Ruff Stuff

The photo above is part of where I hike through our valley. Over the last winter and summer, these trees have fallen across the creek bed. Yesterday was warm so I grabbed my little chainsaw and hiked down to the bottom to carve a way through that mess.

If you are a contortionist, you can make it through rather easily but it requires squats, high steps, and a lot of twisting. I thought I'd make it easier on myself with a bit of trimming. The after shot never got taken, however I can walk through without playing Twister right now.

My little saw can take on a lot. But the large trunk of this old oak was still too solid for me to cut through. I cleaned the area up so now I don't have to go around this obstacle any more. The tree toppled in 2018. A 'friend' offered to clean it up. He did a fairly poor job at it. But I beggars can't be choosy. 

So for the past 6 years, I've rerouted. However, now I can just step over the log on the left side of the trail.  It is only about 18" tall.

Now I can go straight down the old trail that was put in years ago instead of detouring. It was originally put in with a bull dozer in 2007 and then again cleaned up in 2016. I don't know if I'll pay to have it done again as I am the only one that uses the trail. I imagine I'll let the next owners take that expense when I sell the place.

At one time my husband used it so he could drive the 4 wheeler down through our land and also use the skid steer to pick up a deer he got in the valley. I use the 4 wheeler, but don't need to drive down into the bottom. I prefer to walk.

I was having so much fun at trimming, that I stopped in the summer meadow on the ridge and knocked off some overhanging limbs on these box elders.

When good spring weather comes back, I'll grab some chains and ropes and drag those large branches into a burn pile with the 4 wheeler.

While I was clearing another bunch of snags by my favorite cottonwood tree, I had to stop and admire the deep reflections from the trees above me. The ice is hard and there was about a quarter of an inch of fresh water on the surface.

This too is part of my daily walk. I just felt like clearing a path along the steep bank that would make it a bit easier to hike through.

Mother Nature will have to break down the big logs. Flash floods will move them to another area. The creek in this narrow valley often gets changes. That is one of the reasons I find it so fascinating.

Below...The Old Man Cottonwood and my shadow.

Today or Saturday I hope to take a hike on groomed trails at KVR to give myself a break from the rough stuff. 

We are so dry, we could really use some nice snow or even rain.

Happy September !!

Here is a photo of one of the fields I walk to on the ridge in the evenings. It has been full of deer the last few weeks, they were grazing on the oats and then moving onto eating the corn plants.

This field should have produced two or three times the number of round bales shown here. Our county is now in severe drought and as of Friday with temperatures rising and the humidity dropping to 25%, we are also in a Fire Watch.

Yesterday I mowed some green patches of grass that are near the porch. The grass did grow there because I've watered my flowers that surround the porch.

We've had lows in the 40's this week and some nice temperatures. Come this holiday weekend we will be back up to nearly 100. The DNR is saying that we will be in critical fire danger starting today. Campfires will be considered a no-no.

The good part about it being so dry? Maybe it won't feel SO hot? The bad part? Well, we really really DO need rain!

I'm nearly ready to quit watering my flowers and let nature take its course and gather seeds for next year.

Yesterday afternoon I took some time to just sit on the porch and watch the world drift by. Of course I nodded off while sitting up and then got an idea to try some ...

Stop Motion

Another Flickr fellow had done a super short stop motion with one of his characters and it was pretty impressive. I decided to try it also. 

I wasn't going in for the 24 frames per second or higher as that takes a TON of time. I thought I'd try something simple while seated on the porch.

So this is 11 seconds of fun that took 40 photos to create. I won't do this as anything other than a fun little hobby. It takes too much time and effort to do a really smooth Stop Motion animation.

IT is hard! The last time I tried this was with my kids and their Legos, a dinosaur, a rubber rat, and a soda can.

We used a hand me down video camera that took stop motion stills that was on a VCR tape!

Dennis and Ariel plan to visit us on Sunday, they will drive up for the day and then go back home as Dennis is scheduled to work on Labor Day. That will be nice. I know Dennis wanted to ride the mules, but with temps near 100, it won't be happening.

Our weekend will be quiet and fairly usual. We don't do Holidays around here.

Next up...

 

On the last day of the dome...we had a most curious sunrise. A blazing red sky to the east and to the west we had a morning rainbow! See that little bright spot in the sky? It grew fainter the further up into the clouds it went, but it was there!

This is the second time I've seen something like this, almost in the same spot. Perhaps it is a combination of moisture and light at just the right moment?

Friday evening brought nice temperatures finally. I don't know how those folks in other areas deal with nonstop heat, but I know I don't do well with it.

To celebrate the cooler weather, Siera and I rode out on the neighbor's cropland and enjoyed the evening views. She loves wide open flat spaces and gaits out in a super smooth ride. A gaited animal ride is like no other. She was actually very calm and very quiet unlike the ride where we met up with the killer baby stroller and mule eating children on dangerous bicycles.

