Saturday Snapshots

This will be a picture-heavy post, I'm warning everyone! 

I took a lot of pictures these last few days of good weather.  As I type this at 2:48, it is 56 degrees out!  There is a little wind, so I put a jacket on to go out, but, my goodness!  

Yesterday I drove to Fort Leavenworth to get my throat checked for strep, since little Jax, our grandson, was diagnosed last Monday.  I didn't have strep, but my throat is raw, and I am trying to carry on. 

I saw this going on as I went "the back way" to the post. 

The farmers around here are taking advantage of the drought conditions to re-do their ponds.  We have seen scores of ponds now cleaned out and good silt used on their dams, etc.. 

Here's a barn that Keith and I love.  It has a lovely house with it, but the house actually sits on a very rocky outcropping/cliff, and worries us every time we see it!  Biggify to see three little donkeys there. 

At home, the Queen of the Yard was surveying her domain.  Wait until you see what Keith has started on this deck. 

Abby and I went for a walk in the pasture with some of the birds. 

Mama, HELP me!!!!

Sometimes Jackson decides he doesn't want puggies around his flock. 

As you see, we had a big train of birds behind me.  Abby's off to the left, wondering if she should come down.  (She did) 

Here's where the fox and probably the skunk are coming through in the wild area where the three properties meet. 

Here's a better look: that's Troy's dam just past our fence, and you can see how thick the thicket has become. We used to be able to get our walk gate open in the corner, but it is now overgrown. 

At that point, Abby decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and put me in between herself and Jackson, who was still with us. 

Don't worry, I did NOT let them get her, and she goes in the pasture and amongst the birds all the time.  She has always been trustworthy with them.  Lilly was laying at the gate waiting for us... I can't trust her until the birds are locked up for the night. 

I tried to upload a video twice for this post... it was very amusing... but I cannot get it to go to Blogger... despite waiting an hour.  Has anyone had luck loading directly to your blog without going to You Tube first? 

And the last picture... 

Command Central: 

Quite the corner, huh?  Books that I am reading, magazines, ditto... my purse, my tennies... sunflower seeds, and a stash of valentine heart candy.  Pitiful!  

I made an attempt to straighten it up today! 

A Cold Day in Leav Co

It was 30 here today, but felt much colder.  I had to get out to do a few errands, and I told Keith when he got home from work that it felt like the cold was biting at me.  He agreed, and put on a sweatshirt under his Carhartt to do a few things out in the yard and run an errand.  I went out later to finish up after dark, and I swear it was ten degrees colder, and the wind blowing... but the thermometer says it is still 27.  It's snowing, though.

 

Keith is out sorting out the feed sacks as I type this.  I paid attention at the feed store, as someone was in front of me asking about hay.  It was Friday, and they still had hay!  Brome is still 9.00 a bale.  They also had orchard grass and alfalfa, and I did not hear the prices. 

 

I found a receipt from the same mill, Valley Feed and Supply Co., in Bonner Springs, Kansas, for some feed I bought in 1999, on August 21st.   

 

25 pounds of Sunflower Seeds = $ 5.50

20 pounds Scratch =                       3.50

50 pounds Quick Grower =            5.50  (I must have still had chicks)

50 pounds Oyster Shell grit =         5.50

50 pounds Wild Bird mix =            7.95

1 Bale Alfalfa Hay =                       4.50  (I fed this to my rabbits)

 

Compare this with today:

 

100 pounds of Chopped Corn =      22.00 (I use this instead of      scratch, a lot of which they left)

50 pounds layer pellets (20%) =     13.10

40 pounds Backyard Blend =          22.99 (This is a wild bird mix

                                                         of sunflower, safflower, peanut,

                                                         millet, cheaper than trying 

                                                         to mix my own. I actually 

                                                                                     bought 80 pounds.)

   

I took the tree down today, and will move all the containers out tomorrow.  There are still a few things to put away, but the majority is down.  I'll leave our Nativity set up until Epiphany, though.

 

Yesterday, I bought a new dog bed for Ranger, who appears to be unable to get up on it.  Someone else figured it out, though.

