Moving Right Along

Mother Nature had a surprise for us yesterday morning. 

And this morning, too!

The deck was VERY slick. 

We are having some below-normal temps. 

Tomorrow brings rain, and Keith tells me that the Farmer's Almanac, 

that warned of the cold winter just past... has warned now of a 

cooler-than-normal summer. 

After the last two scorchers, I'm ready. 

Lilly and Abby have been picking up on the vibrations the last few weeks. 

Lilly was in the car waiting for me yesterday as I loaded it yet again. 

So today, I took her leash out and snapped it on, and we went for a ride. 

Lilly and Ranger rarely left Calamity Acres.  If they did, it was usually to go see 

Dr. Tom.  This composed look soon faded away to heavy panting, as she got more and more anxious. 

When we got to the house, I ran in with her, and raised the garage door (we didn't get a remote for it). 

I put her back in the car to back the car IN... and then we went back into the house.  I know she could smell the two big dogs that had lived there. 

She went from room to room, checking it out, and I left the leash on,  on purpose. 

Nothing would make her come down the basement stairs... she would come into the doorway, look at me, and go back out into the hall. 

There's plenty of time for this. 

When we got home, once she realized we were in the driveway, I unhooked the leash and let 'er rip. 

She was so glad to be in her own pasture. 

This isn't a very good picture, but this small homestead, on the road that I have been using to go back and forth, used to house a family with a big white dog... and goats in that lovely tan barn, and chickens in the metal barn you can just see behind it. 

I realize, after driving this way now for two weeks, that no one lives here anymore. 

The road was closed for nearly a year while they replaced a bridge over the creek... and at some point, the family who lived here either lost the home, or the renters moved.  I was always careful not to hurt the big dog, who had only 3 legs and laid in the road regularly. 

It's a lovely place. 

It's pretty quiet in the old henhouse these days. 

It takes me about ten minutes to do chores. 

And little Speedy has not been down even once since the hens were taken last week. 

I've been cleaning out feeders and water fountains to take to the sale tomorrow. The auction is 

Saturday, and Keith has been hauling things down there this week... to our fairgrounds, where the auctioneer is set up.  We thought there was an April sale... and found out this morning there is not another sale until June 24th, so now we are hurrying to get things into this one. 

I am going to put the chicken stuff in one lot, and the black trough, and fortexes (there are some out of sight) in another. 

If you don't think this isn't hurting me... you don't know me very well... but I also like to make the best of a bad situation. 

Keith is even now filling the back of the pickup to take another load down to the fairgrounds. 

Any money we can accumulate we can use to make our humble house here decent for someone to buy. 

Today's eggs.  Thank you Henrietta, Folly and April. 

Here is a side view of Moe, after the attack by Lilly.  His beautiful tail is almost gone, and he had a huge tuft of feathers now missing on his saddle... huge... which is why I thought he was gone that night. 

He will not come down from the nest box now. 

Moe is going with me, and the four little hens, April, Snowflake, Fleura and Fluffernut. 

If I can get her, I'm going to take the tiny white hen with the black tail in the old henhouse. 

We're trying to figure out what to do for a coop, a decent-looking coop, at this point, without spending a fortune I don't have. 

One morning next week, I'll take Ferdie the beautiful big rooster... Speedy, my tiny boy, 

and two of the porcelain's (The Elvi) to the feed store parking lot in a crate... and see if I can give them away. 

It's breaking my heart to do it... I had hoped to take Ferdie and Speedy... but we are not going to have room. 

The kind people who took the second batch of chickens... the Tates... will take the last three big hens, and the matched porcelain pair.  

Once everything is empty here... Chris and I will go to town and clean the buildings. 

I'm trying to think of a way to transport some cleanings to the new house for compost, but we shall see. 

Tomorrow I'll try to show you a picture of the only plantings there, and also, where I am 

going to put two perennial beds. 

My apologies to everyone for my non-commenting this past two weeks.  I do get a chance to sit, but 

not for long, usually. 

I will get caught up once we get settled. 

I hope everyone is well! 

Spring is Springing

My goodness, my friends. 

It's 71 degrees as I type this! 

We started the month as a blustery lion... goodness!

Here's Keith on the patio as he got home from work tonight, I sat to talk to him for a few minutes before finishing up chores.  Tomorrow we close on the new house, and we are full of talk right now. 

