The Truth Will Out

I know you are all wondering why you are seeing pictures of the dogs walking at the parks daily now. 

Why there are so few pictures along the gravel roads. 

Here's one from this morning... at the bluffs on Stranger Creek.  You see they 

are turning red now in the fall. 

I took this on the way to church this morning, I leave early so I can go 

the slower way and take pictures. 

This rather disgruntled looking hawk was just around the corner from the house... and he looked thoroughly cold.  He was all fluffed and clinging tightly to the cross arm.  

It was in the forties this morning, and the high seventies, by evening! 

This guy was on a pole further down the road. 

And another flew away as soon as he saw me coming. 

Even though there isn't much color on the road sides.... there is still beauty. 

And today, for the very first time, I had a frisson of fear when I snapped these pictures of plants in an overgrown pasture... I had not realized there were two men talking at the top of the pasture, and they yelled something at me, after having (I think) come down the hill toward me.  

I do get scared sometimes when I get out of the car to take pictures. 

I was in the car in this instance. 

There was a jack o'lantern on both fence posts here.. it is the beautiful drive, with the deer and turkeys. 

I didn't see ONE this morning! 

It looks scary, doesn't it!  

Now, why we are not seeing pictures of the old place... 

we have leased it out. 

Yes, our beautiful Calamity Acres is leased to a young 

family, father, mother and 3 year old daughter.  A tiny chihuahua 

(who thinks he is a big beast) lives there with them. 

They have the chickens. 

It has been a long month for me, because my attachment is so 

great.  You notice I say IS.... I am purposely not going by there, even 

on the highway... I just can't bear seeing it for a while. 

I did talk to good neighbor Troy by FB messenger today, and 

he reminded me I could bring the dogs out to run around the pond any time I want. 

I just can't, right now. 

Someday I will be able to... just like the first Calamity Acres.  

I did go take care of the Ag Hall chickens today, just to keep my hand in! 

(laugh). 

Today, my youngest son Jeff, turns 45... and it's All Souls Day in 

my church.... we remembered all those who have passed away 

this morning, and every day this month.  

I've decided to name something every day for which I'm grateful...

and... the first day: 

1. Puppy Butts.  My dear husband knows why.  

Welcome, November! 

(from the web) 

Hot Weather!

Have you ever seen pictures of what it would look like if nature started taking back our buildings? 

Believe them! 

I cut all these down, this building (the old henhouse) is in bad enough shape without the 

plants bringing it down. 

Since I moved the last two hens, the Brahmas, over to the old hen house, 

I went ahead and cleaned the hen spa out.  I would normally have put all this 

bedding on the compost heap... but the compost heap is under 

a heavy cover of weeds!  That's what happens when you don't live someplace for a while. 

This is the hen yard that Jacob cut down for me with the weed eater on Tuesday. 

You can see from the size of the weeds here what the yard was like.  In the middle of this clump are not one, but THREE volunteer tomato plants, and I had Jacob cut around them.  One has blooms on it. 

Here is Lil in the pond in our side yard tonight, here at the new house.  There 

are frogs living in this little pond (amongst the tall grasses) and she 

loves to pounce on them. 

It was still 97 degrees out when I took this picture... whew. 

Jester loves to drink out of the pond, even though I do 

keep a fortex of water for the birds, and try to change the 

water frequently. 

The birds are getting out of control, though... I am feeding too much. 

I'm going to cut back until fall. 

The yard is soggy clear out ten feet beyond where Jes is standing, we have so much ground water. 

It was cool enough this morning that I had the windows open for a while, and I 

shot this trough the screen on the back door.  This was a beautiful male cardinal, and yes, he was EATING SAFFLOWER, the first one I have ever seen. 

This one was the first to reach the suet I put out today at the old place after church tonight.  I am not feeding out there... but I do put suet out... and the one I put out last night was gone when I got there this morning. 

Look what I saw on the way home!  

I'm starting to see them more and more, now that their babies have all fledged. 

Another hot day tomorrow... and then some cooling off! 

A Long Picture Post

I took the dogs out for a run this afternoon since it got up to 42. 

It was gorgeous out... the sun shining, and no wind, compared to yesterday. 

What a relief! 

Weeds? 

Or... Christmas tree decorations? 

While the dogs were running in the pasture, I was cutting weeds. 

I have to figure out what to spray them with (fixative) so I don't have seeds all over the bedroom... and something NOT flammable... because of the tiny lights on that prim tree. 

However, this is going to be the "natural" tree. 

Before we left, I had run the recyclables over to the transfer station. 

Only a few geese were on the pond... really, if I go in the late afternoon, it's packed! 

This one rambled all around the pasture, 

While this one stuck a little closer to Mom.  Lilly had gone after him several times. 

She found a bone the other day, and was protecting it... I thought. 

I became aware that she was laying by the old henhouse... when I turned to take this picture...

Jester tried to go through the single walk gate just out of sight to the left, and Lilly drove at him, she had been laying by the walnut tree you see here.  I should have realized something was up. 

But... she came through the gate finally and went down to the bottom of the pasture, where she was pouncing on something in the grass. 

So, I saw this guy: 

It was a hawk, not a buzzard, but he did not come closer, and soon disappeared into the blue. 

And then this came over... from the southeast to the northwest, so I don't think 

headed for Fort Leavenworth or the airbase at Topeka. 

