Words from the Wise

There won't be a picture with this story, but I hope you will read it anyway. 

Many of you know my late husband was an Army officer who served 24 years. 

He has been gone almost five. 

I still shop at the Commissary and PX at Fort Leavenworth, our closest post. 

Because of the pandemic, I felt so much safer, because no one but card carrying members could shop there for the year of the pandemic, and you had to show your card to get in.  Everyone was masked, and the stores were cleaned constantly.  I felt safe. 

On Wednesday, I went up to do my weekly grocery shopping.  I do supplement with some things from other stores, but I do my main shopping at the Commissary.  For those of you who are not familiar, the baggers at the Commissary are not employees, but independent people who bag your groceries and accompany you to the car and unload them for you.  When Keith and I first married, we shopped at a tiny Commissary at Great Lakes Naval Air Station, because he finished out his enlistment in Illinois. I asked Keith at that time (2003) what I should give the baggers who helped me, because you are expected to "tip" them for their services. 

Keith told me the "going rate was 25 cents a bag".  I was surprised, but that is what I stuck to for a time. 

Anyway... I try to be generous with the baggers at Fort Leavenworth, because they make my life so much easier.  They are a mixture of young and older people, some native born Americans, some spouses who came here with their husbands from other countries.  I am friendly to all, and also to the check out people and they look out for me, they all know I am diabetic and they have actually run and gotten me orange juice when I stupidly have not eaten enough.  

One bagger who has helped me frequently is from Japan originally.  She lives in Leavenworth, and like me, is widowed.  We visited as we walked to the car on Wednesday, and we talked about our gardens and how they were doing in the middle of this heat we have been having.  In the course of the conversation, we talked about how much we both liked to mow grass.  I told her I had a riding mower, and I loved riding and mowing.  She told me she had a push mower.  We both confessed that sometimes we were NOT pleased to be out cutting in the hot weather, and laughed. 

She is 84 years old. 

EIGHTY FOUR YEARS OLD. 

I immediately said a prayer that I would still be cutting grass at 84. 

Here she was bagging and hauling my groceries for me. 

I guess I could say that I will not let her do it any more, because... my gosh... but... she obviously feels good and is staying active and wants to earn the money.  More power to her! 

We should all be so lucky. 

Here is Wanda early this morning, she is still doing so well.  I surprised her in my shop the other day, and she fled out the hole in the wall, so I know she knows where to take shelter.  There is food in there for her. 

Cleo, the cat I had after Wanda, has been nowhere to be seen. 

I let her loose on Friday, and my neighbors are looking for her on their cameras, too. 

Cleo.  

Cleo came from the same colony as Tessa, who escaped from the LRHH. 

They were true ferals, have been neutered and had shots.  

She was like this for two weeks. 

I am praying that this is her, early this morning, because it means she knows where the food bowls are. 

They are full all day long. 

And here is faithful Rusty, two days ago. 

The computer I am using is a desktop model, and is now almost seven years old, it was 

Keith's when he died.  He had hardly used it, and it had plenty of space on it (pictures) so I used it when mine kicked the bucket.  Last fall, I believed it to be faltering and bought another HP desktop, which is still in the closet.  I have GOT to make myself sit down and put all the pictures on a hard drive to save. 

This one is beginning to fail, though it is not full... but I don't want to get up and find all the photos gone one day because I didn't save them. 

And then, when I think about it... who on earth will look at those pictures once I am gone? 

This small swinging feeder is my only one left of this type, and the finches love it. 

The bigger birds rarely bother it, it hangs on the deck where I can see it all the time.  The chickens 

clean up what spills under it.  I won't have any more swinging feeders because of the amount of feed that was wasted last winter.  I keep this one pretty clean, taking it down daily and using a brush to get everything out.  If it rains, I dump it in a bowl, and make sure it is not wet. 

I'm rewarded with the gold and purple and house finches. 

I'm cleaning the hummingbird feeders almost daily now, too, because of the humidity. 

Be sure to check for black mold on yours, even on the little foot rests... it can kill the hummers fast. 

I have literally never seen as many cottontails as I have seen this year.  Some are not even 

that afraid of me.  They are out in the yard day and night, and I am scared Molly will get one. 

Right now, there are babies all along the road. 

The "June candles"... yucca... have been beautiful this year, but are already beginning to fade. 

The little house.  

I did not have the flag flying, because we had light rain off and on yesterday. 

Ooops... there is that broken storm door hanging open.  I actually have a company who will be coming to fix it, but they were very backed up, and my small job is down the list.  I will have to replace it again, a windstorm completely broke it.  It was just put on in December.  