I apologize for not commenting on your blogs... I am swamped.  I am the chief packer, and 

am still doing all the chores for the time being.  We do have some friends coming to 

look at chickens this weekend, and we are praying they decide to take some. 

Keith has suggested I write to the goat project leaders in surrounding counties, since 

the Leavenworth County leader does not appear to be interested in a goat donation. 

I'll take some time to do that in the morning. 

We have had an offer from Oak Grove Animal Sanctuary, the wonderful people 

who rehomed our llamas two years ago.  They have a Facebook page if you 

would like to "like" them.  They have offered to take all the animals if we are 

unable to rehome them, but we are hoping that won't have to happen.  In the back of my mind, it relieved me to know they would have a place to go. 

Officially, spring isn't here for 7 more days... but in the minds of the Elvi, it has already sprung. 

Poor Buffy. 

Thank heaven I didn't have to intervene.  

I have been trying to get a good picture of Speedy for two days.  If you look closely, you will see that he suffered a lot of damage to his comb over the winter, there is a band of black and the points are all black. 

This little guy is going with me, I think.  He only weighs a few ounces... and he's going to be squeezed in. 

Notice the grass is greening. 

I took this picture on my way to my traction appointment this afternoon at Fort Leavenworth. 

See those hay bales?  Well, let me tell you a cautionary tale. 

Last year we had little rain, and most people around here only got one cutting of hay.  Indeed, Keith and I were paying 9.50 a square bale of brome at the feed store.  I managed to buy 14 bales from a local farmer, who dropped them off here one day.  That held us most of the winter. 

So... this past year, in the fall, I called the same farmer and 

asked if there was any way he could deliver a dozen bales, and he 

told me that the amount was too small, and he could not do it. 

Fast forward four months.  I happened to stop by someone's house whose barn is used by 

said farmer, and saw that the barn was FULL of nice bales of brome.  Full. 

Two weeks ago, my phone rang in the car and I pulled over to the side of the road. 

It was the same hay guy... wanting to know if he could deliver a load of hay for me. 

$5.50 a bale.  

I told him we were just about out of the hay business, and if I happened to stop by the "hay barn house" I would buy a few bales and leave the money with the lady there. 

So... we have a surplus of hay this winter... though the picture at the top of the page is deceptive. These happen to be bales at a major Angus cattle producer here in Leavenworth county, and they 

have bales lined up on three of their farms, ready to feed their herds. They don't mess around. 

See the bracket that used to hold the ramp to the little red henhouse???? 

Goats! 

Naughty, naughty, goats! 

Chris and I will fix it next week. 

We won't be seeing beautiful scenes such as this much longer, and friends, if you 

think that this isn't hurting me... every minute I see these sights, every picture I take, I am locking away in my heart forever. 

I will miss it all so much. 

But, things change.  This will be for the better for Keith, and ultimately, for me, too. 

How strange it seems not to be starting seeds, or listening to little peeps as I feed and water them. 

I will try to get caught up on reading your blogs this weekend at some point.  I hope to start moving boxes after I deliver eggs on Saturday. 

Til then.... 

Sunday Evening

Folks, it's been a long week for us here at Calamity Acres. 

My brother's death and all that went with it... we are worn out, and I admit it. 

But things are getting back to normal. 

Life goes on. 

Yesterday, it was a sunny, bright winter day to lay my brother to rest.  I filled the duck pond

for the third day in a row... and they had such a good time cleaning themselves. 

Today was a different story, however, and the ducks got to wade around in what I poured from their pool.  I won't fill it for the next few days, we are going to be down in the twenties and thirties again, with teens at night.  In fact, I went out just now and poured out the plastic water fountains in the old henhouse so I won't have to bring them in in the morning to that them.

Yesterday, I took the lids off these cans and took them outside and washed with the hose all the nasty poop off the top.  It smells dreadfully, in case you are wondering.  It's starling poop.  And while I am not having hundreds of invaders this year, the score I have had has been enough.  Tonight, this is how the lids looked. 

Ugh. 

I went in the house and we had our dinner, and when I went out... the plastic waterers were nasty again.  

Double Ugh. 

I have emptied them for the night, because we are dipping below freezing. 

