Saddle Up! It's Gonna be a Long One!

Some of you will remember there is a beautiful maple tree in the valley below me. 

Unfortunately, the tree line has grown up terribly, and I can hardly see my neighbor's ponds now.  (Which I love from afar). 

I almost missed it this year... can you see the top of it, all aglow? 

Today's sunrise. 

We are having terrible, terrible wind, this is the third day. 

Yesterday, our wonderful township voluneer firefighters fought a brush fire that stretched eight city blocks in overgrown brushfilled pastures. 

Four other local townships assisted.  Thank God for these men and women who donate their time to keep us all safe. 

It is hard to get anything done outside today, it is really blowing. 

Clouds are coming in as I type this at 2:18 PM.... we have a real chance at rain overnight and tomorrow.  We are in a terrible drought, and need it badly.  I am beginning to see people list livestock for sale and give the reason "no hay" for selling them.  

Three days ago, this greeted me on the porch of the big henhouse. 

I was afraid for a minute it was dog poop... and that scared me, I'll show you why. 

After I looked at it for a while (and before I cleaned it off) I decided it was raccoon or cat. (or raccoon top and cat bottom) 

To be candid, I have never had a cat poop on the porch. 

Both waterbowls, heated and unheated, were empty.  EM-TAY. 

Holes were dug in the hen yard, and I did not take a picture, but the cat carrier I have in the silkie pen for Mary to lay in was overturned. 

Raccoons. 

Drumroll.... the proof. 

I am regularly seeing possums out as early as 5 PM now, so I have been shutting everyone up starting at five.  I work around the possum, taking care not to lock him in the henhouse, and I check high and low before closing doors. 

The wind is dispersing the milkweed seeds, a good thing!

I found this in memories.... That's Abby looking at me from the couch.  I may do another Fall Tree next year.  

I rarely have grands come here now, unlike when they were little, so I don't decorate as much as I used to. 

I think staying, did anyone have any doubts? 

(Bwahahaha) 

This guy was sitting at the top of the pasture as if to say... "Aren't you putting scraps out tonight?".  

(why I got worried when I saw the poop. They can sail over a fence with no effort). 

And this one was waiting for him to move. 

And they are BOTH cautious around this guy.... skunk! 

 

This alien has been showing up to eat out of the pasture feeder.  

Looks like a male from the build and from the fact that Bullseye  DOES NOT LIKE HIM. 

I don't know if I am up to trapping yet another and getting it neutered.  All the females here are 

spayed, and Bully is neutered.  

It looks like The Jackal's brother, doesn't it?  For a minute the other night, I thought it WAS Jack back in Angel form to haunt me! 

This old girl is Susie, I have showed her to you before. 

She "talks" to me in a sing song chirp every day when I open the door of the big henhouse. 

Every morning I am stunned to see her.  She is six years old, and has not laid for many years. 

She was given in the dispersal to a friend, and the friend stopped keeping chickens a year ago, so the Ag Hall hens she got six years ago came back to me. 

She used to follow me around, but now, she mostly stays in the hen house with the oldest rooster, and they lay companionably together. 

Today, in the wind, they both stayed inside, and I was glad. 

She made it through our bitter cold on Monday and Tuesday nights, but that is not 

to say the old ones will make it through the first real cold snap. 

It is a delight to have had her, and I had her sister too, in the past. 

Susie is a Speckled Sussex. 

I took this about an hour ago, and it is a little lighter than the one I led off with.  My favorite time of year! 

Stay safe, everyone. 

(and pray for rain for Kansas) 

Truly Fall

The light at the end of the tunnel was so apparent Saturday night, as I got home from church. 

Mass starts at 4PM, now that daylight savings time has ended, so it will be dark 

when I get home this weekend. 

That's the snow that greeted us on Thanksgiving morning, and I don't think Fritzi was glad to see it!

Where we spent the day. 

Likewise Jester, sucking on his little blue bear. 

Jester has lost two pounds in his weight loss journey, Fritzi gained a pound and a half BUT, she has done much, much better since last Tuesday's weigh in, so I am excited to see what happens when we go again. 

I made two huge pots of vegetable beef soup for the shelter, I put noodles in one, and no noodles in the other.  I asked for feedback, because I used ramen noodles for the first time.  I made this soup with chuck steak, and I had a chuck roast for the second pot, it was a lot of meat. 

