Just a quick bite to eat

This has been our entertainment the past few weeks! Isn't this guy funny??  The daycare kids are always excited when they spot the "qurel".  Today they sat...still and quiet, I should add, for 20 minutes or so, just watching what this crazy squirrel would do next.
Winter must be getting really close because he's been frantically collecting anything he can find to stash away. 

 It gets pretty comical when he's really determined!

Fall's Visitors

We have a couple of house guests living in the bunny barn. They moved in about a month ago.

I've been calling this one Charlotte.  She made her web in the top part of a partial wall we have up in there.  She keeps her web clean and it's always pretty.  I love looking at it first thing in the morning when it's wet.

This GUY has his web right in side, right over a bunny cage.  I know its a boy, because his web is a mess, and he has left bits and pieces of food all over his web. Messy or not, his web is pretty spectacular, with a different "layout" in his plans.  It's not just a plain web. It's almost as if there are 3 or 4 of them connected.

I've not minded them as they have stayed on their webs and not bothering us or the bunnies. (I'm not afraid of spiders, but am the first to squash one if I see one. These are just...peaceful, I guess, to look at.)  I'm not really sure what kind they are, but they are big and hairy and are both the same kind of spider.

Interesting!

Fall Madness

Wow. The weather changed and so did the pace of life! I swear I am going to paint my car yellow and  get a meter. I could probably make enough to support my Scentsy addiction. hehe

I'd say fall is HERE.  The past few days have been deliciously crisp, and the nights are ALMOST cold. It was 65 degrees in our house Sunday morning.  I've got all my fall decorations up. I've found I love decorating for fall just as much as I do for Christmas.  My houseplants are all back inside, pouting.  They will all start screaming for spring around late January. Oh wait...maybe that's me.  Anyway, several of them were attacked by grasshoppers this year. Something I have never had a problem with, except for maybe a nibble here or there.

The boys are staying busy with football.  We just had our very first football injury. Well, I guess we are not totally sure it was related to football or if it was a virus, but everyone seems to be leaning more towards injury now.  J had been complaining of a headache Tuesday and Wednesday of last week and I thought he had this weird virus that seems to be getting passed around so I'd just been passing him Advil as needed. He went to school and on to his game on Thursday.  We skipped out on this game because it was a good distance away.  He went in for the kick return, and then was pulled for the rest of the game.  He said his head hurt so bad he couldn't even think and he couldn't stand to have his helmet on.  He had pain that started on the top of his head, down his neck, down his spine, and on into his lower back.  He sat on the side lines and cried...just a little, he said. (This is where I got concerned. J doesn't cry. Ever.)  His coach checked on him off and on all the way back home, and told J to tell us that he thought he should go be checked out.    So off we went early Friday morning to the Dr.  He had to rest over the weekend..aka no running or using your head for a weapon....and stay out of practice for the week.  He picked a good week to miss, as they have a bye week, so no game.  Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't return.
Saturday at T's pee-wee game, I watched a boy on our team get his arm broke. Yikes.  I don't really think these boys know what we go through, sitting there on the sidelines.  Being a football mom is tough.

Lots of 4-H activities this month and the big state bunny convention is in a couple of weeks.  J and I are excited as they have a photography contest, with the main focus needing to be a bunny. I've already got some I'm taking, but J's got some neat ideas he's hoping to get done in time.  We will see. 

We have fish!!  7 years ago or so I declared NEVER AGAIN will we have fish after we brought *1* new fish home and our entire tank ended up with Ick a few days later, killing hundreds of dollars in fish. Beautiful fish, that we had had FOREVER. It was heartbreaking.   That tank has been used to house hermit crabs, frogs and turtles, and for the past few years had just been sitting outside.  The boys had started asking for fish off and on and D and I finally said WHY NOT?  I guess we are finally over our Ick trauma.  We are enjoying them, even D who insists he doesn't care, has been checking the temps and making sure everyone is still swimming.   We went and got our fish Saturday, and I told the boys they could each pick out 2. Somehow, we ended up coming home with 12 after the lady that was dishing them out would just put whatever she got in her net into the baggie, and only charged us for what we asked for. So I guess her laziness was our gain. ;-)  The fish, however, would probably like to be back at the store, where there isn't 12 different eyes balls staring and yelling HEY FISHY at you. (The daycare kids LOVE them!!)

