The Entourage

Well, we will see if Hughesnet will let us post today! 

Thank you for your encouraging words last night... and whew... we were 

considering Dish, our tv satellite provider, but I'm a little leary of them, too, for computer. 

No, we have NOT had an appreciable raise in our bandwith usage, so it's all a mystery. 

Chris, my oldest grand, was here helping me the last day.  He is now home in Garnett, and I'm pooped form the 170 mile round trip, and about to go out and do chores.  I thought I would do the post before everything quit working. 

Where ever Chris goes here, he has an entourage. 

This gate is now swinging FREELY for the first time in a long time.  

Back to the house for more trashbags... the goats followed him. 

Oh boy, DID they follow him.  You can see from this picture that we had let the building get into terrible state. 

A half-way finished shot.  We can walk in there now.  We did get the mound on the left sorted out, but now, in November, Chris will be here again, and he and I are going to get everything down from the two lofts... look in the bins, mark them, and then make a "donate" and "keep" pile.  I am ashamed to tell you that I had Christmas stuff that hasn't been unpacked now in five years.  I am donating tons of it. 

The greenhouse components I bought in the spring are going to be sold (part of those boxes on the right).  Keith will not be able to build it, and we want to recover a little money, if we can, from the big expenditure. 

Chris and I made sure they were neatly stacked on the right.  

There is enough room in the middle to put a ladder now, so we can get the bins down safely to check them. 

Even when Chris was loading the car this morning, he was followed.  The dogs adore him, from Abby to Ranger. 

As you see, I have lots to go through.  (bins). 

We did drop off a donation this morning on our way out of town. 

Loved this big display in a yard just outside Garnett. 

So "fallish:"! 

Instead of taking the highway, I came up through Ottawa... where Keith and I are attending a concert with The Little River Band next weekend... I wanted to scope out the auditorium.  It was just around the corner from one of my favorite stores, Primitive Treasures.  Of course, I had to stop for a minute. 

I just made a huge sigh of happiness to go in there, it smells so good and it makes me feel so cozy. 

 I should not have, but bought a little something to bring home to add to our fall display. 

Now, Hughesnet has cooperated, so I am going to close this post and go out and do chores. 

Everyone have a safe Friday evening! 

Foiled by Daddy!

We have had a bad problem with the goats getting into the old henyard. 

You see, there is no shade in their yard, and the old henyard is completely shady.  I can't blame them, really. 

The problem is, they like to eat the chicken feed... AND... the other real problem is that they began tearing at the drywall in the henhouse. 

Drywall in the henhouse, you say????

The old henhouse here was used as a place for children of those who were picking strawberries on this strawberry farm to stay while their parents were picking.  It had air conditioning and a heater, and the young boys of the family who lived here before us used it as a clubhouse.  It was left a nasty wreck by those teens after we closed on the house... but that's another story. 

We converted it to a chicken coop. 

Snakes and mice began to tunnel and live behind the drywall with the effect that nearly all the electrical sockets in there are out.  Thank heavens I won't have to run a line to a water tank OR to the little red henhouse, which is now closed up, this winter, because there are only two sockets working. 

Someday.... we intend to tear it down.  Someday. 

Last night I had a scare... Kody exhibited some of the same signs as Kaycee did, discomfort in the belly, peeing, etc.,  I came in and told Keith, who, to give him credit, sprang up and went out and looked for some plywood. 

Here is the result: 

Ta da! 

Here is the "entrance" to the henyard.  Unfortunately, most of the hens have not realized what it is, they just know their gate is closed. 

HEY!  What's the deal here????

Our gate is closed!  (on left)

What's THIS thing? 

No problem... I can.... ugh... get in... ugh.... here.... 

NOT! 

Ummmm maybe we'll just eat some of this grass for now. 

The boys were foiled, thanks to Keith.  

For today, they are in the yard since I am home all day, until evening, when I must go get Nathan. 

I try to keep them in the yard many days, as there is lots for them to browse on, water on the porch for them, and safety and shade. 

I don't mind sweeping a few goat berries off the deck now and then. 

How glad I was to see Kody playing normally this morning! 

And you see... I have replaced our beautiful red, white and blue petunias that smelled so luscious all summer with the colors of fall, and mums. 

In an effort to get everyone interested in the new doorway, I poured some corn inside and outside.  The ducks immediately came over to see what the corn was all about, but the chickens have accepted that they are prisoners.  There IS one hen on the outside... she went over to the goat yard earlier to lay an egg.  I'm hoping she figures out where the hole is, and shows it to everyone else. 

