There's Another New Sheriff in Town

Here comes Cogburn to get me on Wednesday.  I'm not kidding, he 

was attacking me every time I came out the door. 

I had an arsenal of weapons right at the door, metal and wood. 

On Wednesday afternoon, I waited til he was down in the goat yard (freshly cleaned out by Odin's Lawncare) with the hens, and I started to the henhouse across the yard to get some bird seed 

for the feeder. 

Before I realized it, he was striking me from behind.  I fought him off with my 

foot, Lilly actually ran, afraid. 

Finally, he got my foot, hard, with both spurs.  He hit me just 

behind the shin bone, on a nerve.  I hobbled to the henhouse, and got 

something I could hit him with if need be. 

I made it back to the house, and my foot exploded in the worst pain 

I have had since childbirth, I kid you not.  I could not have driven 

to the ER to save my life, I couldn't get up on it for more than a second. 

I elevated it and put ice on it, and on Thursday morning, I went to 

the ER.  After xrays, they decided nothing was broken, but 

the nerve was aggravated.  The nurse wrapped it for me (REALLY helped) and 

sent me home to rest it and ice it and elevate it, and I did do so. 

It really helped, too. 

By Friday, I was able to get up on it, still wrapped, and hobble around. 

So, the news is.... Cogburn is GONE. 

Mr. Guerrero, who is doing carpentry for me off and on, 

took him to some friends.  If that is a euphemism for eating him, 

so be it. 

Here's the part where you can laugh. 

I went out there hobbling on Friday, and HE GOT ME AGAIN. 

This time on the hand, and I was actually petrified of a rooster for the first time in my life. 

I've never had an agressive rooster like that, especially one that 

I had raised from a one day old chick. 

I have had MANY roosters, and 20 years ago, had two that I was 

worried about, but did not keep them long. 

So, surprise, surprise.  Here is his replacement, so far, nameless. 

He is gentle, and was the odd man out at his previous home, where he had to 

roost outside.  My friend Roxane brought him last night, and plopped him 

on the roost amongst his new ladies.  

The only reason you see this picture is that I called them over to see him this morning, 

they promptly left him at the henhouse and ran across the yard as they normally do, and he was wandering around calling them. 

You can see he is quite large.  I just hope he likes me. 

I brought home three hens this morning to add to the flock, as we 

dispersed the current flock at the Ag.  I am hoping I have a two month 

vacation before we start a new flock for this summer. 

Let me tell you, sometimes I go through heck to type this blog. 

Twinkle is getting a new friend this afternoon, her name is Autumn.  She was 

grievously mistreated by someone awful, and started out her young life 

in a terrible way.  She has been fostered by the wonderful Tammy Potts, (of Kitty Cat Connection) 

and is coming to me today.  I am hoping it takes some of the pressure 

off my hands and feet, which the hospital nurses were shocked with this week. (they are torn to shreds from Twink). 

Pictures to come.  She will be in the bathroom for a day or two, so everyone has a chance to smell her. 

Wow, am I glad Lilly didn't see this squirrel in the planter on the deck an 

hour ago. 

It had a nut buried in the planter and got it out... like THERE IS NO FOOD ON THE GROUND BEHIND HIM. 

You know, 50 feet from the porch where the entire neighborhood either eats ON or UNDER the feeder (laughing).  Actually, the two red squirrels do eat over there. 

I don't know how he managed, but Twinkle got a Christmas gift out of the 

closet and dragged it across the floor.  I suspect it is going to be Twinkle's from now on, but... we will see how he does with little Autumn. 

I am guessing there will be a lot of play going on. 

Sometimes I hear tapping at the door, no kidding. 

When I look out, there is a delegation there waiting for treats. 

It's usually a leghorn who is tapping, isn't that funny? 

My friend Diane calls them psychotic birds, and they are a little frisky if you 

try to get too close, but I have found them to be very comical and friendly. 

One of our recent sunsets.  

God has really blessed me this year. 

Bright, Sunny, December Days

I am not bemoaning the lack of snow around here, 

though evidence of climate change is everywhere to see. 

