The Day Before the Day Before

I was off work today, and though Keith had to work, he felt like the rest of the state was NOT!  He did get some work done in his recently relocated office, where he is still putting together panels and straightening things out.  He did his entire move himself!

Today was a good day to get the last minute things done.  I returned something to KMart that did not work right... I had long wanted a rooster-topped Country Living paper towel holder, and finally treated myself to one last Friday.  It did not hold a roll of towels, it was too short!  Of course, since I was IN KMart again, I wandered around, and found some shirts that I had admired off and on for the last two months on huge sale, so bought two!  Then I wandered over to the Christmas area, and found another Santa ornament on 50% sale... well, you know how my trip went now.

Then on to Tractor Supply.  I love TSC.  I love to go in and look at everything, and I love their inexpensive white-packaged bird mix sold in 35 pound packages.  I mix it with Gamebird mix from our mill, and it is good for the wildings.  I also got another niger seed feeder, since the one I bought in November had holes that were so big that the seed was flying out.  I have noticed in the last two weeks that the purple and gold finches are eating constantly during the day now.  We are also beginning to go through a cake of suet in two days, so I may learn to make our own.  I picked up the latest Grit in TSC, and I have spent the evening reading it on the couch between the pugs.  Now I am trying to get caught up on some of your blogs, and get this post done.  It is 9:41, Hannah is at my feet, and Gertie, Abby, and Keith are already sound asleep.

I have been remiss in reading other blogs for these last few weeks, but hope to get caught up next week... I am off work.  Though it is cold outside tonight, we are not expecting the snow we got the last two years, and for that, Keith and I are truly grateful.  Tomorrow I will cook most of the day, and then on Sunday, we'll go to church at 9, then drive over to see my son Jeff in Independence, taking him some stew, some good rolls, and lots of goodies to eat.  Christmas Day is the only day of the year that the grocery chain for which he works actually closes their stores.  Jeff's roommate Josh will share in the largess... and we are taking enough for two hungry men.

When I went into the big henhouse at mid-morning, I saw this:

That's Reddy, who lived in the pasture all summer with Eagle the Ameracauna (whom the hawk got) and Butch.  She is free to walk across the rafters and go outside with the other birds, but she chooses to stay on the feed room side with Butch, and every day for two weeks I have found a huge brown egg in the feed fortex on top of the nursing cage!

The nasty starlings have invaded us already.. usually they wait until the ground is snow-covered and feed is hard to find.  They are drinking and fouling the water daily in the big henhouse. 

You can see the wetness in the pasture... from the rain earlier this week.  I had to go down to check the far corner, because last night Keith found a dog in the pasture.  We had seen this brindle boxer frequently in the last week, usually in our neighbor's yard.  I texted Troy yesterday to ask if it was his when Keith called me to tell me he could see it in there as he got home.  The dog could not figure out how to get out, so Keith put him in the pen that Butch used, and fed and watered him.  He subsequently got loose again when Keith went to check on him, but the llamas oddly enough did not bother him.  Then, when Keith went out to check on him at 7... our neighbors came out and told Keith he belonged to the Spehars.  Kathy and Keith got him over the fence again, and we have not seen him all day.  We assume the Spehars shut him up in a pen.  We figured the llamas knew him, as they did not exhibit the threatening behaviour that they do with strange dogs.  I walked down to make sure the walk-gate in the southeast corner was still bungee corded shut, and not only was it, but blackberry brambles have grown thickly around and through it.  We are going to have to get someone with a tractor to come in and brush hog the pasture next spring to get some of the blackberries cut back.

This shows you all just what a bum I was the rest of the afternoon before chores and before fixing dinner... I sat on the couch amongst the little girls, reading magazines, drinking water, and snoozing sitting straight up.  Tomorrow is a baking day (again) when I crockpot the stew for Jeff, and make a bunch of goodies to take to him on Christmas morning. 

We're on the downhill run!