Turkeys on a Foggy Day

We awoke to heavy fog in Leavenworth County today. 

That's not last night's blood moon... that's this morning's sun. 

Here was the waning moon in the opposite sky, so visible, go figure, despite the fog. 

Here's the view from the deck at the old house... remember, I am taking several pictures of the 

ponds at the bottom of the hill every day... I am at about 9 months now.  

You could not see anything.  (except our overgrown pasture)

Lilly went with me this morning, but Jester decided to stay home. 

I've noticed that on chilly mornings, he likes to cuddle with Keith or curl up on the couch, 

rather than face the wet grass. 

I have been trying for weeks to have time to stop and take a picture of this beautiful scene. 

It's on a bridge over Stranger Creek, on Leavenworth Road, in Leavenworth County. 

There are caves in those rocks, dangerous caves that fill at high water times. 

When I showed this to Keith, he told me that emergency management has had to rescue numerous people who became trapped there. 

Those are granite cliffs. 

I literally went around a corner and saw this flock come boiling out of the high grass on the left.  I could tell there were a bunch of young birds. 

They ran acrosss the road and into the pasture on the other side... 

And then headed for the shelter of the woods...

I used to keep turkeys, and I love these birds. 

Oddly enough, we saw another group as we got closer to home! 

Turkeys are normally very nervous... when I stop the car is when they run... 

but this group must have decided I was okay and started eating again, though they were 

heading steadily for the trees. 

Our weather has turned from the balmy temps of last week, to 95 this afternoon, with 

heat expected all week.  

Friday Night

Linking this to Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday...

The day started gloriously...

Can you see the sun peaking up over the horizon in the east?

Here it is five minutes later... I stopped at the Kansas Speedway and took this.

It was large and in charge, believe me.

Naughty Girls Bitsy and Muffy tonight.  How they shine in the sun!

I am hoping to get them set up with a brooder box for them to lay in, and Boots, the Mille rooster, to keep them company, soon.

It's grillin' time!

The beautiful Bradford Pear in our neighbor Troy's back yard.  Gorgeous!

On a sadder note, I read a favorite blog tonight, and Yoda,

at The Pugs Strike Back, crossed the Rainbow Bridge very suddenly this morning.  I read a number of "pug blogs" and this is a favorite, because Yoda, Brutus and Ellie were so like our own pugs.  We are so sorry for his owners... we know how much this hurts, and whether expected or not... (this was not)... it still hurts hearts terribly.

Tomorrow is the poultry auction.  I'm going to try to take pictures (if no one stops me) so I'll have something to show everyone tomorrow night.

I'm also making a list and checking it twice!

75 degrees at 9:04 PM!



Autumn.... and Autumn in My Life

Somehow, at the end of August, even though it's technically not the end of summer.... the world knows it.  The light changes, ever so slightly.... takes on a golden hue that it did not have in the unwavering heat of summer.  It's different in the morning, when the haze is greater, and the sun takes longer to come up and warm the earth.  In the evening it's brighter and clearer. 

Autumn in my life, too.... the last birthday in August was one that always seemed very far in the future to me.... 60.... and now I'm beginning to feel like I've gone beyond the "little girl" that my mom always called me to being the grandma I truly am.  When my mom was this age, my dad had already been gone 5 years.  Her mother never made it to 60.  My joints tell me I'm 60 every day, and I feel a little more somber and steady. 

I hope I am still here in ten years to see my grandkids growing, and my sons growing older, and my husband able to retire and play golf daily, which would make him so happy.

The Sun Returns

Or at least, it returned for a while. Coming out of church this morning, a strange orange orb was in the sky, and the folks around me all laughed and asked "What was that?" since we had not seen it for a while. Unfortunately, at 3 PM Central time, it's beginning to disappear again, but not after the chickens have run back and forth across the pasture in it, and the horses reveled in it, and Mama and Yankee have laid and rested and chewed their cuds in it all day.

Picture one is looking west... picture two, looking east, both at 2:30 PM.