The Cold, Wet Week

It has been a cold, wet week here at Calamity Acres, though I admit the temps have not been horrible...

but the thawing ice has begun our Season of Mud, you know... spring. 

Two cardinals were patiently waiting on this red-bellied woodpecker to 

finish his meal yesterday. 

I got about 8 male cardinals in one picture last night, that I have not 

uploaded yet.  They are the last to feed in the evening. 

I finally (today, Friday) was able to chip all that ice in the flat feeder out, and get 

all that wet seed onto the ground.  I am going to have a real mess to clean up next week.  

I never get tired of watching the wild birds.   And yes, I AM spending a fortune on 

bird seed this winter.   Actually, I have bought some hanging feeders, and next year will fill the feeders, and whatever falls on the ground goes to the ground feeders (so I say right now). 

We know how long that will last.  

There are some unusual little birds in this picture. 

A few minutes later, there were some new birds at the top feeder. 

God bless my late husband for building the feeding station for me, because he knew how much 

I loved wild birds. 

Looking down into the pasture was beautiful in the light.  

As were the apple trees as I came in the gate. 

All of this is melting today. 

Of course, there's this....

I tried to back into my parking spot by the house, and felt myself slipping, so turned south and

took a circle around the lightpole.  Ummmmm, I pulled TOO FAR towards the slight 

hump...(remember, this property was terraced for planting years ago) and slid towards the old henhouse.  I stopped right there, all week long they have played on the news you should NOT rock your car to get loose... I might have tried it for a minute.  My son is coming out after work to 

get me loose and parked again, and I feel like a dork for doing it in the first place. 

Lo, through these many years (since 2005) of living in the country...I have worn 

plain green boots.  I treated myself to a pair of "Dipsy Dots" boots at TSC this morning.

They are comfortable, and were the only size 8s I could find.  So I'm stylish doing chores, now. 

It's in the mid-thirties this afternoon.  A few hens ventured out... only 3 came out yesterday and 

stood on the porch all day.  

They do NOT like the ice.  I do not like the ice.  

Lilly fell on it this morning, and I was pondering how to get her up... she was splayed... without hurting her, when she managed to lunge to her feet.  We have been taking baby steps all week to avoid falling, and you know what?  It wears you out. 

Smart boy. 

This afternoon. 

Invariably, if I look out... someone is looking back in. 

Also at TSC, but, I will warn you... I got a large and they are cut 

small.  Be forewarned. 

That's about how I feel about it too, while it's so cold and wet.  (And after getting scalped by
Great Clips three weeks ago). 

My big girl is still guarding her long-dead possum. 

A friend contacted me last night to tell me that her neighbor is willing to sell me some pullets that will soon be coming into lay this weekend, they are mixed breed, but I don't care.  Five more will give me a boost towards donating ten dozen a week, I am at about six at this point, and am 

using some here to feed the dogs several times a week.  I would take ten new birds, but it would overload the Hen Spa. 

Somehow this summer, I am going to figure out how to feed the ferals out of the weather next year, 

and take back the old henhouse, and put a few hens in there. 

Heavens knows I have enough room to do it. 

This made me smile.  I had just gone out to the old henhouse to put out the wet food, top off the dry, and make sure there was good water in the bowl.  Here came the grey tabby, from the direction of the 

garage (on my property).  I have looked in there, if he is living in there, he is hidden... but that gives me an idea for next season, I might put some dog houses in there.  ANYWAY.... he was on his way to dinner.  He did not see me watching him from the deck. 

In fact, after thinking about it for a few minutes, this would be a good thing.  I would get the 

feeders away from the house, out of the elements... have to think about how to run a 

heated water bowl, but I may be able to run that from the shop (barn)... 

this may be a solution for next year.  The shop classes at the high school make 

really nice dog houses for 35.00 each, and that would be a good deal.  I could put them at the back of the building, and store the mower, cart and some garden supplies at the front. 

A Wet Week So Far

Uh huh.... just when you think it's safe to put them away.... they're baaacccckkkk. 

This starling bathing in the puddle in the middle of the drive should explain why. 

We still have overcast skies today, and it rained off and on as I drove Chris home to Garnett... actually to Ottawa, as his mom was just getting off work when we got there. 

We did not get as much done as we expected. 

The dumpster will be ordered for two weeks from now, and we are going to go to town!

I took this picture this morning in the old henhouse.  Can you believe it? 

I waited for him... and he had a good, long drink.  I change these waterers (there are two, one down and one up) daily because of what you see in them... mice poop. 

The little guy took some time to clean himself up after the drink.  You see, the roosters don't go after the mice the way the hens did. 

You see here a mutant mouse.  There are numerous of these in the old henhouse.  This has been going on several years.  

Ugh. 

Lil and I took another trip down to the bottom of the pasture last night. 

These are going to son Jim. 

Lil was ready to go home, though, when we were finished.  You see the pasture grass is growing tall and lush.  I wish we still had four little goats to nibble at it.  Goats are browsers, though, not grazers. 

Here comes the henspa trio this morning... they are glad to get out in the yard every few days.  

Their home is being overrun, too. 

I stopped in Lawrence on the way home from taking Chris today... and ordered a gyro salad at a Greek restaurant.  My stomach has not been right since the colds started last week... so I packed it up after five minutes and brought it home for Keith and me to share tonight.  I can tell you from the few bites I had... it was wonderful!  

