Baby Boom

A photo from Todd of twins born to one of our mamas, No. 775. We were in Topeka at the time, watching our granddaughters' activities. The twins got to stay awhile in the shed but are now out in the lot with their mama and the herd.

I have a pretty cushy job these days. I get to be the paparazzi for our new baby calves. But I don't have to staff the overnight shifts. Or - come to think of it - the daytime shifts either.

Tye and Todd, who handle the day-to-day care for our mamas and babies, had several days when they took catnaps in their pickups instead of getting into REM sleep their nice cozy beds. Sub-zero wind chills and newborn baby calves are not a good combination. 

The twins have their own "earrings" now. Tye and Todd use a different system than we did. They tag the babies with the mama's number.

I don't think the few cookies I delivered make up for the sleepless nights. But we sure appreciate all their work. It wasn't all that long ago that we were the ones watching the maternity ward and warming up new babies. 

Come to think of it, maybe another cookie run is in order. 

Snow and chilly temperatures haven't made calving easy on man or beast. But - ready or not - it's calving time in Kansas for us and for lots of other folks. We always had people ask why we calved in January and February. Like many Kansas farm families, our operation was diversified. Crop farmers are busy in the spring, summer and fall with those duties. They have time for the extra work that feeding cattle and calving entails during the dormant winter season.

Our mamas and babies have the yellow tags. Tye and Todd use other colors. 

For the last few years before retirement, I was the hired hand who helped with feeding chores and did my best to help when Randy needed to pull a calf. I can't say that I'm missing the time in that rather drafty feed truck every day. But I definitely enjoy the drives through the cattle lots with camera in hand.

 

Some extra hay spread out gave babies a place to snuggle down.  

On one of our trips through the cattle, we saw a mama cleaning off her brand new baby. 
 

It's good that Tye and Todd have a liberal visitation policy. I'm sure the paparazzi will be back. 

 

Who Let the (Sun) Dogs Out?

 

Who let the "dogs" out?

 

As I turned onto the highway toward Stafford for my Recently Read Book group at the library last evening, the sunset colors had some competition. A vertical rainbow added some additional color to the evening sky. Of course, I had to pull over and take some photos. 

 

I had seen sundogs during a cold patch back in 2019, but those looked a little different. (I wrote about them at this link.)

 

So I wasn't positive that my singular "rainbow" was the same thing. But after some research today, I think it, too, was a sundog or sun pillar.

 

Here's what the AI Overview said:   

 

A vertical rainbow in winter is typically a sundog (parhelion) or a sun pillar, created when sunlight refracts or reflects off ice crystals in the cold air, often appearing as vertical, colorful streaks or bright spots on either side of the low sun. These phenomena occur when plate-shaped ice crystals align as they fall, acting like millions of tiny prisms. 

 

Key Details About Vertical Winter Rainbows:

• Cause: They are formed when sunlight passes through ice crystals in the atmosphere, often from high cirrus clouds or low-level lake effect snow. The ice crystals in the upper atmosphere act as prisms. 
• Appearance:
  They can appear as colored, vertical pillars of light (sun pillars) or bright, rainbow-colored spots (sundogs/parhelia)
  .
Timing: These are most common during sunrise or sunset when the sun is low on the horizon.
Terminology: They are sometimes referred to as "mock suns," "phantom suns," or colloquially as a "snowbow". 

These optical phenomena are not actually rainbows, which require liquid water drops, but rather a form of atmospheric ice halo.

Some interpretations view a winter rainbow as a symbol of the loyalty of friends and family ... or so says one source.

OK ... that's a nice thought.

Writing for the Old Farmer's Almanac, James Garriss said this: 

In medieval times, the three bright lights were sometimes interpreted as the sign of the trinity, a sign of great fortune. Nowadays, they are a sign that you were lucky to be looking at the sky at just the right time.  

I like being at the right place at the right time. And then I got to hear about some favorite reads at my local library? That's a pretty great evening in my "book." (A little library humor for you!)

