Art in the Den of Sinners

         The church MyMrMallory and I attend has beautiful stained glass windows. I look up at them in awe and feel some inspiration by the images. On a side note, the windows are close to one hundred years old. Mr. Chris said today that one may not stop service, or retire, but one may continue to serve for as long as one lives. I wish the beauty of the windows representing the devotion of those who lived before us to inspire everyone to serve and to quit sinning. With a history of two thousand years of sermons, lecturing, and Bible thumping, to no avail, this may seem too much to ask of some folks. So far away are they from a relationship with God, that they cannot even understand pictures that surround them as they kneel, much less comprehend the words over which their eyes glaze over when they open a Bible. And the choir continues to sing to deaf people sitting in the pews who are as deaf to the words and the music as they are blind to the message of the art in the windows.

Kathmandu Cat

I found Kisses meditating on my cosmic tankha. 

The Combines are Here!

It's time to harvest the wheat!

These fellows drove down from Kansas to begin harvesting wheat fields in Texas. They bring new technology: The blue machine pictured above removes the wheat head and leaves the plant intact. The plant is later cut and bundled for cattle feed. 

Dropping in on Prairie Dogs

       In Prairie Dog Town this afternoon, I spotted species of flowers I had not seen before. Urgently, I will photograph them, for unless we have another year of unusual moisture, I may not see these flowers again for several years.
       As I approached the town, already within ear-shot of the dogs barking my presence, I spotted a Jackrabbit.

Entrance to the Prairie Dog Town seemed impassable through the high growth of flowers. I made my way along the wheat field, but returned to the road to find another spot. Finally, I found my way across the tall, thick grass and found the town. I was rewarded by the sight of the dogs there, including the mischievous "mooning" by a pup.

Bird life, as always, was active and prolific at Prairie Dog Town, particularly at this time of year. No Burrowing Owls sighted. Many Mourning Doves, Scissortails, Sparrows, Redwing Blackbirds, Great tailed Grackles, Lark Sparrow, Bullock's Orioles.

Drilling in a Sorghum Field

There are drills perforating the land to find oil.

A drill rig stands within a crop of Sudan sorghum.

The operator of the rig.

He gathers drilled basalt.

A drill bit behind the boots of an oilman.

Nearby, we saw a well head.

Here, a drill rig prepares the hole for a pumping unit.

The trucker measures the amount of water in his truck with a post.

Water flows through the valve.

Two views of the reserve tank.

The drill post and one of the stakes that maintains it upright.

Four men tighten the valve.

A leak in the valve released vapor. 

The men worked until the sun set over the crops.

In the foreground, the "slush pit."

The water truck driver heads for home, too.

On our way home, a full moon rose over wheat fields. 

Bullock's Oriole at the Nancy

           There is a part of the ranch that I like to call "The Nancy." It was a gentle woman named Nancy who sold this parcel of land to us. This afternoon I explored the Nancy after we chained the Mesquite plants. In regard to chaining, two bulldozers attached with each end of a large chain. The chain is the same size employed by ships as large as cruise ships to hold their anchors. Together, the bulldozers pull the chain across the land, uprooting dense Mesquite plants. Soil conditions for this method of curbing the Mesquite occur only once every ten to fifteen years. In chaining, we regain the natural grasslands and cacti that the Mesquite overwhelmed by their prolific expansion from the southern part of Texas. A couple of months after the chaining, the grasslands have emerged healthy and dense, and so have the Prickly Pear cacti, able to grow with more sunlight.

Below, a Bullock's Oriole and its nest.

          Other birds I sighted on the Nancy were Cardinals, Brown-headed Cowbird, Redwing Blackbird, Starling, Great-tailed Grackle, Bufflehead Duck, Scissortail, and perhaps the Great Crested Flycatcher.

          Back at home, I finally found photographic proof of the Carolina Chickadees visiting my feeders!

Helicoptering Over Flowers

MyMrMallory flew the helicopter to a friend's ranch. We flew around the city to the north.

The view shows Scott Avenue leading into downtown Wichita Falls. I relished the opportunity to take photographs. 

On the way, we got lost, so we landed at JoAnn's church to phone our friends for directions. The church is surrounded by numerous species of spring flowers.

That's MyMrMallory in the background with his cellphone, receiving instructions from our friends.

The Municipal Airport lies nearby. In the photo I show runways 17/35 under renovation.

Our friends asked us to fly up the road for five miles, then turn east at the blue silos, pictured above.

Most of the countryside still looks colorful with flowers.

An orange tractor provided color, too, to the countryside as seen from the helicopter.

We landed in fields of flowers.

My friends flew with MyMrMallory checking on the ranch. I remained on the ground taking pictures and  feeling impressed by the prolific flowers.

VERY old barn and a road grater.

In addition to the flowers, the wildlife in the countryside seems fabulous this time of year. A Bullfrog jumps away from me and into the water. 

A Little Girl for a Puppy

       Don brought an abandoned puppy to Lucy Park, hoping a potential owner would come to get her. She lay on the concrete, half asleep, half forlorn-looking. I leaned down, scooped her up in my arms, and held her in my lap, but clearly, this did not comfort the dog. She lay her muzzle across my arm and sighed. After a while, a little girl came walking up.
        I said, "Are you the new owner of this puppy?"
        She said, "Well, if my Mom lets me have it."
        I handed her the puppy. The little girl sat on the concrete with the pup.
        It happened rather quickly. The pup began to whine and lick the little girl's cheeks. The little girl giggled. Then the mom appeared and saw her daughter with the puppy.
        Groan. "We have four dogs already," she said with an entonation that gave me the sense she would be taking home a fifth. After an hour at Lucy Park, the mom, the little girl, and the puppy got into their van and drove home.

Donation for Missi, Avian Ambassador

          BirdManBob introduced Missi, Wild Bird Rescue's Avian Ambassador, to one of her most generous supporters, a primary school student. For his birthday, the student asked his friends to donate funds to Wild Bird Rescue instead of buying gifts. Missi felt, as usual, comfortable before a camera and interested in her visitors. Missi's Mom felt proud of her. I saw her preening as she watched Missi visiting humans with great avian aplomb.

BirdManBob placed Missi on the student's hand.