And Keith will be so proud of me... I stopped in my favorite store in Ottawa... Front Porch Antiques... and managed to come out with NOTHING.   I LOVED this old music cabinet made up in shabby chic... and set for spring.  I saw several other things that I would have loved to bring home... but... patience, patience.  

Isn't it lovely, though? 

We're headed down to 36 tonight... but going to the high 80's next week!  What a roller coaster ride! 

The Aftershow

Well, the old folks (Keith and I)  went to Ottawa, Kansas, to see the Little River Band last night. 

They have a lovely downtown district, which I will take a picture of, the next time I'm there. 

I did at least get the sign. 

Here is the auditorium, and, as you see, it is not very large.  Seats 840. 

Very intimate for a concert. 

Inside... we were in the fourth row of the balcony.  I want you all to notice something...there is NOTHING on the stage except the musician's equipment.  No light show, no explosives, nothing.  See the merchandise in the orchestra pit?  That's where they sold it, and after the show, a table was set up to the left of the hanging merchandise, and the band came out and pressed the flesh.  They also wandered through downtown Ottawa and into the lobby after the show.  

I got them all here except for the guitarist on the left.  I was so lucky, I had no one directly in front of me, and had a good view all night.  They did a one and a half hour show. 

My point is.... without all the extra "stuff" , they put on a great show of 1970's and 1980's hits (in what is about the tenth edition of this band) and thoroughly entertained everyone there. 

I'm afraid the last two mornings of cold temps have done it to the beautiful pumpkin vines.  I'm praying that the fruits on the vines ripen, even though the vines are dying now, it appears.  

Ferdy's marching along the potato bed, looking for his girls under the bushes.  You can see that some potatoes are growing in this bed again. 

The two old Japanese roosters are still with us, One and Two.  Their brothers Three, and Butch, my pet, are also still with us.  There are only fifteen birds in the old henhouse tonight. 

But this beautiful little Mille Fleur, Boots... is not.  

I found him in the pasture when I went to close up about twenty minutes ago.  I won't show you the picture, though I took one.  I must have not seen the circling raptor this afternoon, and it got another bird. 

It did not get to eat much of him... it must have been interrupted by something.  He's down in the bottom of the pasture tonight, for a coyote or another predator to take away.  Poor, beautiful little Bootsy, with the most raucous crow ever, that hurt your ears... but a beautiful color (though too much white for a Millie)... that shone like gold in the sun.  Nugget the cochin was his special little girl amongst the hens... and she is gone too.... slowly, the old henhouse is emptying out. 

The Second Thursday Post!

Keith called me as soon as he left after lunch to tell me that there was a turtle in the yard.  We have a well house whose pump regularly dispels water into the drive, and the turtle was in the cool area near the wellhouse.  We hope he sticks around for the summer, it's cool under the deck and perfect for turtles and toads!

I was in the house, pitiful, aren't we?  I asked how I was supposed to park the car from now on, and Keith said, (of course) "you need to look for the turtle first".... and so we go.

I should have taken a picture!

Here are some I did take:

Here is Boots, who will be moving in with his harem in the next few days. You can see his "muffs" on either side of his face here.

Speedy looks almost as big as Boots here, but he is about half his size.  That's Nugget, the last buff cochin left.

Can you tell it was very windy?

There are storms in the region again tonight, but I don't think they will come our way.  A tornado watch is on for north of us.  I remember when tornado watches were called when I was a young girl.  I would be ready to go to the basement, and my parents would tell me to quit worrying... but I was the first to be ready to go downstairs if it looked like we had to.  Sometimes I would go by myself!

I can't help myself, I have to show you one more image... I just love these two little roosters. 

Keith was able to get scaffolding off Craigslist this week from an older couple who bought it a year ago and no longer needed it.  It was very economical.  We will be able to roof the new henhouse SAFELY now.  We will separate the hens from the boys at that point... making for a very lonely little henyard.

Tomorrow night I am going to go pick up some hens I am getting from a friend.  I'll be sure to take pictures of them.

Here is the last picture:

I just love the colors of these two!

I got something cool delivered here today... I'll share it with you all tomorrow.

In the meantime, be kind to each other!

Tuesday Again, and a Missing Bird

It's Tuesday evening, and I have a full-blown fall cold.  The aches and pains from two weeks ago finally manifested themselves, and I am sneezing and blowing with the best.  I hope it doesn't last long!

After a rainy weekend and Monday, we had a wonderful balmy day here, with highs in the upper 80's.

Tonight we are missing this girl:

It's Little Girl, the brassy back old english gamebird pullet.  The last time I am certain I saw her was Saturday night, when they roosted inside.  Sunday night, they stayed out.  I have not seen her since Saturday for certain. She was a lovely little pullet, and now I have Speedy, the Brassy back OEG rooster, and no hen for him. 

This guy almost got eaten by Lilly, in fact, we thought he was gone.  Keith asked me to put him in the nursing cage so we could watch him for a while. 

It's Boots, the bigger of the two Mille Fleur roosters... and I'm happy to tell you that tonight, he is back with the flock on the roost.  No harm done, thank heavens. 

Here is the Perp, looking contrite. She happens to be by the pasture gate, with Reddy and Eagle on the other side.  Hmmmm.

And here's our silly Tony.... and with that, I'm full of Nyquil and going to bed.

"Bigify" to see him standing there with a piece of weed hanging from his mouth, waiting for his dinner!

He looks like the Pushme Pullyu!

And a Calamity Acres hello to all the new blog readers.. we are so glad to have you!