Birds and Other Little Notables
It's 107 degrees outside, with the heat index several degrees higher. On a day like this, a great way to see lots of birds is to put water out for them. So far today, these birds have come to get water or to bathe:
Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Catbird
Orchard Oriole (Papa, Mama, and full grown baby with juvenile coloring)
Eastern Wood Peewee
Robin
House Finch
House Sparrow
Western Kingbird
Outside I hear also:
House Wren
Mourning Dove
*****************
Random Observations:
--The one thing all the birds have in common today is a mouth hanging open. I guess they're trying to cool off.
--Wasps don't like being splashed with water. While the mockingbird was bathing, three times a wasp approached from behind. Although presumably unaware of the wasp's presence, each time the bird splashed energetically and the wasp retreated.
--Young birds are shameless beggars, even after they can fly very well. They're the birds who drop and flutter their wings and chatter, while looking imploringly at a parent bird nearby. They have their beaks open, even when it's not 107 degrees outside.
--Phoebes wag their tails a lot. That's one of the indications that the bird I saw today was a Peewee and not a Phoebe. It didn't wag its tail.
--The Peewee is in the flycatcher family. In the short time I watched it near the water, it took two time-outs to catch moths. The first one was a cabbage moth. Good for the Peewee. Fewer cabbage worms is a good thing.
--Most larger birds are fairly bossy. Mockingbirds and Robins were the offenders I observed today. In the past, Brown Thrashers have also behaved in notably bossy ways.
*******************
It's hard to know where to water when it's this hot and dry. A number of trees have died here in the past several drought years. I fear that a third dry year will take out quite a few more. That's a sad prospect.
Our garden is struggling sadly. See note above about watering. It's not happening there as much as it ought. So why do the weeds grow so energetically? Because it rained earlier, they're tough weeds, and no one weeded in a timely fashion.
We have a 30% chance of rain here tonight. It's not much, but it's enough to pray over.
******************
In the past few weeks, the wild soapberry trees have been blooming. Their flowers show up similarly to those of the Goldenraintree, except that their color is less arrestingly sulfur-yellow. Soapberry flowers are creamy in color.
I've done some investigating on whether these soapberries can actually be used in place of laundry soap. This local variety, Western Soapberry, is apparently different from the ones sold online for that purpose, but I think they're still worth a try, if they're free and abundant. At our place, that's the case. They've been multiplying ever since I transplanted some from Morris Yoder's fence row along the road south of the farm. They took out the fence and the remaining trees some time later.
In the fall, they have grape-like clusters of translucent gold "balls," each one containing a hard black seed.
I heard an earlier Reno County extension horticulture agent recommend this species as a good small landscape tree for Kansas, but he cautioned that it was rare to find it available in the trade. If anyone wants to grow this tree in your yard, you're welcome to get a start here, just as I did along the fence row.
******************
Till Hiromi finally got the left-behind-riding-mower blades sharpened, this place had a meadow landscape, and it included wildflowers. I was surprised to see white yarrow, daisy fleabane, spiderwort, black-eyed susan, coreopsis, and thistle flowers (the white-leaved kind). Hiromi resolutely mowed them all down when he got started mowing. He also mowed over the pampas grass and miscanthus that Grant and Clare had transplanted along the drive.
I probably would never have gotten done mowing because of trying to avoid all the pretty things I saw growing. It's tough to be a plantaholic.
*****************
My brother Caleb's family from PA is coming today and staying through next Sunday. I hope their air conditioner is in good shape. They'll need it today.
Most of Caleb's family has not met Arwen, and since she's leaving for three years, they're taking this last chance to meet her. Many of us have not met Joelle's husband Jeff Beck and daughter Katherine. They're arriving later in the week.
My brother Ronald's family will arrive Thursday evening. They live in SE Kansas.
We hope to have several days of family working together. We'll work at the farm one day helping paint and put things back together after Shane's big effort to get everything inside ready for painting. Maybe there will be some people available to help clear out the basement, garage, shed, and outdoor areas that still contain some of our things, and load and bring them here. Shane's family hopes to move to the farm on July 27--four days before the new owners of their home take possession and less than one month from the expected arrival of their new baby.
On Saturday, Myron's corn will likely be ready, so that will call for another family effort. They plan to go to CO next week, so it's nice that it's getting ready before they leave.
Also this week, we hope to have a family housewarming for my brother Anthony, who moved here from Virginia recently.
My niece, Hannah, left on Monday with others on a team that also includes Bryan S. from here and Darrell and Karen B., along with Charis H., whose boyfriend is already working in their destination country in the M. East.
