A Mixed Up Friday Post

It seems like this week has flown.  We started out with bitter temps, but it is 60 out there now, or nearly so. 

Very balmy and nice. 

Too bad I am still carrying water. 

We have the pump, but have not heard from the plumber, and tomorrow, it is supposed to drizzle most of the day. 

These two D'Uccle roosters (and the porcelain hen behind them) are living in the rafters of the new henhouse. The Mille Fleur on the right used to go out daily, but has now become a rafter dweller.  The only thing I can think is that Ferdy, the big rooser, has beaten this one, Larry, up.  So now these two have to duke it out to get to the feed and water on top of the nest box daily.  

And, as you can see, the nest box was busy this morning when I got out there to do chores. There was also a hen in the lower right. 

This was also something I was glad to see this morning... Delilah and Kelly were playing at butting each other, NOT trying to hurt each other.  This was good news, because it means, to me, that Delilah is finally settling in well, and the babies have accepted her dominance.  The horse trough there is full of hay because the three little ones snooze in it in the sun during the day. 

Um... when they aren't out driving me crazy. 

I posted this on Facebook early this morning, it's the ducks headed downhill as soon as I let them out.  They LOVE to go heads-down to the bottom of the pasture and back up, in the morning. 

At this point, I am getting only ONE duck egg daily. 

I knew I was in trouble from the second I walked into the library this morning. 

I only came home with four, I don't know how I did it.  I'm going to read them, and donate them to the food pantry thrift store.  One may be given away on the blog. 

I posted this picture on Facebook last night, and my cousin posted back...

"He looks worn out". 

Ranger, my friends, is worn out. 

His hind legs are deteriorated now to the point where he has trouble getting up and down every time.  He whimpers with pain. 

We are afraid for him every day, and the goats irritate him to death. 

When they are out, he is in, but then, he is in almost all the time now. 

This morning, for the first time, he did not want to go down into the yard to do his business.  He can still get down both flights of steps, but can no longer get up the deck steps.  He has stopped sleeping outside the bedroom door at night, he can't get up and down quickly. 

We know his time is near, and today, I talked to the doctor's office about it. 

It will be soon, and how we'll miss this wonderful old boy, whom Keith found dumped and starving in the county. 

Keith and I have cried off and on for two days. 

Working in the Dark

It's better to work in the dark, these days.

Keith is filling buckets in our little wagon because of this:

That's one of our two year old pear trees, in great distress now.  We put four buckets on it tonight, and Keith is out filling more right now.  We put three on the far tree.  He is going to water each of them again while I am posting. We would hate to lose these trees, he worked so very hard last year to get them going.

I can hear the tractor starting again for Trip Number Two.

We can't let the hose run for long, as we are on a well, allbeit a deep one.  We ran ourselves dry Sunday, and had to wait overnight for the pressure to re-build.  A new well pump is over $1000.00, so we want to be sure we don't burn one out.

Red sky at night, Sailor's delight

Red sky at morning, Sailors take warning

These were last night's and this morning's skies. 

Sorry about this (more chickens), but I have to show you:

The porcelain and mille chicks came out tonight, two days after I put them in the little henhouse with the bigger birds.  They were suffering each time I checked on them, draped on the waterers, and panting hard.  Finally, they all flew the coop.  I actually took a break from watering and sat and watched them as they played on the ground for the first time in their short lives  Unfortunately, there are 3 cockerels in this picture, two purebred porcelains, and one purebred mille fleur.  The other brown chick is a d'Uccle/silkie cross. Notice they are all heavily booted.  I'm hoping I can find homes for these little cockerels.  One, the one in the middle, is an especially nice porcelain.  The little mille is nice, too, if he had lifted his head you would have seen.

Our skies here almost look as if some rain is coming.  Keith reminded me tonight (we got a wild hair and ate at Bob Evans!) that last June we had temps over 100 regularly, up to 110.  I don't remember the gardens wilting so much, or the trees suffering so much. 

I am listening to the news that 9 states have folks out of electricity tonight, and terrible devastation from storms.  There are more who need our prayers tonight.

PS, it's 10:15, and I've come back on to tell you that there is lightening in the sky to the north, and thunder, the temp has dropped about 20 degrees already, and it is blowing, just since I posted and showered.  We're saying a prayer that we get a little bit of rain!

Are We There Yet?

It's not even summer, but back in the nineties tonight for chores.  I took a few minutes to sit and watch the little birds.

Here you can see the Half-Mille Half Silky chicks.  Cute, aren't they?  They have Silky heads and Mille bodies.   They are doing great in the little coop Kathy made.

I'm thinking of ordering a second one, so that I can put Fancy and April outside for the rest of the summer.

Here is the pasture pen. As you can see, the hens are still steadfastly setting.  I am not sure if these are the original eggs (which would be 8 weeks old now!, and therefore unhatchable) or if these are new ones.  Only one chick hatched and is healthy.. another hatched but one of the hens killed it.  I am debating whether or not to pull all these eggs this weekend.

Notice the tail up?  Inca stood in front of Tony for ten minutes tonight, inviting him, and finally kushed.

She gave him a very perturbed look, finally!

He ignored her.  When he was gelded, he was truly gelded, and I have only seen breeding behavior once since then.

Click on this to see the big healthy muskrat in the middle of the picture, eating out of the feeder.  He wasn't the only one.  I was sitting in the pasture filling the trough and pool when I realized it's no wonder all the food is disappearing.   It's like they are pets, I went into the yard and one calmly stayed there, eating, not six feet from me.  Sheesh.  I have poison to feed them, but I am always wary that the chickens, who love to chase and kill mice, will ingest a poisoned mouse and infect the eggs with the poison.  I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet and do something about it, the mouse situation is out of control.  The Duck House, out of view to the left, had no eggs tonight, because our resident snake has moved into it.  I sure hope he doesn't find the standard chicks in their pen... he can't eat them, but he could suffocate them trying.  They are not the smartest chicks on the block, instead of roosting in the little hutch, they pile into a corner and snuggle against each other.  In the hutch I could protect them by shutting it up each night, and the snake could not get through.  I guess we'll have to see what happens (and cross my fingers).

And while all this fun was going on, look what was approaching from the west?  I am praying we get some rain from this one, too, as the ground needs it so very badly, as do all the crops around here that will start suffering with it's lack.