What happens when the animals below get onto your deck. 

You look so innocent!

(I swear to you that Niblet is smirking at me) 

This cute little Cruella DeVil is my great-granddaughter, Maci Lynn, who just turned two!

This cow was out on the road two weeks ago today, and I brought her into my yard for safety. 

I told the owners "DO NOT CUT MY FENCE, bring a trailer and load her."

I left for the ag hall.... they pushed her THROUGH my fence, tearing up a whole section. 

This is the second time I have helped them, and I won't, again. 

The cattle (bull, cows and calves) have been moved for the winter.  I'll have that fence stretched and tightened in the spring. 

You see they had NO grass in the pasture, I don't blame her a bit. 

I love seeing tracks in the snow.  

Not the right date, and I have pretty much quit using the Bushnell camera, 

but I thought this was a fun picture. 

I am having a problem with a black possum who is living under the storage building in my yard.  He is hanging around the chicken house, and I can tell when he is near, because the hens won't go in. 

I mentioned that it will be dark when I get home from church this week.... this worries me.  I am no longer leaving food on the side porch for Rusty (at the hen house) because it was attracting the possum.  There is still food out, but it is in the yard behind the house. 

Rusty also knows to eat on the front porch of the house, or in the feeder in the pasture.  I have had numerous pictures of this possum on the game cam, but must not have saved any... 

October 17 was the third anniversary of Keith's death.  Here he is with Jace, his 

oldest grandson.  He loved the little grands so! 

Enjoying the Fall

My buddy, Jester. 

I am so lucky to have this little guy! 

Momma has no where to sit. 

Sister has come up from her hiding places in the basement. 

She is joining the family. 

You all must think I never clean the house! 

Lilly is very studiously ignoring her in the above picture... but... she has 

accepted her being here, and Sis comes and goes. 

I am afraid to let her outside, though, I admit it. 

She is an indoor kitty. 

We have done a lot of walking this week, in the wonderful weather. 

The trees are putting on the last of this season's finery. 

I moved the begonias indoors from the front porch, because we 

dove down to the thirties for two nights. 

And we had a prelude of tonight's supermoon. 

To think we won't be here to see the next one! 

Very important we check out the pee mail at the park! 

My plucky old Lil. 

And our sweet Jes! 

A Really Hot Thursday

The "feel like" temp for our area today is 103 degrees! 

Whew!

And I admit we are all trying to stay inside and take it easy... except for Keith, 

who has been out at the old place for the last hour and a half, working on putting Kilz on the 

floors prior to carpeting. 

Lil has the right idea! 

Lil had to make yet another trip to see Dr. Scott today... she has a bad right front paw, and 

it was time to see what was going on.  Despite shaving the paw clean of hair and inspecting it under light, we 

could not find an embedded burr or glass or splinter... so... she had a shot for inflammation, and is now 

back on antiobiotics for five days, with us watching her closely for more problems. 

An expensive month for Lilly Ann. 

We had our fourth-to-the-last baseball game at the T Bones last night, and that's a sign 

that summer is almost over.  They won. 

We particularly like to watch the field guys mark the field and do other maintenance before the games. 

As the crew wet the field down, a group of ladies from Curves entertained us in the background with some dance routines. 

It was a hot, but beautiful, night...and we won. 

I am trying to keep the zinnias and marigolds going for a while longer... and they are getting watered several times a day. 

BUT.... look what's for sale at WalMart now! 

It MUST BE FALL!!!!

Blogging Serendipity and Lots of Pictures

First, 

our friend Deweena at Across the Way has asked for prayers for her friend Tammy... 

so please join me in sending prayers Tammy's way for her present needs. 

It only takes a second to bow our heads and ask the Lord to hold someone in His hands. 

Now... blogging serendipity has struck again. 

Yesterday in my email I received the nicest note from a lady named Joyce, who lives in Iola, Kansas.  

I wrote yesterday about going to Ottawa for the Little River Band concert.  Ottawa, and Garnett, where my oldest grandsons live, are two small towns south of Lawrence, Kansas.  Ottawa is the seat of Franklin County, and Garnett, in Anderson County. 

