Skunks and Winter Birds January 21, 2014

Well, the skunks are awake.  We’ve been warm enough that the skunks have come out of their semi-hibernation.  One o’clock in the wee morning, really nighttime, our farm was inundated with skunk perfume.

Gag!

Terry thought the dogs must have stirred one up; not our dogs as they were sleeping inside.

I got worried about the poultry so the dogs and I headed out to see if everyone was fast asleep and safe!  They were.  I have Night Guard lights on the house, but one never knows what a hungry critter will risk.

The poultry house is extremely safe, locked door, cement floors, wooden walls — still I like to make sure those things that are in our keeping are secure.

They were.

The smell was horrid…lasted until morning when the air shifted as the day warmed up.

Line

That evening, when I was gathering firewood for the night, a string of birds (I couldn’t tell if they were Canada Geese or the Sandhill Cranes) lifted up from a field about a mile from us….very swiftly they flew closer and closer to our farm, forming their v, on their way to some other corn field for the night.

Gone

These birds sure do make winter bearable.  I love watching them as the stream across the frozen heavens, calling loudly to one another—gather up, gather up, we are heading over there, come fly with us….come fly.

Forming

The sounds fade as they get further away.  I then load my wood and head back to the house.  The winter shades of pink, lavender and shadowy blue fading into dusk.

Done

Your farm friend,

Linda

 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

I love the moon!  I love when the moon is full — spreading sliver and crystal and blue lights upon the land.

Rising-2

The dogs and I go for a walk, just to be showered in the lovely glow

Rising-1

 

 

We go just as it’s just coming up and we go again just before nine at night

December-moonI always try to wake-up sometime during the night, just to take the dogs and go walking down the lane…oh, sometime around one or so in the morning.  The dogs know the second I start putting on my Carhart we are going for a walk.

I don’t walk out into the fields late at night…too many coyotes and other critters I don’t want to meet, but in the evening we do.

PaoniaIn the evening we are surrounded in the glow of the winter sunset

Raggeds1With the air full of winter bird calls…the Canadian Geese and the Sandhill Cranes…later after mid-night the owls will hoo-hoo -hoo , we will hear a fox barking and the coyotes yipping as the moon light and the star light fills the shinning clear air.

We will walk along, the dogs sniffing out news and I watching stars fall from a million years ago.

The neighbor’s dog (who lives outside, no matter the temperatures) will hear us crunching along in the snow, or hear me calling to Boomer to not go off too far…he adds his warning bark to the other sounds.  His people, either don’t care nor never hear, I call to him…’It’s okay…it’s just us walking in the moonlight.  It’s okay…’  He stops.  Then calls out again…”GOOD NIGHT” I call back…’Sleep Well, little dog!  Sleep Well.”  Then the dogs and I go in to the warmth of the wood stove and snugly blankets.

December-moon

By five in the morning the moon has made it’s way to shine into the bedroom windows, lighting up Sammy the cat as he sleeps on the edge of the bed. Sam puts a paw over his eyes and keeps on sleeping.  Monkey jumps into the window to watch the world from the warmth and safety of the house.  I too watch the world as the moon slowly sinks and the day begins.

Good Morning everyone!

Your friend,

Linda

 

 

 

 

Monday, November 25, 2013

Yesterday it started to rain.  It rained and rained, taking with it the lovely snow.

Mud-1

It rained and rained and rained…very miserable with a stiff nasty wind.

By nightfall we had nothing but mud

Mud-2

So we have gone from snow to mud in just one day!  That is always the bad part of snow…mud season!

I would have walked out to the fields to show you this, but I had to go upstairs and try and get some decent photos for you

Lots-1This is one of the corn fields from this summer

LotsWe have lots and lots of these huge wonderful birds (and bird poop).

2Last year I used to see them flying overhead and holler at them inviting them to come land on our farm—please come!  We will be good to you, the dogs don’t chase birds (unless it’s Hank) and I only want to take your photo! “Please come!” I would shout as they flew over my head.

