A Beautiful Weekend

No wonder my suet is disappearing so fast! 

And finally, someone is eating the nyger seed. 

That was a fresh cake of suet yesterday morning... 

The hairy woodpecker had a corner left tonight. 

I'll be getting more tomorrow. 

We had highs in the 70s this weekend, and tomorrow night, 

we are expecting heavy storms, then a precipitous drop to 

very cold temps again. 

I haven't planted very many jonquils before... but those that I did 

plant are up and blooming! 

The dogs were glorying in the good weather. 

Both of them! 

Last summer, the henspa yard became terribly overgrown. The canvas cover was still 

hanging at that point.  Everything that the chickens had eaten... sunflower seeds (treats) 

milo, etc. had taken root in the rich soil that I had built up in layers of henhouse cleanings. 

It was hard to even get in the gate, and after a while, I quit 

trying.  You can barely see the porch on the side, with the ramp 

going down into the yard. 

Fast forward to yesterday.  Look at what 

11 of these birds have done to clean up the yard!

(Rooster Cogburn does not get to go out yet). 

You not only can see the porch, you can see and use the ramp again. 

I have been forcing everyone to come inside to drink... but yesterday 

I broke down and put a bucket of water out... and they all flocked to it. 

Rooster Blooey, seen coming out from under the deck, 

is one bird I have not seen inside in the last two weeks.
I haven't been able to catch him, I'd like to put him inside and let 

Rooster Cogburn out for a few days with the ladies. 

Even on the two days last week that we had rain, I did not 

seem him come in, but instead he went under the henhouse. 

I'm praying he comes in during the storms.  

As you see, the red wing hordes are still going after the seed. 

I'm feeding for one more month... until fresh natural food is available. 

This is about the sum total of hawks I have seen in the last few days, except for 

one whose back I got a picture of.  The one above was in the middle of a 

field... they are just all scarce right now. 

I think probably love is in the air. 

Here I am two years ago yesterday, getting eggs from the 

little red henhouse. 

It is so fun for me to look back and see what I was doing on different days.  Yes, as 

you see, the old henyards became a morass.  We had had a lot of snow 

that winter... a lot... and it had been bitterly cold.  I think the jeans I have 

on in this picture are the ones I have on today, and they are very threadbare.  

I don't miss having to crawl into the little red henhouse to get eggs, I 

admit it. 

I AM going to have to crawl in to spray for wasps... no chickens have been 

in there for two years and the wasps nest have taken over... 

I'm scared of wasps and I have to go in that yard to clean it out.  

I end with another picture from that night... there's Keith 

carrying little Bessie up from the yard.  She was a little 

dog who lived in a wild area about a mile from us... and my 

former daughter-in-law saw her and picked her up one evening. 

She is still alive, blind, but lives next door with Kathy and Troy to 

this day.  She is a sweet little girl. 

Keith was still in good health at this point, 

and you can tell was feeling good. 

It's so good to look back!