Our Canada Geese Return!

What a surprise, when I heard honking overhead this morning - especially since I had been wondering lately if we might be lucky enough to play host to our pair of Canada geese again this year.

Hubby was outside feeding the horses and when he returned to the house, he confirmed that two Canada geese had landed near our pond.

Could it be?  Were these OUR Canada geese, the very same pair that had built a nest and spent significant time on our property last year?

We had been wondering lately .... would they return?

About an hour had passed and again, I heard honking overhead, so I went to the front of the house, and lo and behold, they had moved from the pond to our front pasture, west of our chicken coop.


This was almost a sure sign that this pair was indeed "our" geese, since we had often fed them with chicken scratch at this very location west of our house last year.

We currently don't have any scratch feed, but we do have bird seed, so hubby took a scoop and scattered it for the two geese.  They were hesitant to come too close to him, but once he left, they commenced pecking at the bird seed.


The guineas have been having absolute fits all day.  They are not happy to see these big birds re-invade their turf.  Several of the guineas have been fluffing up their wings and charging the geese.  Last year, the geese put our guineas in their place right quick, pulling out quite a few feathers in the process.  This year, the two geese (so far!) have been pretty complacent, just watching the guineas and their defensive antics.  It is almost as if the geese are yawning and saying "really? is that all you got?"

It will be fun and exciting to see what our pair of geese do this year -- how long will they stay?  will they build a nest by the pond again?  will the eggs outlast our resident coyote population this time?

Only time will tell.

They've been hanging out near the chicken coop in our south and west pastures today. It looks like they might stay awhile.
 

Prairie Love

Storm cloud over pond
Nikon D60 ~ Topaz Simplify effects

I haven't been very photographic for the past year or so.

It's not that I don't WANT to play with my camera it's just that I never seem to have time anymore.

Well, things are going to change this year.

I'm going to MAKE the time.  I enjoy it so much, and I sure do miss it.

So there's going to be lots more photos on both blogs, and there's going to be a lot more playing around with Photoshop Elements and Topaz software.

I'm just warning you.  Watch out.

2013 ~ New Year, New Ideas

So I've been thinking about what I hope to accomplish in this next year, and decided that a blog post summary might help keep me true to myself... instead of having this jumbled up mess of ideas in my disorganized brain.

All that being said, here's my list of ideas, wishes, hopes and dreams.  If I'm feeling generous with myself, I'll revisit this list at the end of the year and see what I've accomplished!

Side note: Many thanks to my fellow blogger and friend, Misty, for this idea.  I'm not as aggressive and motivated as her however, so I'll try to keep my list short.  I've also broken down my list into sub-categories, which will be easier for me to track and then hopefully attain my goals!

On a Personal Note

  1. Continue my weight loss journey. I'm down 10 lbs since October, and I'm gearing up to lose another 10 lbs. in the next 2 months.  Goal:  a svelte, new me + oodles of energy.
  2. Also continue my debt reduction journey.  This one's harder, but I HAVE made progress since I began this trip in early 2011.  I remind myself daily that I want the peace of mind this completed journey will bring me.
  3. Return to my photo-snapping self.  This entails learning more about my camera, utilizing what I learn, and doing more with the resulting photos -- for example, sending some of my top photos to Kansas magazine.
  4. Blog redesign.  This one is essential for many reasons.

Travel Goals

  1. 5 year anniversary trip to Hawaii in March.  When we married in 2008, we said we would take this trip.  We've never vacationed together so this will be an epic event for both of us!
  2. At least 2 trips to Ohio to see my granddaughter, Leah, and my son and daughter-in-law.
  3. A trip to California (San Francisco and north CA) to see my sister, brother and mother.
  4. Reaching out there on this one..... a return trip to Yellowstone. I haven't been there in over 10 years.  Yellowstone touched me deeply and I visited 3 or 4 times in my younger days.  I would love to visit again with my husband.  Sending a shout-out and thanks to Misty for reminding me of my love for Yellowstone!
House/Property Renovation Goals
  1. Finish trim work in kitchen, and begin living room renovation.  That's all I'm going to hope to accomplish over the next year, because it takes us a L.O.N.G. time to get these things done, since we both work mucho days at our jobs.
  2. Purchase panels for round pen, so we can work with our horses more.  Getting Paintboy more refined and back under saddle and also getting ME back in that saddle would be the best ever.  I would love to go on a trail ride with my hubby someday!!
Long Range Dreams
(which could change with a slight breeze... these are truly DREAMS)
  1. Australian Shepherd Rescue, dedicated to Tori Mae's memory.  This one would require LOTS of thought, research and discussion.  But we have the room (27 acres) to do something like this, and we both think it would be really, really, REALLY cool.
  2. Add a full bathroom onto our house, with a real, genuine bathtub.  Oh, how I miss my bath! (We only have a shower.)
  3. While we're adding that bathroom, let's go ahead and add a wrap-around porch, and a limestone patio on the east side -- a divine spot to sit with a cup of joe and watch the glorious Kansas sunrise.
How about you?  
Is there anything you're thinking of changing up in 2013?