First Week Under Our Belts

The first week of 2023 is safely past.... and all is well.  

I noticed Friday that there are buds on the maple tree! 

I have had so many small and large branches come off this tree during the fall that I am going to have it assessed when the tree eaters come to take down the saplings in the pasture. 

It's been cold, but not so cold that Bullseye spent hours doing this.  He is outside almost all the time. 

I was under the weather this week, necessitating a trip to the doctor and meds, but am on the mend.  I just took it a little easier. Bully was glad to help me stay in one place. 

Zoey was glad to sleep late several mornings. 

And I found Alien, the feral who has been coming and going, in the garage one morning. 

I have a theory... I think he lives around here and just stops by to eat, because he is in good flesh, and he disappeared entirely during the terrible weather at Christmas. 

I thought it would be interesting to look back at the end of the year from years past. 

12/31/17 had a full moon, just like this week's.  

(ours this week came a few nights after). 

On 12/31/18, I still had Donald and at least two Duckingtons.  How I miss them!  I miss ducks! 

On 12/31/19, I saved this picture of two big raccoons on my porch. I am not longer leaving food out on the porch to put a stop to this.  The skunk's suffering last week led me to believe it is better for the wildings not to become dependent. 

On 12/31/2020, my beautiful Rusty was still coming here daily and nightly.  He has moved over the road to my friend's house, but has now disappeared from there.  What a beauty he was, but truly feral, even though he was  raised by me as a kitten. 

Last year on the 31st, I posted pictures of the wonderful train in the front yard of one of our National Agricultural Center volunteers... this was his labor of love.  Sadly, he was not able to display his train, the Seven Dwarf passengers, and the Grinch sneaking up on them this year.  I was privileged to see it. 

This is what the feeding area looked like on January 2, last year. 

And this year! 

Speaking of crows... 

These guys came down to eat sunflower seed yesterday, and I took their pictures through my front door.  The funny thing is, I can go out and take pictures of them, they actually don't fly unless I get within six feet.  They are such beautiful birds.

Mama and Cleo are beauties, too.  The shop is staying nice and toasty for them, since I put plastic across the door opening and put two small heaters in there.  

Teenie also sleeps in there, but spends hours outside daily. 

Granddaughter Paiton and her bestie got a late Christmas gift from me of a short day camp and ride at a local stable.  She was so glad to be back in the saddle again, even if it was a Western saddle.  They had a blast in the chilly temps that day. 

(I rode Western and English for many years... Paiton had two years of English lessons, not a slam) 

That's about the wildest thing I have seen in the shop this week.  I only have seen one raccoon in there, one time.  The water bowl has only been dirty once.  As the day gets warmer, I will have to change it daily. 

I hope we have many more beautiful sunsets this year. 

Happy New Year! 

 

 

 

A Long Week and a Long Day

I admit it, the heat has been brutal. 

The dogs are in most of the time in this heat. 

Jester, on top of it, had a bad bout of pancreatitus this past 

ten days.  We visited our dogtor, and he got some medicinal help. 

The deck plants were struggling, I literally water them 

several times a day.  I probably will not plant a dahlia in  

a container again, (dark plant with yellow flowers) as it 

must be kept wet constantly or it droops into nothingness. 

Oddly, the green container behind it, with ornamental peppers and 

lantana, is thriving on the heat. 

More of them next year. 

The zinnia beds were looking decent until the last three days, which is odd, 

because we had a drop in temps and some rain for a short time, yesterday. 

They are full of weeds.  Remember that I put bird net on top of them 

when I planted, to keep the chickens out.  BIG mistake, and one I won't 

repeat.  It kept me from weeding as they grew... and now it's a mess.  

I won't use netting again. 

The sunflowers were volunteers in the back bed. 

I have ONE vegetable, a tomato, growing in a container on the deck. 

I cut the bottom brown branches off of it yesterday, and I have picked one 

tomato, that had blossom end rot.  This is a Big Girl, and should be much 

bigger.  I would call the tomatoes bigger than cherry size, but they are not big. 

Probably my last tomatoes, and I used to grow many plants. 

Two nights ago, I unhooked the mower from it's cart, and took it to 

the small garage to put it in for the night, in case it rained. 

I found this. 

