Catching Up on the Weekend

We had a good weekend here, and I'm sorry I did not 

get a chance to post... it seems my days have become pretty busy. 

The snow has begun to melt... and though we need more moisture, it's helping the ground and the fields around Tonganoxie that will soon be plowed. 

Meanwhile, it makes slogging through the chores a pain in the patootie. 

This is not the sweetness and light that hobby farm bloggers talk about. 

Here's Big Brother Pete in someone else's clothes on Saturday. 

The nursing home had lost his clothes in the laundry. 

I shopped three thrift stores at the end of the week and found him 

shirts and jeans and pants to get him re-clothed... but my point is that I am 

showing you that after his terrible sickness in January... he is adjusting well to nursing home life and has gained some weight.  He suffers from dementia, and though he knows me when I visit, he 

cannot care for himself, so is settling into his new home.  

And yes, it hurts me to see my happy go lucky big brother in this condition. 

These beautiful spring blooms were outside my brother Mike's room at KU Medical Center yesterday... Mike is fighting for his life at this point, and was taken back to the ICU yesterday morning. 

He has been hospitalized for over a month this time, and his poor family is 

worn out with worry. 

If you could all take a minute to pray for them, I would appreciate it very much. 

Little Abs has been trying to do chores with me now that it has warmed up a little... but she is so low to the ground that walking through the snow and mud leaves her a mudball from the chest down. 

I looked out the window yesterday and saw these two coming across the yard.  The pasture still has quite a bit of snow in it... and I am worried about coyotes running up from the bottom... so I let the goats into the yard for an hour. 

The other two were on the deck, eating the plants out of my pots. 

The ducks are soldiering on in their snowy yard... and still getting their lettuce treats.  They 

haven't noticed yet, but I opened the gate to the pasture this morning, so they could stretch their legs a 

little in the sun.  The bottom of the pasture has melted a bit, but the top is still pretty snowy. 

Thanks for bringing us some warm water, maa maa! 

You're welcome, Windy!

I wish this picture had come out clearer.  The white hen in the corner does not roost any longer, and she often covers the bantams with her wings, as if they were her chicks.  You can just barely see one little mille fleur girl, who was under her... and the little white bantam hen is often right at her side.  

Saturday night, looking down on the Spehar's ponds.  Simply gorgeous. 

The clouds were breaking this morning as I finished doing chores... and we have sunlight and 

38 degrees at 9:30.  What a blessing for us, after weeks of frigid temps! 

We are supposed to go to the sixties at the latter end of the week, and I hope to hitch up the cart and get a little of the mess cleaned out of the henhouses.  

I hope everyone else is getting a great start to your weeks... and thanks for remembering my big brothers in your prayers. 

Not My Planned Second Post

Okay, I'm having to remind myself of why I want chickens and ducks. 

The henspa yard, this afternoon.  I sit in that chair when I fill the pool.  It's disgusting.  The smell is disgusting.  I really am thinking of moving the ducks to the other side, to the old henhouse yard.  They can have access to the pasture, and it won't be as bad.  They will be able to get their greens on their own. 

This mess is about 80% their fault, but the rest is from the rains. 

Some of the hens don't even want to be down in it. 

I'm thinking of dropping the cover for the summer, so the whole thing has a chance to dry out well. 

Ugh. 

Here's the Missouri River at Leavenworth Landing Park, where Lewis and Clark landed once upon a time. 

The Mighty Mo is in flood stage, can you tell? 

Keith took this this morning. 

There is usually another ten feet of bank in front of the fence. 

My original plan for today was to show you all something neat I found yesterday when I went to the post.  I stopped to take pictures.  I had noticed it a few weeks ago when Keith drove us to Home Depot in Leavenworth... and I had never noticed it before.  I stopped there on purpose yesterday. 

Instead, I'm going to do that tomorrow, and show you what I found when I went in the big henhouse to do chores. 

ARGHHHHH!  I didn't get the egg in her middle, but I DID get a third one in the cage, and yes, I stuck my hand in there. 

Here's her buddy... he went to the top of the cage to try to get out when I came in.  (This is the nursing cage, up on stilts) 

I'm sure he dropped back down and ate that other egg.  I got the third one, don't ask me how. 

These are NOT Mr. T... these are the other two snakes that have been mating all week. 

