Monday Night Hatch

Here's Keith, resilient as ever, with three of his girls tonight in the drive, just before we left to eat some dinner at the new Mexican restaurant in Tonganoxie.

Can you see the pip in the egg on the right?  When we got home from the restaurant, four of the eggs had pipped.  We are still one day away, technically, from the 21st day.  The instructions said to fill the water well in the middle, and put a paper towel down.  I did splash a little water in it when I moved the incubator from the bedroom to the sideboard in the kitchen.  I realized the cheeping was going to get to me for a day.  I am hoping all seven chicks hatch between today and tomorrow, and then they'll go out with the others as soon as they are fluffed up.

Chai Chai, at Homestead...from Scratch, has the same incubator, and told me that she pulled the first four of her chicks that hatched because it did not seem like there was enough space in the incubator for all seven, but when Keith and I pulled the egg turner this morning (we thought we had another day), we realized that all seven eggs had chicks in them.  I did not candle part way through.

I'm hoping they can all squeeze in until they are all hatched, and in the future, I'll only put three eggs at a time in there.

And here, folks, is Keith's latest harvest from the vegetable garden:

I told Keith he had picked these radishes just right... he has always loved radishes, and he got these when they were still young and sweet, instead of old and tangy.  He is changing his diet to eat fresher, unsalted food, including lots of veggies and fruits, so was glad he picked these for his daytime snacks tomorrow. In fact, we spoke with the manager of the restaurant tonight, and he told us their "unsalted" tortillas are made daily, as well as the salsa and the queso blanco.  We were glad to hear that, as Keith has given up salted chips. 

Who Can Explain It?

Yep.  That's the hen I was convinced was dying last night.  What the heck do I know?

Maybe she just wanted to sleep out in the fresh air for a night.  Too bad it stormed for hours.  She was safe in the hutch behind her in this picture, though... and the food fortex was in there, too.

Here's her exact opposite in the little henyard, the "dying" hen is white with black speckles, and this one is black with white.

We're making progress on the big new section of bed.  We still have to add about ten bags of Max-Mix to it, next weekend.  That's a Nanho Purple buddleia in the distance (and a fine large one)...and Anabelle Hyndrangea, in the middle, and a Clethra close up... Sweetspire.  Oh, and Lilly dug up part of my sedum, so I moved some down to this bed, closest to the camera.  Keith watered them in and gave them a shot of Jump Shot to get them going and stimulate their roots.  We'll also be spreading mulch once the rest of the MaxMix is down.

I'm getting older, and am learning to rely on shrubs to fill in and be a back drop.  I also learned last year not to plant them too close to the back fence... so these are spaced out in the middle of the bed. 

There are nine hens pictured in this very muddy henyard this evening.  The tenth is actually there, she is the blue speck behind the middle of the big hens.  There are two Naughty Girls (mille fleurs)... three Welsummers, a Gold Penciled Rock, Bitty, who is the blue headed part silkie in the background, and the two big hens bought a month ago, a black and a white.  I got FOUR Eggs, two big and two little from this henhouse today, and have only been getting two or three little ones.  The Welsummers have just about quit laying, and they are a year old on March 12, so fourteen months old.  I can't tell if I have gotten one from Rockette lately, frankly.. but I have gotten a big white one several times, so I know one of the two old girls is laying.  To say I am disappointed with the Welsummers is an understatement, I have always wanted to have some, and these girls are just not doing it for me.  That's Brutus, the Welsummer rooster, to the right, with Rocky, the Rock rooster in the background.  These two boys are BIG.. and therein may lie the problem.  You can see Rockette is still missing most of the feathers on her back.  Remember, there are two little hens inside, and the little rooster with no name.  Still... production MUST pick up. 

(Oh yes, I'm so strict.  I could literally pick up the phone and call my friend at the goat dairy right now, and tomorrow there would be a truck at the door to pick up every chicken I wanted to get rid of.  I'm carrying a lot of pensioners at this point). 

