Bird Pictures and More

I'm going to start a post about birds with pictures (more pictures) of 

the road crews here. 

I went to church this morning, and when I got out, I stopped at the old place

to check on the water for the wildings. 

I found the road crew working on our road. 

I was headed for the feed store, so went south.  Can you see the ridge in the road?  I'm sure it is all tamped down by now, because the grader made another pass. 

Anyway, our road is all smooth again, and free of potholes! 

By the way... these catalogs have already come.  I remember when the arrival of a seed catalog as 

early as Christmas eve was a HUGE thing.  Now... Pinetree came about the 27th of November. 

Park Seed is an old favorite, of course. 

After church this morning (and my truly peaceful hour of adoration)... I stopped at the old place and then went to the feed store in Bonner.  Valley Feeds is where we bought 

the majority of our feed at both the first Calamity, and the second Calamity Acres. 

I loaded up on Back Yard Blend for the month, but I also got a couple of bags of scratch, 

to take to a friend's house. 

I was able to take pictures there, even though we were freezing out in the cold air. 

I really enjoyed taking pictures of her birds. 

This young gentleman took advantage of the warm back of the car.  

On the way home, I stopped to take a few pictures of my favorite pond. 

Not a bird. 

Also not a bird. 

I have been trying to read this sign for weeks, I had to use the telephoto lens to do it. 

HummV Farm.  Funny. 

Even though it was 23 degrees out, Diane's hoses were running... and the ducks were loving it. 

On a sadder note, I stopped at the grocery store in Tonganoxie this morning after church, 

and, while standing in line, the young man in front of me turned around and said 

Wait, I know you! 

It was the young man who had taken a good part of our flock in the spring. 

I asked him how his chickens were doing, and he hung his head. 

He told me that his kids had failed to shut the coop door one night, and raccoons had gotten in 

and killed all of the birds but three. 

Yes, it hurt. 

He told me he had had to put Buffy, our Polish girl, in a separate pen because she could not see, and could not get used to the new pen when he moved her. She had spent just about all of her life from a chick at our place. 

He put Speedy in with her. 

I did not get straight if these two were killed, as well, since they were in a separate pen. 

They're still alive in my heart... crazy, but true. 

Tonight I am under the weather, with a raw throat... and 

dreading a doctor's appointment tomorrow.  If I still don't feel well 

in the morning, I'll have to reschedule. 

It was really cold today, but looks like we'll be in 

the forties the rest of the week... Hallelujah! 

A Blustery, Cold Day!

We live in the best-maintained county in this entire Kansas City metro area.  They do not wait until there is a crisis... they keep the roads in good shape.  

I had only to call once at the old house to get our road in front of our place graded out when potholes developed over the winter. 

I run into the road crew regularly. 

Here he comes, ninety miles an hour up the pasture! 

He always does everything fast! 

The possum from yesterday lived. 

I'm so glad. 

The cold was not bothering this one... and she had a brown nose.

(If you can read her look correctly, she did NOT want to get up and come home.  She did, though. )  

She could hear them but for once, couldn't find them. 

She's getting old. 

I had to convince her it was time to go home, because Jester and I were freezing in the 

wind. 

I had to run to Walmart early this morning... not necessarily Walmart but we 

feed Lilly a particular kind of food we buy there, so I went ahead to get the rest of the things on my list for the holiday dinner. 

The computers at Walmart had gone offline.  The only two working for a while were in the 

electronics department, and people were in line checking out their huge shopping baskets there. 

By the time I traversed the store ten times for my 20 things I needed... I got to the front and there were NO lines and I passed right through, the computers had come back up. 

A miracle. 

However... I shudder to think of what would happen tomorrow evening after 6 PM

or on Friday if the computers go down. 

Makes me shiver! 

These two always make me smile when I get home and see them. 

And... they are always glad to see Keith and Me. 

Mishmash

We had a visit from the big boys today. 

I've said it before and will say it again... the Leavenworth County road crews are the BEST! 

They tidied up in front of our mailbox, too. 

This is what greets me now when I come home from an errand. 

I wish I could show you the jumping... he can make it airborne past that 

upper window. 

I cut grass this afternoon... this is our wet area... I don't cut through it because 

it would tear the mower up.  I forgot to tell you all, but last week when I cut, a rabbit came hopping out of the high grass and hopped away.  I am going to sprinkle wildflowers seeds in this 

area... I will NOT be popular with my neighbors. 

And then, we went out to the farm for more.... weed chopping! 

See those stumps??? They are SO TREACHEROUS.  I have tried to 

go back and cut as many of them down to the ground as I could. 

Something has been sleeping under Beau's favorite tree. 

See how nice the pasture grew back this year?  I am so glad to see this, 

because whomever rents the place will get a nice place for their animals. 

Here come the clouds, bringing the storms for tomorrow.  

Back at the new house... the zinnias are almost finished, but for some reason... there is a sudden bloom of these beautiful dark magenta ones.  

There are still lots of buds to bloom, though. 

September 8th is the Full Harvest Moon.  The Harvest Moon is the full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox and is bright enough to allow finishing all the harvest chores.   In early days, when farmers had no tractors, it was essential that they work by the light of the moon to bring in the harvest.  This moon is the fullest moon of the year.  When you gaze at it, it looks very large and gives a lot of light throughout the entire night.  No other lunar spectacle is as awesome as the Harvest Moon

I took this bit of information from MA's blog, "On the Bright Side", which is on 

our sidebar daily.   Indeed, I have taken some shots tonight of the beautiful moon with Keith's camera... and I'll see how they have come out in the morning. 

Tomorrow brings storms... and we still need the rain. 

Power of the Paw and prayers are requested tonight for 

little Greta, from The Idaho Pug Ranch, who ate a mushroom at 

Dogapallooza over the weekend, and has been extremely ill since. 

Her family is very, very worried about her, and she is 

staying with the vet as they try to figure out how best to help her. 

Prayers requested, please.