A Sunny Thursday

Friends, 

I'm having trouble getting packed. 

Grandson Chris and I walked around looking at the outbuildings today, and 

I have to admit to you I got overwhelmed and had to come in. 

It's a very sunny, pretty day... but mud everywhere outside. 

We did get some work done out in the gardens. 

We are aiming for May, the first weekend, for a farm sale... 

so maybe I need to get past the move first, rehome some of the 

animals, and then cope with the outbuildings. 

We know the contents of one (entire contents) 

are going to the new house.  

The others... we need to winnow out good from bad. 

In the meantime, Chris did do some things on the list

that need to be done before the move. 

Five years ago, Keith spent a Thanksgiving Day hanging lights for me while I cooked.  I had 

always dreamed of having Christmas lights on my house, and never had. 

Keith worked in the cold all afternoon to outline porch and deck.  

We used them that year and the following year, and then they became swings for the 

baby swallows born on our porch.  

Chris did me a huge favor by taking it all down and removing the holders this morning, because 

they have wicked little nails in them. 

He is also able to do things that Keith and I can no longer do.  He pulled the shadecloth closer 

to the henspa, and secured it.  Now maybe the three or four chickens  that have been escaping daily will stay in until they go to new homes.  It's a miracle Lil hasn't caught one of them. 

He also got up on the scaffold I was trying to climb on when I fell on Friday... and stapled poultry wire 

over the opening in the eaves of the old henhouse that the starlings were coming in and out of. 

Some will still come through the pophole, but if you go out there and yell 

"Starlings"... 8 or 10 of them come flying out the hole in the eaves. 

It's blocked now. 

Kind of like barring the barn door after the cows got out. 

When we went over to work in the henspa... we decided to leave Abby on the yard side of the door.  We didn't want her underfoot while we worked.  Imagine our surprise when we looked down to see this.  We must not have closed the door the whole way, and she had come through the coop to find us. 

When Chris finished tying the shadecloth up... we went inside to find this scene. 

Abby had all of them mesmerized with her steely eye. 

Guess who saved the bacon? 

Mama, the white chicken on the right!  She challenged Abby... she is the quintessential Mother Hen, and 

holds the little hens safe under her wings at night. 

She doesn't lay anymore, but she is one of them going with us. 

Our dear Lilly Ann.  This is the only home she has ever known. 

She is slowing down now... she will be nine years old this summer. 

She is still a raving beauty. 

We did do some work in the garden, cutting down the scraggly dead limbs of plants. 

I began to prune the buddleias... and stopped.  I have trouble using the pruners now, and 

I realized that someone else can prune them after me, next year. 

Chris gathered up all the cuttings and we put them in the fire pit for 

Keith to burn next week some time. 

You see we had a helper here, too... our helper was really glad to be outside today. 

I'm going to stop here and go try to force myself to pack another box before chore time. 

Wish me luck! 

Addendum:  3:08 PM 

I forgot to tell you all that I am 

going to be gone now these next three days to the 

family reunion.  

There will not be another post until Sunday afternoon, 

when we return. 

We'll be leaving Calamity Acres in Chris's safe hands 

until then.