 

Make 'Em and Hide 'Em!: Peanut Butter Fingers

 

Before Christmas, I was lamenting the "death" of the snail mail Christmas card. Perhaps I should have taken a lesson from Mark Twain. You might recall his famous line: "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

By the time Christmas arrived, we did get some cards. I appreciated every single one.

One card from a college friend offered an "assignment" of sorts. Along with a brief update of life, she included a recipe. Becky said this:

I'm pretty sure you have every recipe known, but I thought you might get a kick out of this one from my Mom's recipe box.

I've never been one to turn down a recipe - or a challenge. How could I resist the handwritten note by Becky's mom at the end of the recipe?

Cool; cut into bars and hide 'em!

That made me laugh. And surely it gave me a preview for the tastiness of the recipe. So I made Peanut Butter Fingers from Becky's mom and served them as one of the cookie selections for the Core meal I did this past week. 

I should have taken a photo earlier in the evening when I still had full containers, but it still shows the variety available.

 

I only had four of the bars left over at the end of the night.

 

In case you'd like to try them too, here's the recipe. 

Peanut Butter Fingers

From Becky Miller's mom 

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

1 cup quick oatmeal

**

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup peanut butter

2-4 tbsp. evaporated milk 

 

Cream butter, 1/3 cup peanut butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla and salt and blend until well incorporated. Add flour and oatmeal; mix. Spread in greased 13- by 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. (I baked it 20 minutes.)

 

Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips. (I used mini chocolate chips.) Let stand for 5 minutes. 

 

In the meantime, combine sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 cup peanut butter and the evaporated milk. Mix well.

 

After the 5 minutes are up, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the cookie layer. Then drizzle peanut butter mixture over the chocolate. 

 

Cool; cut into bars and hide 'em!

 

Notes:

• I had chunky peanut butter in my cabinet. My attempts to use a decorator tube to actually drizzle the peanut butter mixture were not as attractive as I wanted for serving away from home. So after my drizzle, I lightly spread out the peanut butter drizzle on the bars. 
• While the topping was still wet, I also sprinkled with Peanut Butter Mini M&Ms - again, just making them pretty for serving. You can find the PB Mini M&Ms in the candy aisle at bigger grocery stores. 
• I only used 2 tablespoons of milk. This may depend on humidity, etc.  
• Becky's mom didn't indicate how many bars this recipe made. But, since she called them "fingers," I cut them into narrow bars.  

 

 

Why Is the Sky Blue?

 

December 27, 2025 - Quivira National Wildlife Refuge - Little Salt Marsh

Once upon a time ... long, long ago, I was in charge of Kansas State Fair coverage for The Hutchinson News. I practically lived at the fairgrounds during its 10-day September run. In fact, I stayed one night in the 4-H Encampment Building for a story, also walking down to the livestock barn to visit with fair entrants who were snoozing overnight there with their cattle. So, I guess I did "live" at the fair that day and night.

The fair established an office for print journalists adjacent to the KWCH-TV studios. Of course, we print journalists were the ones behind the scenes. The TV anchors were schmoozing with their fans at the open air studio next door. 

I'd write my stories and send them electronically back to The News.  Then, I'd wander around the fairgrounds looking for other ideas. On one of those strolls through the Commercial Building, I had the idea of talking to the people who traveled from state fair to state fair, trying to sell knives, pots and pans, magazine subscriptions, windows or any number of consumer goods. 

 

A persistent encyclopedia "hawker" asked me an important question: "How will you answer your child's question, 'Why is the sky blue?' "

Besides being a newspaper reporter and editor, I was also a mom to a toddler at the time. So the question did make me think - then and throughout the years as both Jill and Brent asked their share of difficult questions.

Thankfully, I resisted the urge to pony up the big bucks for an enormous set of encyclopedias, which would have become an expensive set of paperweights and flower pressers in these days of push-button technology and information.  

Nowadays, when you type "Why are winter sunrises and sunsets more colorful?" you get an AI overview that condenses the answer:

Winter sunrises and sunsets are so colorful because the sun is lower in the sky, light travels through more of the atmosphere, scattering blues and leaving reds/oranges, and the air is often cleaner, drier and contains fewer particles (like humidity and haze) that would normally mute colors, allowing longer wavelengths to shine through move vividly. Cooler, drier air, combined with specific clouds, enhances these vibrant displays. 