They do what they want to around here, obviously. 

Case in point. 

Note stink eye. 

Same bird as previous picture. 

Here are my beautiful babies as I filled the pools the other day. 

Remember that I lost one about ten days ago, disappeared without a trace. 

Last night, I lost a second.  

I still think it's an owl, because I don't see how a raccoon could 

carry a 3/4 grown duck OVER the six foot fence without it losing a feather. 

I found nothing. 

I have felt awful all day, it was the female Cayuga I had raised from 

a day old duckling. 

So, they are four. 

I had a camera in the hen yard, and FORGOT TO TURN IT ON.

The grass has pretty much stopped growing, and I am going to try to 

catch the owner of the sheep to see what he intends to do.... I have them 

grazing in the yard at the moment, at risk to my gardens. 

Hay will be expensive this year, we have had so little rain. 

I want to talk for a moment about something serious, because I usually 

don't address anything seriously on the blog. 

It sucks being widowed.  In some ways, it's better, because it 

was horrible seeing Keith fading, and knowing there was no way to stop it. 

But, if I am tired, I still have to take the trash out to the road. 

If something needs fixing, I have to fix it or find someone to do so. 

Those someones are NEVER dependable... I found someone recently to 

do some things here and well paid the person... and have never seen or 

heard from him again.  This is typical, I'm sorry to say. 

I am not complaining, this is life.  It's just that sometimes, I want to 

go out to the pasture and scream for a while. 

Some things still bring a smile.  Granddaughter Paiton is loving her riding lessons, 

and we look forward to them every Monday. 

The outside of a horse IS good for the inside of a little girl, still, 

in this day and age. 

Happiness... and Sadness, Too

I took the above video on the first, and posted it to 

Instagram and Facebook, saying that "It was scenes like 

this that make me happy", Biddy and her contented little family, 

and the other chickens scratching underneath the feeding area. 

Yesterday morning, I came out to find the two tiny babies alone, 

pecking the ground outside the hen yard, which is locked up at night. 

Biddy spent one night in the doghouse in the henyard, and then took the 

babies back to her original hidden nest below the little hen 

house. 

She was gone.  What I feared most was the babies disappearing, 

and was trying to be brave and let nature take it's course, because 

I don't need any more chickens here. 

Instead, good mama Biddy was taken. 

I found only feathers. 

Later in the day, I found this, under the maple tree:

Sorry for the gross picture.  It's Biddy's head and neck. 

I believe it was either a raccoon who went under the little hen house to get her... 

or an owl, who swooped down when she came out early in the morning. 

I have a camera on the hen house now, and will fence around the back and sides so 

that no one else is encouraged to lay or even go under there. 

I caught one chick early, and the other got away.  Some of you will understand what 

that did to me... we were in the upper nineties, again, and over 100 heat index.  I worried myself sick 

all day, and assumed the other chick would die and I would have ONE tiny chick in a brooder alone. 

Last night, the chick followed a hen out of the hen yard, and I was able to come up behind it and net it. 

They are both safe in the brooder now, but every time I open the door for food and 

water, one flies out, so.... I have to shut the pophole, and both doors, to be safe. 

I have a large enough water fount that I should only have to do it morning and 

evening. 

Here is a look at the Gold Comets and some of the Black Stars.  They are doing VERY well in the little hen house. 

This morning, little cockerel Singleton crowed for the first time, and I am going to try to 

get a short video of it today.  You will laugh. 

The two Cochin pullets have feathered out nicely. 

Granddaughter Paiton took her lesson horse, Ice, 

clear around the arena this week in her lesson.   She is learning to 

master posting, and two of the young girls helping at the barn this summer took her 

under their wings, and spent time teaching her how to untack and brush down her 

horse, and to clean and re-hang the tack in the tack room.  It was better for them 

to show her, hands on, than the coach just talking through everything while she did it. 

Paiton is very calm around the horses.  

Grandma loves watching her. 

This has been Jester, these last few days.  It is just so 

stinking hot out, and smush-faced dogs do not belong out in it. 

Once in a while, they HAVE to get out. 

Lilly laid on the deck for a while in the heat of the day, yesterday. 

I don't let her stay out but for a few minutes, either. 