I've had bad news about my baby sister today, and some decisions will be made in the next few days by her hurting husband as to what is going to happen next for her.  Please say a prayer tonight for Kathleen, and that the decisions made will be the best for her in her fight against abdominal cancer.

Flowers for Leontien

Some of you may have noticed posts on this blog from Leontien Vandelaar, who used to read blogs regularly and would often comment on them.  I have not seen many from her lately... she has been stricken with cancer and her fight is mighty.  This weekend, people from all over blogland are posting Flowers for Leontien, coordinated by A Rural Journal, and we, too would like to post some flowers for Leontien, who is battling cancer as my sister Kathleen is. 

So here, for you, dear Leontien, is a flower to remember Calamity Acres by:

We are adding you to our prayer list... and pray for your recovery.

Saturday Not and NOT for Fighting!

Pooped tonight, I have cut almost the entire yard... pasture tomorrow...and done errands, worked a short time in the garden, regular daily chores.... my friends at work laugh at all this.  They don't understand that by doing these things, we ward off old age and stay active.

So here we are back at the start of the year again, and look what's peeping tonight in the big henhouse...

Here is the current setup for baby chicks.  It's a Rubbermaid tub...with a snake guard on the top.  It's up on two cement blocks to make it a little easier to get into... as last year they were flat on the floor of the shop, and I did a lot of bending.  I don't expect these babies to spend the whole six weeks in this tub... last year I had to separate them at about 4 weeks... but there is just room to put the other tub next to it if I move the feed barrels.  The snake guard is to keep rats and mice out, too... and just as we put the light on, the big snake who has been hanging out in the henhouse slithered under the white cabinet to the right.  I especially don't want to come out in the morning and find him full of my babies.

There are six Porcelain D'uccle chicks (straight run, of course) and an assortment of Red Sex Links, Black Sex Links and Cinnamon Queen pullets.  Yes, I went for the egg layers.  The nurseryman threw in three extras, I went for fifteen and came home with eighteen. He had some very nice Ameracaunas, but was selling them straight run, and I just have too many roosters as it is.

I'm hoping the eggs from the incubator in our bedroom (!) hatch in 4 days as they are programmed to, and we'll move them to this tub, too. 

Here's a sad note...This morning I found this old girl laying in the straw inside the big henhouse.  I watched her as I did morning chores, and realized she is likely not going to be alive tomorrow.  I noticed during the day that she did go out in the pasture with the others... I was very surprised at that....but tonight, as I did the waterers...I saw her out of the corner of my eye in the dim light of the little hutch I used for the juveniles last year.

I left her in there... she chose that spot, and I figured she knew best.  The hens like to hang out in this little hutch during the day when the sun is high, and some lay under it on the cool earth.  The turkeys will even crowd in here.  I put the food fortex in there in case of rain (there is a tarp over this pen) and shut the gate so she wouldn't be bothered after the last of her sisters went in.

You can see from her faded face she is pretty old... and I suspect older than the four or five years I was told after I bought this group... and MUCH older than the 18 months I was told initially. This is the third of the sixteen hens to die.

Here are Sherman and Grant tonight...as you see, their poor feathers are still very tattered, they came to us in this condition.  They can get to the top of the doghouse in the henyard, but they cannot get to the top of the little henhouse, where Jackson roosts at night, though they would like to.  I'm hoping their feathers will grow back in, and they will be able to join their "brother". They remain very gentle birds, and big gallumping "tweens" when they see me in the pasture and think I have a treat... it's the Charge of the Turkey Brigade!

Yes, we still have llamas!  Here's Tony on the dirt hill, watching Kathy in her back yard where she was planting flowers around a bench she put by the pond last weekend.

Here are farmdogs Gertie and Bessie, on fence patrol.

