Scenes from The County Line

Hey, it's the Lone Ranger. 

Nope, he had a friend or two. 

These two "bandits" were hanging out in the trees near Peace Creek Sunday evening. They didn't stay long enough to visit before skeedaddling up an old tree and hiding in the upper branches. 

On first glance, they are pretty cute, but the rascals can cause some damage. They steal food from the cat bowls. For awhile, they didn't think we were offering a large enough buffet at the Fritzemeier Farm feed trough. They were bound and determined to get into the wash house to help themselves to the food. They were pulling wood planks off the wash house, so it's still hard to be hospitable to scoundrels that make such a mess (though these particular individuals were probably innocent).

 

They weren't the only wildlife on our drive. While at the Rattlesnake Pasture, we could hear the coyotes vocalizing before their nighttime serenade. The Rocky Mountain beeplant made for some pretty scenery shots.

 

After driving through our pasture, we took a detour home through Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.

The light was just right to capture these two birds and their reflections.

The duck wanted in on the scene.

 

 

The setting sun seemed to be reflected in the goldenrod near the kids' fishing pond, so abundant at this time of year. 

 

The temperature may not reflect fall yet, but the colors are trying to convince us. The milo field across from the house is turning, getting ready for harvest.

It was almost like the colors of the sky were reflected in the ripening field.

 

The Eagle Has Landed ... And Other Sky Watching

The eagle has landed. But he didn't stay long.

Our prolific July rains were good for fall crops. The downside? The rain generated a bumper crop of weeds. Randy swathed down some weeds in a pasture south of the farmstead last week. A few days later, he noticed the vultures were circling the makeshift "buffet," a collection of small animals that didn't scamper out of the way of the swather quickly enough.

But then he saw a different predator - a bald eagle. Thankfully, it stayed perched on a fence post long enough for me to arrive and snap a few photos.

Then, it soared away and its next perch was in a big old cottonwood tree too far away for my little camera to reach.

We don't often see eagles around the farmstead, and if they do pass through, it's usually during the fall or wintertime. A pair builds its nest at nearby Quivira National Wildlife Refuge each winter, but it, too, is too far away from a roadway for me to capture a photo.

Both Randy and I have kept our eyes to the sky to catch another glimpse of our majestic visitor. But we haven't been lucky enough to see him again. However, I keep thinking about that eagle and all that he sees as he's soaring through the air over our Kansas plains.

I found this quote:

Don't be a parrot in life.

Be an eagle.

A parrot talks way too much but can't fly high.

An eagle is silent and has the power to touch the sky.

--Author Unknown

It seems the world is mighty loud these days. For weeks, our landline rang from morning to night, touting one candidate and denigrating the next. On the occasions when I watched live TV rather than recorded programming, I rolled my eyes at the political ads. How stupid do these political action committees think we are, I wondered?

But, honestly, my Facebook feed some days is no better.

One person is convinced masks will save us all from Covid.

Another person is sure masks are at the center of a conspiracy to take away our freedoms and, by the way, all this craziness will all be over after the general election.

And vaccines? Oh my! That's a whole other can of worms!

One person wants kids back in school immediately.

Another thinks it will be a disaster.

The talk is endless. It's loud.

And some of us are just weary of the fighting.

We long for some listening - some indication there may be room to examine multi-faceted sides to issues.

So maybe I'll be like the eagle and "touch" the sky. These trips to nature seem to sooth the soul.

The summer skies have given us plenty of reasons to get outside - from daybreak to mid-day to dusk.

Last week, one of my email devotionals - New Every Morning - featured a book by Christopher Maricle, "Deeply Rooted: Knowing Self, Growing in God." Here was the message one day:

The entire spectrum of color is always present in the light all around us. Rain doesn't create rainbows. Rain reveals the colors that are already present in the atmosphere. This color spectrum is usually hidden from our sight and only revealed under special conditions. In the same way, we may have moments of insight and revelation that reveal to us - or at least suggest to us - the presence of the Divine that is often hidden but no less real.

