A Sunny Sunday before the Weather Falls

Today was like a breath of fresh air... it WAS a breath of fresh air! 

Big Bird, Little Bird, and their nine girls got to come out of their hardpan pen with no grass left, into the nirvana of the pasture.  One hen had been flying over the fence daily... I finally took mercy on all of them. 

I had left their front door open several times so they could get out with all the other birds in the fenced area, but they never came out. 

Big Bird kept an eye on everyone, and I checked frequently.  I am aware there are eagles in the neighborhood. 

This one was on the comm tower across from my driveway on Wednesday morning.

She was looking the other way, into the wild area. 

For years, our big pen on the back of the old hen house had a gate to allow access into the pasture.  

I opened it every morning when I did chores. 

After Keith died, and I started keeping birds again,  I started finding dead hens in the pasture.  

Finally, one day, I saw a coyote waiting under a tree, watching the pen!  I stopped letting them out, and had the yard fenced in two, and the birds began to free range in the fenced area. 

Yes, I was a little worried this morning but because of the eagles, not coyotes. 

I have kept an eye on them all afternoon, and I won't let them out unless I am home. 

Mr. Floofy Ears has been under the weather again.  He has a narrowed trachea, and he is having some breathing troubles.  He has been prescribed meds, which I will pick up tomorrow. His collar is off permanently, and when he needs to be on the leash, it will be with a little harness.  He is pretty happy curled up in my lap.  That's a heated blanket, on top of it. 

I have been getting some beautiful eggs... but I should be getting closer to thirty a day. I suspect some are hidden. 

I am giving them away as fast as they are laid. 

I know there are about a dozen out there now, but... I let everyone out very early today, around noon, and I suspect I'll pay for it. 

Igor may not be as showy as Hekyll and Jekyll were, but he is a gorgeous, steady boy who takes good care of his little group of six hens. 

This is one of the two La Fleche hens, they are beauties. 

The two Putih  Ayam Cemani hens are laying daily... they are never going to be friendly, but they are good little hens. 

The Bielefelders are beautiful, but only one is laying, and they are both big girls. 

Flopsy was sunbathing just now by one of the planters. 

It is 65 out right now, on Sunday the 24th.  This is our last good day for a while... it is all downwards from here.  Lows will be in the twenties and teens by the end of the week, and "possible snow" keeps going in and out of the forecast.  The plants that have been trying to grow again in this mild fall have begun giving up the ghost.  

Here is Dave, our board president, and Judy, the stalwart Jill of all Trades of the National Agricultural Center, when we were decorating for Santa's Express that will be  December 7th. 

If you are local in the Kansas City area, it will be a lot of fun for kids to make crafts, see Santa, and ride a hay ride wagon down to the train (weather permitting, of course).  Cocoa and cookies will be available, too. 

Thanksgiving will be upon us in a few days... I hope everyone has a good holiday this year, however you choose to spend it. 

 

A Lost Fall

It's been a long, lost end of summer and start of fall here on Calamity Acres. 

Beans and corn have been harvested all around me. 

There was "smoke" over the fields, every which way I looked. 

 

Every once in a while, the smoke would clear and you could see the man or woman driving the big machine. 

Friends, your blogger has been sick for almost eight weeks with a bad stomach infection, that is now, thank heavens, gone. 

I had a terrible reaction to the strong meds that had to fight the infection and had many sleepless nights and miserable days.  My weight fell, and to make things worse... I was dehydrated one day and fell in the yard, landing on my left arm.  The doctor was sure it was broken, but exrays told us it was not.  I am doing therapy, trying to get it back to complete usefullness.  In the meantime, I have had to ask my grandson for help off and on to get feed moved around.   Even lifting it high enough to type was difficult, so I did not even turn the computer on for a while. 

This really big raccoon has been wandering around here at night.  Once I thought I was seeing a coyote in the dark! 

So has this elderly possum, and several younger ones. 

Our little "pet" raccoon, Rocky, has moved on.  I went out to the big hen house one day, and he was eating cat food on the porch.  I stood there talking to him when another raccoon of the same size walked out from under the porch!  They went off together between the two hen houses, and I have never seen them again.  Remember, there are 26 undeveloped acres across from me, and they were headed there. 

We have had a weird fall.  All the hollyhocks are coming up again. 

So is this little sunflower, and many others. 

We did get three inches of rain this week, which we sorely needed. 

This truck was parked in front of me the other day.  Patrick would get the vote of everyone in KC right now. 

So would these two. 

Little Bird, one of the two Indio Gigante roosters.

His brother, Big Bird. 

During the first part of October, I bought a companion for Doug, my Silkie rooster who was a real favorite. 

Sadly, I lost Doug three weeks later.  I think it was upper respiratory.  

Shadow was kept seperately until I realized he really wanted out of the pen with the others, and now I simply let him loose from the inside pen at night, and he takes care of himself, because oh yes, it was another cockerel. 

Still not positive, but I believe so. 

He is by far the smallest, even smaller than Rocket, the Mille Fleur rooster. 

My road. 

Thank heavens I can still live here. 

The last weeks have been very hard. 

For years, I have waited for this beautiful tree to turn orange in the fall. 

My eastern fenceline is now overgrown with red juniper.  I know my neighbors would let me clear it out... but... tree work is now very expensive.  I'm going to have to win the lottery. 

I took this last night... It was still beautiful but almost hidden from me. 

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving, I could not have said that a few weeks ago. 

I'll get caught up soon.