And while I was working, Speedy, the smallest rooster, got his tail whapped by one of the Elvi, and came running out the front door of the henhouse, which I had propped open.  I let him peck around for a while... he never did notice the flock that was on the other side of the yard... Ferdie's flock from the henspa, and after a while, I took the net and caught him and put him up on the closet, so he could get a drink and eat something and get back up into the rafters.  I'll be so glad when they can all go out in the sun for a few days, like earlier this week. 

I'll try to get back on a normal schedule of posting now.... 

And close today with a view of the beautiful church in which I grew up.... my family lived just a block away, and I went to school here, and church until I was 20...

That's Keith and my brother Pete standing down below.  I had fun going up to the choir loft, where I sang hundreds of times while in grade school.  Our children's choirs sang in parts, even at a young age... and were quite beautiful. 

We were the first ones there. 

The steps down from the choir loft... they show the footsteps of hundreds of people over the last century. 

The organ.  This is not the organ of my youth.  This organ had been dismantled at some point, and a large organ sat on the left side of the loft in this picture... and that was what we used when I was young.  I was given lessons on that organ, until the teacher contacted my mother one day and told her it was 

useless.  She was right, I was just not musically inclined as far as playing. 

This organ and it's pipes (you can just see the top of the organ) take up most of the loft now. There is a riser in back of it, and a kneeler along the inside.  I got a sense of vertigo looking down to take the picture of my brother and Keith.  I don't remember that happening when I was in grade school.  There is a storage office off to the right, you can see the door.  

Everyone have a wonderful Sunday night... I am going to tape the Downton Abbey finale, and watch the Olympics closing ceremony with Abbie, cuddle on the couch!

Random Shots

Speedy lives. (and he has some spurs, doesn't he?)   He's with Rooster Three in the rafters. 

Rooster Three is the one I am worried about now, he is not moving around much and looks miserable. 

He's six... he may be coming to the end of his time. 

We have one more bitter night, and then a string of decent temps. 

That's my gloved hand teasing the ungrateful Fancy, who tries to get me every time I go in the new henhouse. 

That's Larry behind him, the lesser of the two Mille Fleur roosters, who is banished to the top of the nestbox and the rafters now that Ferdie has grown up. 

He has had some cold damage to his comb. 

I switched to the plastic water fountains the last two days because I am out there changing the water frequently, and it is easier to lift them than the heavy metal ones.  Do you see Buffy, the Polish hen on the left?  See her beak?  It had to be trimmed again today, it has now been every three weeks. She is five years old... maybe six... and it is growing like crazy still. 

The chickens are clustered here because of the ducks, and I have a major mess.... wet bedding... to clean out once the weather lightens up again... on the coop side. 

I can't wait. 

I am still getting about ten dozen eggs between the two houses each week, and donating the majority. 

I have not gotten any good pictures from the deck cam... the snow is piled high, and no sun and the reflection from the snow prevents good pictures from being registered. 

One more cold day! 

Lotsa Pictures Today, Too

Thank you all for your wonderful comments about blogging and bloggers. 

I knew you would all understand. 

Lots of pictures today! 

Last night, the little goats would not go in their barn.  Usually, as soon as it is full dusk, they run one by one inside and we don't see them again until morning.  

I happened to go on the deck at 7, and they were outside in the dark.  

I called over "Go to bed, you guys".  

At 8, I looked out, and they were still outside, on the rocks. 

I went out with the spotlight and went in the barn, and looked carefully around... nothing. 

At 8:30, they were still out.  

I went out with Lilly this time and the spotlight, and Lil found nothing. 

Finally, at 9, I looked out the window, and did not see them. 

I just brought the game camera in... and found this: 

Look at the time on the time/date stamp... pretty darn early in the night! 

Did the little goats sense this guy and others in the pasture?  

I don't know, but they have NEVER done this before. 

If I have to, I can lock them in the barn, but Kelly bullies one of the little girls, and I hate to lock her in there with him.  I will, though, when it gets really cold.  We still have a lamp in there, and can use it this winter, if we need to. 

So this morning after doing chores, I left the goats in their pen, and came in the house to eat breakfast.  I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish today, and we are supposed to plunge tonight to literally a hard frost.  

Sometime after ten, I looked at the clock and thought... My gosh, where did time go? 