In the zinnia garden, the Great Spangled Fritillary was busy. 

Not to mention the Swallow Tails!

The morning glories are indeed glorious right now, they are really going gung ho. I haven't watered them in a long time but they seem to be doing fine. They are not close to the house but out towards the pastures.

I may have to put them nearer the house next year so I don't have to walk so far to enjoy them.

After recovering from the heat dome, the flowers seem to be doing fine. The nasturtiums are trying to take over the porch! I'll have plenty of seeds for next year as they are producing a lot of them! Nasturtiums send out vines that look for more space.

Sunday was an all day work day. The summer meadow needs to recover so I've fenced it off.
In the shot below you can see where the hot wire was and the greening of the area that has not been grazed for 3 weeks.

To encourage growth for overwinter and recovery, I'm not letting the critters into the meadow until next summer.

However, in that line of trees is a nice section of forest with a LOT of food.

To the left of this photo is another wooded pasture that has been grazed down but if I make a gate for the mules to go into the forest from that side, I can keep them off the meadow!

In the shot above, the 4 wheeler is in the meadow and I am standing in the older worn out pasture. I made an opening to the forest with a single hot wire to keep them out of the meadow. Now, to get them to use it!

Pounding t-posts was one of the hardest things I did! The ground is so dry and hard that it took a long time and a huge effort to do it. 

Hubby built a post pounder that weighs 20lbs and is a steel tube with a cap on it. We don't use the ones sold in stores.

I think I got a good arm workout!

The good part about the 'gate' and trail into the woods, is that it uses a trail they already are accustomed too.

Well, here it is almost the end of August! Are you ready for September?

Huge Score at the Farmer's Market !

I went last Saturday to go pick up veggies for the week. I was able to pick up Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Leaf Lettuce, summer squash, zucchini, and radishes. My total cost? $15 for a week's worth of great veggies.

I filled my bag up and decided to walk around the Market and found out is was Kid Vendor Day which they do once a month. Kids bring items they have made or would like to sell and set up a table. Last year, one girl was selling rocks. I could have looked for a very similar one on my own land, but she knew all the names of the types of rocks she had. In fact she could ID them better than I could.

So I purchased two from her to put in my garden.

This time around I spotted a youngster with a table full of Legos and Lego characters. I stopped by to look at what he had and made a purchase of a few items.

His mom was there and from the looks of what was on the table, the Legos were a mix of old [vintage] Legos and new Legos.

I purchased a few of the ones I'd never seen before.

When I got home I looked up this one. The camel is from an old set. Of course without the original numbers and packing, I can't prove a thing. But when I looked it up I found Rare Retired Legos: Camel 

The average price on a few sites was $48. Of course that was for ones that had never been played with.

I was pretty tickled that I got this minifigure and the camel along with some miscellaneous pieces for $3.

The Yoda figure has always been out of a sensible price range. Some of the prices for Yoda range from $33 to $80 something depending on the model. I got Yoda, Hans Solo [20 year edition] and the droid soldiers for $3.

The whole haul for $12: 

The little sun catcher was made by one of my other neighbor's children and I purchased that along with a little succulent they were selling. I got storm troopers, Darth Vader, a couple of firefighters, and a little stand that looked like a sales booth at the Farmer's Market.

I reworked the Legos and made a MOC of my friend's stand at the Farmer's Market.

He would be the person with the cowboy hat on and the Garlic Man sign behind him. He is known locally as the garlic man.

I then did a mock up of my friend Randall and his wife working at their place in this dry, hot, dusty, drought we are having.

Deb has been really stressed because of the heat, bad air quality, and the drought. She suffers from asthma. She really puts a lot of her heart and soul into her gardens and the Market. I sent these to her and she used them [with permission] on her FB page.

She and Randall have acres and acres of produce that they raise. She also makes incredible jellies and jams for sale at the market. I never miss a chance to get some of her wild grape jelly when I am not able to make my own.

During those hot hot days last weekend I sat in the A/C and created some more market scenarios just for fun. It was fun to do.

The one below is close to my friend's set up for their booth. She has shelves with all of her delicious salsas, jellies, and other goodies on shelves. Too bad Lego didn't have jars!

Eat your vegetables!

Anyway, that is what I was doing last week with all the heat and humidity along with the terrible Air.

This Saturday, it will be in the 70's and overcast. So we have a break from the awful heat we had for the first few days of July.

Pesky Rabbits!

Have a great weekend.

What about the mules?

When I whistle or holler out their names, they appear out of the woods. These shots were taken on some of the more smokey days.

Mica is the grey mule and she knows if I holler her name, it is time to come for her Senior Feed.

Quickly, though, the red headed sisters decide that they will race to me. Do I bring hay, treats, or is it that they just want someone to rub their ears and tell them how beautiful they are?

These girls will take a  touch and a kind word just as eagerly as they would a treat.

