Sunday Rest

First off, I want to welcome our new readers and tell you how glad I am that you have joined us here at Calamity Acres. 

It has been a very quiet Sunday here.  I went to church last night, so I could get some extra shut-eye this morning.  Keith was home all weekend, and worked on the chickenhouse yesterday while the temps were still in the 60's.  At 4, when I went to church, the temperature was 63, when I came out, it was 52 and windy!  I hurried to the car, and got home and did chores in my heavy coat.  Today it has not gotten over 35 degrees.  Keith and I went to Home Depot earlier, and got some window shades cut for the kitchen.  I am so grateful to him for hanging them... we had ugly, dirty, faded and stained old blinds up there for the last six years.  I so dislike blinds.  Now we have clean shades, and I am going to hang the "winter curtains" that I found at the thrift store yesterday for the Christmas season.   I am going to try to get two of the curtains cut down to valances, to put on the windows over the kitchen drainboard.

I got a good start on the seasonal cleaning this morning, and cleaned out my baking cupboard.  I put away a lot of things on the counter, and went through a pile of mail, etc. and disposed of most of it.  The kitchen table is almost clear!  I also put away my chocolate pot and biscuit jars, so that I could put Christmas decorations on top of the sideboard for the season.

And then, to make things even better, I was able to reach this boy:

That's Jeff, my youngest.  Always independent, he has lived for many years in Independence, Missouri.  He has always lived with friends, and last year we visited him at the home they were renting.  His birthday was November 1st, and I sent a card to him with his birthday gift.

I found out today that he never got it, he moved on October 1st, and the former roommates must have kept the card.  He had not told me that he had moved, having misplaced my number.  In these days of no land lines, it's hard to reach someone. 

I have been worried sick about him, and Keith knew it.  He finally told me to call the store where he worked and leave a message, and I did call today.  They asked Jeff to come to the phone, and I can tell you I was SO relieved to hear his voice on the other end.  He told me of the move, and that he is settled with roommate Josh in the new apartment.  I am going on my annual trek to the Bingham Waggoner house on Friday, and told him I will stop in the store to see him and make sure he is okay. 

Son of my heart, he told me that someone had tied a cocker spaniel behind the grocery where he works this morning in the cold, and the employees have been going out there all day, feeding and watering it.  It is petrified of people, and will not come near them, and animal control isn't working, but he said the employees are trying to decide what to do, since it's so very cold.

I have been blog-hopping for a couple of hours, and watching the llamas as they lay by the hay buffet chewing their cuds and eating wisps of hay. I am going to go out and do chores here shortly, shutting the lights out in the big henhouse early so we are closed up tightly.  I only work Monday and half of Tuesday this week, so can't wait. 

Here are Abs and Hannah waiting while I cleaned this morning

Here are some of the birds in the little henyard having a treat an hour ago.  It's dark out there now, and all the birds are in bed.

And Fancy and April, as I shut up the big henhouse.  These two can go outside by walking across the rafters to the coop side.  They like to hang out in the feed room side with Butch, which is fine with me.

We are missing Little Red, the pretty red cochin rooster from this year's hatch.  I suspect that the hawk I saw skidding into the pasture last week got him.  Keith also has seen several very large owls (and I hear them) around.  We have to let the birds out very early in the morning during the work week, so it could have happened then.  I'm sorry to loose him, but sorrier that the hawk got Eagle two weeks ago.

Okay, I'm going to show you the "Christmas curtains" I got, three pair of curtains/drapes for 5.00.  One pair is at least 84 inches long, and they are on the living room windows.  They are home sewn, and lined, so heavy.  I am going to put tiebacks on these, but I left them hanging tonight to block cold air, since it's so cold.  Once the Christmas decorations are up, they will look fine. 

Don't laugh, I'm WATCHING YOU.

Chtismas trees with little red birds.

One more thing... we have been smelling skunk, somewhere close.  We don't know if it is under the deck, or where.  Keith was standing in the hall talking to me several hours ago, and suddenly said... "I smell skunk!".... a few seconds later it wafted in to the office.  I smelled it again 30 minutes after that.  I asked him if it could have gotten into the rafter space (we have no attic) and though we are on a crawl space, we don't have any openings where anything larger than a mouse could get in... we think. 

Have a good Sunday evening!