I put my jacket on and went out. 

I found the goats loose in the pasture, and the gate to the yard OPEN. 

It you look closely, at 9:13, you can just see the goats' backs in their pen, past the pasture pen. 

At 9:23, they were OUT!  See the two little derrieres on the left? 

I have actually been expecting this.  Beau, our pony, also used to let himself out of the pen, so we have carabinier clips on the gates.  I'll start using them today.  We don't want the goats to open their pen and invite the coyotes in. 

Here I come on the Duck Pond Express, ready to clean the little barn out. 

I have to explain something.  I lost a lot of weight in the last five years, but my clothes... well, they are still my old clothes that I wear for chores.  I flap in the wind.  (laugh)

You'll see in a later picture. 

As I started the goat barn, I realized that a lot of the bedding in it was okay.  It was hay that had fallen and would not now be eaten, but was fine as bedding, and dry and not smelly.  I pulled out a trailer load near the door and on the side, and then put down 3/4 of a bale of fresh straw.  The device on the right is a sleeping bed Keith made for the babies, which is used... and the thing is back is our old llama feeder, from which Keith removed two of the rungs on the side, and someone is sleeping in there.  However, there is a depression back in the corner between the two that is like a little nest, so I suspect the two little girls may be sleeping there.  

When I got finished, I came out to find the two little girls butting heads in the driveway. I rarely see them play like this. 

I took the cleanings and drove over and put them on two of the beds in the garden.  

Forgot to take a picture! 

I unhitched the trailer, and cut grass for what I hope is the LAST time this year, and put the mower away. 

It's just a glorious month to be alive, don't you agree? 

Especially when your helpers look like this! 

And this. 

Here I am going across at 1:20 when I did water in the goat barn. You see I flap in the wind (and I'm laughing as I type this).  I am always trying to remember to change clothes before I go do errands, but I told Keith last night that I am going to have to break down and buy some jeans that FIT and some jackets that I can wear to work in that fit.  This one is six years old and gets in the way, it's so loose, but I don't mind getting it dirty. It also has a hood, very useful. 

What I need is a Carhartt for Christmas! 

Here's little Speedy, this afternoon, the Brassy back Old English gamebird rooster. 

I wonder if he misses Boots, who was in the same hatch as he... I got them both from Heartland Hatchery three years ago.  They were raised together, and always lived together, and hung out together.  Nugget the cochin was their special little hen, until she disappeared. 

Out of curiosity, I looked to see what was on the gamecam a year ago at this time....

It was the tiny little Teeny Two, who disappeared last week.  

Friend Jill, sportswoman and vet tech, took a look at the pictures of the dead Boots that I took on Sunday and believes, as I do, that it was probably an opportunistic owl.  It would explain why so few birds are even going outside, except for the ducks.  Only his head and breast meat were taken, and I thought as soon as I saw him that it had to be an owl.  I've heard two calling to each other lately. 

I'll put the camera out again tonight, out of curiosity. 

And that's it for today, except for those of you who know Benny, the French Bulldog, at www.twofrenchbulldogs.com  Andrea, his mom, has written today that Benny's fight against liver cancer has taken a bad turn, and asks for all of us to pray tonight for him.  I ask, too... I have followed Benny and Lilly's blog for several years, and it has brought delight into my life.  It hurts me when fellow bloggers are hurting. 

Prayers coming your way, Benny Boy... Fight Like a Frenchie!!!

The Second Thursday Post!

Keith called me as soon as he left after lunch to tell me that there was a turtle in the yard.  We have a well house whose pump regularly dispels water into the drive, and the turtle was in the cool area near the wellhouse.  We hope he sticks around for the summer, it's cool under the deck and perfect for turtles and toads!

I was in the house, pitiful, aren't we?  I asked how I was supposed to park the car from now on, and Keith said, (of course) "you need to look for the turtle first".... and so we go.

I should have taken a picture!

Here are some I did take:

Here is Boots, who will be moving in with his harem in the next few days. You can see his "muffs" on either side of his face here.

Speedy looks almost as big as Boots here, but he is about half his size.  That's Nugget, the last buff cochin left.

Can you tell it was very windy?

