A Close Call and a Disaster Averted

Well, here's Charles, fixing our pump situation this morning. 

That's the new yard hydrant in the hole. 

Do you think he had enough help? 

Neighbor Troy came over to help Charles... as Keith can't pound any more.  They drove a steel t-pole in behind the hydrant.  

Now... look in the first picture, please.  Note the junction box on the wall just to the right of Charles? 

Good. 

None of us noted it. 

See the wires in the picture above, about where Charles is zip tying the standpipe to the t pole? 

He hit those with his shovel, and it split the shovel scoop an inch down.  It's a 220 line. 

Thank God he was not electrocuted. 

He had to dig 3 feet past the line to get to the buried water line.  Of course, they shut all the electricity off to the outbuildings, though we did not lose it in the house. 

Scared us all to death. 

Stupidity, we admit it. 

So, we called another fireman (okay, Troy called him) and waited for him to hook us back up. 

Charles and I and Troy buried the water line up to the level of the electric line. 

Both Charles and Brian, the electrician, are on our volunteer fire department, as is Troy. 

You note that the hydrant is now on the outside of the chicken house porch, Beau's old stall. 

We couldn't figure out how to get the old hydrant out, so Keith decided we would put it on the outside. 

As it happened... they got the old one out, and if we had put it in the same place, we may have missed the line. 

Oh, well.  Maybe not. 

A lesson learned, and thank the Lord, not a severe lesson. 

I tell you these things, friends, so that you don't do as we did.  Never before have we dug without a locate. 

While we were working, they were playing.  I had gone in and gathered up all the feed, inside and outside. 

I finally put them back in their pen. 

I left to go to church at 4 PM... and the electrician was on his way. 

I got home at 5:15 to this... it was as if it had never happened!  Brian had gotten here, done the splice, and shoveled the rest of the dirt in before I ever left church. 

What a relief to have it all fixed.  I have carried buckets from the house, or lifted buckets in and out of the Duck Pond Express all week, so it's a blessing, let me tell you.  The ducks were happy, before I even fixed dinner, I filled their pool. 

And here was our beautiful moon as I was coming in tonight. 

I found something on Pinterest as I was doing this post... it takes a while for the pictures to load and of course, I look at Pinterest while waiting sometimes. 

I thought it was very apropos: 

There was no citation with it. 

I thought it was good advice going into the next ten days. 

I'm thankful, believe me! 

Thanks Charles, Brian, Troy and Keith! 

Catching Up on Sunday Night

This picture is of the south end of our pasture this morning. 

It had become a terrible mess of vines and weeds. 

You could not walk into it at all, the plants were seven feet tall in places. 

Where you see the REALLY tall plants here is right against the south fence of the little henyard.  I'm telling you, it was a jungle. 

Here's why... neighbor Troy came over and knocked down the high stuff for us! 

He ran out of gas in the old tractor... and it was iffy if she was going to start again... so he was willing her to start in this picture! 

She DID start and he was able to drive her home down the road. 

We are so grateful to him for knocking down all the hiding places. 

It got hot today... and frozen jugs came out.  There are frozen bottles in the waterers, too. 

I have a steady supply out in the freezer for the next few days that will be in the low to mid 90's. 

The outside water wasn't forgotten, either... the jug keeps it very, very cool! 

Rooster Two hung out with Mary in the cool corner by the duck pool. 

While Rooster One and his little pal Teeny Two hung out in the dust of the cool little henyard. 

While their brother Rooster Three couldn't find any hen who would give him the time of day. 

I had some chore help. 

They love the lineup of shrubs right here, and always have to stop to have a bite. 

But I finally got them over to their pen, until they heard the tractor coming down the drive.  Yes, the feeder is still used for naps! 

Here's the Grillmeister, getting our steak cooked.  Yes, I say "steak" because we share one now, and always have leftovers to cut up for the dogs.  I remember a day not so long ago when we each would have eaten a steak.  Now we eat appreciably a lot less. 

It was delicious by the way, with corn on the cob and some German potato salad. 

