Beautiful October

I had lunch with Friend Jill today, and we had SUCH a good time talking. 

It's so good to see friends, and have a one-on-one. 

Yes, we dished. 

Then, I ran to the feed store. 

It is all dressed up for fall... doesn't Marti, the owners wife, do a good job?  Crows are looking out of those cornstalks... and Neil was not able to keep cornstalks in stock! 

Yes, they mill their own feeds there, right in Bonner Springs, Ks. 

I got four bales of straw, and a fifty pound bag of bird seed. 

I went down a grade in birdseed, because I realize the sparrows and 

doves are not touching the peanuts and safflower and some of the other goodies. 

The less-expensive blend will satisfy them.  I did look at hummingbird feeders too... I am going to increase them next year. 

Four bales of straw will just fit in the HHR.  Anthony, the hardest working kid in Wyandotte County, knows how to load.  I need to get a picture of him the next time I am there. 

(Straw is at 7.00 a bale, in this time of abundance... too high!) 

Look at the gorgeous milo along Evans Road in Leavenworth County, on 

my way to the old place. 

Isn't it beautiful!  

This is really corn and bean country... but I love that some farmers are still planting milo... 

my uncle always planted some milo and some sorghum. 

And here's some of that corn waiting to be harvested.  When I was 

a little girl, I often read a story about the witches at Halloween, who made the cornstalks come alive and dance around their fire.  I always think of that this time of year.  

Five years ago, I found this very book in a book sale and bought it! 

Everywhere you see bits of green in this bed, I tried to dig it out. 

The dirt is glorious... a combination of paper, dirt (good dirt brought in) and 

straw that has composted from last year.  I never got this bed planted, remember. 

Here is the bed, and four bales of straw was just about right.  I laid it on 

thickly. 

Clearing the weeds out has helped the perennials so much. 

The mondarda "Jacob Cline" is really expanding! 

And can you see the new growth on my white lilac that was so buried in weeds this summer 

you couldn't even see it???

I am so happy about this, I have raised it from a six inch tall plant. 

I went over to the backside of the north bed... it is the only bed I haven't touched. 

Look what I found on the second spadeful! 

I dug out a little of it... and then stopped for the day. 

We are to have rain the next few days, and next week, the dogs and I will 

go back out and I'll get busy in this bed and get it all finished. 

I could go on and on, but, as Keith reminded me.... we are renting it... so I won't. 

I am going to sprinkle wildflowers in this bed. 

(Thank you, Jill, for the idea!) 

I saw only two small butterflies today... none of the larger ones, though I did see some bumblebees working on the buddleia. 

There were plenty of these guys. 

As I started out the gate, I took this picture: 

The trees are beginning to turn!  

I can't wait to take some pictures in the next two weeks, while the color is good. 

Now... I am changed and have to start priming the next set of trim! 

Isn't October wonderful? 

Saturday Night and a Tiny Rant

As if I am not worn out watching out for THESE GUYS

I have never, ever in my life, seen turtles out heading across the road in 

mid-September!!!!  Yes, I helped this little guy... and held up three cars while I did it. (It was on a gravel road on the way home from the old house, not on a highway, thank heavens) 

He was heading for a very deep ditch, too, so he got a lift up. 

And now... THESE GUYS are going back and forth across the road. (though this is our driveway) 

Yes, it's a wooly bear... and yes... it's almost black, you can hardly see the bands. 

Old wives tales say that that means we are going to have a harsh winter again. 

I am seeing scores of them, so if you see me swerving suddenly in Leavenworth County, Kansas, this is why. 

Good gravy.  

I'm going to end up being an agoraphobic at this rate. 

I thought you might be interested in seeing the roots on a few of the plants I have 

been digging out of the beds.  This is an elderberry.  They are NOT fun to dig up. 

But, as you see... I have made HUGE progress.  

This is the back side of the south bed.  See the piles of debris? 

I hauled them all away today, and built another compost heap over by the old garage that you see in this picture. 

This is how I moved them.... one load by one load.  It was 86 out and 86 percent (nearly) humidity.  It was very tiring, if I do say so. 

But, it's all finished.  I am going to rake the bed over, get the rest of the little weeds out 

of it... and then add a little dirt, and a lot of mulch. 

This dog, whom we love so much, will not let us groom her.  There must be a thousand stick tites on her. 

She is going to have to go to the vet and be sedated, because she literally will attack us if we come near her with a brush.  

Many of the bean fields around us are ready to be harvested.  

Ditto the corn. 

This year, Leavenworth County farmers are going to have a good harvest, unlike the last two when the corn and beans burned up. 

After I got all the weeds out of the south bed... I was rewarded today. 

The orange zinnias are so bright that you can barely see the phisostegia. 

Exposing the flowers also brought beautiful visitors. 

I wish I knew my butterflies, but for some reason, I think this is a moth. It's beautiful, though, isn't it! 

The pear tree that has turned. 

The pear tree that didn't bear this year, and has not turned. 

Strange. 

Keith insisted I go home after cleaning up all the debris from the two beds, he told me I was 

not looking very well.   I had started the day not feeling well, and the humidity got to me. 

