Spring is Truly Here!

Looking east, you can see the pasture is greening up.  The sheep will return, soon. 

I will lost my view of the ponds, once the trees leaf out, but I hope to have those 

cedar trees removed this spring. 

From the other direction, you can really tell!

I am letting the chickens into the yard for a couple of hours a day, but once 

the plants are coming up properly, they will be restricted to their own side. 

See the squirrel eating companionably with them? 

I'm so proud of Jes, he looks still so overweight here, but he has done very well walking. 

He is also eating less. 

I interrupted his path up the driveway as I was outside.... and I'm glad I caught him, because I had left the gate open for a trip.  I will not be able to do that once the sheep are back. 

This is Powderpuff.  She is the only silkie living in the old hen house now, and rarely, rarely comes outside. 

There are only five birds left in that house, Singleton the Rooster and four girls.  Tonight, I am 

going to take her over to the Little Hen House and put her with the other silkies there.  They have a little tiny yard (Until Ben and I make their bigger yard)... and I think she would do better over there with the small birds.  I have hesitated to move her because she has lived in this house for the last three years.  We will see how she does.  She is a very gentle little bird, and does not lay. 

If the silkie roosters are too much for her, she will come back. 

Singleton is the Boss Man.  He keeps his daddy, Ferdie, and his brother, Buddy, in line. 

He did not suffer a lot of damage in the intense cold last month. 

However, I have lost six hens, one at the beginning of the cold snap, and five since then. 

As of this afternoon, I have unhooked all the heated waters but one.  I left it 

near the Big Hen House but will unhook it in a another day or so.  I unhooked the 

heated basins, and will clean them out good tomorrow, let them dry, and 

put them away for next winter. 

I am going to unhook the heated bases under the hen waters too... I'll leave them for tonight when we 

are going down into the thirties, and unhook tomorrow.  Temps look like they are going to be 

decent now for the next ten days. 

I believe Spring is truly here!

I love these guys!

This is Oscar's tree, in the front yard, on the north end of the property. 

Oscar, my heart dog, my Min Pin, is buried under it. 

When we bought the place in 2005, there were daffodils growing clear 

around the tree, and the box you see was whole. 

It has burst now, with the big trunk.  The daffodils are almost gone. 

Every year I tell myself to plant some more, but there is poison ivy growing there, too, 

and I have not done it.  I am going to make a promise to myself to do it this year, so that someone in the years to come can enjoy the spring show. 

Winter was hard on Ferdie.  You see he has lost the points on his comb. 

I love Ferdinand, he has been the gentlest of roosters, and I hate that his sons push him around. 

These little girls are thriving in the Hen Spa.  They are still under light, and will be for a few more weeks. They are pullets, and I suspect some kind of production red breed.  They were found abandoned in a park in Independence, Mo., and a rescue sent them to an avian vet, the only one in the area.  

She posted them, and a friend saw it, and notified me.  I went last Saturday to fetch them. 

They were found in a ten gallon aquarium, someone had left food and water but it was all spilled and soggy, and it had rained.  The vet tech told me yesterday that they will be inundated after Easter, and I told her I could take a few more. 

I am not criticizing the people for getting rid of them, but for the way they did it.  They may not have realized the big rescues would take them.  I will tell you WHY they did it... they are dirty and smelly and they peep constantly, and they have to have water and feed changed out constantly, and they just do NOT belong in someone's house.  Yes, I know people raise them inside, but folks, they have germs and they smell if confined closely. They look so cute in the store. 

I would take a few more, if asked, to help them out, but only a few.  

I'm blessed to have two big brooder cages. 

On Wednesday, I get my second Moderna shot.  I see light at the end of the tunnel, my friends. 

I will be wearing my masks for the foreseeable future, but the light is coming for all of us. 

 

And... the Holidays are Upon Us!

We have been decorating steadily at the National Agricultural 

Center, for our Santa's Country Christmas event on the 

14th and 15th of December. 

Two years ago, we hardly decorated anything but the barn and the train depot. 

(Smile) 

Last year, we began to decorate a few more buildings. 

This year... well, we have been busy, and one of our volunteers, 

Debbie, has been particularly busy!  I won't show what she is 

doing, yet. 

We use the General Store for crafts at Christmas time. 

I don't know if you can tell, but we went with a Snowman 

these this year, the trees are not decorated, but we have snowmen 

scattered around the store. The tree in the center is lit. 

Yes, the sun was glinting off the display case, but I can 

tell you it looks so festive.  There are lights in the windows of 

this building and the Hatchery. 

The schoolhouse has a tree, and bows in the windows. 

(kids make a craft to decorate this tree) 

There are small hints of Christmas (and a tree) in the Smith farmhouse. 

I will be changing out the greenery as we get closer to Christmas, it smelled 

heavenly.... but... we wanted the "candles" on for a school tour last Wednesday. 

