Where Did Spring Go?

Yes, we've had a smattering more snow, that came down for hours.  Unfortunately, deck and porch are VERY slick this time. 

It seems we are to get more tomorrow into Saturday.  

I did get some things at the grocery, just in case, but we are all snuggled in tightly here. 

The poor bulbs coming up! 

Look whom I dropped by to see yesterday!  Please note his new friends around him... he was free to go in the large (several acres) yard.... the peacock on the right, the peahen on the fence in the back, the guineas behind him.  Also behind him just out of view were Rosie, the other turkey hen living there, and the white tom turkey.  Jackson came right to me when he heard my voice, and then began showing off for me.  

This guy, Woody, came too... and growled at me... I hadn't realized he was loose... but we became friends pretty quickly.  Friend Roxanne is out of town picking up a load of baby goats at her daughter's house, and a caretaker is at her farm for the week, but my honking did not bring him out. 

I have to tell you that I felt so much better in my heart after I saw the turkeys were loose to move around, eat and drink with everyone else. 

I read all your comments about the tree yesterday, and the enormous cost we were quoted to take it down before it falls on the shop.  

In the old days, lumber companies would pay to get your walnut trees, because they needed walnut so badly.  Now, you have to take it down and haul it to them, to sell it.  We just want it down before it falls down, though we love the old tree. 

This, my friends, is what scaly leg mite infestation looks like. 

This bird, one of the four little roosters in the henspa, was only in the pasture pen before moving into the new henhouse.  How the HECK did the roost out there get infected?  

I am putting vaseline and VetRX on his feet, and the whole time... he was pecking the HECK out of my hand that is out of the picture.  His brother has the dang stuff, too... and got the treatment this afternoon, with more pecking.  

Both Mille Fleurs.  

The mixed rooster in there, which was also a home-grown, has actually become the top dog... his name is Moe, and he seems to be the one to everyone else kowtows. 

Moe is the little rooster to the right in the picture below with the black tail. 

Which of these things is not like the other? 

That's it for a cold Thursday from Calamity Acres! 

A Dismal Sunday

Well, rainy, that is. 

Keith and I are feeling very badly this afternoon. 

This beautiful bird, that we put so many months into taking care of.... tried to get me again last night, he jumped off the roost, (you see his wattles are cherry red with anger) and almost got me as I grabbed the waterer from the coop side of the big henhouse. 

Fast forward to today: 

Here they are in the yard at Roxanne's.  We got them loaded without too much trouble, but as we pulled up to Roxanne's gate, she told me on the phone... "Maybe we had better wait until I get back from Tennessee at the end of the week"... and I told her "I have them loaded and we're at the gate".  She told me to bring them in.  Rosie was so frightened when Keith picked her up that she is missing feathers. You can tell from this picture that she is half bourbon red and half bronze.  

(She has someone who will be feeding for her) 

The welcoming committee came from far and near. 

The peacocks came flooding down the yard, but then saw Keith and me and turned around and flooded back. 

This guy heard Jackson and proceeded to come over, gobbling and displaying. 

Roxanne was inside, getting cleaned up and dressed, and told us to leave the birds in her kid pasture (she has a goat dairy) and she would take care of them.  We left them, and went home. 

I took Nathan home to Garnett.  

When I got back, it was raining, and 38 degrees.  Keith looked at me and said
"Do you think Jackson and Rosie have food and water?"....

I told him Roxanne had told me she would come out and see that they were fed and watered. 

They have a small metal shelter to get in, and it had a small amount of straw in it, the geese had spent the winter in that pen.  

Our hearts are hurting, but as a friend said to me by email this morning... she had a good friend whose husband was diabetic, who had been injured by an animal at their farm.  It took weeks for him to heal. 

I was in fear of being knocked over by Jackson, and possible spurred hard.  

I know it was the right thing to do, as Roxanne is skilled at caring for poultry... and the people who come for tours at her place will love to see Jackson and Rosie. 

But they are sleeping virtually outside tonight in the cold rain, on a bed of scanty straw (if they even will go in the shelter) and they had a nice, warm henhouse.  

Our hearts hurt. 

So Much to Talk About

This is Jackson.  He is a Bourbon Red Turkey.  Take a good look, because, with any luck, I think he is going away. 