In fact, I had put the dogs in the house for the last half hour I was there... they were suffering, too. 

We turned the air on for them (and us). 

Storm clouds began building, and by the time I went to church,it was 

very dark. 

When we came out at six... it was sunny again... no rain! 

Tomorrow is our grandson Jace's 3rd birthday party... we can't believe the 

little guy is already three years old!  He's even a big brother to baby Carson now. 

In the evening, we have Jaxton's third baseball game with his new team, so 

it's a full day for Grandma and Grandpa, but doing things we love to do. 

A Good Summer

All around us, in field after field, the corn looks fabulous. 

Ditto the soybeans... there are hundreds of acres in soybeans in Leavenworth County. 

The weather has been very, very good to the farmers this year, after two years of crops totally burning up. 

My Walmart petunias did GREAT this year... they have spilled over their planters, 

and they smell so good!  Only now are they starting to show some wear. 

I'll try to coordinate them a little better next year, so that the white is in the front on both. 

And I know everyone is sick of looking at these planters, but gosh... they have exceeded expectations. 

And then there's THIS! 

This is our lone volunteer corn cob. 

Didn't get pollinated, did it???

Still.. it was an interesting experiment! 

With the abundance of sweet corn coming in around here, 

there is no need to grow our own... so we will just enjoy nature's bounty. 

Apples and Apples

I went to the old house today to pick apples. 

Here  is where the caveat comes in.  Do NOT let your apple trees become this burdened... pick off 

some of the apples.  This is a five year old tree, we did not let any apples ripen on it for the first 3 years. 

However... we have not lived there now for five months, and the poor tree was almost down to the ground. 

If you don't spray organically or non-organically... this is what you get. 

I had quite the cart full... and I wish I knew someone with pigs. 

My goats would never touch them, but pigs would. 

As it is, these are going on the compost heap, they are full of worm holes. 

These came home with me to be eaten, along with some green apples for a crisp tomorrow. 

The green tree looks great.  The apples on it look fine... most of them, but these are baking apples. 

Here is my other caveat... if there are just two of you... it does not make much sense to have these dwarf trees if you do not can or preserve. 

I know one of our pear trees did not set fruit this year, and tomorrow I'll look at the other.

This is a milkweed pod.  I want to bring some home to plant in our rain garden next year. 

They were covered with these little critters. 

I harvested my ear of corn!  I don't think the little one on the bottom is going to mature. 

I have not opened it yet.  

This. dog. should. be. ours. 

I'll explain more later. 

His name is Toto, by the way, and he's seven years old and weighs MAYBE five pounds dripping wet. 

Hallelujah, the tractor is fixed!  I know Troy is glad. 

And today was probably the last regular day I'll be exercising the puppies, their mama, Uno, pictured here... and Mia... the year old pup.  Valerie, my friend, and their owner, will be moving back home to Michigan in a few weeks, taking her whole kennel with her.  How I'll miss my fun times with these beautiful dogs. 

Uno is the best "fetcher" I have ever played with! 

Tomorrow I'll be working at the old place again... and hope to finish the painting on Thursday. 

My Ear of Corn

Eat your hearts out, people.  I have ONE EAR of corn growing.  (laugh)

This is the volunteer by the deck at the old place. 

I stopped by after church today... I had not been there since we left so 

fast to get Keith to the hospital last Saturday. 

I have a mess to clean up inside... paint cans, drywall scraps, insulation, etc. etc. 

We still need to get staples out of the floor and then paint it with Kilz. 

I have one room left to paint over again.  

Odds and ends. 

We have found someone to do the carpentry because Keith is not 

going to be able to do it. 

As soon as this baby is ripe, it's going into the boiling pot. 

This is the south flower bed.  You can no longer see the flowers in it, the weeds went nuts this last week.  Neighbor Troy is going to cut the weeds down in the bed behind it... and I am going to get busy this week once I know what the schedule is for the reconstruction repairs at our new house (from the water leak). 

There were still a few daylillies blooming in the weed cover. 

The pear tree is not only ripening, but the leaves are beginning to change color.  It's a little too early. 

The apple tree is groaning under it's burden, too... I did not get a picture of it. 

This little guy watched me go into the hospital to help my brother Pete at lunch today. 

And when I came out an hour and fifteen minutes later... he was almost in the same spot! 

Hopefully, Pete will be released from the hospital tomorrow. 

I have destroyed my phone this weekend... don't ask... and am awaiting the delivery of a new one.  All those pictures lost.  

Our area is predicted to have cooler temperatures this week... I'm hoping the construction guys get in here and get the work done at this house so I can concentrate on the old one for a while! 

Oh... one more picture... 

These were volunteer plants, remember... and I suspect they are Gypsy, from Baker Creek, which I planted last year.  The tomatoes are sweet and good, and I brought a bunch home for dinner tonight. 

The plant in the flower bed has lots of tomatoes on it... but none is ripe yet.  Our plant 

in the pot at home, has MANY nice sized tomatoes on it, but the four I have picked have had blossom end rot on them.