Weirdness and a Birthday Boy

About four or five months ago, I evicted the Three Elvi from the little red henhouse on stilts, where they were the last of it's occupants.  We had had a full flock of mostly bantams in there for five years, but it was time to close it up.  We melded the birds that were left with the old henhouse flock. 

Because I'm nuts that way, I have been filling a waterer once a week and putting in there for....

the mice. 

Yes, it's true. 

Shake your heads. 

However, these last few weeks, I have notice something happening in there, and the other night really creeped me out. 

The dirt in there is made up of straw that has decomposed, feed that has decomposed, and chicken poop.  (decomposed)

It is about 4 inches thick.  As you can see, what I thought was just moist "soil" started growing around the two low bricks I sat the waterer on.  (that's a roost in front of them).  The black area began to grow. 

It is not moist... it is HARD, and all stuck together.  It's quite.... creepy. 

And when I reached over the roost and pulled the waterer out... 

it was full of things that looked like leeches!  I did not get a picture of them... I was so taken aback that I shook them onto the ground.  I emptied out the waterer and did not refill it and put it back. 

Now I'm scared to open the door to see what's going ON in there! 

Ugh!

The clouds that night were beautiful... red sky at night, sailor's delight. 

What we see when we look out the door now. 

They love to lay on the doorstep when they are in the yard, which is a good part of each day.  

I saw their breeder Cindy at church this morning, and she said she missed them nibbling at her clothes as they followed her around on chores... and that they were in the house for the first month of their lives.  No wonder I am having to carry them outside so much! 

Kelly was there too, just to the left. 

Okay,  I am not sure if these are "Kansas" or "Collective Farm Woman".  I had my good clothes on when I went out there. 

I'll make sure tomorrow.  They had all turned yellow, and, as a rabbit or something had gotten into two of the cantaloupes, I figured I had better pick these even though small. 

Honeydews!

And sweet ones, too! 

I'll grow these again next year, though maybe not in the same kind of bed.  

And this is where we spent most of our afternoon... little grandson Jace turned two years old today.  He's tasting the icing on his little cake... and there was a veritable tower of cupcakes for the family to enjoy. 

We had lovely snacky "gameday" foods, and spent a couple of hours enjoying watching the kids. 

The cousins tooling around the yard. 

Welcome, Autumn!