Wildlife.....

Out by the barn, I saw that something had been digging into a dirt bank. 

Maybe a raccoon or a skunk.  

Looking closer, lots of eggshells.  

About an inch and a half long, and an inch wide.

Also, found a large snake skin.

Thinking that these might be gopher (aka bull) snake eggs.

They are the only snake around here that lays eggs rather than having live births.

No idea what got in here and rummaged through the nest for dinner.

More and bigger wild life.

Lots of elk out today.

Cooling off in the pond.

May all of our lives be a bit wilder!

Elk with breakfast....

Roosevelt Elk

These boys have been hanging around since the first of the year.  In another month or so, they will shed their antlers. Would love to find them on a little stroll up the hill.

Haying: A Collaborative Venture

Often wrong, and constantly changing, we still look to the weather forecasts to help us determine when to begin haying.

When we cut the hay, the forecast was ten days of warm, dry weather.

The instant it was down, that changed to possible rain Saturday and Sunday.

The plan had been to bale on Monday.

However, with rain coming, baling was moved to late Sunday evening.

In spite of it being Fathers' Day, our neighbors and their crews were here ready to work.

Sunday 5:30 pm.  Waiting for the baler-man.

We keep watching the clouds moving through the valley.

What will arrive first: the baler or the forecasted rain?

Everyone is a smidge anxious.  

 Can we beat the rain?

7pm: Baler finally arrives.

Hay is still dry.

Crews are bucking hay.

By midnight all of the hay is off the field.

Yeah! It didn't get rained on.

Thanks everyone!

Haying: A collaborative venture.

We will be going through this one more time.

There is still hay to be cut, raked, baled & bucked.

But until then, the elk enjoy grazing in it.

Elk in hayfield.

A few elk with yesterday's lunch.

Celebrate the 4th with a Pool Party

The big boys know how to celebrate a holiday!

A Pool Party

Lots of Food

Good Company & Conversation

The only thing missing is the beer.
Happy Independence Day.

Mother's Day Parade

Thought you might like to see the parade of elk that greeted us this morning.  28 of them.  Mostly cows and a few bulls.  Earlier this morning we saw a group of 8 bulls.  We haven't seen this many for quite awhile.  A nice way to start the day.

This apple tree is right next to our driveway.  It is just starting to blossom.  The apples are less than appetizing until they get a strong frost.  The cold must bring on the sugars, because come late November, early December, the apples taste great.  So nice to be able to walk outside in the middle of winter and pick a fresh apple from this tree.

You can see how the entire trunk is hollowed out, with a hole that goes all the way through.  It has been this way for several years and yet still manages to live....and produce apples.

Big Visitors

These are major big guys that ambled past our windows yesterday.  Seven big bull elk came towards the house from the grove of walnut trees. They circled around through the lower field and came out on the other side of us.  From here they headed up towards Muffin Mountain.

They know that we watch them, but for the most part just ignore us. The flash of the camera set them off.

In another month or 6 weeks they will lose their antlers. A few months after that we will begin to see the cows with their calves.  What a treat!