He has begun attacking me.  That bucket is there for a reason, because he has been following me out of the big henyard and going for me.  Spring has sprung, and Rosie is mature now, and he is protecting his own place.  First it was trying to bite me, but now, it's a full on attack with spurs.  No, it's not fun. 

I don't want to be knocked down and flailed by a huge turkey.  

So, as much as we like him, we are going to find someone to take both him and Rosie.  I love turkeys... but not in a confined area like this.  And he'll be given to friends, we hope, not sold. 

Nugget the Cochin is still setting her eggs, and I'm actually glad.  

I'm hoping those chicks will have an immunity to the CRD in the flock. 

I'm going to move her here in another week: 

She can keep her babies in there for two months, at least, if not more. I'll tarp it while she is finishing setting and after the babies are born.  Then none of the other hens can harm them, and snakes, etc., can't get to them. 

Here's something you will RARELY see.  Ranger, in the pasture. 

Ranger was trained a long time ago to stay out of the pasture, because he just couldn't stop barking at the llamas, and we were afraid he would chase and hurt them.  For four years he did not accept them. 

Now, he is able to go in the pasture, but yesterday was the very first time he did.  He almost seemed embarassed.  He smelled the possums, I'm sure. 

Nathan and I saw this car on the way to his dad's this morning, and he took a picture for me.  When I took the eggs to the pantry, I realized there was a line of about 25 old cars waiting to be driven in the Tonganoxie Snake Saturday parade.  I did not get a shot of the whole line of cars, which were beautiful.  My dad had a car like this when I was a little girl, until I was about 9.  We often rode in it, but it was my dad's work car at the time, and not tarted up nice like this one.  

Granddaughter Paiton starts soccer practice on Monday.  She has Nike cleats with a PINK swoosh on them.  Can you tell that pink is her favorite color? 

And of course, her big brother Jax also starts soccer on the same team that day... and has his own cleats and shin guards, and he was mighty proud of them!  I can't wait to go watch their games. 

Here is something that made me close my eyes, take a deep breath, and then smile big.  A store in Bonner Springs that I have driven past three or four times was open today, as I went to get my hair trimmed. 

Oh. My. 

It is a reincarnation of another, older store where I loved to shop.  

It is called "Bittersweet on Oak".  Of course, I bought some Easter things from them, and have earmarked some lanterns for the deck.  I was SO GLAD to see that the store had re-opened under this new name.  

It smelled great and just made me so happy to go in there. 

(And BTW, the rabbit standing up with the little white picket fence in front of him on the upper right came home with me)

Palm Sunday tomorrow, for the start of Holy Week, so I'll be at church longer tonight than usual.  We're going to fix a corned beef and cabbage and potato dinner, though Keith is German and Dutch, and I'm Irish and Danish!  Yummmm!  As he says, it's once a year, and let's go for it! 

 5:21 PM

If you read the above comment you will know that I am LOSING it! 

NEXT SUNDAY is Palm Sunday!  Nathan will be with us on Easter morning, so he will get his treats then, at the same time as his brother and sisters.  I swear, I'm losing it! 

By the way, it went from 82 to 42 today, and that's it for today from Calamity Acres. 

The End of a Long Week

Life goes on, doesn't it? 

'

Boots, the Mille Fleur rooster, was actually laying on the eggs when I walked into the old henhouse this morning to start cleaning it.  That's Speedy, the OEG rooster, our smallest rooster, guarding him.  Some things defy explanation. 

I had to shovel AROUND Abby, who was helping me.  Remember, there is a nest of pinkies under this nest box, and Abby heard them squeaking.  

'

It seemed like a long, long way to the compost heap.  I think I did about ten loads. 

I haven't touched the feed room side of the coop yet, either... where Butch has lived all winter, and where about six of the hens congregate with him daily.  The nursing cage/laying box is on that side, so I had everyone upset. 

We are going to use these eggs in the pasture, and maybe feed them back to the chickens for a while. (scrambled, not raw) 

I was still putting in new straw when I took this picture and gosh, the hens were having a ball scooting around in it. 

Finally, I changed clothes and ran down to Orschelns to get a couple of things... and took a picture of these cute chicken coops while I was there.  There was a gentleman there looking at them, and we had a nice conversation about turkeys, and I'm always glad to meet a fellow turkey enthusiast. 