I took Bess to the vet this morning, and a guest vet was standing in for our good Dr. Tom.  He took a good look at Bess's eyes, and unfortunately, she has extremely little vision, as we thought. We are about to start another round of eye drops, as we did with Hannah Jean for so long... in hopes that we can give Bessie a few more months of happiness on the farm.  Right now she can just see to go out in the yard, and wander around, but we watch her walk into things regularly.. and know the vision is going.  Hannah only rarely felt grass under her feet, as she was frightened of leaving her "world"... the house, porch and deck.  We want Bessie to enjoy things while she can. She has a mammary tumor, as well... and we have never seen her come into heat, but we suspect that the eyes were the cause of her being dumped.

And on the good news front... Keith is out of the hospital and home, thank heavens.  He has a new regimen of medicine to take, and must change his eating habits, but I can help him do that... and we'll take it one step at a time.  He is still very, very sore from the fall... and unable to do much around here for the time being, but at least is on the mend, thank goodness!



And Again....

Uh huh.

These two are mother and daughter, Silka, on the left, is one of my last two purebred Silkies. 

I had already gotten the eggs out from under them, but they're determined.  No one gets to hatch this spring, I'm afraid.

I had something else to show you, but after four tries, I cannot get the picture to load... it looks like another Hughesnet problem.

I'll try again tomorrow night!

Mr. Wrong Way Corrigan

Jackson is the most confused turkey.  He bullies everyone else, but instead of coming in and out of the access gate everyone else uses, he constantly goes all the way around the pen and then chirps by the gate we call the "yard gate" because it is closest to the yard access.  Tonight after going up to the Vets Hospital, and rushing to get home before dark, I found him laying there in the dim light, waiting for me to open the gate so he could go back in with his "brothers".

So I got into the big henhouse pen, and looked around for Grant and Sherman.  Sherman I saw right away, he came to me in the darkness, and he and Jackson were so glad to get into the little henhouse pen, where they roost at night.

I looked around and could not see General Grant anywhere, then I heard a chirp.  I let the two boys in and closed the gate, and then shut all the popholes and went around to the front of the big henhouse and flipped the light.  There was Grant, looking around like a little kid... first time he had been in there, and he followed the hens right in.  I went ahead and left him in there, I don't think he can figure out how to get up on the roosts, so he will probably sleep on the ramp tonight, with mice running all over him.  Jake and Helen used to roost daily in the big henhouse, but Jake actually killed three hens coming down from roosting in the morning... so that's not the solution here.

It will be okay for the night, though, and then I'll get to watch him try to get out through the pophole in the morning!

A Glimmer of Beauty

Sulphers (?) on some salvia blooming today.  There must have been forty on the plant... so beautiful!

Please say a prayer for my wondeful husband and daddy to all the creatures here at Calamity Acres... he's a patient at the Eisenhower Center for the next few days trying to get some high blood pressure problems sorted out... we miss him already!

Scenes from Leavenworth

Here are some pictures from the beautiful old installation at the Eisenhower Vets Hospital...we went out for a few minutes today while waiting to see Keith's doctor... sent down to get something to eat and come back... so we went for a short ride around the facility.

This old building has not been restored yet... it is close to the hospital.  In the eighteen hundreds when this facility was built, this huge old homes were used as residences by the doctors assigned there.

This building, which is literally just to the left of the one in the previous picture, is used as a conference center.  It was the home of a governor of Kansas at one time.

This is the Catholic/Protestant chapel, that has been featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not... one faith worships upstairs, and the other downstairs... see the window? 

Thousands of veterans have lived here on this installation.. indigent veterans with no where else to go.  There is a row of domiciliary buildings, and you can see on the left in this picture what most looked like.  The old porches are rotting now, and the buildings stand empty, though some will be re-purposed. There is a newer domicilary building, just north of the hospital. 

There is also a small lake, and a row of beautiful old residences around it that housed doctors in the old days... these are all rental units now, and it is a beautiful, park-like, quiet place to live... but no pets are allowed.