I am going to contact the company this week and see what time frame we are expecting. 

My faithful boy, Jester, my last dog.  He has just been the most wonderful companion, and he and Molly get along great.  Jester could get along with ANYTHING, I am convinced. 

 

Happiness... and Sadness, Too

I took the above video on the first, and posted it to 

Instagram and Facebook, saying that "It was scenes like 

this that make me happy", Biddy and her contented little family, 

and the other chickens scratching underneath the feeding area. 

Yesterday morning, I came out to find the two tiny babies alone, 

pecking the ground outside the hen yard, which is locked up at night. 

Biddy spent one night in the doghouse in the henyard, and then took the 

babies back to her original hidden nest below the little hen 

house. 

She was gone.  What I feared most was the babies disappearing, 

and was trying to be brave and let nature take it's course, because 

I don't need any more chickens here. 

Instead, good mama Biddy was taken. 

I found only feathers. 

Later in the day, I found this, under the maple tree:

Sorry for the gross picture.  It's Biddy's head and neck. 

I believe it was either a raccoon who went under the little hen house to get her... 

or an owl, who swooped down when she came out early in the morning. 

I have a camera on the hen house now, and will fence around the back and sides so 

that no one else is encouraged to lay or even go under there. 

I caught one chick early, and the other got away.  Some of you will understand what 

that did to me... we were in the upper nineties, again, and over 100 heat index.  I worried myself sick 

all day, and assumed the other chick would die and I would have ONE tiny chick in a brooder alone. 

Last night, the chick followed a hen out of the hen yard, and I was able to come up behind it and net it. 

They are both safe in the brooder now, but every time I open the door for food and 

water, one flies out, so.... I have to shut the pophole, and both doors, to be safe. 

I have a large enough water fount that I should only have to do it morning and 

evening. 

Here is a look at the Gold Comets and some of the Black Stars.  They are doing VERY well in the little hen house. 

This morning, little cockerel Singleton crowed for the first time, and I am going to try to 

get a short video of it today.  You will laugh. 

The two Cochin pullets have feathered out nicely. 

Granddaughter Paiton took her lesson horse, Ice, 

clear around the arena this week in her lesson.   She is learning to 

master posting, and two of the young girls helping at the barn this summer took her 

under their wings, and spent time teaching her how to untack and brush down her 

horse, and to clean and re-hang the tack in the tack room.  It was better for them 

to show her, hands on, than the coach just talking through everything while she did it. 

Paiton is very calm around the horses.  

Grandma loves watching her. 

This has been Jester, these last few days.  It is just so 

stinking hot out, and smush-faced dogs do not belong out in it. 

Once in a while, they HAVE to get out. 

Lilly laid on the deck for a while in the heat of the day, yesterday. 

I don't let her stay out but for a few minutes, either. 

Not sure what these are, I got them for a dollar, but the 

variety is Indian Summer.  Going to look them up, as I love them. 

The picture does not do them justice.  

I have more straw being delivered on Friday, and am going to put some more 

on the garden beds. 

This lamb was one of the last two to come here, about 8 weeks ago, She and her partner 

are still scared to death of me, though they come a little closer every day. 

She's a pretty little thing. 

The stuff on her nose is loose minerals, I bought a bag for them this week, and they have all 

been licking them. 

I went out to do morning chores and found destruction on the deck. 

DARN chickens!  They did it quietly, too, after I had watered yesterday. 

I had to run to Walmart for something this morning and got some 

six packs on sale for a dollar, so will replant them after I dry out. 

Yes, it's that hot. 

The buns around here eat as well as the rest of us. 

They can be found at the foot of the maple (where I leave seed for them and the squirrels) 

and at the foot of the bird feeding station, morning and evening.  I have never seen so many as this year... but I credit that to the fact Lilly can no longer chase them. 

Everyone, friend and furriends, have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Two Posts in a Week... It's the Heat!

It's the heat, folks.  Northeast Kansas has been rolling in the heat for a week. 

I walked out the door this morning at 7:15 to be gobsmacked by humidity already. 

My job is now refreshing water for all the living things here multiple times a day. 

The teenage ducklings are  now out of their little pen and on the loose!  They are so much fun to 

watch. 

Yesterday morning, I moved the two small Cayugas out of their brooder 

and into the pen the older ducklings had vacated.  It had dried out in two days, but the 

Cayugas soon took care of that.  There was lots of excited quacking going on. 

This is what the duck pond looks like in the morning, and I am 

now bucketing it and putting it on the new perennials. 