Not sure what these are, I got them for a dollar, but the 

variety is Indian Summer.  Going to look them up, as I love them. 

The picture does not do them justice.  

I have more straw being delivered on Friday, and am going to put some more 

on the garden beds. 

This lamb was one of the last two to come here, about 8 weeks ago, She and her partner 

are still scared to death of me, though they come a little closer every day. 

She's a pretty little thing. 

The stuff on her nose is loose minerals, I bought a bag for them this week, and they have all 

been licking them. 

I went out to do morning chores and found destruction on the deck. 

DARN chickens!  They did it quietly, too, after I had watered yesterday. 

I had to run to Walmart for something this morning and got some 

six packs on sale for a dollar, so will replant them after I dry out. 

Yes, it's that hot. 

The buns around here eat as well as the rest of us. 

They can be found at the foot of the maple (where I leave seed for them and the squirrels) 

and at the foot of the bird feeding station, morning and evening.  I have never seen so many as this year... but I credit that to the fact Lilly can no longer chase them. 

Everyone, friend and furriends, have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

At Long Last

Yes, I'm still alive, as are Jester and Lilly! 

My last post was August 8th, and I have intended to post EVERY day since then. 

Best laid plans.  

I moved on September 12.  For once, I had movers do the actual move, but it was not the final move.  My grandson Chris and I were so exhausted, we fell asleep in the deck chairs while the three young men moved the things in. 

They tore the freshly painted front door up, but at that point, I was so tired I didn't care. 

It can be fixed later, and I think I am going to have a steel door put on, I am still deciding. 

Here is how my kitchen looked two days before.  

I ended up having to buy a new refrigerator and the stove still had to be moved 

in from the porch, where it sat all covered up all summer. 

Of course, I got busy planting a few things right away. 

My living room is cozy.  

In the big house, I had taken over a bedroom to use as my tv room. 
I loved the coziness of it, rather than being spread out in the living room. 
Remember that that house is 3000 square feet (nearly) and this one is 
1000.  I am NOT cramming it full like I did when Keith was alive and we lived here. 
Do you see the blinds on the window in this picture?  They look like grass cloth, they are from Bali.... I paid 1/4 of what I paid for the honeycomb blinds in the big house, and I love them.  I bought them through Home Depot.  I still had 3 windows to cover... so while these were installed, the installer measured for the other three, and they are coming on Friday afternoon this week. 

Now, a word about the floors.  I have an area rug in the living room, one in the spare bedroom, and one in my bedroom.  I am going to put a larger one in the kitchen area, but I am waiting for the right one.  

One thing I have learned since Keith died is patience.  I look out the windows from my kitchen table, and I think "my gosh, I have GOT to clear those fencelines".  In the old days, I would have been driving Keith nuts to start.  You know what?  In everything there really IS a season.  The fencelines will get done.  The young man who has cut grass for me all summer and I spoke yesterday, and he is going to commence chopping saplings to the ground in about two weeks.  He is going to go slowly and do some every month.  

The garden that was mowed down in August came back (along with the weeds).  Brandon is going to pull out three of the four long beds, we will leave ONLY the shrubs in them.  I am transplanting what flowers were in them.  Then I'll have only one 25 foot long bed to dig and re-do, plus the two 
shorter ten foot beds on the ends. 
I am going to take pictures of all this this afternoon, so it will seem clear to you.  

I am keeping the veg beds, though two must be emptied and completely rebuilt. 
I may re-erect the hoop house, I loved it... and I still have the basic structure, buried in weeds. 

My two beautiful boarders from the summer have gone home. 
I feel I need to explain something here.  I have always loved horses, and 
have had both large and minis in the past.  

I was able to go between these two during the summer, and turn them 
into the yard at night to graze... with no problems, but I was extremely careful, always aware that one kick would do it to me.  

The day their owner came to load them was a rodeo.  The mare, in the back ground here, went nuts when I lead her out to the yard.  She will not load.  She reared over and over, and I am talking about above my head, like the westerns.  She got loose twice, and the second time I had had wrapped the lead around my hand without thinking... I was lucky not to lose my little finger, which is still sore.  
Her owner tied her to my gate I just had fixed this summer... and she proceeded to break her halter and bend the gate.  (It has been fixed) 

The gelding, 17 hands... got into the trailer with us pulling a rope around his hindquarters, and when the mare broke loose, she launched herself at him and we slammed the gate of the trailer.  
It was not fun, and dangerous, to boot. 

