Truly Fall

The light at the end of the tunnel was so apparent Saturday night, as I got home from church. 

Mass starts at 4PM, now that daylight savings time has ended, so it will be dark 

when I get home this weekend. 

That's the snow that greeted us on Thanksgiving morning, and I don't think Fritzi was glad to see it!

Where we spent the day. 

Likewise Jester, sucking on his little blue bear. 

Jester has lost two pounds in his weight loss journey, Fritzi gained a pound and a half BUT, she has done much, much better since last Tuesday's weigh in, so I am excited to see what happens when we go again. 

I made two huge pots of vegetable beef soup for the shelter, I put noodles in one, and no noodles in the other.  I asked for feedback, because I used ramen noodles for the first time.  I made this soup with chuck steak, and I had a chuck roast for the second pot, it was a lot of meat. 

What happens when the animals below get onto your deck. 

You look so innocent!

(I swear to you that Niblet is smirking at me) 

This cute little Cruella DeVil is my great-granddaughter, Maci Lynn, who just turned two!

This cow was out on the road two weeks ago today, and I brought her into my yard for safety. 

I told the owners "DO NOT CUT MY FENCE, bring a trailer and load her."

I left for the ag hall.... they pushed her THROUGH my fence, tearing up a whole section. 

This is the second time I have helped them, and I won't, again. 

The cattle (bull, cows and calves) have been moved for the winter.  I'll have that fence stretched and tightened in the spring. 

You see they had NO grass in the pasture, I don't blame her a bit. 

I love seeing tracks in the snow.  

Not the right date, and I have pretty much quit using the Bushnell camera, 

but I thought this was a fun picture. 

I am having a problem with a black possum who is living under the storage building in my yard.  He is hanging around the chicken house, and I can tell when he is near, because the hens won't go in. 

I mentioned that it will be dark when I get home from church this week.... this worries me.  I am no longer leaving food on the side porch for Rusty (at the hen house) because it was attracting the possum.  There is still food out, but it is in the yard behind the house. 

Rusty also knows to eat on the front porch of the house, or in the feeder in the pasture.  I have had numerous pictures of this possum on the game cam, but must not have saved any... 

October 17 was the third anniversary of Keith's death.  Here he is with Jace, his 

oldest grandson.  He loved the little grands so! 

The Peace of the Weekend

When I was still working full time, our weekends were made up of errands, errands, errands, and maybe some fun included.  Church, of course.  

It seems my life is just as busy now, in retirement, but.... I can hang around here and 

enjoy the peace and quiet when I need to decompress. 

Today has been that kind of day. 

I went to church last night, we have switched now to a 4 PM Saturday service 

since the advent of daylight savings time ending.  It gets us out just as 

the darkest is descending, and I rushed home to lock the hens up, 

because, as we all  know, the raccoons are coming EARLY. 

Here is our beautiful little Maci Lynn, my great-granddaughter 

born a month ago.   She is a beautiful baby and her mother 

Madison is doing a great job of caring for her.  This little bassinet is so 

clever, it rocks itself and plays nursery rhymes. 

Yesterday was our last regular day of the season at the Ag Hall. 

I was able to leave at noon but I was too late for the Veterans Day parade 

in Leavenworth... though I stopped at the cemetery and saw 

Keith and the men and women buried alongside him (Leavenworth National 

Cemetery).  It rained lightly the entire afternoon, and the Ag Hall shut down 

early, so the afternoon lady at the desk was able to leave.  

As you see, Jester did not even want to get up this morning, even though it was 

42 degrees out. 

Harlequin was waiting for me in the old henhouse this morning, waiting for her breakfast.  

I did not see Spooky, I usually see both of them. 

When Chris is here next, I am going to have him bed down the goat barn, in case the kittens want to sleep in there this winter, because I believe the old henhouse is going to be used for HENS 

at that point. 

I found Her Highness on the loveseat in my bedroom this morning.  In fact, I picked her up and cuddled her on the bed and we took a short little nap. 

Some one else told me on Friday that she looks like a baby possum. 

Not sure what it was about Friday night, but the leaves began dropping like hotcakes from the big maple by the deck.  The deck is now covered and so is the yard behind it. 

The million bells plant in the washtub is STILL blooming, as is one of my mums, a bright yellow one. 

I am slowly putting away the deck furniture, Chris can help with that, too. 

I also have met the FIRST hens I have ever had who are not interested in 

eating pumpkins.  I will probably take these over to my friend Diane when I am finished, because hers ARE. 

I LOVE crows. 

There are three here in the morning, waiting for me to put birdseed out. 

Somewhere I have some pictures I took the other night of raccoons on that feeder, so I am 

trying not to put too much out in the afternoons.  

I do post on Facebook, but more often on Instagram, under my own name. 

I think Jester and Twinkle are going to have their own page, soon. 

There is a dark junco behind them, as you see, waiting to come in and eat. 

I noticed that the crows are back at the Ag, too... and one was studiously ignoring me when I was there at noon, waiting to eat some dropped seed. 

I just went to the door to let Lilly in. 

This is Lil, sitting on the step before the door. 

What is remarkable is that there are four crows, the chickens and her sworn enemy, a squirrel, either on, in or around the feeder. 

She was 12 in July.  She did go outside last night at about 8, and ran (sort of) straight for the old henhouse, the one where the kittens eat and the raccoons visit. 

I am loath to let her tangle with a raccoon.  

Then I heard barking, a lot of it, and Jester became agitated and jumped up and down off the sofa, at the window.  I went to the door with my bright, bright spotlight, and there were two young coons on the feeder.  However, I called Lil in and she came immediately.  I think even she realizes she is 

not up to it.  I will call the vet in the morning and get her in this week to find out what is going on. 

I took this through the door window.  If I open the door, they all take off.  The fourth crow had gone to the left.  

This is a brown Leghorn, pronounced "Leggern".  I literally can't open the door 

without everyone coming to see what's up. 

I mean, up close and personal. 

GO LAY AN EGG!!!  (I got three today) 

This is a baby raccoon that I caught the other night right at dusk in the seed feeder.  Lilly was out, but did not see it.  That is not sunlight to the left of the baby, that is Troy's driveway light on, it was already almost dark.  This little guy/girl let me get pretty close to take a picture, (after I gently called Lilly in) and before I got to the house, he/she had gone up the maple tree.  I am not leaving seed out that late now.  

Any pumpkins or squash I DO break up here will be in the pasture, not the yard. 

Speaking of late afternoon chores, it's 3:27 and I have work to do in the kitchen. 

I hope everyone has had a good weekend, and thanks for all your wonderful comments. 

I have kind of a surprise I've been keeping hidden that I will be ready to show you all tomorrow night. 

Thanks to all my veteran friends for your service, I appreciate the one percent of you all giving, even though many do not.