There are lots of things happening in Kansas and our area right now. I see  babies of all kinds-- birds and critters scattered everywhere.  Baby fox, badgers, Killdeer, Avocets, ducks, geese, mosquitoes, gnats, and shad in the lakes. The balance between what we cherish and what we kill is always a moving target. We spray for mosquitoes (do we kill some things that we like in the process?) that the small fish in the lakes eat on their way to bigger things and eventually end up on our dinner plates.
Andy and Phil and I fished yesterday. The gnats were horrible. When it is  hot and you are sweating in spite of your hat, sun shades, and cool soaks around your neck-- gnats get around your eyes under your shades and cause lots of trouble. There are also some “heel flies”  that are vicious. They actually lay eggs on the heels and hocks of cattle and horses which then lick the irritated areas and ingest the eggs which hatch in the gut of the critter. Phil is amazingly smart on topics like this as well as being uncanny on selecting color and type of lures to tempt the fish. We collected 10 fat walleye yesterday and a couple of large wipers that we usually release unless they damage themselves in the process of getting caught. It was a good day on the water. Thank goodness for sun screen and bug spray. Yikes!!!
Harvest is firing up in south Kansas and will be here in a flash. The energy and strength of our heritage in Kansas is bound in wheat, cattle and oil. This is the best time of all to hit the Shop and Go and watch it happen.
I worry some about the things we don’t know. Hoisington is getting ready for a bond vote to tear down and replace Lincoln School. There is no way to fix the defects in that building that was built so many years ago without disturbing the asbestos. As a senior citizen who has never had kids in this school system I can only support this effort. The asbestos in that building would be a huge cost driver as well as a health hazard if it is disturbed and not removed. I have seen too much cancer and horror in my 25 years in this community and to not get rid of that substance in the fastest and safest way possible would be a mistake that we can’t afford to make. Our kids and teachers deserve to be safe.
We don’t know much about this little rabbit in my yard. Is she eating grass? Is she collecting grass for a new nest? Is she carrying food to youngsters still in the nest? The wonders of our immediate natural world can keep us entertained for the rest of our lives. Take the time to observe and study it-- we will all be better as we participate in that process!
Doc