It was not uncommon to have snow in Northeast Kansas as early as 

Halloween, when I was a child and when my kids were young. 

We have been promised snow flurries several times, but have 

yet to see them, we are lacking in rain, 

and only now are seeing those 

frigid December temps. 

Most of our days have been bright, so far. 

(and I write this while thinking of praying for those affected by the dreadful fire storms in California) 

Sorry about the shadow.... but I went to see Keith on Wednesday. 

Our second Christmas without him... time does fly.  He would be so 
proud of his grandkids and so amazed at the addition of twins this year 
from daughter Andrea. 

By the time I got home from the cemetery, it had clouded up 
and really looked like rain. 

It didn't. 

This is cheesy potato soup made from four ingredients.  I can't tell you how good it was!

Here is the link to "Jamie Cooks It Up", whom I have been 
following for about five years. 

http://jamiecooksitup.net/2017/12/crock-pot-4-ingredient-potato-cheese-soup

My gosh, it's good soup made with Potatoes O'Brien in a bag. 

YUM. 

Some days it's exceedingly hard to post. 

I got my tree up... or put together. 

It's very simple this year, and I did not 
use traditional Christmas colors. 

It's been on the floor twice since, and some of the bulbs were 
broken.  I got them at Sunflower Sisters in Leavenworth, 
so I will run up next week and get another package (they are handmade). 

THAT DARN CAT. 


Twinkle gets put into Kitten Jail when he gets too wild. 

Kitten Jail is my office, believe me, he is in the 
lap of luxury when he is in jail. 

Someone is sleeping in the closet of the old henhouse. 

I am no longer seeing Kittens Three and Four of my ferals, 
but I have seen Harlequin and Spooky on four of the last five days. 

You can barely see her, but Harley is in the rafters to the left
of Spooky.  They were waiting for me to put their breakfast down. 

My kitchen window vignette for Christmas.  I have always 
used gold, never silver, at Christmas.  This year I have been 
using silver and white and I love it!  I tried for three days to get a picture 
of this glowing in the sun, and could not get a good one til night fell yesterday. 

I love this window that looks out over the pasture. 

He is waiting for me, but he has not actually attacked in two days. 

Yessssssss. 

The four buff hens from the ag are coming home here, as we are dispersing the flock. 

We will start again next year.  These were such late babies this year they are still 
six weeks away from laying. 

I should have brought them home in pairs, I brought this single the other day, 
and the bigger hens have been beating up on her.  I caught her last night and put her in, 
I hope I don't have to do it tonight. 

And, speaking of the Ag, I have to run back down there and make sure the girls there have water for the night, their heater base has quit working, and their water was frozen this morning. 
I set them up for the day, but am going to run back over and make sure they are good to go for a while tonight. 

I hate to buy another base when we are dispersing the flock next week. 

Lilly spent an hour outside this afternoon, and now is back in 
to take a nap.  This loveseat in my bedroom (originally intended for 
the recycle station) has proved so useful, Lil sleeps at the foot of the bed at 
night but can still jump up on this, and I often find her there in the morning. 

I use it for reading, it's still so comfortable, and tomorrow night, I'll have Paiton and Jax and 
I'll read while they decorate cookies and watch tv. 

So innocent.  

(NOT) 

One more bowl and I'm gone. 

Falls Turns into Winter

We have been having marvelous fall weather 

here at Calamity Acres, with a few cool nights, and crisp mornings, 

but also some 50-to-70 degree daytime temps, like today. 

It's all coming to an end.  The wind is blowing in a cold 

system that is going to put us in the freezer for a while. 

As Keith would have said, it IS December!

Mornings have been very crisp.  Sometimes the ponds at 

the bottom of the hill look icy!

But that doesn't stop the hens from roaming out across 

the yard and now, the pasture, to look for good things to eat.  Remember, 

I have not actually bought pellets for them since the end of July, they 

are pretty much feeding themselves.  I do buy scratch, and they do get 

some daily. 

A naughty kitten named Twinkle has gotten out of the door several times. 

He usually heads for UNDER the deck, and I have to trick him into coming out.  I am petrified to leave him outside because he is still so little.  The hens are afraid of him, nonetheless. 