This was another of the little coops... but it sure doesn't have much pen space, does it, for 350.00?  They would sure make a good coop for a breeding trio, though, wouldn't they? 

The only chicks at Orschelns thus far are Cornish X's... meat birds.  They had six little pekin ducklings in another pen. 

And these guys. 

Here's Jackson displaying through the side pophole as I shoveled this afternoon.  

And here's why he's displaying! 

Next week I'll cut that old tarp off the 4 x 4 pen, which has literally sunken into the dirt of the big henyard. 

Here's our big boy Ranger this evening... doesn't he look sweet? 

Keith brought my seed starting table in tonight, so tomorrow... we get going on Garden 2013. 

That it for tonight from Calamity Acres! 

Thursday, Valentine's Day

I completely forgot to post the banner for the First Annual Valentine's Day Boost Your Blog Hop, in which we took part with Nancy from "A Rural Journal", and Lisa from "Two Bears Farm and the Three Cubs" and here is a LINK to the blogs participating on Lisa's Blog this morning.  There are some really good blogs in this list, and at least one blog was also having a Linky party with another 50 blogs or so included in it.  I found some really good new blogs to follow. 

Thank you, Ladies, for hosting all of us! 

Thanks for all your comments about last night's post, we love our granddogs, and I am so glad I got such a great picture of Shiner for us all to enjoy. 

This was in our pasture last night.  Friend Jill made a good point today... she said it is likely that these animals we see now on our camera have been coming here all along... we just never were aware of it.  Only once in the past did the coyotes come up into the light, to the upper pasture, and never during the day, OF WHICH WE WERE AWARE. I suspect they have been coming all along. 

And yesterday morning: 

Sorry for the somewhat blurry picture, and yes, that is a bowl of leftovers that actually froze and was uneaten. 

We have decided to put electric poultry net up and charge it during the day so we can let the poultry out into the upper pasture. 

Ranger has had a good last four weeks.  Abby and he enjoyed a little treat while Lilly was outside today. Lilly commandeers all treats in our house, so we normally can't put them out.  She commandeers them with bare teeth.  But today, Lil spent the whole day outside in the 50 degree weather.  I gave both Abby and Ranger a piece of rawhide to chew on... and did they ever enjoy it.  Abby is looking at Ranger's, but hers is actually in the middle of her toys on the floor in back of them.  She was giving Range a hard time. 

Here she is a minute later while he chews on his.  They each got two this afternoon, and I am careful to watch them because they do not break apart easily, but get soft, and I'm afraid they'll stick in the dog's throats.  Ranger REALLY enjoyed his, because he does not get treats often.  

As you can see, we had some sun this morning, but some strange looking clouds came in, too.  There is actually a prediction of a chance of snowflakes for tonight and tomorrow. 

Keith is smiling in this additional blurry picture, but he had been beaten in the head by powerful turkey wings.  We have changed the medicine tonight to Sulmet, in hopes that it will help Jackson more than the VetRX.  I'm going to have to order Tylan, I think, which is very expensive.  We also have to dose Jackson with a soft pipette, because the hens can't have the meds. He does NOT like it.  I have to admit I am very worried about losing him, he's coughing and choking a lot.  He does not seem to have any (sorry about this) stuff coming out of his sinuses though, or swelling of the face.  

I wish we could have two or three days of decent weather, and I would thouroughly clean the big henhouse out again.  There are only about 20 birds living in there now, and most roost in the rafters. 

We have got to have it re-wired, too, as the outlets are just about all gone, and it's an adventure plugging anything in there. 

That's it for today from Calamity Acres! 

An Unexpected Surprise

This morning, early, as Keith got things loaded in the truck for his meeting today, the phone rang.  My phone does not ring very often, and never this early (7-ish).  I jumped and ran for the phone, which I had left on the couch last night.  

It was my son, and there was a babysitter emergency, so I needed to go get the two toddler grands, Jax and Paiton, at their babysitter's house in Bonner Springs. 

Off I went. 

We had a good day... we started at McDonalds, where they got to play at the PlayPlace.  

Then home... 

 We gathered eggs.... three times.  Whether the hens wanted us to or not. 

We only broke ONE. 

We made chocolate chip cookies, and not only did they get to mix them, they put them on the sheets. 

