Back of my Neck Dirty, Gritty

HOT today, don't know what it got up to, but very hot and humid.  When I got home from the grands house, I started in on chores.  It was painful to cut the grass, which has now gone dormant and actually crunches beneath your feet.  The cracks in the ground I pictured here ten days ago are wider, and I'm very worried.

As you can see, the llamas are not comfortable either.  They were to be sheared on May 16, now nearly a month ago.  That day my sister had a crisis, and the shearing was cancelled.  We have decided now to rehome our llama friends, and a wonderful couple from Northeast Missouri who already have two llamas and a herd of goats have expressed interest in them.  We are praying that they are able to come pick them up in the next week as planned, and Inca, Aztec and Tony will be happy in their new home with their new llama and goat friends.  As you can see, Inca is not happy with her little pool, and is still looking for her big pool from last year which sprang a leak.  We were helped in this endeavor by Southeast Llama Rescue, who put us together with this lovely couple.

Drum roll, please!

Here it is... the little coop built by my neighbor Kathy for the porcelain and mille chicks.

That's Troy taking a picture from the other side.

And here it is from the front.  I should have measured it to get the dimensions... it has a box for shelter with a roost in it... and then a little porch.

And with the door up. 

By the way, Troy backed up to the henyard fence, and he and Kathy literally manhandled the coop over the fence.  They then carried the shingled roof in and attached it. This coop was made from pallets that Kathy deconstructs, and some odds and ends of old lumber and plywood laying around, and some shingles Troy had for the roof.  It was $150.00 of the best money I've spent this year!  Is she talented or WHAT?

Keith and I are going to build a simple fence around it this week. 

What I am planning to use it for is a shelter for the almost nine week old chicks, the porcelains from Heartland Hatchery and the home breds from our bedroom.  They are still inside the henhouse in a trough, and it's time for them to get out, too.  Once they are fully grown, they will be integrated with the little henhouse flock.

Here is Bluey on the left, and He Who Has No Name (now called Dandy) on the right, who live in the little henyard.  Bluey would like to have some chicks, so she may be living with the D'uccles for a few weeks to help them get started.  Bluey is one of the last purebred Silkies I still have. 

Totally gratuitous picture of our two Granddogs, Jester, whom you've seen before, and Shiner, the newest Granddog, in the background sleeping in his crate. 

I just spent the last 24 hours with these two, and it was one of the few times they settled down long enough to get their pictures taken!

Have a good start to your week from all of us here at

Calamity Acres!