That's good, because she gave me the stink-eye earlier.

 

I'm not sure what that was about... do dogs get tired of being photographed like kids do?

 

 

Here are Jackson and Rosie, tonight.  Helen was on the roost opposite, facing them.  Rosie follows Jackson around like his biggest fan.  They are lovely turkeys. We should have trained the first Turkettes to roost inside.

 

 

This rather disgusting mess was the remains of the roast that I cooked on Christmas Day. The following night, we had roast beef sandwiches.  This (above) turned into this: below:

 

 

There was a LITTLE bit more meat than what showed above, but not much.  It made a very satisfying beef/vegetable/barley soup, and there is enough for me to eat while Keith drives to Council Bluffs tomorrow to take son Brandon and his friend Paige to lunch.  I am baking goodies tonight for him to take... an apple crisp, and some cookies.  The last of the Christmas fudge is going with him, too.

We did not get to see Bran over Christmas, as he is a working man now.

 

We want to thank everyone for their loving comments this week.  I have had a very bad head cold, and coupled with the sadness we had here on Monday, it has been a long one.  Thank you all for your supportive words.  I am trying to remember to keep Christmas in my heart.

 

 

 

 

New Kids on the Block

Well, the new Turkettes are here, and I still haven't thought of good names!

 

I'm a little iffy about this one... the larger of the two.  They are half Bourbon Red, half bronzes.  Iffy in that I am not positive it's a girl. 

That mess she is perched on is the trough I use to keep chicks in, which will be cleared out of there in another week or so.  The only reason it's still there is that Butch, my one eyed rooster, likes to roost on it at night.

 

 

Here they are peering at Jackson on the other side of the door.  They are in the feed room with Butch and his gang, who were cowering against the other wall.  I called Jackson, who was outside, and when he came in he froze.

 

 

And then the feathers started to puff out when he heard the welcoming chirrups from the little birds.

 

 

It was so good to see our big boy all puffed out as he had not been since Annabelle died.

Today I'll keep the little birds in, but tonight, they'll roost in the henhouse coop-side, and tomorrow, go out in the yard with the other birds.  I think I'll keep them in for the whole day (in the coop yard, not the pasture) so they know where home base is.

 

To see some really beautiful turkeys, go to www.porterturkeys.com... oh, my, how I want some of those beautiful colors.  I need a separate turkey yard, though, so am going to have to think about this over the winter.

 

Hay is up to 8.00 a bale now here.

 

 

 

 

The Rest of the Story

First off, I want to thank everyone for their comments last night.  I admit I was pretty torn up about it.  Annabelle had turned into the most spectacular hen, with gorgeous shining plumage.  She was also very gentle, and since she was attacked in the barn on her nest one night, rarely left the henyard, where she felt safe.  We noticed in the last two weeks that she was trying to fly up to the top of the little henhouse with Jackson every night... she would try, but she was so heavy she could not get going enough, and couldn't figure out how he did it... walk up the ramp precariously... go to the top of the rabbit hutch, then up to the top of the henhouse. 

 

So she kept roosting on the doghouse, where she and Clarabelle had slept for so long. 

This is her last picture alive, I took it Thursday night as I was locking up.  It was very humid out, and she was breathing through her mouth... she had tried to figure out how to get up (you can just see Jackson's feet on the end of the henhouse in the background) and finally gave up and came up on the doghouse. 

 

I was talking to her as I went out, and always gave her a scratch on her breast. 

 

About 3 or 4 months ago, Keith and I realized that, instead of putting dead birds out in the trash, which we had done for a while, we would just put them at the bottom of the pasture for the wildings.  Any bird who died or had to be put down was put away down there by the "door" where the fox came under the fence.  You might remember that we recorded a fox, a skunk and a possum all around Clara's body when it lay down there through two nights, then disappeared.  Clarabelle weighed much less than Annabelle.