Click on this photo to make it bigger, and you will see in the very center in the distance the rows of crosses in the National Cemetary at Leavenworth.  There is one on post, nearly full, and this beautiful one next to the grounds of the Eisenhower Center. Keith and I hope to rest here in the (hopefully) distant future.

I hope you enjoyed your tour!

Monday Morning

First off, Keith was released from the ER on Saturday night, and sent home with a shoulder strain and various bumps and bruises, so we were very, very lucky and his guardian angel was really looking out for him.  I shudder to think what would have happened if his head had connected with the building on the way down. 

We're off to the Eisenhower Vets Hospital this morning to get the shoulder checked again, as he says he can feel and hear something clicking in there.  We'll have some idea today what's going on, and when his limited use will return to normal.

I tried to post last night over the course of about 3 hours, but Google would not open... was it just us or did everyone experience that?  I have NEVER had Google not open before.

The kids went home yesterday, and Hayleigh (yes, I've been spelling her name wrong!) and Chris are moving into a tiny apartment that a friend had been renting.  Chris's mom and I carried some household things for them in our cars, so we met at the apartment when we got to Garnett. 

They found that their friend had not cleaned before moving, so they pitched in to get it ready.

Yes, they have their work cut out for them. 

And yes, Chris's mom and I worry. Probably too much.  

This was taken in the doghouse pasture pen yesterday afternoon.  This little silky cross has bad feet, and I notice she is walking less and less.  She can kind of hobble along, but spends most of her days laying down.  I put her near the food and water so she could eat and drink, but I think, unfortunately, that she will have to be put down.  I have had more trouble with the silky crosses than any other chickens here, or that I have raised.  Their nails tend to grow long and curved, they stop walking so much, and it leads to more foot trouble.  Though I clipped her a week ago, I think she still cannot get along very well.  I absolutely hate having to loose a sweet little hen for this reason. I re-bedded this doghouse last night, but got 11 eggs out of there before I did, and the dogs got those for breakfast this morning, cooked up in the skillet. 

Once we get finished with our doctor dealings today, I'm going to plant some cutting flower seeds in the new flower bed.  We want to get some things growing in there before any weed seeds try to get started... and I have some nice seeds to plant...zinnia, love-lies-bleeding, marigolds, and about four different kinds of sunflower.  It will eventually be another perennial bed, but for now, I'll be glad to have some annual flowers to cut this summer.

This is a view of the bed we started last year.  I need to clean some more weeds out of it, and pour a couple of bags of mulch in it.  As you see, the perennials that did get put in it did well over the mild winter we had.  Soon it will grow up to look like bed one. 

More later today, after we have been to the VA to find out what's going on inside Keith's shoulder.

A Big Weekend

We started out with a birthday this weekend.

Game Stop, what else?

Chris turned 21.

It was a gorgeous day today, and the kids got to work in the yard.  Nathan worked on re-attaching poultry wire to the pasture/yard fence, so none of the chickens could walk through into Lilly's mouth.

Chris and girlfriend Hayley worked on the garden bed after Chris did weed-eating and fencing chores.

This was done the same way as the north end and the original bed, first landscape paper, then leaves, straw, max-mix, which is a dirt.... and we'll use planting soil when we plant the flowers.

The first bed, looking good now that Hayley and Chris helped me get the saplings and grass out of it.  Yes, we still have some grass to remove, but the majority is out.  I can't dig the way the young ones can any more!

The outside romaine lettuce is doing okay:

But can't compare to the romaine in the hoop house:

Everything in there is doing very well, and the lack of wind blowing the plants back and forth really helps.  Of course, we haven't had 100 degree temps yet, either.  I have told Keith we may have to have shade fabric over the hoop.

So then, they commenced to doing this, using the scaffolding Keith got on Craigslist last month.  Keith was teaching as they went along.