And, if that's not enough to satisfy your curiosity, there are plenty of other articles to explore - all with a simple click on the links. 

No matter the science behind the colorful sky, there have been plenty of opportunities to enjoy the unique masterpieces of the Kansas sky in winter - even on unseasonably warm December nights like we found at Quivira on December 27. 

 

It's also a tradition for me to take a photo of the final sunset of a year. The photos below were from New Year's Eve 2025:

December 31, 2025

 

I do the same for the first sunrise of a new year. 

January 1, 2026

But it doesn't have to be New Year's Eve or New Year's Day for me to take the short drive away from my tree-lined farmstead to take in the beauty. 

January 7, 2026, sunrise, back at the sunrise tree

January 7, 2026

January 7, 2026

January 7, 2026

Every day and every sky is different and another opportunity to glory in God's masterpieces - His bookends to the day. 

Sunset, January 5, 2026

And for that, I am thankful - no matter the reasons why. 

Sunset, January 5, 2026

 

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.

 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Cat's Meow

 

The newest residents of The County Line are the cat's meow. Literally.

On November 3, Randy added two new kitties to our farmstead. While we've sometimes been overrun with cats, the population had been severely depleted. Randy spent some time on area humane society websites, looking for new feline friends.

Randy has a particular affinity for yellow kitties. You might remember Big Cat, who was a favorite around here for a long time. 

Big Cat - May he rest in peace.

Randy's newest yellow kitties were adopted from the Golden Belt Humane Society in Great Bend on November 3.

 

 They are Carat ...

 

And A Boy Named Sue. As you might suspect, there's a story behind Sue's name. Susan and Brent gave Randy money to adopt a kitty for his 70th birthday. Hence - A Boy Named Sue.

The girls got to meet them during Christmas.

They are fitting right in ... at least, in Randy's estimation.

Sue

 Most days, they are good for some evening TV viewing ... at least, for awhile.

Carat & Randy

Randy was glad to welcome them to the menagerie, but one of the older cats was less welcoming. 

That cat decided that there was no vacancy in the Igloo Inn.

As the weather got colder, the kitties discovered the area between the back steps and the house.

 

They certainly aren't the first ones to find that cozy sleeping spot. Randy even purchased a cozy rug for the space. 

Kitties from the past - Salt and Pepper

We had done some looking in pet stores and farm stores for another igloo or small cat abode, but they were more expensive than Randy wanted to spend.

But I decided that I'd buy one for a Christmas gift for Randy. Unfortunately, the box that arrived on the back porch was clearly marked "Cat House." So I skipped the wrapping paper, and Randy put it together before Christmas.

 

 We texted the kids with our new cat apartment complex.

 Little did I know at the time that Brent and Susan had the same gift idea for Randy. 

 

As the kids say, we now have a cat compound.  

Word on the street must have spread among the cat community that the County Line now has deluxe apartments. On Friday, January 2, one of our long-lost cats showed back up. 

We're not sure whether it's Will or Avery. Since it was the day that the NCAA portal opened up again, Eric said we should say it's Avery, in hopes that K-State's quarterback Avery Johnson would stay put. (He did!) However, Randy's pretty sure it's Will.

Will seemed to be in great shape. We can't believe how big he's gotten. Randy says he either found another family to mooch from or he's an excellent hunter.  

 

Will definitely remembered the routine. Randy would let him in the back door and he'd immediately go to the loveseat in the living room, where he'd curl up with his favorite human to do things like watch Jeopardy!

The text thread with the kids gave us lots of laughs. Brent said:

"Would pay for a ticket to a documentary that tracked Will's actions for the months he's been away and what made him do a Homeward Bound." 

 It came complete with a snippet of Homeward Bound, one of Brent's favorite childhood movies.

But, Will was gone again on Sunday. As Randy said:

"I guess Will hit the transfer portal."

Well ... the saga continues. On Monday, Will returned. 

I need a scorecard ... kind of like college sports these days.