The Dog/Chicken/Duck/Sheep Days of Summer

Whew, still hot here in Leavenworth County, Kansas. 

Yesterday's heat index for Tonganoxie was 108, and that's not a mis-type. 

I know, I was out in it. 

When it's that hot, I do pool water frequently, and put ice water bottles in the 

chicken water. 

Everyone is getting along fine, unlike the heat wave in July, which killed a hen. 

I did lose my rotating fan in the big hen spa, it quit rotating, and now has 

bitten the dust.  I'll get another tomorrow. 

I saw a small fan yesterday, that blew a LOT of air, I think I am 

going to get it and put it on some kind of small table. 

Since I posted last... we have a new member of our family!

Meet Fritzi!

Fritzi came from Bonner Animal Rescue (Bonner Springs, Kansas). 

I have been following them on FB, and they have had numerous puppies lately... but I knew 

starting over with a puppy would be very hard on me and the poultry. 

Then, one morning, a happy little face came up! 

I met her on Wednesday the 31st, and she got to come home 

with Jester and me for a two week trial run on the 1st.  

Tomorrow, her trial is up.... and I believe she is a keeper. 

The cuteness quotient has gone way over on the scale, and Jester likes her, too. 

Her first mama passed away, so I hope we have some special years together, she is nine years old, and was obviously treated wonderfully.  Yes, we are all on diets together! 

That couch used to be Jester's domain, he doesn't sleep on it any more. 

Uh huh. 

This is Singleton, the rooster born here last year from Biddy, named that because it was the only egg that hatched.  He has always been a gentle rooster.  

A coyote got about six hens this summer in the pasture, and eight of Singleton's hens went to 

live at the National Agricultural Center and left only two in what has become the Duck House (old hen house).  Those two hens were killed... Singleton was attacked on a Friday.  He seemed okay but for loss of his feathers.... no open wounds... but he went to the rafters and would not come down.  Fritzi's foster's husband was kind enough to help me get him down. 

I talked to Judy Shelton at the Ag Hall, and she agreed he could be reunited with his girls. 

It saved him, I am convinced of it.  He had not eaten or drank in four days when I let him out of the carrier there. 

Reunited, and it feels so good.  Oddly enough, he  has lost his crow. 

This little flock will be at the Ag Hall until October 19, when they will come home to the Duck House for the winter. 

The ducks are doing well.  Duckie literally takes them to the Duck House at night if 

I don't go out and move them. 

He's a smart drake!

Last week, I made taco roll ups for the shelter.  I had my doubts about them... the recipe was in this month's Taste of Home... and I DID leave out the salsa called for in the mix, I believe it would have been way too wet to roll.  However.... I dried the taco meat out as best I could, used all the other ingredients, and rolled them as tightly as I could.  My GOSH, they were good (I might taste-test once in a while).  I'll find out tomorrow how they went over when I take this week's barbecue chicken, I took salsa to dip them in... and a bowl of taco meat in case people wanted taco salad instead (along with salsa, cheese, and tortilla chips).  I am going to make these for my family, they were so yummy. 

We have been doing a lot of this, but last Friday was the last day.  Paiton and Jax started school today. 

The pool was actually open this week, but the kids will be in school until three. We had a great time going to the Bonner Springs Aquatic Park this summer. 

Yep, they are still here.  

Our little pasture friend, full of chicken. 

No, I don't kill them, friends, they were here first. 

If you have read this blog for many years, you know that I fed in the winter, keeping dog food in the pasture for the wildings.  There is cat food in the feeder at night, but I don't think this coyote can get it. 

No hens are going in the pasture now because.....

ten days ago, I shut the gates of the way too expensive fence I put up in March. 

Everyone is kept on the south side of the yard now, they have an acre to run around in. 

The only problem is, the hens are laying eggs in the heavy weeds of the old garden bed, I am 

getting only about six or seven a day. 

I will buy them for the shelter tomorrow. 

No hens on the porch means no poop on the porch all day long, no flies, etc. etc.. 

I should have done it six months ago. 

This horrible, horrible thistle was growing up in the sheep pen fenceline, and 

I was determined to get rid of it.  I was told by two friends to burn it where it stood. 

When I was kid, I set our terrace on fire, and it had to be put out.  My uncle, a fire chief in Kansas City, Kansas, read me the riot act, IN UNIFORM in his fire car.... I became so scared 

of fire that for years I could not even light the trash.  I am still scared of it.  

So, burning was scaring me to death, and the fact is, one of these horrid things was in the corner, with three wood posts around it. 

So, today, I went to Home Depot. 

I bought a long-handled lopper, and got my pitchfork.  I also got leather palmed gloves. 

I did not try to lift anything with my hands, I forked them into my cart. 

I hauled them over to the fire pit, and forked them in. I'll let them dry out a few days, and then ask my neighbor Troy to help me light them, he is a fireman and can show me the safe way. 

There is a hose within reach. 

Thank God I did not try to burn. She had burrowed under one of the thistles along the fence line to lay her eggs, and yes, friends, she was alive. 

 Now I will be worried about the babies, of course. 

Tomorrow, I am taking loppers, fork and cart, and going to work on the out-of-control wild rose bush that took over one of my garden beds while Keith was dying. 

A few of the flowers are still looking good, and I am going to have two mixed boxes like this, next year.  You can see my garden bed borders, all grown up so high with weeds because I could not walk hardly for almost three months.  I have been released from physical therapy for my torn tendon as of last Saturday, and I am so thankful. 

Slowly, but surely, I am getting things caught up. 

Fritzi is a destroyer, and has been tearing Jester's toys up.  This is one of his two favorite bears, the other bit the dust.  I am hoping this one doesn't.  I did buy her four new toys at the thrift store on Saturday, two are already gone. 

This wonderful image came up in my Facebook feed last week.  Lilly loved swimming in Troy and Kathy's pond.  After we moved back in 2017, she was too infirm to make it all the way over into their back yard, and was never able to swim again.  How she loved it! 

No, we haven't forgotten her, we filled the hole she left with Fritzi!