The Great Emptiness

Friends, 

It's very hard for me to write the following post.  I could not post yesterday, I felt too wretched. 

It was a beautiful day out today, and I have been trying to see the positive side of things.  I also have been reading your comments two days later... and thank you all for making me see there is a positive side. 

This was the full moon setting yesterday morning, I stepped out on the porch to take this in the western sky. 

And turned around to take this in the eastern. 

But the day actually dawned gray and dreary. 

Things went on as normal in the goatyard. 

But the chickens knew something was up. 

I did not let them out. 

It wasn't until 4 PM that my friends from northwest Missouri came to get them. 

I had to go outside, I could not watch the catching and carrying across the yard to the cages. 

I was getting sicker and sicker. 

They took from the old and the new henhouses.  

They took three of the ducks, Aflac, Donald and Cinnamon, and would have taken the other two girls if there had been room on the truck or in a cage. 

I was having a VERY bad time, so I was glad to see them pull out of the driveway for their one hundred mile drive back in the open back of the stacked truck. 

I didn't sleep. 

Stupid, I know. 

I tried to take pictures of the goats this morning... but I had treats and you see it wasn't working. 

Yesterday's eggs. (and five more were laid in the cages on the ride home to Northwest Missouri) 

Abby and I found a duck nest covered with straw in the 4 x 4 pen in the old henyard. 

I'll put these eggs down in the pasture tonight for the wildings. 

Fawni and Spicey had a treat tonight... and for some reason, they are not using their swimming pool... maybe because Donald is gone now. 

However... more about them in a minute. 

At one PM, the Tates and the Langfords pulled up. 

Friends, I want to tell you... I couldn't have picked kinder people to take my beloved goats. 

And granddaughter Hailey Grace is truly the chicken whisperer... they took another ten chickens, and 3 roosters, for which I am eternally grateful.  They took the Mille Fleurs, and Hailey was able to catch almost all of them without my netting them. 

This weekend, when I go to get my big vari kennel (because Delilah was in theirs, behind these two you see above)... I am going to take Fawni and Spicey to live with them.  

The little girls and Kelly and Mama Delilah were confused and bewildered by the fact that they had to wait in their kennels while we caught the chickens.... and I have to admit to you that their crying and screaming to me as they went down the road tore my heart up. 

Here are Moe and April, so very bonded, with Moe outside the fence.  I finally let everyone (left) loose this afternoon. 

Three minutes later, literally. 

Seven minutes later, after I had dragged the Attacker into the house, and had run back out to pick up the dead rooster. 

As if I haven't had enough to worry about these last two days. 

Today's egg count. 

That's a duck egg, and a bantam egg, the only banties left are two old girls, 

and the two porcelain girls... and Fluffernut. a year old cute little girl that I can't believe no one wanted. 

There are only two big egg layers left... Henrietta and Buffy, the Polish girl. 

There is one little tiny white bantam, a blacktail Japanese in the old henhouse, that 

I have not seen in two days, she and the three old roosters are hiding in the ceiling, where we can't see them. 

The events of the last two days have upset everyone. 

I need to rehome the porcelain older rooster and hen, she is still laying, so I am hoping to move them as a pair.  We have probably six roosters that will have to be put down when we do get moved, unless I can find (beg) someone to take them. 

I am so used to the goats calling to me when I come out on the porch... it seems so odd not to hear them. 

I am going to take the duck eggs and the game camera down to the bottom of the pasture and leave them for the wildings, and see if we catch anything on camera. 

Tomorrow, Nathan and Chris and Chris's girlfriend Haleigh are going to come from Garnett to 

help move boxes on Friday, as we get ever closer to the move.  They are the first of family seeing the new house, so we will take some pictures while they are carrying boxes.  We hope to move quite a few during the day, and I'll run them back down on Saturday. 

Thanks again, friends, for all your kind comments.  It's been a hard week for me.