Yes, it's a pain, but the flowers are loving it. 

I give them a full new pool in the morning, and again in the evening. 

I use my little red wagon to drive the water around. 

That was the sum total of eggs I got yesterday.  I have been getting nearly 20 a day. 

I did find one extra one in the little hen house, a hen had gone in there to lay. 

Saturday night, I posted this hen on Insta and Facebook, saying I did not 

think she would make it through the night. 

She died. 

Sorry for the blur... I found this one this morning, 

in the hen spa.  I have a fan going day and night here. 

The heat is getting my girls. 

Some of the flowers loving duck water. 

I always have a helper with me. 

The sheep are actually handling the heat pretty well, I refresh their 

water daily, and I keep a fortex full of cool water in the shade for them.  They 

are smart, and go in the barn in the heat of day, then come back out to graze. 

I have really enjoyed their living here. 

Milkweed is beginning to bloom. 

I have a patch of weeds at the south end of the south garden that 

I have not dug out yet.  I am going to try to establish a big patch of milkweed in the 

spot.  It won't be in the next few days, though, unless this heat breaks. 

I actually did pretty well in it until today. 

Last night, I went to the Yes 50th Anniversary tour at the Midland Theater in KCMO. 

I worked at the Midland for five years some time ago... and it is always fun for me 

to see a show there. 

Here are some shots of the show: 

Billy Sherwood, bass player, who took over for Chris Squire when 

he became ill and subsequently died.  He sings, as well. 

(I was in the second row)

Geoff Downes, who had on sequined tennies (I could not get them in the picture) 

We share a birthdate. 

The very fragile-appearing guitar virtuoso Steve Howe, 

on the left.  

Tony Kaye, who was in and out of the band over the years (weren't they all?) did 

the last four numbers, as did drummer Alan White, one of the original members. 

Alan White is also fragile, having back trouble, etc., and looked tired

 out. 

Jay Schellen did the drumming for most of the show. 

I did not get a good picture of John Davison, the singer for this 

version of Yes. 

Ooops... I'll upload a bit of Roundabout and you can get a glimpse of him. 

One of the other critters around here that appreciates water and clover. 

The four big Pekins are purebreds, and the two tiny Cayugas, as well. 

These "teenagers" are mixed, Rouen and other mixes... but I think they are 

so pretty.

I noticed this morning while doing chores that the grass has stopped growing.  

I had to walk down in the pasture to dispose of the hen... help me out, vultures.... 

and noticed that after I cut last week, nothing appears to have grown.  I'm not cutting again 

until we get some rain!

County Fair The Second

It's Leavenworth County Fair Time! 

Thank heavens it was not last week, in the dire heat. 

As it was, it was hot enough. 

I have not really talked about it, but Keith 

has been hospitalized since Monday.  He was released an 

hour and a half ago, and is home, sleeping soundly. 

We had a scare, but everything is okay for now. 

I snuck out to the fairgrounds while he was in dialysis. 

The poultry judging of showmanship had already happened, and the 

judge was taking a lunch break. 

When he came back in, I was still lingering. 

Showmanship winners with the judge.... and yes, I always 

have a camera around me somewhere! 

I have to say this about Leavenworth county... the 4H kids were 

ON TOP OF IT!  

Every cage had food and water, every one.  I looked. 

There was a crew of kids checking them constantly... and I found out that 

the Leavenworth County 4 H Poultry Project kids must sign up for 

specific hours.  If their parents work, they need to take off 

or arrange for the kids to get to the fairgrounds.  When the poultry 

super called out for the kids to gather for the picture, they came from every direction. 

Remember, this was not all of them, just the showmanship winners, minus one or 

two. 

Oh, how I miss my Mille Fleur D'Uccles. 

There were some handsome ducks, too! 

There were lots of bucket calves, that's dad pulling one behind this tethered one. 

And lots of grooming going on. 

And already groomed cattle drying in the sun. 

There are lots of dairy cattle there, unlike Wyandotte County. 

and Red Angus... 

and Gelbvieh (with some Herefords staring at them) 

There are not many rabbits entered, either, this year, but there were some beautiful ones, and I have to say... the kids were right on top of it again, there were three or four checking cages, and putting frozen bottles in them.  All bunnies had food and water, this one was lapping lazily. 

I stuck my head in the 4H horticulture barn, it is just the end of a barn. 

Prizes had already been awarded. 

Gorgeous! 

I made myself leave at that point, I had to do errands and get home and get the dogs out before going back to the hospital. 

I am going to try to sneak away again tomorrow night with the big camera, after I am sure Keith is feeling well.