Golden Days

I'm dying to know what is living in here. 

You know me. 

The days have been golden.  

There are some down sides to that. 

Wild onion is up, and I think there is nothing better than smelling it as 

you cut the first grass of the season. 

While Chris was here, we walked the dogs at Angel Falls.  The Water Baby LOVES to 

go in the creek. 

Note where the water is in that picture, taken ten days ago. 

By yesterday, the stream had narrowed significantly, we need 

rain badly here. 

I bought a 20 foot lead for Lil, so she can go way out in the creek.  She was hot in this picture, it was 77 out. 

This is the drainage basin at Basehor City Park, running down to the creek.  The rock bottom was showing through at the end of last week. 

Last night was a night of wild storms here, including tornados which touched down on the 

Missouri side of the metro, doing great damage. 

The basin had water in it this morning, I was glad to see that.  The birds use it daily. 

Someone was sunning himself on the walk way.  I'm so glad I saw him, 

he was very sluggish and did not even move when I touched him. 

Too cold for little snakes today! 

This is a barn two miles from where I live.  This barn and the one next to it 

were over 100 years old.  The storm last night got it. 

Look at that 100 year old wood! 

The chickens at the ag came through the storm well, except the plastic on their 

door and windows blew away.  So much for my stapling extra yesterday. 

See these thirteen eggs? 

They came out of only 3 of these slots in the nest box.  

Chickens crack me up. 

Except for trash cans blown all over... there was thankfully no damage to the old buildings. 

And everyone was happy. 

This little group of mallards was on the pasture pond as we went to the park.  

It is so shallow, I don't think geese can land there now.  

I stayed one second too long, taking four pictures. 

The rule for nature photography is DO NO HARM and don't disturb the birds/animals. 

My bad. 

And I really mean my bad, I hate disturbing them. 

Lilly will be twelve this summer.  The drool worries me, she does it as we walk. 

Totally gratuitous picture of the best Bostie in the world! 

Walkin' in the Woods

The last two days, we have had 60 degree temps here in Kansas. 

I took the dogs to the Ag. 

For those of you who are new readers, I am a volunteer at the 

National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, 

commonly called here in our area: "The Ag Hall", 

but those of us who volunteer there,  "The Ag".

I go daily to take care of the chicken flock there. 

As you see, I can let Jester off the leash, because he minds perfectly. 

He was wearing himself out yesterday, he runs about three times 

what Lilly and I walk. 

Even he gets pooped. 

And speaking of poop, I clean it up, just like the park. 

The Ag has a wonderful wooded area.  There was a nature trail 

through there 40 years ago, and last summer, Cabelas kindly donated 

money and persons to work on re-establishing a nature trail again. 

The woods are full of poison ivy in summer. 

Notice Lilly is on the leash, the long leash... but, I don't trust 

her to come back when she gets excited. 

There is a trail, as you can see. 

We followed the trail, because I had never been back in there except once, 

a very short way in. 

There are some beautiful large trees. 

We came out of the treeline and started towards the barn.  Those poles you see are the pole farm for Kansas City Power and Light, who has an international competition there every October. 

It is on Ag Land.  They keep it nice. 

We walked back to the event barn where Lilly had to have a good sniff at several holes. 

Today, I decided to take them back over.  We get tired of going to the park daily. 

I let Lil drag the leash, but watched her like a hawk. 

Look at all the fungi! 

Lilly was in her element. 

So was Jes, too, actually. 

My guess is in summer, this is bristling with poison ivy, but the trail as cut through right now is very broad and you would not brush the ivy unless you were trying. 

We went down a hill and over a small creek, which I think is probably roaring in rainy weather.  

It had a deep gully, but there was one spot to cross.  Down we went, and up the other side, but we could not figure out how to get through, so had to backtrack. 

I saw deer tracks everywhere. 

This structure is back there, and the education director told me it was put up 40 years ago when 

they were first cutting the trail through.  There is a trail over a gully that I think is safe to walk across (it has a culvert) but we have not tried it yet. 