Clarissa hopes to visit her family in WA in August, after Shane's family moves and before the new baby arrives.
******************
Shalom Quartet gives one last program at Center tomorrow evening, before Lyle moves to Indiana. They've made lots of good music together, and I'm glad for this opportunity to hear them again. Three of the members of the group are from Center, and the fourth is my cousin Eldo.
One Farmer's Market customer (Her husband is president of Hutchinson Community College.) said of them when they sang there, "That harmony is just amazing. Do they sing elsewhere?" Two of them have music degrees and the other two have rare and noteworthy natural talent without a degree.
******************
The news coming out of Egypt is exciting, according to Jane, the Egyptian wife of my cousin, Eldon. It seems that a popular uprising, with the cooperation of the military, has ushered in a new non-Islamic government. After the prior uprising and deposition of the dictator Muburak several years ago, the Muslim Brotherhood came to power, supposedly in a democratic election. The fairness of the election is in doubt, and the hard-line Muslim direction that became increasingly evident was not to the liking of many in Egypt. I hope and pray that things can go forward peaceably, with Christians experiencing complete freedom.
******************
Glenn's Bulk Foods is for sale. Most of Glenn's children are now occupied with other endeavors, so it's a different era for their family than when it began, and retaining ownership for their sakes is not a factor. The business certainly offers the community something of value, and would presumably provide a good opportunity for someone.
******************
One of the few things to look forward to personally with Joel's family leaving is that we're going to have their car after they leave. I think a sober brown Chevy Malibu will suit me just fine, and I'm happy to return Li'l Red to Grant and leave the Eclipse to Hiromi.
******************
What would you fix your son's family if you knew you weren't going to cook for them again for three years? I'm thinking maybe tempura will fill the bill. It's a great option when fresh veggies are plentiful, and I found a package of shrimp in the freezer when we moved. Tempura is a Japanese dish featuring lightly breaded, deep-fried vegetables with a little meat. It gets dipped into a flavorful soup/sauce after it's fried, and then it's eaten with rice. Having the fryer in the middle of the table is the best way to eat tempura--very freshly fried. We always include sliced summer squash, green beans, onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Other tasty additions are whole-kernel corn (fried in clumps), okra, and sliced sweet potato. The meat is usually chicken or shrimp.
Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Catbird
Orchard Oriole (Papa, Mama, and full grown baby with juvenile coloring)
Eastern Wood Peewee
Robin
House Finch
House Sparrow
Western Kingbird
Outside I hear also:
House Wren
Mourning Dove
*****************
Random Observations:
--The one thing all the birds have in common today is a mouth hanging open. I guess they're trying to cool off.
--Wasps don't like being splashed with water. While the mockingbird was bathing, three times a wasp approached from behind. Although presumably unaware of the wasp's presence, each time the bird splashed energetically and the wasp retreated.
--Young birds are shameless beggars, even after they can fly very well. They're the birds who drop and flutter their wings and chatter, while looking imploringly at a parent bird nearby. They have their beaks open, even when it's not 107 degrees outside.
--Phoebes wag their tails a lot. That's one of the indications that the bird I saw today was a Peewee and not a Phoebe. It didn't wag its tail.
--The Peewee is in the flycatcher family. In the short time I watched it near the water, it took two time-outs to catch moths. The first one was a cabbage moth. Good for the Peewee. Fewer cabbage worms is a good thing.
--Most larger birds are fairly bossy. Mockingbirds and Robins were the offenders I observed today. In the past, Brown Thrashers have also behaved in notably bossy ways.
*******************
It's hard to know where to water when it's this hot and dry. A number of trees have died here in the past several drought years. I fear that a third dry year will take out quite a few more. That's a sad prospect.
Our garden is struggling sadly. See note above about watering. It's not happening there as much as it ought. So why do the weeds grow so energetically? Because it rained earlier, they're tough weeds, and no one weeded in a timely fashion.
We have a 30% chance of rain here tonight. It's not much, but it's enough to pray over.
******************
In the past few weeks, the wild soapberry trees have been blooming. Their flowers show up similarly to those of the Goldenraintree, except that their color is less arrestingly sulfur-yellow. Soapberry flowers are creamy in color.
I've done some investigating on whether these soapberries can actually be used in place of laundry soap. This local variety, Western Soapberry, is apparently different from the ones sold online for that purpose, but I think they're still worth a try, if they're free and abundant. At our place, that's the case. They've been multiplying ever since I transplanted some from Morris Yoder's fence row along the road south of the farm. They took out the fence and the remaining trees some time later.