Enjoy the weather!! All too soon it will be...blah...winter.

FREEZER HEAVEN

I am in  HEAVEN!!  Friday D went and picked our beef from the processor.  We have been waiting for the this for a long time!! It makes me happy to know the meat we are eating is antibiotic free and lived the life cattle should live...out in the pasture, eating grass, flirting with the ladies. 
I grew up on meat like this, but my family sold off the cattle years ago when my grandfather and  dad's health started deteriorating.  I've miss it! 
There was some worry that since the trip up to Dodge wasn't a pleasant one, that the meat would be bad, but we've had steak 2 different days and hamburger for lunch today, and it is AWESOME!!   I was in awe when I didn't even have to drain the fat off the hamburger after I browned it.
I know this sounds nerd-ish, but I keep opening the freezer, just to look inside it! 

Run, Toto, RUN!

9-25-10  Tornado South-east of town

As we headed back into town from our butterfly adventure, we heard J in the back seat say, "Whoa, that looks weird....almost like a tornado....it's moving...er....uh..I think....It IS a tornado."  Sure enough.  I'm not sure if actually touched down or not. I didn't think it did but other pictures from other people it looks as if it came pretty close.  Only here in Kansas would you have a tornado warning as your discussing Halloween decorations and costumes!!

Dancing With Butterflies

Saturday afternoon we headed to the farm and as we were pulling into the driveway I saw what I thought were thousands of dead leaves blowing down the highway.  Then realized it was not leaves, it was HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of MONARCH BUTTERFLIES!!   We pulled in and
the boys ran to get grandpa and we just sat outside watching them.  They were all headed south.  It was so amazing. Flock after flock after flock of them.  I never was able to get a good picture of them. They were very determined to keep flying and none ever landed, but it was such a beautiful and breath taking sight. One I don't think any of us will forget. It was like something out of a movie.
We came home and recorded our sighting online.  We learned that Monarchs east of the Rockies migrate 2500 miles to the Oyamel fir trees of Mexico. Others that are west of the Rockies will head to southern California to the eucalyptus trees of Pacific Grove.

State Fair Results

It was a great year at the State Fair.  And crazy.  And exhausting.

 T took his Florida White, Runny Babbit. Runny is an old guy being 4 years old now, but that didn't stop him. He came home with a nice Best of Breed ribbon from the open show and a blue ribbon from the 4-H show.

J has been working on his meat pen for about 4 months now. It was the first time he's ever done it, and learned a lot from it.  He didn't qualify it for the 4-H show, but got Grand Champion Meat Pen in the open show! (A meat pen is 3 rabbits who are to look exactly alike or as close as possible in body type and be pretty much the same weight.  I think J's were all within 2 oz of each other.  It sounds easy, but it's a challenge.)

 J took his Sr Buck Californian, Truman and came home with a Best Opposite Sex in the open and a blue ribbon from the 4-H show.  Truman does well on the table. He's J's showmanship bunny so he usually goes to all his shows, but he also gave J some NICE looking babies so he can just sit back and relax now. (Babies above in the meat pen are his boys and J's already been practicing with one for showmanship!)  Truman was J's first HOME BORN winner so he's got a special place in our hearts.  He's kinda of spoiled. ;-)

 For Havanas, J took his Black Havana Doe, PR8.  She came home with a Best of Breed from the open show as well as a Best Opposite Sex and a Best of Variety from the 4-H show.

 He also took his Black Havana Buck, Charlie.  He got  a Best Opposite Sex for the open and a Best Opposite Sex Variety for the 4-H show.  Charlie was J's Best In Show winner from the Dodge City show, and just might have done better had he waited to molt. He was in horrible coat condition.  Most of the rabbits there were blowing their coats in some shape or form.  People with allergies were really suffering in the bunny barn!!

 J also participated in the showmanship contest and got a blue and also the judging contest and got a purple. He was really excited about that one as its his favorite and he's really improving.  They take 4 breeds of rabbits with 4 rabbits in each group. They have numbers in the ears and they have to judge and place each group.

The boys also took some other projects.  T took his Strawberry Coffee Cake and got a white.  J took Mint Chocolate Cookies and got a red, the boat harbor picture got a red, and he received a purple on his chess board.
I'll need a year to recover from this years State Fair....and I'm not even sure that will be enough time!