The Lights Are Going Out

Friends, thank you all for your kind comments about our loss of Abby. 

It happened so fast our heads are still spinning, and the vet himself was 

totally shocked. 

We did have some good news over the weekend. 

These guys: 

Roosters One, Two and Three... and the little girl Black Tail... were the last chickens 

at Calamity Acres.  You see them here just before Keith and I caught them on Sunday. 

We were so blessed to find a good home for them, and did not have to put them down, which 

I was dreading.  The roosters were born at our home... and had lived their whole lives there. 

They will adjust... and I'm so glad they are alive and well. 

The yard was full of clover that smelled so sweet, I just wanted to stand and smell it. 

Our big girl now has the whole toy basket to herself... and as you can see... is taking advantage of it! 

Swallows have re-built their nest above the door.  

Troy cut part of the pasture yesterday... you can see how high it was.  Lilly went down for a minute, then came back up. 

Lilly snarfed around outside while I cleaned the old henhouse for the last time.  I had cleaned the majority of it two weeks ago... so this was an easy hour's work.  

Yes, I left the full waterer and the feed that was left over... Troy took the two cans of feed I had left for the new owners... the mice have to have something to eat, and for the next two months at least, I'll be going out every few days. 

The waterer in the new henhouse was filled, too. 

These two gross looking pictures are the bottom of one of the whiskey barrels that 

sat in front of our deck at the old place.  I am emptying them out, and I'm going to bring 

them here... I can't afford to go out and just buy more of them.  There are four in the hoop house that I am 

going to empty, too. 

And guess what?  The dirt is coming HERE with me. 

Saving where ever I can. 

Someone watched from the cool grass under the maple tree. 

Tomorrow I have to wait for the garage door repairman, so we won't go out early in the morning, the best time to do this hard work. 

The alliums have finally begun blooming, as the iris are slowly finishing their show. 

How glorious they were this year! 

I show you this somewhat blurry picture that was taken a year ago tomorrow... see the lighter green of the caryopteris bush in the back?  And the lush dark green of the big buddleia on the left of the picture? 

This year. 

The two buddleias, and the one in the south bed, died during the hard winter.  

The caryopteris can't be seen in this picture really, but only about half of it is viable.  They all need to be taken out. 

And this, perturbed look on her face and all, is my little sister Kathleen, in our very last picture together... taken April 4, 2012... Kathleen died two years ago today, the 27th. 

We had had a good visit that day... but she was on the downhill run already.  

She had wanted to go back into her bed in the den... and Bob, her husband said 

"Kathleen, sit down and get your picture taken! "

Hence, the perturbed look.

I'm sorry, Little Sis!  

I miss her so much... but I know she is waiting for us.