There are storms in the region again tonight, but I don't think they will come our way.  A tornado watch is on for north of us.  I remember when tornado watches were called when I was a young girl.  I would be ready to go to the basement, and my parents would tell me to quit worrying... but I was the first to be ready to go downstairs if it looked like we had to.  Sometimes I would go by myself!

I can't help myself, I have to show you one more image... I just love these two little roosters. 

Keith was able to get scaffolding off Craigslist this week from an older couple who bought it a year ago and no longer needed it.  It was very economical.  We will be able to roof the new henhouse SAFELY now.  We will separate the hens from the boys at that point... making for a very lonely little henyard.

Tomorrow night I am going to go pick up some hens I am getting from a friend.  I'll be sure to take pictures of them.

Here is the last picture:

I just love the colors of these two!

I got something cool delivered here today... I'll share it with you all tomorrow.

In the meantime, be kind to each other!

Down Two

Tonight, as we walked in the heat towards the henyards, Keith laughed and pointed to the Naughty Girls on the fence top, walking along.  I laughed and talked about how naughty they are, and then didn't think anything else.  While doing chores, I gave the little henyard birds a treat... cottage cheese, which they inhale.  I noticed as I gave it to them, that only one of the Naughty Girls was there... Bitsy.  She has a comb now, almost like a rooster.  Muffy, the prettier of the two birds, was gone.  I looked for her all evening, and did not see her anywhere.  Lilly is in all day, so I was not worried about that.  I went over to the "big" henyard (the smaller of the two) and looked through the ever-growing weeds and realized Speedy was gone, too.  Speedy is the tiny brassy back red Old English Game cockerel.  I really, really like him.  Last week one night, I found him outside, pacing up and down the fence.  He had gotten through, then couldn't figure out how to get back.  I shooed him in that night, so tonight, I assumed he was on the pasture side.  I filled the llama waterer and pool and the waterers for Butch and his girls, but no Speedy.  I was really sad about it. 

Muffy, the Beautiful Naughty Girl

Coupled with this discovery, I went around the back of the little henhouse and opened the door to see a bird laying dead inside.  I had not checked inside this morning, as I was pooped.  I opened the popholes, gave some fresh feed in the outside feeders, checked the water, and went on. There is one cochin hen who NEVER comes outside, no matter how hot, the black.  I thought it was her for a minute, but no, it was one of these beautiful girls:

A gold laced Wyandotte, here shown with two Welsummer pullets.

Last night, I became ill while doing chores.  It was hot, but I was having a blood sugar drop, and was getting shaky.  I finally stopped and went in, and asked Keith to finish up.  I fixed something to eat, and felt better after a while, but right before I went in, I sat down for a minute in my chair.  I looked around at the birds, and noticed out of the corner of my eye a bird crouched down tightly to the ground, with her eyes closed.  It was a Wyandotte.  I thought to myself "Uh oh"... I had not heard any telltale coughing or "barking" like in the spring... but I made a mental note to check her out in the morning.  As I said, I was very tired... and it was she who was dead.

I checked all the birds tonight, and there did not seem to be any others who appeared to be sick. Indeed, I got ten eggs from the little henhouse tonight.  I'll keep an eye on all of them for the next few days.

Tomorrow, we are heading up into triple digits again.  Keith will not be able to come home at midday, so I filled all the waterers full and will hope for the best.  The birds and llamas did not seem too stressed out tonight when I got home, and after chores, I cut grass on the mower for an hour and a half.  It was really not bad when the sun began to go down.

Still no sign of Muffy, but when I went to lock up, there was Speedy, running up and down the fenceline on the pasture side.  I was SO GLAD to see the little stinker.  I opened the gate and let him in, and he ran right up on to the duck house, and up into the tree with his buddies. 

Addendum:

If I have not commented on your blog lately, we have had a terrible time with Hughesnet over the past few weeks.  At least, we think it's our service.  On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, we are unable to open many sites.  We attribute this to large usage... but it may be

Blogger, I don't know.  There are many blogs I cannot reliably get to open, and one I suspect is infected and closes itself constantly.  If I have not commented, it is not for lack of trying.  I am so tired by the time I get home from work, do chores, fix dinner, straighten up... and watch a little tv... that I can't always stay awake (as tonight) and do a little blogging and read some more.  I love all of the blogs I follow, and am always looking for links to more on your wonderful blogs.