Here is a very short video of the sounds they make (they are extremely noisy birds).  I took it while the grandchildren and I were taking a walk one cold winter day.  You can hear my voice and one of the grandchildren.

Now if the mud will just dry up…..

It’s still nasty and drizzly.  But we have BIRDS to entertain us!

Your friend on the farm,

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Sandhill Cranes

“THEY HAVE ARRIVED!!!!”

YAY

“OOOOOOOOOOOOO”

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

“MOM!  THEY ARE HERE!!”

HERE

“Come on Fuzzy lets go see the Sandhill Cranes!!!!!”

“Bark, bark, woof….bark, yap, yap, Bark!”

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

“BOYS!!! What is going on?”

“The cranes are here…come on Mom…hurry!!”

“Oh good she is out here and she has her camera!!”

Cranes-1

“Slow” Mom said. “We have to be really calm now and walk slowly without any talking. Ever so softly and silently”  Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

Cranes-2

“Sit here boys, that’s right…very careful now.  Let me sit with you…shhhhhhhhh.”  “Good”

Cranes-3

“How nice we did it!”

Cranes-4

“Come on lets go back in…it’s starting to snow!  We’ll come out again and see if we can get more photos…maybe when they are flying or dancing!”

“Boomer, stay close now, no leaving my side.”

“Good boys! Good!”

YIPPEE!!!  We did it!  We let Mom know when the birds arrived and she was able to get lots of photos!

AND WE GOT DOG COOKIES!!!

Boomer and Fuzzy

 

 

Monday, November 19, 2012

I’m back.  Slept off and on yesterday and even slept in really late this morning.  I got up at 6:30, with everyone else up and doing stuff.

I feel good.

I think I just got really tired from doing our things here and then running down to our oldest daughter’s place (only 2 miles away) to feed her fire and watch over her animals.  She only heats with a wood stove so I had to be extremely diligent to keep the fire going so her pipes wouldn’t freeze all through the day and night.

She is back home now so everything will mellow out until our other daughter and her family heads to Nebraska for Thanksgiving on Wednesday.  They heat with wood also, but they have a backup propane system.  I will just have all their animals to take care of, which won’t be as exhausting.

Terry and I and the dogs all went around the place yesterday checking on the fences.  It’s getting close to pheasant hunting season, which means people will cut, break down, and destroy fences to get to the birds.  Everything is posted, not because we are against hunters, but because we are against property damage.  It works most of the time.

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These lovely birds are back.  I tell them all of the time they are most welcome to land on our place…we are a no hunting zone.  Although, I don’t think there is a Sand-hill Crane season I know there is a Canada Goose season, of which they will be safe here!

Linda

The Cornfield and the Birds

The corn field had some new visitors today.

The Canada Geese have arrived.

Seems like there is enough room….cows, Sandhill Cranes and the Canada Geese. There were lots of them,

scattered here and there and everywhere.   The Sandhill Cranes were still there also.  It looked like to me everyone has decided to get along and share the cornfield.

For the geese it is probably safer that way…it’s still hunting season here.

Linda

I Finally Did It!!!

I got a several photos of the cranes!  They are so very hard to sneak up on…I had to walk very, very carefully….taking only a few steps at a time and then waiting and waiting and waiting…no dogs, cats, children or husband along.  Just me and my camera.

It is a fact they are Sandhill Cranes…very lovely birds.

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In the hundreds that are wintering here, I see no Canada Geese with them.  Usually we have hundreds of geese and no Sandhill Cranes.

They enjoy the corn and they like to be with the cows.  The corn they seem to like the best is the hard-dent corn (corn you feed to animals and make corn bread from), the sweet corn fields they seem to shun.

The only other fields they like are the winter wheat fields, everything else is scorned.

Well, anyway, I made it!  Now we all know…

Sandhill Cranes!

Linda