If it just didn't flipping smell so bad in there with the muck from last night... but now it's humid and within minutes, I was perspiring like you wouldn't believe. 

I shoveled out two shovels full of muck, and said 

"That's it for today"

Everyone has water and food... and I'll still feed the babies their bottles about 8 PM, but that's IT for me, except for locking everyone up.   UGH. 

I know we needed rain, but UGH. 

Supposedly we have 3 days of sun and 80 degree temps coming before the next storm, 

thank heavens! 

Tomorrow I'll show you the Little Church in the Wildwood I found.  

Monday Musings

Our drive, today. 

It will take weeks, if not months of rehabilitation where the plowman went into the yard.  We are going to have the drive re-graveled in the next few months, though. 

The birds are coming out, more and more.  To get from one mud spot to another, they fly across the snow.  Chickens truly do not like to walk on snow. 

Guard Dog on Duty 

This morning, I tried to do some blog-hopping in between loads of laundry and vacuuming.  There is something weighing heavily on my mind that I am not ready to write about yet and I was listening to music on the computer on my Apple account, and reading.  I read a blog post today that absolutely made me stop for a while, and cry. 

It was HERE, on Karen's blog at "This Old House 2".   The title is "Romaine Tenney" and if you have time, please, please go and read about Mr. Tenney.  It happened years ago, but is still happening today, it happened when they built the NASCAR track here ten years ago.  It's worth the read. 

Songs that make me cry, always: 

"Bring Him Home" from Les Mis... though I don't like that musical, I cry at that song, no matter whom is singing it. 

"Love Remembers"... Craig Morgan. 

"Home" ... Philip Phillips

"The House that Built Me"...Miranda Lambert 

I was listening to music while reading about Mr. Tenney... you'll see if you read the article. 

That's it for today from Calamity Acres. 

I Remember Mud!

Stinkeeeeeeeeee!!!!!  Yeehaaaaa!!!!!!

 

When all was said and done, we only got about an inch-inch and a half of rain, but gosh, it was good while it lasted.  The henyards are like a skating rink right now!!!!!   Don't wanna fall in there, believe me!

 

Leaf fall has started in earnest, and the trees are changing colors... fall is on the way.

Son Jeff went home, we had a wonderful birthday for me, and thank you all for your kind wishes!

 

Yesterday to Today

We had snow here, finally, yesterday!  It filled the satellite dish with snow and ice, so our service went out temporarily until I thought to have Keith check the dish today.

Only about two inches all told, it still made walking treacherous. 

Keith had to get my car out of the driveway, I managed to get it stuck as I was leaving for work.

These two didn't care about the snow, they wanted to help in the henhouse. They got to, too.

Today it got up to 50 degrees, and this was the result... mud, mud, mud!  The forecast is for rain tomorrow.

 

And in case you were wondering, yes, Bessie is still with us, and as you can see, has made the back of the recliner her sleeping place.  She can jump up onto the chair and then clamber up onto the back, and makes herself quite comfortable.  She can also see what's going on everywhere from here.  She's learning to look for snacks, and I'm glad, because she still has a long ways to go to fill out that little starved frame.

Keith is stick tonight with a cold, and I am coughing and praying I am not coming down with it.  Our romantic Valentine's Dinner that I planned was eaten at the same table, but not touching. We had New York Strip steak (we share one), baked potatos, peas.  I ended up not fixing the rolls I had gotten since I took so long doing chores.  Keith was able to get up to eat, but is in bed now.  His boss has told him to stay home, they have already had one round of this at the state office building where he was supposed to go for a training class tomorrow.  I am sure hoping that I don't get it, my office has also had a round of it about 3 weeks ago. 

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day.

Snow to Mud

Hopefully, the snows of two weeks ago will be the last heavy ones, and we are looking towards spring coming soon. The snow, though, has been replaced with mud... making the walking hard and the chore-doing onerous. The ruts freeze at night, and Big Lilly, the mini-horse has had a terrible time getting around in it. The farrier came yesterday to trim her, and told us that until the yard softens up, she will continue to tippy-toe around. We are hoping for the dry time to come soon, so the horses can go back into the pasture and the yard begin to heal. In the meantime, we have mud, mud and more mud, and are anxiously awaiting a contact from a local gravel man, to try to get the drive and parking back into shape.

And Now:

Here is what we have now!