There were greenery and candles all around the farmhouse.  I tried to keep it 

simple, in keeping with the history. 

I had a lot of fun doing all this, but yes, it takes many hours for me and the other volunteers to pull this off. 

We have lots of new things this year, I can't wait to show you all. 

Our admission fee for this event is 5.00 A CARLOAD. 

Yes, 5.00 a carload! 

There is a Reindeer 5K run (or 1K walk) on Saturday morning, and then we are open from 

10-5 on Saturday, and noon to 4 on Sunday.  

For the tour on Wednesday, Charles, our bee expert, 

showed a new frame he had made in one of the hives, so he could 

show the bees up close and personal to the kids! 

It was fascinating to see and hear the bees. 

The frame was put back in the hive when we finished. 

Two of our men volunteers were busy putting up the 

banner on the corner as I was leaving.  

Of course, our train will be running, barring any heavy snow... and Santa will be seeing all the kids coming ... instead of in our train depot, he will be in the main museum building this year in a winter wonderland... more on that later. 

I can tell that I, and my fellow volunteers, will be glad when it is all over, and I suspect I am going to store some of the things I hauled over last year and this year there, so I won't have to haul them again!

This huge Santa, that I found at Dollar General, will be going over, but 

coming back here for our family Christmas, my two year old 

great-granddaughter is coming this year. 

Back to farm stuff...

I got another ten bales of hay two weeks ago today, and I am satisfied I have enough 

for winter, unless for some reason we have a terrible one.  I did talk to my hay man that night, and he told me he has plenty, which relieved me.  

There is still grazing, so the sheep are turned out all day long in the pasture and in the yard. 

They won't be able to come in the yard next summer, once I have planted flowers. 

The stinkers! 

Actually, they do not do this very often.  I have even quit closing off the doorways with the 

chairs!

I still find it so very peaceful to watch them grazing, they have just been great pets, and yes, they ARE pets. 

They crack me up, they were standing there calling me. 

The beautiful tree is done now, for the year. 

My beautiful Ferdie, the oldest rooster here, has been 

picked on by his clone son, Buddy.  He has been living on the house side of the yard, I don't know if he is flying over or getting through somehow I have not seen yet. 

He has plenty of food and water, and I put him back in the henhouse every night.  If any 

rooster would go, it would be Buddy, the protector but also the combative one. 

He hid out yesterday in the overgrown garden beds.  

I'm getting ready to go out and put everyone to bed, including 

Ferdie... have a great week everyone! 

The Disappearing Calamity Acres

Last night, I heard from a blog reader on Facebook. 

She basically said 

"What's up, where are you and why have you not posted?"

I realized it's been a long while, and I'll explain. 

(Thanks, Joyce!) 

On the 14th of January, I started a new medication for 

Type Two Diabetes... Bydureon. 

It's a shot in a crazy apparatus that I administer to myself 

once a week. 

It's kicking my hiney. 

This is what it looks like. 

Oddly enough, I have not had any trouble putting the thing together and doing the shots, thanks to a great pharmacist at Fort Leavenworth who explained the whole thing to me. 

But.... I have had side effects, and one of them is fatigue, I am so.darned.tired. 

All. the. Time. 

I'm emotional, and making bad decisions. 

This medicine makes you not want to eat.... so I have had to re-learn 

how to get protein in. 

My new friend, Mr. 40 Grams of Protein. 

I used to drink this ten years ago, after a surgery. 

I'm glad I remembered it. 

My blood sugars are coming way down, and I'm very glad about that. 

I am willing to stick with it for a while, because I see positive results, 

however, I am going to run to the doctor today to discuss all the side effects with him. 

One was a low blood sugar event I had a week ago, after my shot by about six 

hours.  I feel like I did not eat enough that day, and certainly not that evening, 

so yesterday, was prepared for another event... it didn't happen.  I drank a whole 

bottle of protein, and and a Glucerna before bed.... and I slept like a baby. 

So... I'm learning.  

I also have glucose tablets all over the house. 

Just in case. 

Now, on to happier things... .

Lilly was carrying something around yesterday in the yard.  I stole upon her to see the 

skeleton of a LONG dead possum.  She was crunching away happily. 

I took this picture through the front door window... I have so many 

goldfinches and house finches eating on the deck feeder... they are so fun to watch. 

My happy boy Jester LOVES bacon, I had some in my hand. 

Buds on the lilac!!!!

Ferdie has been such a wonderful addition to Calamity Acres, 

he is the gentlest and prettiest of roosters... 

thank you, Roxane McCoy from Screamin' Oaks Farm for 

this beautiful boy! 

We have had some snow.... and frankly, we are going to need rain this spring. 

And there were a few days that the hens had to stay in, because of the cold. 

I fix them oatmeal with raisins as a treat. 

The egg dam has broken, and laying has begun again, with the longer 

spring light. 