An hour later, after Chris had gone in to eat taco salad, Keith went up the scaffolding alone to work.  I went next door to see my neighbor's newest garden creations, and while we were talking, we heard a loud metallic sound of metal on metal.  Yes, the scaffolding fell, and Keith with it.  That's why I'm posting at 12:53 AM on Sunday.  We have been at the emergency room at St. John's in Leavenworth for about five hours, and they have finally sent my very blessed husband home with a sprained shoulder and admonishment to have himself checked over again on Monday, and no driving for a few days.   He was unconscious when we got to him... or eyes opened, but stunned, and does not remember anything about the fall.  He can only remember "waking up" in the ambulance and wondering where they were going.

Needless to say, he won't be finishing the roof.

I had my own run-in today, with a branch hanging that I thought was a vine... I drove right into it on the tractor, tore my shirt open across my side, and gave myself a good abrasion, so I am about to follow Keith to bed with an Aleve in me, and since I went to church earlier this evening, I'll be sleeping in a little later in the morning, but thanking God that Keith is still around to wake up!

My Apologies

I tried to post last night, but HughesNet was not cooperative.  I'm going to do one tonight in hopes that it will actually post.

Here is what we are going to be working on tomorrow:

Here is the south bed, the balance of which we never got covered last year.  Where you see the siding down is a patch of nasty nettles that burn you.  We are trying to kill them without using poison.  Tomorrow we are laying paper all around (landscape paper) and then layering straw, max mix (the bags of which you see there) which is a sort of woody mulchy dirt, and also some shredded paper I brought home from work that will be wetted and mixed in.  The light colored (tan) mound you see in the distance is the start of an open compost heap, with cleanings from the henhouses.  The grass you see in the picture will all be pulled out, and you can just see where the first half of the bed ended, with straw in the left hand front of the bed. 

Here are some beautiful white irises blooming in the first bed... and, as you see, there are TONS of little saplings that must come out tomorrow, and tons of grass that I am going to have to have Chris dig up for me.

Here is the big bed of yellows and purples that I moved from the yard last year.  In fact, they were intertwined with the nettle bed... and were heck to dig up.  They have rewarded us beautifully!

That's Abby doing her business, sorry about that!

My chief Mousers!

Wordless Wednesday

Almost, that is. 

9:30 PM, and she's still out there, lest the squirrel get away.  That's gonna be one mighty hungry squirrel!

I'll catch her in the morning to give it a chance to come down and get away!

Bits and Pieces

This afternoon, I was able to leave the office a little early so I could go sit with my sister until her husband got back from an all day meeting.  I found her sitting up in her hospital bed, in a caftan, and able to speak clearly and lucidly... what a blessing!  She was in some discomfort, but we had a good conversation about "the old days" and I was grateful for this nice time with her.  Her home health care nurse has told her he cannot explain why her bloodwork is staying so even, because when she was sent home at the end of February, beginning of March, we thought it would be just a short time before hospice was needed.  I'm so grateful for this extra time, and her lucidity.  Those of you who have had terminal family members will know what I mean. 

I hope if I ever get the bad news she received two short years ago that I'll be able to react with as much grace as she has. (and fight!)

Here's a homestead tip from General Sherman (aka Sherm or Sherman) about the right way to carry a waterer.  Most of us... including Keith and I... carry the waterer by it's bale, on the top (on the left).  The proper way to carry them is separated, and by the comfortable handle on the inside of the can.  I can't tell you how many bales I've broken in the last 20 years carrying a heavy waterer.  Not pleasant in the cold of winter, let me tell you!

Sherman and Grant have stopped fighting, by the way.  The red turkey, however, is pretty dominant and going after the hens and roosters in the little henyard.  All three boys spent the day in the pasture, but I think I may have to move the red out completely for sure. 

