The "Mother" of All Storms

This last week we've had some really hard and heavy winds, and more than once we thought we would lose our power, but we didn't - which is a miracle as we have lost power in lighter wind storms.

However, one of our trees on the barn side of the property (pictures are from Martha's side of the fence), was blown over and it had to be chopped up, cleaned up, and the fence repaired. Bob and Liz took care of it!

*Friends and Family: Send me pictures of rain, wind, lightening, and/or storms so we can all see what the weather is like in your neck of the woods.*

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Come Little Leaves

My friend put some poetry up on her blog, and that reminded me that I taught this early 1900's poem as a skit and memorization project to my kids when they were small. They each took turns saying every other stanza while they both acted out the poem. Frank gets embarrassed when I remind him of it. It's my favorite. And, I found a Prairie Schooler cross stitch pattern with some of the words on it and a cute Fall design too:

It has been very windy, rainy, and cold here the past week. Fall has come! Now we're worried about winter...

Come, Little Leaves

by George Cooper

"Come, little leaves," said the wind one day.

"Come over the meadows with me and play;

Put on your dresses of red and gold,

For summer is gone and the days grow cold

Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call,

Down they came fluttering, one and all;

Over the brown fields they danced and flew,

Singing the sweet little song they knew.

"Cricket, good-bye, we've been friends so long,

Little brook, sing us your farewell song;

Say you're sorry to see us go;

Ah! you will miss us, right well we know.

"Dear little lambs, in your fleecy fold,

Mother will keep you from harm and cold;

Fondly we've watched you in vale and glade,

Say, will you dream of our loving shade?"

Dancing and whirling the little leaves went,

Winter had called them, and they were content,

Soon fast asleep in their earthy beds,

The snow laid a soft mantle over their heads."

X O X

We May Have Colors!

Tiffany Blue and Gold...still thinking of end of 

August, 2014.

Happy Birthday Justin!

Happy Birthday to you all!

Happy Birthday Henry!

Happy Birthday Zib!

More Deer Stories From Idaho

Hello Sherry,

Nice collection of photos you've gathered of the friends we have hanging at our place.  I've included a couple photos of Chester and his buddy John (Deer).  Chester showed up a couple years ago as a spotted fawn with a broken hind leg and no Mom.  He was with Daisy, a year old doe that ate apples out of our hand.  He stayed with Daisy until the neighbor shot her the last day of deer season.  She had lunch at our house, walked across the street and I heard a shot and then never saw her again.  We helped Chester through the winter with his broken leg and then he was gone over the following summer.  That fall, near the end of hunting season he showed up again, this time his other hind leg was broken, so we nursed him again.  He ate apples, alfalfa and whole corn.  His leg mended the best it could and he survived the winter.  John had been here late last summer with another friend that looked just like him, just a little larger, yet friendlier.  The neighbor shot and wounded that deer as his blood trail ran up our driveway and disappeared up the hill toward the south.  They looked for him, but couldn't find him.  He likely died somewhere.  

After hunting season was over lone John showed up and started hanging out with Chester, so I fed him too. They have been friends over the past year showing up often during the summer and now they are here daily due to the fallen acorns and collected apples from our orchard.  As we all know, it's tough to grow anything outside that deer like unless it's protected by a fence.  This year I put up a 7' chain link fence so Sally can do a garden and flowers without having them harvested by nature.  I still have the east gate to install, but yesterday Chester and John were in the yard checking out my handy work.  They are a little confused as to why such a thing suddenly appeared.  We had a good time watching as they tried to figure things out.  

Last evening I was outside working when I saw a pickup on the road stop and then rapidly back up to the end of our driveway.  I walked over to where I could see what they were up to and saw Chester and John standing about 100' up the driveway and they were looking at the guys in the pickup.  I whistled and they came running to me, knowing I likely had an apple for them.  The guys in the pu just sat and watched until another car came up behind them.

I'm guessing John has a target on his back this year, but I called the neighbor and asked if he'd give Chester a break.  We'll see if it did any good.

Ron

I love these stories! We get traces of deer (eaten plants and broken limbs) but rarely do we see them this 'up close'.

x o x