Not all 23 hens are laying, some are two years old and are depleted.  I am still studying 

how to get some more hens without displacing the feral cats who eat in the old henhouse. 

I do not want to start chicks unless I have to. 

That top one was a double yolker. 

I am so glad the Leghorns are still laying, the white is a Leghorn egg. 

I think, if I do place a chick order, it will be for some Leghorns 

and a few brown-laying breeds, and oddly... I love the brown Cornish I still have, 

they are more of a meat bird but they are beautiful birds. 

That's one of the Leghorns, I should have said they are brown, not white. 

Here is feral Spooky, being a naughty (and normal cat) boy. 

Remember, the four ferals that were placed here were all neutered. 

Spooky was longingly watching the birds one day.  You know they are well fed... look at him.... 

but cats can't resist.  I have found no dead wild birds, and I do watch. 

I actually saw him chase the chickens one day, but all it takes is to 

open the door and he disappears.  As of this week, I am feeding 

five ferals, three of the original four... and two others. 

I get them all on the night cameras, but I rarely put those pictures in the 

computer, there are just too many. 

There is Harlequin watching me from the rafters of the old henhouse one morning. 

This picture makes me laugh out loud to see it.  They never left the property.... My son Jim and Grandson Jax worked in the yard for me, cutting down saplings and hauling all the debris to the brush pile in the pasture.  Thunder has come in so handy for this kind of work.  

Jax got to rider back up the pasture in the back of Thunder for load number two, and YES, it was 

January and that kid had shorts on and his shirt OFF.  He isn't just a good athlete, he's TOUGH. 

A swan.  Down our road.  On a farm pond. 

Whew. 

Here they come! 

Seeing hundreds every single night! 

Some Random Pictures

I put a leaf of hay out in the pasture when I turned the goats loose this morning. 

They went right to it... the three young ones like to roam around the pasture. 

Big Mamacita Delilah likes to lay in the goatyard and watch them. 

The sun finally showed it's face about 1 PM, and shone down on Ferdie, Fluffernut and 

Rockette... don't they look pretty in the light?  He has the most musical crow of any rooster 

I have ever owned. 

Ears.

Always on duty. 

Looking out just now, I saw two little goats and one adult one sleeping in the sun.... ducks and chickens in the goat yard with them. 

All is well at Calamity Acres this afternoon. 

When It Rains....

We want to thank everyone for the outpouring of 

sympathy we have gotten at the loss of my brother, Mike. 

I feel a little better about writing about him today. 

Here is a link to a short piece in the news about him on Tuesday. 

I saw this on Facebook last night...

That's the Wyandotte County, Kansas, courthouse, and 

the flags there are flying at half-mast, ordered by the governor, himself, for Mike. 

The caption under this read "Mike's Flags", and that's how I will always think of it. 

My brother, though a lawyer and politician by trade, was also a very simple man 

who gloried in his family and his home life.  He was married to the same woman, Robin, for 

over 50 years... and he thought nothing of giving time and money when it came to family, he was very generous.  We'll miss him very much. 

We were predicted to have a spate of very warm days this week, but they did not materialize. 

We did have one day... Tuesday, in the 60's, but today it is in the forties, blowing hard, and raining. 

We do need the moisture. 

For the first time, I found the ducks in Fort Apache, that I made clear back in October for them to shelter in under the now-unused little red henhouse. 

Tuesday afternoon, when it was so nice out, I decided I had better tackle the henspa.  I had been throwing litter in there (straw) for the last two months, and not raking any out, as I usually do. 

The smell was getting... overpowering. 

Anyway, I started raking and realized I needed to open all the windows and doors. 

I uncovered, under the roosts, several layers sodden with urine and feces, and it about drove me out of the county.  I feel sorry for the poor birds.  It's one of the bad things about a deep litter system. 

I raked everything outside, I didn't even try to get it to the compost bin. 

I raked it off the deck, onto the ground of the henspa yard.  I knew they would tear through it. 

Reddy, the red chicken with the white tail behind the waterer, killed about seven mice as I was 

working, she was after another one here. 

I had to listen to their squeals the whole time... I made her drop one or two, but gave up. 

It was NOT pleasant. 

Ferdie, surveying his domain.  He and the henspa big girls were so glad to be out running around. 

Lots of cardinals in the yard that night. 

Sunrise on Wednesday the 19th.  God reminds us of Him daily. 

Five nice eggs from the old henhouse girls yesterday, the green from Chatterbox the 

Ameracauna, and the white from Buffy the Polish.  The other three from red hens. 

I got two beautiful duck eggs, too. 

Here is Mama Hen and two of her "babies".  They literally try to push underneath her, and she accomodates them. 

They all vie to get under her. 

Well... it's 43 out right now, and we have had a thunderstorm, and then rain and snow all in one day. 

The snow has stopped now, but it is still windy and miserable, so I guess this is as good a time as any to go out and start chores! 

Stay Warm!