The one in the rear is our gaited mule. She is a Peruvian Paso mule. She rarely breaks into a gallop and prefers to gait out. She is also usually the last one to come when I call. She loves attention and is a fantastic ride.

She hates leaving home. Once past the mailbox, she realizes that she needs to pay attention.

They all walk along their well beaten trail through the woods to come out on the old winter pasture. 

I rotate them from one large area to another every few days.

I am hoping for the weather and smoke to break up a bit so I can ride again in the evenings.

Poor Mica suffers the most with this heat, smoke, and dust. She has Equine COPD or Heaves. The rest of my girls are still looking rather fat and sassy.

Happy July everyone. 

PS~ Send rain.

For the Birds

I've had raiders visiting the hummingbird feeder. Goldfinches, Redheaded Woodpeckers, Orioles, and of course the Hummers.

I have two hummingbird feeders out. The Orioles are bringing their fledglings to the feeders but they are pretty shy. I'll have to try and get a photo of them before they take off for migration very soon. They seem to disappear right around the 4th of July.

The Eastern Kingbird and the Robins have been visiting the feed pan/bird bath quite a bit. I've even left a feed pan with water out by the pump for the wrens who have nest by the busted garage and the old red shed.

I put rocks and sticks in the pans so they have something to land on.

Looks like I'll have another service call for the skid steer. It won't start as something is going on with the ignition -- sigh. I need it running so I can call for some pricey hay to be delivered and we can unload the huge bales. We are now in a severe drought situation in our part of Vernon County.

Hot and dry. Most of our farmers are pretty concerned. My friend who has raised produce for the Farmer's Market for years is feeling quite despondent over the lack of rain.
We've dodged the bullet of severe drought for quite a few years. But I guess it is our time?

I took out our old baby pool and put some water in it. I noticed that there was a crack in it from age but it held enough water for me to put all my potted plants in it overnight.

Of course, I couldn't pass up doing a 'photo' on Climate Change.

Since I hate being indoors all of the time. I did venture out yesterday afternoon to watch the wrens and look for insects in the flower garden.

After a few years of trying, I finally got a shot of the wren coming out of the pipe from the old breeding chute.

She or her descendants have been making nests in this pipe for many years now.

She and her mate scolded me for being in the area. They were busy feeding their noisy kids.

One of my favorite birds has to be the wren. They are so vocal and busy all of the time. When they leave, I get sad as I miss them scolding me every day no matter where I am at.

We still have smoke in the air today, but I can actually see the sky so I am calling that a win.

Have a great Friday.

Nature is curious

Bat: Found under my car a few days ago. I picked it up with cardboard and moved it into shade and foliage on the north side of the house.
 

Our fungi hunts were very successful, both Olive and I bagged full canvas bags of both Golden Oysters and Chicken of the woods the day after we got 2/10ths of an inch of rain. [That was last Sunday]

However, when I went to our forest the next day all I found were nasty slugs climbing all over the oysters. Even though that is gross, I thought it was interesting. The slugs love moisture and it makes sense that they would gather just above the lowest part of our narrow valley and steep hillsides to enjoy the moisture.

For your entertainment....

Classica slug dance -> video is 15 seconds long.

We have misty humid mornings 

and 35% humidity by early afternoon with brown/blue skies.

The colors of the morning sunrise are orange.

The evenings just fade away...

With poor air quality and intense heat, not much is going on around here. My days consist of getting things done outdoors before noon.

Happy Summer to everyone. This summer is sure and odd one.

Thursday specials...

What a sunrise!

Or should I say...Wow, what a non sunrise!

In fact, there was absolutely no sun orb in the sky at the time of sunrise. My weather app said haze, poor air quality, and some fog.

This is what I saw:

[Taken with my Olympus camera]

However, all was not lost:

An hour later the sun shone through briefly in an odd color:

I went back to the ridge to check the mail and saw this after sunrise. It looks like some scene out of a Science Fiction Movie doesn't it?

This field was corn last year and it should be rotated to soybeans, but I'm not sure. It was sprayed and planted, but it doesn't look too great. The fog/haze finally got some orangish color to it.

The air quality lifted somewhat so I went out and worked at the forest 'pasture'. The forest is deceiving in that there actually is a lot for the mules to graze on. This section is not used in the fall and winter. It is too far out for me to check on everyone easily.

All summer I take a daily walk to check the fencing. The deer don't seem to knock things off the insulators much during the summer.

Mule/Deer trail:

Oyster Mushrooms near the creek in a dry run which has moist air flowing through it. The red arrows point to the delicious fungi.

The girls moving about in the summer meadow after they'd explored the steep woods.

Unless we get some good rain, our black berries in the woods won't be very plentiful.

I am happy to report that A. Corn finally met Fern. 

A. Corn was a bit shy, so he ... well... did this --->

Fern pulled a wild strawberry out of her shoulder bag and ... well... it was a nice date.

I think they will be a pretty happy couple. Neither one of them look lonely any more.