We walked down to the bottom of the pasture in the 75 DEGREE TEMPS to see the fox hole. 

All the birds were locked up, they are now prisoners. 

Unfortunately, seconds after this attempt at petting was made, Jackson the Turkey bit Jaxton the boy on the leg, and he will have a good bruise tomorrow.  Jackson waited until we had gone through the gate and were leaving the henyard.  We are going to be very careful of him in the future.  Thankfully, there were very short tears, and a vow to "not go in there with that big one again"... however, Paiton was very frightened, and would not go near the chickens the rest of the day. 

We walked over to see Troy and Kathy's pond, but it is almost gone.  It is 15 feet deep at it's deepest, and there is not much left of it. 

Then they got their picture taken by the big maple tree in the front yard.  You see how grand the trunk is... it will be a loss someday when this great tree goes. 

We had a great day, and the dogs love these two, but they are also stressed out.  We're all going to sleep well tonight! 

Our weatherman says storms are coming in the wind, and it will only go down to the fifties tonight.  We hope this doesn't mean another year of drought. 

Thank you all for your kind words last night on the blog, we appreciate them, each and every one. 

Following Up

This guy.... just starting his molt, by the way....

 

is shortly going to have two new girlfriends.  This year's hatch, one poult is a purebred Bourbon Red, and the other, a half.  As we are not breeders, we don't mind the mixes. 

 

He is so lonely, he is following the chickens around, and now roosting in the henhouse, for his own safety (and not to the chicken's liking!)

 

The new little girls will start out in the henhouse, as well.

 

Keith and I did a lot of talking tonight.... over a supper of a simple salad of some of those carrots I pictured last night, lettuce, bacon, tomato, and cheese.... and homemade croutons, which I cook in butter (Yum) and then dry a little in the oven...

 

One of the things I have noticed since retiring is that I am paying for more things with cash now.  I used to pull out the debit card and swipe it, and it was not "real" money.  Yes, the balance went down... but it was not like spending "real" money.  For 2 1/2 months, I have been trying to pay with cash, until my first Social Security check comes this week.  Yes, I have bill payments to make... but I am going to continue to use cash.  I stop and think EVERY time, before buying something.  It has been a good reminder that we don't really need all the "stuff" we see.  I'm even cutting down on my magazine addiction, and believe me... it was hard the first few times that I passed them up, and now I realize that when my subscriptions are up, more than half won't be renewed again. 

 

The other thing we notice is that my diabetes A1C is down again, very much so.  I have gotten weight off and maintained the loss... and my jeans that I wear everyday now are flapping on me.   Yes, I'm diabetic.... I don't mention it often, but I am controlled with medicine, thank heavens.  That medicine was cut in half last week, because my primary care, who is a nurse practitioner, told me I was doing so well that it was time.  What do I attribute this to?  You see, we are eating MUCH better... I put thought into the menus now, and decide several days in advance what we will be eating.  I hope to get that up to a full two weeks at a time.  We are eating lots of different things, casseroles, salads, etc. and things that we didn't eat while I was still working.  I bake every other day... some goodie.  I don't bake bread, as we don't eat enough of it to use up a loaf with no preservatives, but we have had an array of cookies, apple dishes, etc.  Keith even bought me a new stove because of this, and it's a DREAM stove!

 

I am also getting regular excercise, getting up and going out in the yard, puttering around in the garden, taking care of the chickens. 

 

But Stress is the real thing, I think.  As Keith has told me over and over... I'm the most relaxed I have ever been in the ten years we have been married!   Life is fun, and even after the death of my sister this year, I am so happy to be here in our little house, taking care of the pugs... taking care of Keith.... doing the laundry, baking, cooking... it's no wonder things have changed.

 

 

Big De-Stressing Help above.

 

I know better than to try to diet around the holidays, but in the spring, we're going to make a conscious effort to start walking together as much as we can (Keith is still working, remember) and get in good shape to enjoy our years together.  How blessed I've been!

 

 

 

 

And Again....

Uh huh.

These two are mother and daughter, Silka, on the left, is one of my last two purebred Silkies. 

I had already gotten the eggs out from under them, but they're determined.  No one gets to hatch this spring, I'm afraid.

I had something else to show you, but after four tries, I cannot get the picture to load... it looks like another Hughesnet problem.

I'll try again tomorrow night!