That's okay, Mamaaa... I like it better HERE anyway! 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the book shown on yesterday's post... 

We'll be pulling a name in the morning! 

The Rest of the Story

When I left you all last night, Lilly Ann was in the henyards on patrol.  Imagine my shock when I went out there ten minutes later .... and she was gone. 

If you squint, you can see where she pushed out the wire on the gate... fat lot of good it did me to staple a piece on the other day.  

Keith has now strengthened both gates. 

Here he is this morning, hanging the new gate before going to work. 

And, as you see, there is now a barrier at the foot of each gate, and this one has wire hanging down in the opening under it.  

While Keith worked, I let Lil out in the pasture for a while, and she spent some time sniffing at the coyote scent. 

I was VERY afraid when I went out there last night. 

Here's Lil going past the camera at 5:57 PM. 

A raccoon at 6:43...

And here's trouble at 10:43.  

I had brought Lilly in as soon as I went out there and found her loose. 

There were two coyotes that visited in the middle of the night, and believe me, I would never risk Lilly with any of them. 

I have the camera out there tonight, because I want to see if anyone gets past this: 

I suspect the skunk and raccoon can find a way in, but it will be interesting to see if it stops the bigger predators for a few nights. 

I did get SOME work done today... I have one garden bed just about ready for planting.  Another load of dirt and manure went on top of this.  I need to get some more, maybe tomorrow.  We are planning on going to the Metropolitan Lawn and Garden Show this weekend... just for kicks, as it is a tenth of what it used to be in the "old days", but we do like to go and look around. 

That's it for the day from Calamity Acres! 

A Super Sunday

Luckily I went to church last night, because our day kind of got lost in the shuffle somewhere.  Nathan's dad brought him over after his overnight, and I expected a call at anytime in the afternoon from his mom, who was at work in Lawrence.  It is 7:22, and I've just gotten back from taking Nathan to meet his mom, who had to work late... and they had a 60 mile drive home ahead of them.  I missed the first half of The Game, and am not sure at this point which Harbaugh is winning. 

Can you tell I was bearing a treat bucket when I went into the henspa? 

After a minute, most of them came back in to have a small treat...

(it was a blur, believe me) 

Except those outside, who got their treats there. 

The birds in the old henhouse had treats, too.  I was finally able to get an accurate count of these , the old big henhouse and the little red one... there are 26 birds, but of those,  10 are roosters, and some are too old to lay any longer.  These birds can't go into the pasture for a while, until we think the coyote is no longer watching for them.  They stand at the gate in the morning and look out into it longingly. 

Keith made a new gate for the henyard... with Abby's help. 

And as you see, we did not get it hung... I had to leave to drop Nate off, and then that errand ended up taking two hours.  

The old gate is pretty much done for, and it was the gate the coon went through at the bottom, where the wire is loose.  You can see that even the frame has broken on it.  I'll be glad to get the new one up. 

One thing I am doing in the henspa is regularly cleaning out under the roosts, I would say weekly at this point. Today, instead of raking it out into the henyard to build up the mulch in there, I bucketed it, and then dropped it over the rail into my little yard cart.  I spread it on three of the garden beds.  No, it has not composted yet, but out of the picture to the right are bags of composted manure, and fresh Miracle Gro garden soil.  I'm going to start layering these beds and build them up to get them ready to plant, and the roots won't be reaching this wet straw for a while. 

Where I am, she is.  This is a face only a pug mother could love... but to be fair, the afternoon sun was in her eyes. 

As Nate and I waited for his mom near Lawrence International Airport (!), a redtail spent some time looking for dinner. 

We ended up waiting at McDonalds, since she had to work so late, but it gave us all time to visit for a bit before they started home to Garnett. 

Keith is watching the puppy bowl instead of the Super Bowl, he says the game is over for all intents and purposes, so I haven't seen even one commercial. 

Downton Abbey at 8, and then Elementary after the Super Bowl, so I can finally relax! 

I want to welcome Hidden Meadow Farm, On the Bright Side, and The Beginning Farmer to our blog roll.  MA at On the Bright Side is the kind of upbeat blogger that Kerin was at Always Fixin'.... she has her own attitude of gratitude.... Hidden Meadow raises animals that are on the endangered species list, and they are beautiful.... and The Beginning Farmer is a most interesting serious farmer, but full of good ideas for us hobbyists.  I hope you enjoy them as I do.