animals

Husbandry in Harvest

Sally In The Garden, traditional fiddle tune performed on banjo and fiddle
husbandry in harvest02 husbandry in harvest08 husbandry in harvest07 husbandry in harvest39 husbandry in harvest41 husbandry in harvest40 husbandry in harvest03 husbandry in harvest11 husbandry in harvest12 husbandry in harvest14 husbandry in harvest13 husbandry in harvest04 husbandry in harvest06 husbandry in harvest05 husbandry in harvest18 husbandry in harvest19 husbandry in harvest42 husbandry in harvest43 husbandry in harvest15 husbandry in harvest16 husbandry in harvest17 husbandry in harvest10 husbandry in harvest33 husbandry in harvest34 husbandry in harvest26 husbandry in harvest36 husbandry in harvest27 husbandry in harvest32 husbandry in harvest31 husbandry in harvest30 husbandry in harvest37 husbandry in harvest29 husbandry in harvest35 husbandry in harvest28 husbandry in harvest01 husbandry in harvest22 husbandry in harvest20 husbandry in harvest21 husbandry in harvest23 husbandry in harvest24 husbandry in harvest09 husbandry in harvest44 husbandry in harvest49 husbandry in harvest48 husbandry in harvest45 husbandry in harvest46 husbandry in harvest47 husbandry in harvest38 husbandry in harvest25

From Beginning to End

see, I raised this one up for you

see, I raised this one up for you

from beginning to end

from beginning to end

I led him to slaughter

I led him to slaughter

he fed my community, my family and neighbors, your mother, brothers and sisters

The second biggest cottonwood in Kansas stood by as a witness to the shedding of blood

this ancient, the second biggest cottonwood in my land stood by as a witness to the shedding of blood

thank you to my friend Brad for some of the pictures this week

On the Passing of the Age of Thor

He showed up one day at my dad’s place.  We did our diligence, but couldn’t track anyone down so we took him to our place, my wife and I.  He had four legs then.  Thor seemed like a good name….

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I always go in for ironic dog names, but he lived up to his in chutzpah, if not wisdom.  He lost his leg to a 3/4 ton diesel pulling a double axle.  I thought it might cure him- slow him down a little, but those diesels pulling trailers became his white whale.  And he was darn near as fast on 3 than 4.  Lifting his leg presented a challenge, until he realized it wasn’t there.  Sometimes he just had to lift the left one though and he’d balance on the two front ones.

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He made his mark in the world.  He was a pain in the ass, he barked at everything, pissed on everything, chased everything (excepting chickens- a mean old rooster broke that habit pretty early)…

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The hen’s wouldn’t let him forget even after that rooster earned himself the soup-pot.

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True to his kind, he always had to be where I was -unless there was something better going on…

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The coyotes are bad here, like most places in Kansas.  Usually they go after my hens, and Thor was smart enough to stay away- just made noise at them.  A whole bunch were real close for a few nights- carrying on at night like they do.  They must have been too much to resist.  The next day doing the early morning rounds, he wasn’t there.  You get the picture.  It is still a bit of a mystery- he left like he came- but I’ll remember him going in thinking he could lick the whole bunch.

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A lot of my neighbors had cause to maybe dance a little at the passing of the fierce defender of 100 yards of compacted gravel.  However, a fair number a coyotes have died since Thor went out.  Not me, I’m not much of a killer, thought not for lack of trying.    My neighbors are better shots than I, and I usually recieve a picture message of a dead Canis latrans.

My good friend Mike Schultz wrote and recorded this little song after living with us and Thor for a time.  He sent it to me just the other day and it made this post worth writing.  Have a listen…  Thor!