More holes.  If you have a wild area/park, you have wild animals. 

Lilly had a blast smelling before she got in the car and collapsed.  

(laughing, but she was very tired). 

Both dogs took a good nap when we got home. 

I stopped to take some pictures on my way to church. 

On my way back, I stopped to take some pictures of four mallards on the pasture pond. 

And the gorgeous sunset! 

Everyone have a peaceful Sunday. 

(little ducks are on the right) 

Can You Believe January is Half Over?

February will be here before we know it! 

I have been watching large flocks of geese and ducks 

flying overhead the last two weeks... even though we have had gray days, 

they are moving back and forth.  The Kansas City Star did a long story 

on the weekend about "resident geese" versus "migrating geese", and 

how a company employs Border Collies to keep the geese moving 

so they don't get used to staying on the local golf courses, etc. 

I still love them, even though friends of mine call them "flying rats". 

Keith loved them, too. 

We have had too many days like this lately: 

When the roads are swallowed in fog. 

I watch for ducks with the groups of geese on the little pasture ponds. 

See the muskrat nest behind the ducks?  This is the little cow pond I always show you, but it 

is very low right now. 

I came across these girls, too, and had to grab the camera to get them through the windshield.  There were four more, they had already gone into the woods.  By the time I went down the road, they had disappeared in the underbrush. 

And this young guy was down around the corner of the road, and likewise taken through the window. 

I drove on so as not to scare him. 

I will get back to good photos soon, when I can lift the camera.  My hand is still too weak, but I do go for my first therapy appointment on Friday, and am wearing a brace.  I still 

can't lift anything really heavy. 

Sunday morning in the gloom, I heard a lot of birds behind me, and turned around. 

I had been watching this: 

Not a mallard. 

Landing gear started to come down as they circled the pond. 

Mallards were with them. 

The brakes come on all the way to the water. 

We have had very little of this in the last few days. 

60 tomorrow, and then 30s the rest of the week... Kansas weather, 

you gotta love it. 

I'll hopefully be back to posting regularly when I can hold the darn camera! 

Helllppppp! (And Pictures)

I was told about two hours ago by a dear friend that 

Blogger had changed.  I had not realized it. 

I just went in to change my header picture, and I can't figure out 

how to do it now! 

HELLLLPPPP! 

If anyone of you has done so recently, will you give me some tips 

on where to find the option to remove the hummingbird picture and replace it? 

Thanks! 

I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted last... I am going to try to improve on that. 

There has just been so much to do in these last six weeks. 

I was at the Ag yesterday decorating for Christmas with Judy, 

the general factotum. 

This little guy was watching us while we decorated the train depot. 

Here is a better picture of him taken today: 

He watched ME quizzically as I watched him.  I had tossed a few tiny 

pumpkins his way, I'll see if they are still there tomorrow. 

Either there is a front door and back door, or there are two. 

I am PRAYING they don't kill them, you know me. 

He/they is/are under the blacksmith shop. 

Just thought this was neat. 

There they go. 

Yesterday, they were on the pond. 

And so was a lone mallard drake.  I have been expecting ducks for weeks, but have seen very few. 

Oddly, I saw what appeared to be a vulture on Sunday, weeks after the vultures had left. 

I think maybe I was seeing things, and it was a redtail up high. 

This, my friends, is my totally worn out Canon 

point-and-shoot.  

I literally wore it out over the last 4 years!  

As you see, it is stuck open, and you can see the chrome is 

worn from being pulled in and out of my pocket over and over. 

It was very, very sturdy.  

There is still color at Basehor City Park, and we have had some wonderful walks lately. 

The temps are plunging tonight. 

All the pee mail.  All. The. Pee. Mail. 

There is a Wiener Patrol at the park. 

Every day, at the fence, barking. 

Jester would play if he could. 

There are three. 

Something caught her interest along the creek top. 

Color on the ground, too. 

Our best girl, Lilly Ann!