Bordeulac Fall 2012

A very dry summer in Kansas, 2012.  Actually drought conditions. Our little community has sprinkler watering 3X weekly from community wells.

BORDEULAC SPRING 2012

Cherry tree, crabapple tree, tulips, flowering dogwood, daffodill

Allie

In the year 2000, we moved back to Arizona from Liberal, Kansas. One of the stipulations from Bettylou was to acquire a dog. Not just any dog, it had to be a Border Collie. On one of our first days home, while perusing the ads in the Arizona Republic, we found the one we were looking for. The Brewer family in Clay Springs, in the White Mountains, near Heber, had an ad for Border Collie puppies. On Friday evening, we left and stayed in Payson overnight. When we arrived at the modest ranch house we were pleased to find a three month old puppy that passed "Dr. Ralston's puppy test". She was the favorite of one of the little boys there and he had named her Gypsy. The Brewers gave her a bath and placed her in a small cardboard box for the ride home and away we went. After an hour or so on the road, Bettylou became concerned because the new puppy was so quiet. We stopped to check and found her sound asleep. At home, after consultations with the John Ralston family we decided on the name "Allie". She became acclimated to her new home quickly and learned to respond to her name. I consulted with the veterinarian who had purchased my animal hospital to get a supply of the necessary vaccines. I also scheduled her neutering surgery for her at six months of age. After not having done any surgery for a few years, I was able to do the job without any problem. Allie quickly bonded to Bettylou. They became regular walking companions. One of her few faults was the "herding instinct", which she never lost. It was a minor distraction. Allie became very much a part of our household routine. She was kennel trained early on and when we left the house on errands, she would automatically go to her kennel. If we just mentioned the word she would do so. Border Collies are bred to be working dogs and they do so for many owners, especially for farmers and ranchers. I saw an example first hand when I was at the Farm Fresh Meats slaughter plant in Maricopa, where I was the USDA veterinary medical inspector in charge. Several small goats left for slaughter for the next day had escaped. The plant employees were unable to chase  and corral them. A call to a sheep rancher down the road resulted in their two Border collies corralling them and putting them right in a trailer! Allie would come up to us and stare at us as if to ask "What should I do now? They always make direct eye contact. Our former Beagle, "Bagle", would never look us in the eye. Much of her training was accomplished with giving a treat when the appropriate response was elicited. She was uncomfortable with loud noises. If the TV blared, or if someone spoke or laughed loudly, she would go  to her kennel. Often she could tell ahead of time what we were planning to do. When we would be ready to leave  the house, she would be in her kennel. She loved to play, especially with the frisbee. Like most of the breed, they don't want to stop. One thing she did enjoy, would be any time when Bettylou played the piano. She would be found directly underneath the piano.  She loved to be brushed and to have her nails trimmed. That attitude was gained by being very generous with treats afterward. She loved children. When some would pass by our fence, she would go to the fence and lay down to be accepted and petted. Years passed, and when we noticed her tiring when playing frisbee ball, I suspected a heart problem. While we were away to visit our son John, our daughter Cindy was caring for her. She was concerned enough to take her to the vet where they discovered congestive heart failure. Following up on that, we also discovered that she had lymphoma as well. When it became a struggle for her to breathe we elected to have her euthanized. Her ashes are buried in our back yard. For us, after having several dogs, she had become the epitome of what a smart well mannered dog should be. We were blessed to have her for a short ten and a half years.
RIP, Allie.

Blue Crabs

Sometimes it is a good thing to leave the plains and get a taste of other parts of the country, literally!

On a fine autumn day in Maryland near Annapolis, we were admiring the colorful fall tree colors, with our daughter Pam and her husband Chuck. During the trip we came across friends of theirs who had just caught some blue crabs from Chesepeake Bay. As a result of a generous offer of some of them , we did partake later, as the attached photos will explain.

Fabulous Fishing in the Famous Flint Hills with Friends

The day, Monday August 30th, dawned cloudy and cool. My friend, Curtis Drevets, a retired physician had invited me to accompany him and his carver friend Don, to a day of fishing at  Kimbell Ranch. The ranch has about 30,000 acres of grassland with numerous ponds and lakes. Ed Kimbell, the owner, is a third generation rancher. His grandfather homesteaded in the late 1800's. They provide their grasslands for hundreds of heads of cattle. At this time most of them have gained the requisite 800 pounds and are on their way to feed yards to finish the fattening process prior to slaughter.

We arrived at the ranch about 8 AM. We went into the ranch house to pay our respects and visit with Mr. Kimbell and his foreman, Clint. After coffee and discussions involving cattle and fishing we were off to the first pond where we caught only a few bass. Then we moved on to the larger lake ringed with oak trees. It has a barbed wire fence gate, that requires a ranchers knack to open.

Fishing was better at this lake, with Curt catching the most as usual. We were ready to leave in the early  afternoon. Reporting back to the ranch house and fileting the catch was next. Three happy and tired fishermen arrived back in Wichita about 4 o'clock.

Bird Bias Behavior on Bordeulac

I used to think the saying "birds of a feather flock together" was in the bible somewhere, but my research has found that the saying didn't appear until around 1599.

Anyhow, on the lake that is adjoining our property, and which is the source of much of my ramblings, provides some interesting events. The event I am describing is not new, but today I got a picture. I am also enclosing a picture of one of the winter goose gatherings, which the swans were not able to control.

There are two resident swans on the lake. No one is for sure about their gender but they have been seen attempting to mate, unsuccessfully. One has a lesion on it's back that a vet has said was malignant. Anyhow, they are very possessive of their water territory, especially when it comes to the Canada goose. They don't seem to mind the Mallard ducks.We have seen more than 200 geese on the lake in the winter. Most of them are up north for the summer but a few always stay around. When they fly in, the swans go on the prowl and chase them off the water. It's OK to be on the grass, but when they try to get in the water the swan fluffs the wings and swims quickly after them. The geese meekly surrender and sometimes just fly away. I'm not sure about any human application here but you, the reader, can come up with a multitude of circumstances I'm sure.

Fish

Our home borders a small lake that has a reputation for some large fish. A neighbor's grandson broke the fishing pole trying to land a large catfish. My grandson Nate, had a large fish break the line last week. Today, a largemouth bass gave me a tussle until I was able to land it even though the line broke as it neared the bank. The line that is on the reel is a 6# test. My fish scale showed it weighed 6 pounds. After the obligatory pictures, the large fish was returned to the water, to perhaps excite another fisherman some day.