

very popular with the kids and adults alike. 

Former Royals great Frank White (on the right) is finished his third season, 

but he ran for city councilman in KCMO this year, and we think this 

will be his last.  We'll be sorry to see him go, he is a class guy all the way, and the knowledge he has 

passed on to the young players is so valuable. 

One last national anthem, and we have always loved how the players are so respectful (it was just about to start here.)

First pitch of game 100. 

Last cherry lemonade of the 2014 season. 

The view from the outfield, when I walked around to get our 

"swag bag" for the season ticket holders in the seventh inning. 

And a light crowd today! 

At the end (AFTER WE WON) Matt Foulkes interviewed Vladimir Frias and 

T.J. Mittelstadt... 

And the team took a bow and waved their caps to the remaining crowd. 

And off they went for the end of another season of fun. 

And guess what?  Someone is still at Grampa and Gramma's house!

Chopping

Oh, I don't think this is how everyone wants to spend their Labor Day weekend. 

That, my friends, is a fourteen foot high weed next to the little henhouse, the red one. 

See the stalk?  Well... I cut them very close to the ground, otherwise they are trip hazards.  As in 

tripping and falling. 

Here I have cut a bunch and let them fall over the henhouse and the little white chick-grow-out hutch. 

I let them stay there, because there is a wasp nest in the henhouse, and I did not want to get them too 

worked up.  I'll pull them out tomorrow. 

See how close the lightening-downed tree in the pasture came to the fence of the henyard?

This is one of the bales of straw I put out for the ducks to break the wind last winter.  See how nicely it is deteriorating?  Well.. believe in straw bale gardening, friends.  I had intended to try it this year, 

but next year I am going to use just three bales as an experiment.  When you are finished growing 

in them, you can use them as compost. 

You can also see a stalk... they hurt, trust me. 

But... I only fell once, pulling on some vine-wrapped branches!

I worked in a circle clear around the henhouse... the one we closed up two years ago... 

Finally, when I got around the far side... light was coming back into the henyard that had been totally shaded. 

Where there was darkness.... light. 

(and where there is sadness, ever joy!) 

Keith kept me company while the pile grew.  He had made two trips to Home Depot because....

Nephew Brandon was out there at 5:30 this morning, and had made huge progress with the siding. 

We all took a break during the 100 degree temps of the last two weeks, but as you see, one side is nearly finished.  Brandon will finish the back and the other side next weekend, and possibly one night this week after work.  Jordan was helping him again, but Jordan has started college now at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, on a baseball scholarship! 

We have decided today to paint the siding with Behr's Chamois... and the trim will be 

cream-colored.... it has yet to be put up, of course.  The screens will go in then, too. 

We're getting closer, and that's one reason I am trying to get the animal yards in shape... so that when we ARE ready to go, it can be shown to people with animals. 

I think I have shown you this ancient limestone building on a farm near here before.  Sadly, it is falling now. 

The cracks you see have happened in the last month or two. 

 This is the side view.  

It must be one of the oldest structures in Leavenworth County. 

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the original house on the place. 

Two more days of weekend for Keith, and he said this morning that we are going to work tomorrow.  I'm all for it... every hour is an hour closer to getting the house rented. 

We have games tonight and tomorrow night, and on Monday, a game at 1 PM, so I am 

foregoing the Santa Cali Gon festival this year.  

Then the season ends on another wonderful summer of fun at the T Bones games. 

Can't wait to work in those weeds tomorrow! 

Keith will kill me for showing you this last picture... he uses the spare bedroom to dress in 

so he doesn't waken me every morning... and last night, we decided to sleep separately because of the boy dogs.  Keith slept in the spare bedroom, and Lilly stayed in there... 

Shiner was in the hallway with the baby gate... 

and Jester was with me.  

This is what happened this morning. 

Lilly is NOT happy about these visitors... and her nose is out of joint badly. 

Only one more night, Lil.