 

We cannot figure out what got Anna.  She was chased around the yard, and up and down the south and west fencelines, with feathers being pulled out of her by the dozens.  She did NOT make it clear around the fence.  We guess Lilly saw or sensed it, because that night she ran up and down the fenceline over there by the pen, but did not bark. (Keith was on the porch).

 

The flimsy gate to the pasture which I bungeed shut at night was as tight as I could make it. The only reason we don't use the gate in the big henyard is the fence has settled and the gate does not open fully.  It will be repaired next year.  We did see that the makeshift gate was pushed OUT about six inches on the north side of it.

Keith has now closed it completly and permanently.  We also had used that "gate" for the birds because Beau, and then the llamas, would come into the yard if the real gate were open to eat all the chicken feed.  Keith also strengthened the wire along the eastern boundary (this side).

So, what got her?  We don't think anything as small as a raccoon or possum, because they could not have chased her as they did.  We don't think it was the fox, because she was so big, and because of the damage done to her body.  

 

Coyote?  They have been up very, very close this week.  Yes, we miss having the llamas here as guardians, and no, we can't handle another big dog... like an LGD... Lilly is far too possessive of her place, and I would not want to have any dog tragedies.   But a coyote going OVER an eight foot high fence?  Unlikely.  Like I said, the flimsy gate was pushed OUT.

So... what got her?

 

We think a cat.  If anyone wants to see the damage done to her... I have a very graphic picture that I can send to you if you will contact me at ksredhead1950@gmail.com, and I would value your opinion as to the wounds.  I took the picture after Keith carried her to the bottom of the pasture... and it shows plainly her wounds and the damage done by claws, we think, to her neck.

 

This morning, being the inquisitive person I am, I walked to the bottom of the pasture in order to see if anything had come in the night to disturb her.  Our Moultrie camera had malfunctioned, and was sent back this week, so I got another less-expensive camera and will set it out there tonight to see what is coming in and out.  But, I digress (as usual). 

 

This is what I found, where the approximately 20 pound Annabelle was laying last night (Keith thinks she weighed much more).

 

That's it.  Zip. Zilch.

 

There was one drag mark of about 18 inches just about a foot to the west of this paltry pile of feathers.

 

No partially eaten carcass, NOTHING.

 

Keith and I both looked.

 

It meant something PICKED THE BIRD UP AND CARRIED IT AWAY.  She was too big to get under the fence, and there would have been feathers there in the fox opening... there were not.

 

We did some reading on www.cougarnet.org.... could this be what did it?

 

Do you remember my writing about two strange sounds I heard in the night a few weeks ago that I ascribed to foxes?

 

There is a confirmed sighting of a cougar in Atchison County, only one county north of us, from last fall, confirmed by Kansas Fish and Wildlife.

 

Tonight the new camera is set up and functioning in the pasture, pointing downhill towards the treeline.

 

It's going to be interesting to see if anything is on it tomorrow, as it has been raining and storming off and on all day.

 

For now, Jackson is sleeping in the big henhouse.  He is not necessarily very happy about it, but goes in without any trouble when we come out to put them up.  When I go outside, he talks to me constantly, and responds when I chirp back to him.  If you have ever had a turkey, you know how personable they can be, and we want now to protect Jackson as best we can. 

 

If I have to, I'll have fencing put up for him, like the new henhouse.

 

But, in the meantime, we shall see.

 

 

 

 

 

A Conundrum for Jackson

Yesterday, after I hauled the branches down to the brush heap in the pasture, I sat down to watch the birds for a while.  I like to do this from time to time... it helps me see if anyone is injured or not well... and then I can catch the bird and check it out.  So, as I sat there, I took a look at everyone.  Two of the hens from the little henyard had come over and were dust-bathing in the big henyard.  I have purposely left the gate open between the two yards for two weeks now, so that everyone (roosters) will get used to each other, because I am moving all girls to the new henhouse, and part of the roosters.  The seven trouble makers and Handsome will be staying in the little henyard. 

 

I digress.

 

Here is what caught my eye:

I'm making them big on purpose so you can see what's going on.  That's a Tom Turkey... Jackson... circling Mack, the hen in the dust bath.