Right after I took this picture, the rooster crowed, and Twinkle slunk to the door. 

My girl Lil is more and more content to stay inside and snooze on the couch or 

one of her beds. 

Cogburn is going to have to (as my friend Diane called it this morning) 

have a "come to Jesus moment".  He is attacking me every time I go outside, 

even if he has to run clear across the yard.  I have to carry something to fend him 

off, but he did get my hand yesterday.  I need to bring a few Christmas things in 

from the shed, but I have put off running the gauntlet. 

He is way down in the pasture at the moment, and I'll go out in a bit and 

get the wreath and look around for some lights for the deck while I am 

in the shed.  The problem is, I am still going through boxes and getting "rid of"... I think my 

porch lights from the big house are way at the back of the shed.  

I went by the big house today, in fact, to turn the furnace up a little.  The 

contract on the house closes on the 12th, next week.  It will be bittersweet, 

you see, that was the house that Keith loved, but also, the house where he died. 

When I go in there now, I don't get any bad vibes or anything, I just feel so sad that 

he only got to enjoy his dream house for two years.   It was a big, strong, 

lovely house, and it was so much fun to decorate at the holidays. 

But, know what?  I love my little house, and it is, indeed, MY little house

where I can do what I want and not have to defend any choices.  It's the first time

I could do that, and I love being here.  

Saturday was the first day of "Santa's Express" at the 

Ag Hall , and we had great participation in the third running 

of the Reindeer Run 5K, and walk, and lots of families coming to do crafts, 

see Santa, and ride the train. 

Those are my helpers in the craft room, the General Store, Caitie, a friend, and Paiton, my granddaughter. 

They worked hard on showing kids how to decorate pinecones and make Christmas cards, and I was 

very grateful for their help, and the help of many other volunteers that day and Sunday. 

Here comes Santa's Express, actually!

Judy is our admin assistant, but while we have no director, she is 

the defacto "everything".  It just wouldn't happen without her and 

Marsha, our volunteer coordinator, thinking of it and doing it. 

I'm not leaving out all our other wonderful volunteers, (those are two 

behind Judy, Elaine and Gerri) who give tirelessly to make things succeed. 

I was only at the Ag yesterday morning for a while, so I came home to 

do chores while the warm weather held.  I spread straw in most of the buildings. 

Look what I found in the hen spa!  Uh huh!  I thought I was getting two or three eggs a day. 

Of course, they won't lay there again, because I pulled the eggs out of that nest.  

I bedded down the little red henhouse, where I had started the four feral kittens out. 

I still leave a litter box in there for them, but I checked it this morning and for the first time, 

it was not used. 

I also put a little cat food in there every morning, and it is gone by the next day... I think a 

possum is getting it.  

Keith would be dismayed to see that his little red hen house he made so lovingly for me 

is crumbling.  The porch is coming apart, he put roosts around the edges, and they have deteriorated. 

It is still usable, but is just not standing up to the weather as he imagined it. 

At some point, the porch would need replacing. 

I put straw in the duck house, behind the old henhouse. 

Oh, that's kind of a blurry picture, but I bedded the closet of the 

old henhouse, I notice on the game camera that the kittens had slept in there several times. 

I may just go ahead and bed the whole thing, in fact. 

Because Harlequin (Harley) and.... (look close, she is looking down from a beam) 

 the Spookapotamus (Spooky) are living in there, still, and 

were waiting for their food.  I do open a pophole all day long every day, 

so they can come and go. 

I also bedded the one remaining dog house by the house... and this morning, 

found where an animal had used it last night.  The hens tend to pull the straw out 

of this house, so I have to keep re-bedding it.  

On Saturday morning, the gray and white kitty who hung out here all summer 

was sleeping in the chair nearest my front door, on the porch.  I am keeping this bedded in case he wants to sleep there.  I am still feeding him out at the gate, but am going to start drawing him closer, 

I hate that his feed gets all dusty every day, we have had so little rain that our road is 

causing great clouds of dust to roll.  

He is often waiting for me when I put the feed out. 

