Calamity Acres Hobby Farm

Whew!

I don't know how we made it to the end of this week.  We think we are on the mend... Keith was able to get out and do the Saturday errands... feed store, groceries... but finally gave up and laid down for two hours this afternoon.  I laundered everything we have been wearing and sleeping on all week... and hopefully we have killed some of the germs.  I was able to go out and get the chores done and come back in without falling over with exhaustion.  I did make a good stew with some corn muffins... and I must be reviving, because I ate a big bowl with pleasure.

"They" say a cold's effects can last seven to ten days... so I hope this one is on the wane.  We haven't been struck this hard in several years.  My guess it's the cold, the doing of chores in the cold and wet, and constant stress over the last month that got us down.

Here's something else that made me grin today:

There are the rosettes coming to life again in this planter of asters.  It's time to get out to loppers and cut off all that dead growth here and in the garden, in fact, past time.  It will all have to wait another week, though, as I am not going to go too fast and have a relapse.

Here are my two sweet little helpers waiting for me at the gate this afternoon after I carried feed into the henyard.  The starlings had wiped out the little henhouse.  The odd thing is, there was plenty of feed outside, but I have those seven birds who DON'T go outside.  Even Silka, my buff silkie hen, no longer goes out.  The starlings were in the big henhouse, too... they had fouled the waterer but had not eaten all the food... we have noticed this for the past week.  Maybe.... maybe the worst is over!

Do you believe this?

On Wednesday, as I came home from work early and staggered, literally staggered through chores.... I upended the nest box that has been sitting on a cement block in the center of the big henhouse. Under it, where you can just see in this picture, there is an empty space, formed by the two boards that are the framework for the nest.  On the cement block was a nest full of baby mice that had just "haired" out... they were woolies, instead of pinkies.  I set the box back over the nest carefully, and then freaked out, I mean FREAKED out that their mama could not get back into where they were.

In fact, I worried all night, and despite the fact I was barely able to crawl out of bed the next day, dragged back out there and found one baby in the dirt at the side of the block.  I lifted it up and put it back with it's brothers and sisters.  Finally, I was so worried, I went back out one more time, and lifted the nest box back up, set it down on the dirt... and went away, letting Mama Mouse have her way.  Yes, by Friday, they were UNDER the box on the floor.  They also doubled in size in two days.

I lifted the box up this afternoon to check them, and there they were.

Hopefully they will be old enough by tomorrow or Monday, and I can put the box back up on the cement block again, where the little hens have easier access to it.

Don't start about vermin in the henhouse... how aware of it I am!

I read a blog tonight about a lady who has just started raising chickens... she is determined to keep vermin out of her henhouse.  Folks, I don't know despite 15 years of keeping chickens, how this can be arranged.

Totally gratuitous picture of Bessie, Queen of the Recliner:

How lucky we were that this sweet little girl came into our lives.  She is very undemanding, completely housebroken (Abby and Gertie!) and though not cuddly, likes to be near us.  She has not replaced our little Hannah, but filled a hole left in our hearts three weeks ago.