I have had but one egg in the little henhouse this week, and tonight, found something as I got home that I wish I had waited to take a picture of before disposing of it.  It was a shell-less egg, held together only by the membrane, and was laid by Rockette, the gold laced Rock. I should be getting at least

four a day from there, with the four big girls who have just turned one year old, and several little eggs from the smaller birds. 

I am not sure if it's the turkeys, or the three new hens in there that has thrown everyone off. I had something else odd last night (and didn't get a picture)... one of the "new" old hens in the little henyard (there are three)... shot yolk out her eggbed.  It landed on the ground, and Sherman scuttled to eat it up.  I followed her for a minute, and she calmly shot the rest of the yolk and the white out, and then bent to eat it.  I could see a small piece of shell sticking out.  I was able to pick her up, and she looked clean otherwise, but I kept her in the nursing cage all night, letting her back out this morning.  So tonight, I found her alone in the hutch in the four x four pen in the big henyard.  I forgot she had been in the little henyard and did not know where to go, and carried her around and put her in the big henhouse.  I'm sure she'll wake up in the morning as if she always lived there, but I am watching her.

The little hen crossing the middle of the yard, white with a black tail, was Teeny's only chick to survive the possum and hawk attacks from last summer. (This was taken on Sunday)

Tonight, here's how I found her when I got home:

Yes, she's gone.  Keith came out and put on plastic gloves and picked her up and we looked her over, and couldn't see  anything.  In fact, we weren't 100% sure it was Teeny's baby, because we had a six year old hen that looked about the same.  However, Teeny's baby has not looked good for at least three weeks.  When I would sit in the henyard at night, I would catch her in the 4 x 4 pen, her eyes closed, a little hunched up.  This is a sign of trouble, for you new chicken owners.

She was too young to lay, but it could have been almost anything.  We think she had been dead most of the day, and maybe fell dead from the rafters this morning, in fact. 

I tried to post last night for over an hour, but the internet would not cooperate.  I would have posted one of these:

That's Iris "Batik" beginning it's bloom season, one of my favorites.  I'm embarassed to show you the whole bed, since there are about 20 tree saplings growing in there.  Hopefully this weekend we'll be working in there while the boys are here helping us.

Pooped Out Sunday Night

Well, we made it through the weekend without severe damage from a storm, and I am very grateful for that.  Except for some chairs blowing off the porch, little damage was done.  We did have very strong winds all day, and tonight the temps dropped from seventies to fifties in the space of less than an hour. 

I had intended to plant a daylilly and two sets of swiss chard (Bright Lights) that I had stopped and bought after church, but gave up on that notion, as the wind would have sapped the life from them after I had them in the ground.  Instead, they are in the hoop house tonight, where they will be safe until we can plant them this week.  I only wish I had bought cabbage plants too, as Keith offered me one of his beds.  I have not planted swiss chard before, but I always admired Bright Lights, and I'm willing to give a shot at preparing it for dinner.   I am planning to divide a huge patch of monarda too, this week, and put some in the mirror bed across the arbor from the first.

Mountain bluets are blooming now... I almost bought some deep blue ones this afternoon.

Here is something else blooming now

The first of the irises.  The little birdbath flew into the flower bed during the winds last night, but it is back where it belongs... the birds use it regularly.

I have a bed literally chock full of irises I transplanted last year, they are the old-fashioned yellows and blues... but I love them anyway.  They are also swelling at the bud and about to bloom.  The flowers I bought from the Iris lady last spring did not do as well, I'm afraid.

I have more irises in the above bed that are also swelling.  As you can see, I need desperately to pull about twenty small tree seedlings, and right in the middle of the bed... beyond this camera view, there is a clump of grass that has already formed seedheads, so it's GOT to come out in the next day or two.

Keith, just before going to bed, informed me that the newsman said we have no appreciable rain coming in the next two weeks.  I'm sad to hear this, as we need it, and got very, very little last night.  Keith watered everything in the hoop house tonight, and his outside beds.  I'll wait til this terrible wind dies down to plant my new plants.

