NEWS FLASH: Drought ends at Ponderosa

Bilbo Baggins said:
Maynard, aren't you just a little afraid you might get lost in that jungle out there?
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It is a jungle and that is good for the wildlife, if I only had some seed stock, it could be a bumper crop. I am in my fourth year of this Sabbatical. I did a three year Sabbatical back in the late 80's to get my bird numbers up. I am encouraged that if I can pull off some hatches this year and the weather will moderate and give a normal rainfall, there will be some good years ahead.

I told Prairie Drifter that I want the wildlife to want to live at the Ponderosa and I go out of my way to look out for them.

Mowing the trails through the Ponderosa I did see a pair of quail, a whitetail fawn, two hens with chicks and one rooster. I hope there is more out there. Oh, and lots of dove. Dove and deer only this year.
 
Here is the rooster bird taken through a dirty tractor cab glass. The hen and chicks were not photogenic.

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Let me be the first to report 3.66 inches last night. This is the first rain in July and we're already over the monthly average! Anyone have extra skeeter spray? So much for my summer burns and working fire breaks for a few days. :)
 
M. R. Byrd said:
Here is the rooster bird taken through a dirty tractor cab glass. The hen and chicks were not photogenic.

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Thanks Byrd....it is amazing to me to see how resilent mother nature is :thumbsup:

I mean a few years ago it was like the dust bowl out your way, now it is like the Garden of Eden, just about. I realize that everyone isn't out of the woods (pardon the pun), however it seems to be that things are looking up.

I can tell you that over here in Colorado and up in the mountains (I took the family camping last week over by my out-laws near Silverton, Colorado) and it is green as Ireland....it rained just about everyday in the afternoon and then cleared out.

So here is to mother nature, God bless her. :cheers:

Greg
 
retrvrman,

Glad to hear Colorado is green. I hope to get to western Colorado again this year to chase wapiti.

Just had a buddy that is retired from the Santa Fe Railroad take a road trip to Raton, Taos, Santa Fe and Chama. He said he has never seen that area so green.
 
It is nice to see the Ponderosa looking so green. I remember how dry the pictures looked a couple of years ago. Mother nature is amazing in coming back from the pits! God does answer prayers.
 
praying

ya, it's all that praying I had pastor john do about a year ago, just took a bit to get it going. john and me will be in the mtn. for the next two days, he rides a mule, and wants to shoot and elk this fall and I am supposed to show him where to go. hope he has been praying for that too

cheers
 
Another gift from Ma Nature this morning!! Some Morning showers and rain. Maynard you may be pulling weeds until Sept! My best friend wanted to plant some legumes on 7 acres in So. Colo. In April I bought some Sainfoin mixed with a little Small Burnett and yellow sweet clover. He disced up the existing grass and spread the seed with a hand tiller and then used some chain link to drag it in. We left the next morning to light rain and snow. It then snowed 24 inches and then another 14 inches the next week. It has rained periodically and in the last 18 days has received 7.3 inches of rain. The seed mix was drought tolerant. They normally get 15-16 inches of moisture per year. Field is looking good, although I do not think it will flower this year, but could be wrong. Here is to greener pastures :cheers::cheers:
 
BleuBijou said:
Another gift from Ma Nature this morning!! Some Morning showers and rain. Maynard you may be pulling weeds until Sept! My best friend wanted to plant some legumes on 7 acres in So. Colo. In April I bought some Sainfoin mixed with a little Small Burnett and yellow sweet clover. He disced up the existing grass and spread the seed with a hand tiller and then used some chain link to drag it in. We left the next morning to light rain and snow. It then snowed 24 inches and then another 14 inches the next week. It has rained periodically and in the last 18 days has received 7.3 inches of rain. The seed mix was drought tolerant. They normally get 15-16 inches of moisture per year. Field is looking good, although I do not think it will flower this year, but could be wrong. Here is to greener pastures :cheers::cheers:
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Bet they will flower this year. I have all three and they flowered first year.

Yes, another gift. Praise the Lord.
 
mustistuff said:
ya, it's all that praying I had pastor john do about a year ago, just took a bit to get it going. john and me will be in the mtn. for the next two days, he rides a mule, and wants to shoot and elk this fall and I am supposed to show him where to go. hope he has been praying for that too

cheers
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Pastor John does good, keep it up.

I hope to be in elk camp again this year. If I see a padre on a mule headed into dark timber, I will stay close.
 
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We got .81 this week in about 3 events. That on top of the 3.66 last week. What's this gooey stuff where the concrete ground used to be? Boy do we have skeeters! I did see a covey of about 16 yesterday somewhere between Colorado and Missouri:)
 
Drifter,

With all that rain the skeeters should be getting some size by now. You cook them whole or just breast them out?

Looks like a hot week is coming, but any day in the summer in Kansas that is cool and below a 100, is a very good day. I have missed the 100 degree days and the blast furnace winds. Missed them a lot and that is a good thing for man and the critters at the Ponderosa.

Oh, I think I saw that same covey near Garden City.
 
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Skeeters, Kansas' new game bird. A whole new marketing opportunity.

Ah, Kansas, Skeeter Capital of the World
 
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