As he scrutinized her... he tried ever-so-carefully placing a big foot on her back.

 

And as you see... he is much larger than she.

 

Finally, as he stretched a foot out again, she jumped up as if seeing him for the first time, and ran back into the little henyard.

 

Clarabelle and Jackson were a couple before she died... and I have never seen Jackson try to breed Annabelle.  I suspect she is just coming into adulthood, but frankly, I have not had an egg out of her in two months.   During this whole episode, she was napping ten feet away.

 

 

I don't know, but if I were a Tom Turkey, I'd be going after this beautiful girl!



Ma and Pa Go to Branson

Well, the blog has been quiet this week, as I failed to pack early enough, so did not have a post on Monday night.  We left early Tuesday for Branson, Missouri... and our two-night stay at the Chateau on the Lake.

 

That's our Castle um... hotel at the top of the beautifully-landscaped butterfly garden on it's cliff at the top of the STEEP parking lot.  Everything there was STEEP. 

Did I mention I'm scared of heights?

 

The view from the balcony at the back of the hotel was very rewarding.

 

 

That's Table Rock Lake in the background, behind the outdoor swimmin' hole and the tennis courts.

 

Lest you think we are too hi-falutin'... we went to see the Baldknobbers on Tuesday night and LOVED the show!

 

Keith played a round of golf at the Payne Stewart course on Wednesday, while I enjoyed Spa Chateau in the morning. 

 

In the afternoon, we saw this:

 

 

You know that Keith and I are history buffs... we really enjoyed this display of Titanic history and artifacts.  We were told that NONE of the artifacts displayed here were taken from the wreck. They were either White Star Line artifacts from Titanic's sister ship the Olympic, or other relics that were bought from survivors, some of whom had managed to get off the ship and be saved with ephemera in their coat pockets, etc.  No, the Star of India was not here!  (no one is allowed to take pictures inside)

 

By the way, they have a bucket-type thing that has water which is kept at the temperature of the North Atlantic that fatal night, and I was invited by a crew member to put a finger in it.  Then, he suggested immersing my hand to the wrist.  I am telling you that within less than a minute, my hand was aching terribly, and I had to pull it out.  The poor people could not have lived but a few minutes in it, I think, which was probably a blessing.  We thoroughly enjoyed this "voyage" into history.

 

After it began to rain yesterday evening, we attempted to see another show, but in the rain and traffic could not find our theater.  We realized we were very tired, and decided to go back to the hotel to go to bed early for our trip home today. 

 

 

 

 

 

Keith had promised I could do some shopping on the way home, and I chose to go to Kringles, a large Christmas store in Branson.  I was literally SO overwhelmed (believe me, I could show you pictures) that I did not buy ONE thing. 

I was in Christmas La La Land.

 

On a sadder note, while we were in Branson it was announced that Andy Williams had passed away.  We turned around in the Moon River Theater parking lot in the rain last night, and noticed that it had closed for the evening in respect to him.  We were sorry not to have been able to see a show there while he was alive.

 

However, we made it home safely, and the dogs were very glad to see their Mommy and Daddy coming through the gate.  Grandson Chris had done a great job of taking care of everything, though he was dogged by this guy!

 

 

 

Jackson was protecting his girl Annabelle and all the chickens from this intruder in the chicken yard.  I watched as he displayed while Chris did the feed.... and then as he nipped at Chris's heels as he left the yard.  Though we had a good laugh, Chris admitted he could be intimidated by our big boy.

 

It's fun to go away, but it sure is good to be home!

 

(by the way, it took over an hour for the pictures in this post to upload...so I am sorry for the fairly short story about our trip as I am pooped out and tired of waiting on the computer!)

 

Random Shots

Progress on the new henyard:

 

The framework for the shadecloth is nearly finished.  And, as you see in the next picture,

 

 

The east deck is started.  I need to get under there tomorrow and attach the hardware cloth to the lattice underneath.

 

Keith asked me to please think about exactly I want the interior, so I am going to be thinking of that over the next few days.