Joyce lives about 30 miles even farther south in a lovely small town where Keith and I have visited. 

Joyce wrote to tell me that she has been reading our blog, and has not figured out how to comment on it.  She wrote to say that she has a copy of The Ponies Next Door, about which I wrote ten days or so ago, and is sending it to me!  

My gosh, friends.  

At my high school reunion a week ago, a good friend asked me about the blog, and I said "Debbie, I have made so many friends blogging".  She thought it very strange that I considered that people whom I have never met in person were amongst my friends.  

I can't tell you how much blogging has enriched my life, and given me ideas, and shared my woes and happiness, as I have shared yours.  I can vicariously ride a beautiful horse with Michelle, wander among ponds and forest with Donna, learn from J and S, garden with so many of you... and laugh and cry at the antics of Stella and Maggie and Gus and Tweedles.  These were things I could never do before blogging, and yes, now we all know each other. 

Sandy commented when I reviewed Raising Goats Naturally here  that she did not have goats yet, but she and her husband wanted to get them.  Well, Sandy, the book is coming to you! 

I'll email you privately today and get your address, and get it off in the mail to you. 

Consider it my Random Act of Kindness, as Joyce is doing for me. 

Now, some shots from around here today: 

Keith's serving of spaghetti and meatballs was huge from Bella Cucina in Ottawa on Saturday evening.  We did not have time to eat before the concert, so brought our food home, and we ate during the Chief's game yesterday (YAYYY!).  Neither of us can eat the amount served now in restaurants, so my fettucine went to the hens last night, and Keith's spaghetti, meatballs and all, to the henspa hens this morning. 

They made VERY short work of it. 

The Protector of Us All was being a very naughty girl right here.  She had been hunting in the pasture.  I had put Boots down at the foot of the hill... knowing a predator would find him during the night. (and he was gone this morning) 

I saw her down there, head to the ground, but then, pretty soon, she came up and found where the bird had gotten him.  

We have two areas of high grass left... this spot here is right by the henyard.... it was to be a separate little shed for the turkeys, but was never finished.  You can see Lil smelled something that she had to investigate.  I had called her to come out, and she laid down and ignored me, which she is doing pointedly in the first picture.  Lilly Ann has a VERY strong will, and since she was a puppy, has tried to have her own way.  It's to her great credit that she minds me, and I was reminding her of that when I took that first picture. She jumped up wagging her tail in just a second, and ran ahead of me, out the gate and into the yard so I could let the ducks free. 

It's still striking to me that there are so few birds left in the old henhouse. 

If you biggify this picture, you will see three large pumpkins, still green. 

But the reason I took it is to make some comments about gardening, this morning. 

It was 43 degrees out when I took this picture this AM.  Do you see the blossoms still unfolding?  Even though many of the leaves have shriveled? 

This is the ONLY green pepper I planted this year, we just don't use enough of them.  I picked two lovely peppers off this plant this morning... on October 21.  Do you see the blossom? 

I left one tomato plant growing as an experiment... and there are blossoms on it. 

My point is this... to me, the growing season always ended in September.  By then, I was tired of coddling plants along, and would just forget to plant fall lettuce, etc.. 

The farm tour at the beginning of this month showed me that you can still be picking produce into the fall... far into the fall.  

We are going to use the hoop house again next year, and I am going to experiment with growing tomatoes later... and spread out the harvest a little more so that we are not inundated at one time. 

I don't expect to pick any more off this plant, but with a little care, I bet I could have. 

I know I'll get a few pumpkins... squeaking under the wire. 

I got green peppers, and I'll get some more onions and some potatoes, still, this season. 

Lots of gardening to think about for next year, and that's the great thing about gardening... there's always next year to right the things you missed this year. 

Gratuitous Windy cuteness.  Again, if you missed the review of  Deborah Niemann's book, it's here. 

Keith and I were just saying this morning how stinking cute these little girls and Kelly are, and how much we missed by not getting goats earlier. 

In our front fence row. 

I should be cleaning this fence row out... there are tons of saplings that need cutting.  But gosh. 

Another detail... the milkweed... the red vines... not poison ivy, thank heavens.  

Blogging serendipity... seeing all your pictures on your blogs, and traveling to "other lands" via this computer.... bliss!