I realized I am NOT going to have untrained horses of any size here again.  Paiton, my little granddaughter, wants a horse... we are going to do riding lessons and see how far we get... because in the future, I would buy her a horse IF the interest is there and we had a secure place to keep one.  (Her dad and I are studying that). 

It was suggested to me that I get 3 or 4 ewes, and put them in the goat barn.  
You see, the horses did a great job keeping the pasture down for me, and sheep would 
do even better.  I am looking at hair sheep, it is difficult here to get sheep sheered unless you 
have a number of them.  I am going to work on this during the winter, and plan for spring. (No,Keith, I am not rushing out and buying the sheep... infrastructure, first)  

The girls are loving it.  It makes me feel so good to see them out in the yard. 
They put themselves to bed at dark, and I go out at a commercial and 
count heads on the roost... then lock up for the night.  They are all 
moulting like crazy, and I am NOT getting 17 eggs a day... but I am getting enough to 
donate, and that's what it's about for me.  I am even thinking of building up numbers next
spring, but things have to be right to do that. 

I have filled in the gaps here, I'll show them to you tomorrow. 
How I wish Keith and I had made a conversation area on the deck he built. 
We loved to talk to each other, and usually did it on the porch. 
We could have enjoyed this deck, grandson Chris and I sure have. 

I don't decorate as much as I used to for Halloween... but I love the minimal stuff I have done. 

Before we moved, Lilly went for rides twice a day to 
shut the chickens up or let them out.  Last week, she rode back and forth across the yard with me as I moved boxes from the shed.
We had a little scare a few months ago, but she is so happy... she spends almost all day outside, into the evening.  She is allowed access to the pasture in the day, but not night... and she likes to go down and sniff around (another reason I'm glad the horses are gone).  
Jester I keep a little closer tabs on. 

This is my beautiful granddaughter, Madison, last 
Tuesday. 

And this is my son, Jim, with Maddie's little baby girl, 
Maci Lynn, born last Thursday, the newest member of our family! 

Maddie is turning into an awesome mom, and she and Maci live with my son and her mom, Amy. 

On Friday last week, I ran up to Iowa to see a good friend with some china I wanted to give her.

Here is Deb Long with Petey, her guard donkey. 

Petey is guarding 4 goats and some ducks. 

Here is Deb in their comfortable new house... in the country... and Maggie, Stella Rose, and Angus (Gussie). 

I had the most wonderful evening, we went to eat in Keosauqua and walk around the grounds where Octoberfest was to be held the next day.  However, the weather was threatening, and it did, indeed, storm badly during the night, so I left the next morning at 9.  It was such a good short trip, though, we talked til late and ate breakfast together in the morning.  I met Deb and Butch's neighbors, Kenneth and Janet, and we had a good visit with them, too.  I'll plan on staying a couple of nights the next time, but you know what?  My wandering days are over.  I love my home... I love my "place"... my pets.... I am happy here. 

I did not come home alone.  

As of yet, unnamed.  

I have another surprise coming this weekend, you will all laugh. 

Yesterday was one year since Keith has passed away. 

I went to the cemetery, as I often do, to talk to him. 
He did not want me to move back here, he felt it was way too much work. 

I am being smarter than I was in the old days. 

I explained to him I am hiring things done now... and not trying to do
everything myself, yesterday. 

I miss him, but my life has gone on, now, and I am so very happy. 
Sometimes I pinch myself to be sure it is really me, really living here again and doing what I want to do. 

They had newly sodded his section since I was there two weeks ago, and the stones are up on the three rows behind him now, so it took a minute to find him.  I had to laugh and tell him I had lost him.... but there he was... waiting. 

So, summer has faded to fall. 
For me, the happiest time of the year.  

I'll unpack those big cameras and take some pictures for you this afternoon! 

(and to the very kind reader who wrote me wondering what had happened... thanks so much for reading my humble blog, nine years old now.  I have made so many good friends through this blog, and I'm honored you read it.  I'll be more regular from now on!)