 

 

Our Pink Flowers for Paiton are still blooming on the deck.... and fall decorations are starting to be put out.

 

Isn't he handsome?

 

 

The wolf was just outside the door watching him!

 

And last, these two came with their dad this morning to bring their brother Nathan home so he could go to Garnett with me ...

 

 

Jax and Paiton, Grandma sure loves you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do Not Read if Squeamish!

The owl struck again during the day, today.

 

This was Cocky, in the pasture pen.   I had only half-tarped it last week, because they were going to be moved soon.  The owl hit it before the move.

 He was alive this morning, I found him at three when I went out to do chores.

 

The other birds were scared to death in the pen with him, of course.

 

While I worked on the new tarp, I dropped him in the pasture.

 

I actually thought two birds were gone because one wing was completely detached.

 

Then, this happened:

 

 

Jackson approached the carcass, chirupping to it over and over.

 

 

Then, he appeared to be pecking at it, but he was NOT eating it, I stood there and watched him closely.

 

 

Finally, he tried to sit on it... and I watched that closely too... after several attempts, he lost interest in it as if he finally believed the bird was dead, and strutted away.

 

I've never seen anything like this before.

 

(I moved the carcass to the bottom of the pasture where the wildings could find it)

 

 

The barn door, barred after the cows got out.

 

That's Cocky's son Junior on the dog house.  The two chicks were still in there, and their mamas circling around them, clucking.  It must have happened while I was out doing an errand.

 

I'm sorry the pictures of the turkey are so dark, but I took them this evening after we got back from dinner.

 

You see, it was a special occasion.

 

 

 

Many Happy Returns of the day to my sweetheart, and to son Brandon, who share a birthdate!

 

Love you, Honey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Spots

Well, some of them are Saturday evening spots. 

 

Like this one:

 

Though Jackson and Annabelle are not as friendly as Clarabelle as far as approaching you, he likes to follow me around and watch what I'm doing.  He's snoozing here while I filled the water bin in the pasture last night.

 

I don't know why I'm still filling it, no one is using it hardly.

 

 

Here he is a minute later, listening to something with his eyes closed still.  He cracks me up.

 

 

Ranger LOOKS scary, but Lilly Ann is the one to be careful if you are up to no good at Calamity Acres.

 

Her abrasion on her side is healing up nicely.

 

 

I made this one extra large on purpose, because it cracks me up, too.  I planted this butterfly bush in the spring, and it took off like a jet.  All summer I watered it from behind... daily, almost.  I was so proud of it.  I was standing there a little while ago this afternoon and realized there is a HUGE WEED in the middle of it... look at the top.

 

I pulled it out and it will take a whole bag of Miracle Gro soil to fill in the hole.

 

Here is the bush without the weed, still looks good.  As you see, I have pulled out all the sunflowers, so summer is OFFICIALLY OVER here.  They are going down to the brush heap in the pasture in the back of the truck tomorrow while Keith is at work.  I spent the afternoon putting in perennials, and I will have to go get Max Mix tomorrow to fill in all the holes where I pulled the HUGE sunflower roots out.

 

 

I put a late hummingbird feeder out because I have seen hummers twice in the last week.  Kathy says they are visiting her feeders a lot here in the last few weeks, so we think they are getting ready for their trip south.  Keith came in from the golf course yesterday to say he had seen a lot of Canadians overhead.  I planted mums of several different varieties... blanket flowers, physostegia, and have some more things to put in tomorrow.  As you see, it was a gorgeous early fall day.

 

And finally, Keith is progressing:

 

 

The wooden framework is for the netting that will go over the pen, which I will call to order tomorrow.  It takes a week to ten days to get here, as it is cut and grommeted according to what dimension we order.  Once it's ordered, Keith will finish the two decks, make the stairs, and we'll do the inside work (flooring, nest and roosts) and then move the flock over.  We intended to move girls only, but now again are considering moving everyone from the big henhouse for a few weeks, so that we can clean it out, clean it up, make repairs, and get it winterized.  Then we'll move the old birds and non-producing hens back over.

 

At least that's the plan as it currently stands!