Gratuitous picture of April taken this afternoon... as she chattered to me.

I tried to upload some more videos tonight to You Tube, but Keith has reminded me (again) that in doing so, I use all our satellite bandwith.  I am going to see if I can save some to a stick and use a computer at the library (where they are on DSL) to upload.  I'll find out the rules this week, and if I can do so, I can take 30 minutes to upload some, and add them to the blog.  I have some amusing ones, and I think people would enjoy seeing them if I can ever get them to load.

Have a good start to your week!

(130 days to go, not that I'm still counting or anything).

A Very Tired Saturday Night

Whew.

I did this today.

I did not take it clear down to wood except around where the waterer was.... but I pulled out the old feed, starling poop, etc. etc. etc. and smoothed everything out.  Goodness, I had about four yard cart loads that I pulled across the yard to the compost area.  

Then, I rebedded with straw.  This is going to cause me a big problem... the hens are going to lay and I will not be able to see the eggs, so I foresee a lot of crawling in and out. 

These three backed into the farthest corner when I started putting the straw in.  I don't understand Silka's fear, she has been on straw most of her life.   The little rooster began to walk through it, clucking to the two girls though, after a few minutes.  I took a good look at him later... he has the worst case of scaly leg mite I've ever seen.  I'm going to crawl in there tomorrow and clean the roosts good, but they really don't use them much.  I have been treating him, and will continue to.  We've had good luck in the past with treating it. 

The Naughty Girls were like "Yeeha! Straw!" and went in and started moving it around.

Then I started the big henhouse, coop side.

I saved the feed room side for the kids next weekend.

Here's the feed room gang in the coop side... they never get to play ouside (though Reddy does go out sometimes, but then wants back in with Butch.  Even Butch went over to walk in the straw quietly, so that Rambo didn't hear and come in.  I sat and watched them for a while so they were safe, and then decided to bring some straw in for them.  I put it below the nursing cage (egg laying cage!) and they had a good time playing with it.

Keith tells me that next weekend will be roofing weekend for the new henhouse.  Once the roof is on, the rest of it will go pretty quickly.  We have received a bid from a company for chain link fence around it, and we'll tie-wrap chicken wire to it.

Finally, at 3, I went out side to do the llama trough and the outside pen.  This is how the sky looked:

This is to the west-northwest.  The clouds loomed large, it started blowing, and the cottonwoods on the side of Troy's pond started swaying.  I actually got a little scared when Rambo led all the hens back into the big henyard, and went into the henhouse.  You know we have been in the middle of a severe weather watch all day long.  Now, at 9:56 PM, I can hear thunder in the distance.  I have all the dogs in, and Keith has just laid down after checking his state blackberry all evening for storm events.  Tornados have been spotted numerous times this afternoon south of us, but the brunt of the storm is not to reach here until between midnight and 3 AM.  I have to admit I am very nervous, and will stay up for a while.  I went out to check the turkeys... they roost outside.  The red is on the roof of the little henhouse, and Sherman is on the doghouse in that pen... but Grant is separate from him still, because they tried to fight again through the fence today.  Grant is in the four x four pen in the big henyard, it is tarped and there is a hutch in there he can lumber up into if he needs to.  At least the tarp can shelter him a little.

After I took the cloudy picture, the bad clouds blew over and it cleared a little, so I jumped on the mower and cut grass for an hour.  Then I came in and showered, and Keith had fixed a wonderful Saturday night dinner of home-made sloppy joes.  It was delicious (I ate it in a bowl instead of a bun) and so good after the hard afternoon of work. 

I'm going to stay up for a while and check on the weather, and say a little prayer for all those souls who died a hundred years ago tonight on Titanic in the cold water of the North Atlantic.

Linking to Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday, on Saturday night!

(Still can't get the videos to load to YouTube... I need HELPPPPP)