This is a gratuitous picture of a beautiful creek that stretches under 

I70 that I often stop and look at on my way home from Walmart in 

Bonner Springs, it is one of my favorite creek views! 

Here's my girl Lil this afternoon.  She did not feel good today, and I 

think it was she who vomited while I was at the Ag this morning. 

I am keeping an eye on her. 

Last night's beautiful supermoon peaking over the Spehar's hill across from us. 

It disappeared a few minutes later behind the clouds, but oh, what a view we had. 

What I go through nightly here, and oh, I love that my work shoes are in it. 

Sometimes, there is peace. 

And by the way, that's TWINKLE'S bed. 

Thanksgiving Week

A Week!!!

I can't believe nearly a week has gone by since I posted. 

On Wednesday, I went down to Garnett to get grandson Christopher. 

On Thursday, we ate at Ihop!

As you can see, he did not have a traditional turkey dinner. 

We expected Ihop to be swamped, with a line.  It was not. 

We had a lovely waitress, and I got the turkey dinner,

but brought most home.  It was delicious.  Chris inhaled his 

stuffed French toast. 

He does not normally eat sweets, but loved this. 

We both had the gingerbread hot chocolate, we had tried it 

before and loved it. 

Oddly enough, we ended up not going early Black Friday shopping.
I did make a run to Penney's later, but we dispensed with the crowds at 

Wal-mart, etc.. 

The weather could not have been better, it actually hit high 60's. 

THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. 

Not kidding. 

Yes, they are pooping all over the porch, I am going to have to get something to clean it off, 

a scrubber or the big broom and suds, and do it regularly. 

Ugh. 

I still have not had to buy more feed, though, they pretty much are feeding themselves until 

winter really gets here. 

I went to a barn sale on Friday morning, and saw this hanging on the wall, way up. 

Everyone was standing to admire it, but it was HIGH... I took a picture, I don't want a huge sign 

like that, but I am going to re-create it and put it in a small frame, I think we need to 

remember to choose happiness. 

Before Chris went home yesterday, he went to connect the lights on the 

"primitive" type tree I am using this year. 

Guess what?  THE PLUG WAS GONE. 

This one here is NOT SO INNOCENT. 

My stylish Boston Terrier socks are so hot I 

am not going to be able to wear them except the coldest days. 

I went this morning and got some lights that are battery-run, and I am 

going to strip the tree and re-dress it. 

I thought this was a neat picture at dusk the other day... the moon was just above the Beacon of the Farm. 

My poor old big trees are shedding limbs right and left.  I suspect I am going to have to do something serious to both the old walnut, here, and the maple tree by the house and deck.  Both are shedding regularly now when we have wind. I am thinking I'll do it in the spring. 

This weekend and next, we have Santa's Express at the National Agricultural Center  in Bonner 

Springs (Ks.) 

It is free... let me repeat, free.  Yes, we put out some donation jars, but it is free. 

Santa is in the train depot... and your kids can visit and have their pictures taken by you FREE. 

Train rides (unless we get a foot of snow, but right now, they are saying 50's) 

The blacksmith is working in the blacksmith shop. 

Crafts (make and take) in the General Store.

The schoolmarm also has crafts in the schoolhouse. 

Cocoa and cookies in the Big Red Barn. 

Hours are 10 - 3 on the 2nd and 3rd, and the 9th and 10th. 

There is a 5K run on the 2nd, and a 1K walk. 

If I live through it all, I'm on the downhill run to Christmas. 

I hate to say this, but for the first time in my life, I have a rooster problem, 

all joking aside.  He has become a terror. 

Today he attacked me from behind, without any provocation. 

I can't handle this, folks, I am having a problem with my inner ear, 

some of you know I have fallen five times since mid-summer.  

I'm afraid Cogburn may have to go.  I carry a stick with me, 

but even a solid kick to the breast yesterday did not dissuade him. 

(and I don't kick easily, it's just not in me to hurt another creature). 

He is too doggone beautiful for the pot, if I could find someone that would take him, I would gladly pass him on. 

He is only 8 months old. 

This picture does not do him justice, but I'm not going to get within striking distance to get a better!

It is in the 60's again here today in NE Kansas... who can believe it?