So then I realized I was getting chilly, and Jester, who had gone down into the far end of the pasture, had come back up and was ready to go up in the yard. 

I got up and followed him, and we went to the car.  He was glad to jump in... and I turned around and called Lil.  I couldn't see her anywhere... 

finally... I saw her tail wagging at the walk gate into the pasture by the old henyard. 

This gate is just to the right of the henhouse. 

Jester saw me walk toward the gate... and he jumped back out of the car to follow me. 

Because... this little guy was in the porch of the old henhouse. 

I believe one of the dogs had already gotten him...because I had heard something cry out earlier, and had actually gotten up and walked up into the yard and looked around. 

Lilly would normally kill them... and it looks like he was mouthed at that back left leg. 

Poor little thing.  I had meant to take some bread out there I needed to throw out today... but forgot it. 

This may have been the culprit.  

But, somehow, I don't think so. 

Poor little guy was panting hard.  I'm sure one of them got him.  

Hurts me... I can't bear to kill them. 

I loaded the dogs up so he could relax.  I hope he lives. 

I was almost home when I hit the brakes as I saw this guy. 

My stopping disturbed him. 

But he didn't go far... I was shooting over my shoulder at this point. 

He landed 20 feet away.  I noticed two cars were coming, so I put the camera down and drove.  I passed another hawk, a much smaller one, in the same pasture about 50 feet away, but could not get him on camera, of course. 

You can't see them very well, but when we got home, there was a lineup of 

doves sunning themselves on the fenceline where the bird feeders are in our yard! 

And I wanted to mention that last night on the way home from the farm, I scared a flock 

of about 20 robins!  Robins!  Never have I seen them this late in the year. 

I read something on the Birds and Blooms website today that if there is 

ample food, they will stick around.  I was so stunned. 

Keep praying for the people of Ferguson and other places where there is 

so much unrest.  I am not going to give opinions... we don't need to 

incite people... but just pray that peace will return to our country. 

Blessed in Leavenworth County, Kansas. 

Working in the Pasture Or, The Cockelburr Story

Can you see my rear view mirror? 

I watched that bean truck bear down on me, gears shifting... motor roaring... I honestly thought 

I was going to end up pushed out into 7 highway earlier today. 

It's going on everywhere, all around us.  

I'm watching at every corner for the bean and corn trucks. 

I took the dogs out to run, and tackled that cockleburr patch in the pasture. 

At first I was using the big cutters because some of the stalks were pretty thick, then
I would cut them up smaller in the yard cart. 

However, after working for a while, I realized most of them would pull up. 

I took two heaping cartloads up to the burn pile in the driveway. 

At one point, the Dauntless Duo ran past me at a pretty good clip. 

The pugs could never keep up with Lilly, though Gertie and Abby tried. 

Jester can match her stride for stride. 

Finally, I was able to see the actual outline of  the doghouse and dog pen stood. 

And stepping back a few steps, you can easily see where it was.  That's where I left it today, because frankly, I was getting pooped.  I am going to have to cut the chicken wire out of the high grass. 

You are actually looking at some of it here, but it's hard to see.  At the "far end"... just to the right 

of the white chair.... and just to the right of the first cockleburr plant... there is a big piece of wire 

on the ground.  Once every plant is down and the wire is out, I'll take the mower out and cut 

the grass... the push mower... and then I'll spray roundup to kill all those little burrs that fell on the ground.  Ugh.  

Look what else I found:

These were under the clump of grass right in front of Jester in the above photo. You know I am freaked about fungi in the pasture now, after little Greta the pug ate mushrooms and died. 

These were not there last year. 

Thanks again to the Bowen Family for their great pasture decorations ... I have loved watching these for another year! 

I took the big camera out to the Lake this afternoon... and after six pictures... the battery was dead! 

It's in the charger too, and I'm going to try again tomorrow after I get Keith home from dialysis. 

I hope to share those tomorrow! 

More of the Same

I know you are all sick of my garden work, and to tell you the truth...

so am I! 

I spent another three hours out there this morning, digging, digging, digging. 

I not only cut down the dead sunflowers... I dug out part of their roots. 

We had a little rain... and the earth is easy to turn over.  See the 

worm in that scoop?  It is full of earthworms.  This was a

mixture of dirt, straw, peat, and some manure. 

No wonder the weeds like it! 

Some of the weeds are coming out in huge clumps.  I have even dug the small trees I found out by their roots. 

I have been trying to get a picture of this foal for the last four days.  I finally stopped and took a shot today.  

The man who lives at this place used to trim our horse's hooves for us.  He raises Arabs and part-Arabs.... but over the last two years, his herd of 20 some horses was in a horribly overgrown pasture (looks like the ground above) across the road from this place.  Two weeks ago, he 

turned the horses out into that pasture... and I was really worried again.  But today, as I went by, all the horses had fresh hay bales. 

There are two Hereford cows and three Angus steers in with the horses in the big pasture.  I was so glad to see the hay put out. 

I love this display at our local grocery.  One of those gorgeous mums is coming home with us next week. 

These were the first pumpkins I have seen for sale, and you see that they are 

very reasonable! 

The last two years, pumpkins were high here. 

Our zinnias at home are still going strong, but starting to fade a little.  

I'm collecting seed now, so I'll have plenty for next year.  Next year 

they will be in the ground. 

Ditto for the marigolds.