The Peace of the Weekend

When I was still working full time, our weekends were made up of errands, errands, errands, and maybe some fun included.  Church, of course.  

It seems my life is just as busy now, in retirement, but.... I can hang around here and 

enjoy the peace and quiet when I need to decompress. 

Today has been that kind of day. 

I went to church last night, we have switched now to a 4 PM Saturday service 

since the advent of daylight savings time ending.  It gets us out just as 

the darkest is descending, and I rushed home to lock the hens up, 

because, as we all  know, the raccoons are coming EARLY. 

Here is our beautiful little Maci Lynn, my great-granddaughter 

born a month ago.   She is a beautiful baby and her mother 

Madison is doing a great job of caring for her.  This little bassinet is so 

clever, it rocks itself and plays nursery rhymes. 

Yesterday was our last regular day of the season at the Ag Hall. 

I was able to leave at noon but I was too late for the Veterans Day parade 

in Leavenworth... though I stopped at the cemetery and saw 

Keith and the men and women buried alongside him (Leavenworth National 

Cemetery).  It rained lightly the entire afternoon, and the Ag Hall shut down 

early, so the afternoon lady at the desk was able to leave.  

As you see, Jester did not even want to get up this morning, even though it was 

42 degrees out. 

Harlequin was waiting for me in the old henhouse this morning, waiting for her breakfast.  

I did not see Spooky, I usually see both of them. 

When Chris is here next, I am going to have him bed down the goat barn, in case the kittens want to sleep in there this winter, because I believe the old henhouse is going to be used for HENS 

at that point. 

I found Her Highness on the loveseat in my bedroom this morning.  In fact, I picked her up and cuddled her on the bed and we took a short little nap. 

Some one else told me on Friday that she looks like a baby possum. 

Not sure what it was about Friday night, but the leaves began dropping like hotcakes from the big maple by the deck.  The deck is now covered and so is the yard behind it. 

The million bells plant in the washtub is STILL blooming, as is one of my mums, a bright yellow one. 

I am slowly putting away the deck furniture, Chris can help with that, too. 

I also have met the FIRST hens I have ever had who are not interested in 

eating pumpkins.  I will probably take these over to my friend Diane when I am finished, because hers ARE. 

I LOVE crows. 

There are three here in the morning, waiting for me to put birdseed out. 

Somewhere I have some pictures I took the other night of raccoons on that feeder, so I am 

trying not to put too much out in the afternoons.  

I do post on Facebook, but more often on Instagram, under my own name. 

I think Jester and Twinkle are going to have their own page, soon. 

There is a dark junco behind them, as you see, waiting to come in and eat. 

I noticed that the crows are back at the Ag, too... and one was studiously ignoring me when I was there at noon, waiting to eat some dropped seed. 

I just went to the door to let Lilly in. 

This is Lil, sitting on the step before the door. 

What is remarkable is that there are four crows, the chickens and her sworn enemy, a squirrel, either on, in or around the feeder. 

She was 12 in July.  She did go outside last night at about 8, and ran (sort of) straight for the old henhouse, the one where the kittens eat and the raccoons visit. 

I am loath to let her tangle with a raccoon.  

Then I heard barking, a lot of it, and Jester became agitated and jumped up and down off the sofa, at the window.  I went to the door with my bright, bright spotlight, and there were two young coons on the feeder.  However, I called Lil in and she came immediately.  I think even she realizes she is 

not up to it.  I will call the vet in the morning and get her in this week to find out what is going on. 

I took this through the door window.  If I open the door, they all take off.  The fourth crow had gone to the left.  

This is a brown Leghorn, pronounced "Leggern".  I literally can't open the door 

without everyone coming to see what's up. 

I mean, up close and personal. 

GO LAY AN EGG!!!  (I got three today) 

This is a baby raccoon that I caught the other night right at dusk in the seed feeder.  Lilly was out, but did not see it.  That is not sunlight to the left of the baby, that is Troy's driveway light on, it was already almost dark.  This little guy/girl let me get pretty close to take a picture, (after I gently called Lilly in) and before I got to the house, he/she had gone up the maple tree.  I am not leaving seed out that late now.  

Any pumpkins or squash I DO break up here will be in the pasture, not the yard. 

Speaking of late afternoon chores, it's 3:27 and I have work to do in the kitchen. 

I hope everyone has had a good weekend, and thanks for all your wonderful comments. 

I have kind of a surprise I've been keeping hidden that I will be ready to show you all tomorrow night. 

Thanks to all my veteran friends for your service, I appreciate the one percent of you all giving, even though many do not. 

Wherein I See My Favorite Tree

Somewhere in the bedroom, I hear a sleepy Jester on the loveseat snoring. 

(my letter S won't capitalize!) 

It's the most peaceful sound, the late afternoon sun coming through the windows in the bedroom, and the gentle snoring. 

Twinkle was in here a few minutes ago, and climbed up my leg so many 

times that my leg now feels raw.  She plays all the time, until she is just so 

pooped out, that she can't. 

I have had four days in the last week when I got only 1 to 2 eggs from the 17 hens. 

They are in the middle of a heavy moult.  I am going to start fermenting some 

grain this evening in a small bucket, and serve them fermented grain for a few days 

to get some extra protein in them so they can grow some new feathers. 

I'm taking it to the Ag Hall, too. 

(note what looks like hay in the nest box) 

Two weeks ago, I ordered seven bales of straw. 

Yesterday, I opened my hay shed door, and the sun was shining down on the "straw". 

Am I wrong, or do three of those bales look suspiciously like hay?  The first one I opened 

appeared to be hay.  I don't like to use hay in my chicken house, because it's bad for the hens in a closed space.  One winter we were forced to use hay, there was a huge lack of straw.  

The feed store from whom I bought is very reputable, I should have just called and asked if they got the order wrong.  

Despite it, I will still use them. 

I prefer to use religious cards at Christmas, but I had to buy these when 

I saw them at Marshall's. 

So. Glad. When. She. Poops. Out. 

I literally can't open the door without the hoards coming to see what I'm doing. 

There's Harlequin in the old henhouse yesterday, watching me get her breakfast ready.  

Yesterday, we had our annual volunteer luncheon at the Ag Hall .  We had a wonderful potluck meal, with barbecued meats provided by the 

Ag.  

It was good to see everyone, because even though we are all there a lot, we don't get to all see each other all the time.  It was fun catching up with everyone.  Judy, on the left in the buffalo plaid, is 

the person who is keeping the ag going right now.  Marsha, in the brown striped sweater, is our volunteer coordinator.   Some of the men in this picture are there three days a week as volunteers taking care of the inside and outside, doing repairs to buildings, etc.. We could not operate without them. 

Our two youngest volunteers were modeling the reindeer headdresses for Santa's Express, which is coming up the first two weekends of December.  Local friends it is FREE.  You can see Santa and take as many pictures as you want... ride the train... do make and take crafts in the General Store, and have cookies and hot chocolate in the barn.  

We do accept donations, but YES IT IS FREE thanks to a wonderful sponsor.  Hours are 10 AM to 3 PM, both the first and second Saturdays and Sundays of December. 

These two have been coming to the Ag with their grandparents since they were crawling... what would we do without them? 

and this... THIS, is one reason I moved back. 

Every year I waited for this, it is on the dam between the two deep 

ponds at the bottom of my pasture and the Spehar's land. 

I looked for it for weeks, but did not realize a tree overgrown in my pasture was blocking the view. 

I got out of the car yesterday, and the angle at the top of the drive revealed it in all it's glory.  I 

started crying.  

It was like a huge welcome back for me. 

And now, I'm going to go out and see if there are more than two or three eggs!