In the fall, they have grape-like clusters of translucent gold "balls," each one containing a hard black seed.
I heard an earlier Reno County extension horticulture agent recommend this species as a good small landscape tree for Kansas, but he cautioned that it was rare to find it available in the trade. If anyone wants to grow this tree in your yard, you're welcome to get a start here, just as I did along the fence row.
******************
Till Hiromi finally got the left-behind-riding-mower blades sharpened, this place had a meadow landscape, and it included wildflowers. I was surprised to see white yarrow, daisy fleabane, spiderwort, black-eyed susan, coreopsis, and thistle flowers (the white-leaved kind). Hiromi resolutely mowed them all down when he got started mowing. He also mowed over the pampas grass and miscanthus that Grant and Clare had transplanted along the drive.
I probably would never have gotten done mowing because of trying to avoid all the pretty things I saw growing. It's tough to be a plantaholic.
*****************
My brother Caleb's family from PA is coming today and staying through next Sunday. I hope their air conditioner is in good shape. They'll need it today.
Most of Caleb's family has not met Arwen, and since she's leaving for three years, they're taking this last chance to meet her. Many of us have not met Joelle's husband Jeff Beck and daughter Katherine. They're arriving later in the week.
My brother Ronald's family will arrive Thursday evening. They live in SE Kansas.
We hope to have several days of family working together. We'll work at the farm one day helping paint and put things back together after Shane's big effort to get everything inside ready for painting. Maybe there will be some people available to help clear out the basement, garage, shed, and outdoor areas that still contain some of our things, and load and bring them here. Shane's family hopes to move to the farm on July 27--four days before the new owners of their home take possession and less than one month from the expected arrival of their new baby.
On Saturday, Myron's corn will likely be ready, so that will call for another family effort. They plan to go to CO next week, so it's nice that it's getting ready before they leave.
Also this week, we hope to have a family housewarming for my brother Anthony, who moved here from Virginia recently.
My niece, Hannah, left on Monday with others on a team that also includes Bryan S. from here and Darrell and Karen B., along with Charis H., whose boyfriend is already working in their destination country in the M. East.
Clarissa hopes to visit her family in WA in August, after Shane's family moves and before the new baby arrives.
******************
Shalom Quartet gives one last program at Center tomorrow evening, before Lyle moves to Indiana. They've made lots of good music together, and I'm glad for this opportunity to hear them again. Three of the members of the group are from Center, and the fourth is my cousin Eldo.
One Farmer's Market customer (Her husband is president of Hutchinson Community College.) said of them when they sang there, "That harmony is just amazing. Do they sing elsewhere?" Two of them have music degrees and the other two have rare and noteworthy natural talent without a degree.
******************
The news coming out of Egypt is exciting, according to Jane, the Egyptian wife of my cousin, Eldon. It seems that a popular uprising, with the cooperation of the military, has ushered in a new non-Islamic government. After the prior uprising and deposition of the dictator Muburak several years ago, the Muslim Brotherhood came to power, supposedly in a democratic election. The fairness of the election is in doubt, and the hard-line Muslim direction that became increasingly evident was not to the liking of many in Egypt. I hope and pray that things can go forward peaceably, with Christians experiencing complete freedom.
******************
Glenn's Bulk Foods is for sale. Most of Glenn's children are now occupied with other endeavors, so it's a different era for their family than when it began, and retaining ownership for their sakes is not a factor. The business certainly offers the community something of value, and would presumably provide a good opportunity for someone.
******************
One of the few things to look forward to personally with Joel's family leaving is that we're going to have their car after they leave. I think a sober brown Chevy Malibu will suit me just fine, and I'm happy to return Li'l Red to Grant and leave the Eclipse to Hiromi.
******************
What would you fix your son's family if you knew you weren't going to cook for them again for three years? I'm thinking maybe tempura will fill the bill. It's a great option when fresh veggies are plentiful, and I found a package of shrimp in the freezer when we moved. Tempura is a Japanese dish featuring lightly breaded, deep-fried vegetables with a little meat. It gets dipped into a flavorful soup/sauce after it's fried, and then it's eaten with rice. Having the fryer in the middle of the table is the best way to eat tempura--very freshly fried. We always include sliced summer squash, green beans, onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Other tasty additions are whole-kernel corn (fried in clumps), okra, and sliced sweet potato. The meat is usually chicken or shrimp.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
6:34 PM
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