--Christopher Maricle

There's just a hint of a rainbow at the bottom of the clouds.

It went on to ask:

How might you gain new insight into the presence of the Divine today?

Peace Creek lives up to its name!

Maybe the eagle has the answer in its silence and its soaring.

My sunrise tree

Prayer for the Week:

Give me the humility to know that I am a growing work in progress

and the grace and understanding to see the growth in those around me.

Ninnescah River at our Sylvia pasture

***

Note: I've taken these sky photos throughout the summer. They may have ended up on Instagram or in Facebook posts, but they hadn't been featured on the blog until today.

Field Report

The Crayon box has a color called Yellow Green. If you look at it by itself, you'd say it's as "green" as Kermit the Frog. But put it up against plain old Green and there's definitely a tinge of yellow in it.

That's kind of how the 2016 wheat crop is looking these days. Even with all the rain and the cooler temperatures earlier this month, the crop is beginning its transition from green to golden.

We got another 1.40" of rain Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning, depending upon  your perspective).

And while there may be a grumble or two about all the rain at the local coffee shop, most farmers would prefer being delayed with spring tasks with rain instead of looking to the empty skies during a drought.

For the first time since July 2010, Kansas has been classified as "drought free," according to Mary Knapp, assistant state climatologist.

The rains and cooler temperatures have given the wheat crop good "filling" weather, creating plump heads filled with wheat berries. We have been fortunate to avoid hail and tornadoes during this active weather pattern which brought devastation to the areas around Dodge City, Abilene and Chapman the last few days. (Thoughts and prayers are with those who are cleaning up.)

So we choose to be thankful - even if the farming "to-do" list is not getting crossed off as quickly as we'd like. After all, only two months ago, the wheat fields looked stressed. A dry winter had taken its toll. We were anticipating another ultra-early harvest, (like 2012) but this time, it would be because of lack of moisture.

Now the outlook is totally different.

Details create the big picture.

Sanford I. Weill, American businessman

I look at the "big picture" as I drive by fields, hurrying from one place to the next. But yesterday, I also decided to look a little closer.

Six weeks ago, the alfalfa was drought-stressed and was getting devoured by weevils. Randy has been wanting to begin harvesting it for more than a week now. But, on the other hand, it's lush and thick. While it is getting some blooms, it's not yet past its prime.

Just ask the butterflies that flit and float through the field.

The corn crop is off to a good start, though its "feet" are getting wet. 

The corn we had to replant is now up and growing next to its bigger "brothers."

Last Friday, there was enough of a window for Randy to plant forage sorghum and milo.

It's not up yet, but there is plenty of moisture in the ground for it to draw from.

There's a running joke that farmers are never happy with the weather. (Jokes often are born from a modicum of truth.) While there may be some grumbling at the parts counter or the restaurant, most of us are singing a different song, kind of like the happy trill I heard from the meadowlark yesterday afternoon as I chased butterflies across the alfalfa field.

And we are thankful.

Right Place, Right Time

Are you ready for your closeup, little guy? This belted kingfisher appeared to be.

On our excursion Saturday morning to check rain gauges and pasture ground, we went through part of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Initially, I didn't see the handsome fellow perching on the fence post, but my sharp-eyed husband did.

Randy backed up the pickup, and the bird miraculously stayed put. I rarely get a chance to photograph birds, so I couldn't believe my luck.

We wondered if he might have been hurt, since he didn't make an attempt to fly away. I sent a photo and asked for information from my friend and fellow photography enthusiast Pam Martin, who works as an educator at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center at Cheyenne Bottoms. She said: "He looks a little rumpled up. He might have gotten in a tussle with a larger bird or some predator. They are a really cool bird. They nest in earthen burrows made in steep sides along waterways."

So, he had good reason for hanging out near Quivira. 

He even showed us both profiles. Does he have a "better side?"