As of today, I am Officially Watering.  I let the hose run on "mist" in several of the beds, and Keith aired my tires up in the little tractor cart, so I can bucket the water from the duck pond easily.  The ground is now very dry, and we are expecting little rain this week.  I noticed the small vernal ponds are drying up again... but Kathy and Troy's pond has come up to it's pre-drought level. 

Tomorrow, I'll start moving the hose around from bed to bed, giving everything a soak every few days. 

I have to be careful that we don't run the well down, and burn the pump out, so I water, then turn it off for a while to give the pump time to build back up. 

So worth it. 

Betty Davis eyes.  

Back of my Neck Dirty, Gritty

HOT today, don't know what it got up to, but very hot and humid.  When I got home from the grands house, I started in on chores.  It was painful to cut the grass, which has now gone dormant and actually crunches beneath your feet.  The cracks in the ground I pictured here ten days ago are wider, and I'm very worried.

As you can see, the llamas are not comfortable either.  They were to be sheared on May 16, now nearly a month ago.  That day my sister had a crisis, and the shearing was cancelled.  We have decided now to rehome our llama friends, and a wonderful couple from Northeast Missouri who already have two llamas and a herd of goats have expressed interest in them.  We are praying that they are able to come pick them up in the next week as planned, and Inca, Aztec and Tony will be happy in their new home with their new llama and goat friends.  As you can see, Inca is not happy with her little pool, and is still looking for her big pool from last year which sprang a leak.  We were helped in this endeavor by Southeast Llama Rescue, who put us together with this lovely couple.

Drum roll, please!

Here it is... the little coop built by my neighbor Kathy for the porcelain and mille chicks.

That's Troy taking a picture from the other side.

And here it is from the front.  I should have measured it to get the dimensions... it has a box for shelter with a roost in it... and then a little porch.

And with the door up. 

By the way, Troy backed up to the henyard fence, and he and Kathy literally manhandled the coop over the fence.  They then carried the shingled roof in and attached it. This coop was made from pallets that Kathy deconstructs, and some odds and ends of old lumber and plywood laying around, and some shingles Troy had for the roof.  It was $150.00 of the best money I've spent this year!  Is she talented or WHAT?

Keith and I are going to build a simple fence around it this week. 

What I am planning to use it for is a shelter for the almost nine week old chicks, the porcelains from Heartland Hatchery and the home breds from our bedroom.  They are still inside the henhouse in a trough, and it's time for them to get out, too.  Once they are fully grown, they will be integrated with the little henhouse flock.

Here is Bluey on the left, and He Who Has No Name (now called Dandy) on the right, who live in the little henyard.  Bluey would like to have some chicks, so she may be living with the D'uccles for a few weeks to help them get started.  Bluey is one of the last purebred Silkies I still have. 

Totally gratuitous picture of our two Granddogs, Jester, whom you've seen before, and Shiner, the newest Granddog, in the background sleeping in his crate. 

I just spent the last 24 hours with these two, and it was one of the few times they settled down long enough to get their pictures taken!

Have a good start to your week from all of us here at

Calamity Acres!  

Setting the Bar High

Neighbor Troy cut grass tonight.  March 13th.

I have traditionally not cut until Easter afternoon, after church and dinner.

I'm going to have to do it this week!

Another Trip Story

There are some nights that you just can't get to the computer, and last night was one of them.  I know you all have them, I've seen your places, large and small, and know the work that goes into keeping them running.  Some days I just can't get to the computer before it's time to fall into bed.

Here are some more pictures from our trip on Monday:

Here is "Big Oak", carved out of a .....BIG OAK.... by sculptor Peter Toth.  He is standing in front of the

Doniphan County Courthouse in Troy, Kansas.

Here he is up close and personal:

The courthouse behind him is very beautfiul and old, but I wonder how the judges in their cramped courtrooms and the clerks in their small offices feel about the beauty of it all.

Beautiful rolling glacial hills of northeast Kansas.

St. Benedict's Abby, on the grounds of Benedictine College in Atchison.

I could tell you this is the sunset of a beautiful day, but it's actually facing east, and is yesterday morning's sunRISE!