Out of the Dungeon, and More

Well, it's a good day to be a duck.

We're up to 24 degrees Fahrenheit, and I let the ducks loose.  Yes, we're plunging overnight... but they can tough it out. 

They couldn't take another minute inside, and neither could the chickens, their roommates. 

They were happy, happy, happy to be out. 

I was carrying water again. 

Caught while looking for mice! 

And speaking of mice...

These are what mice are doing to our bathroom ceiling.  They always come in in the winter... but this is the first time we have had a ceiling infestation.  

See the hole on the far left?  I have asked Keith for four days now to keep the toilet lid closed. 

Sure enough, last night, I found a baby mouse dead on the floor next to the toilet. 

Today... I came home from the dentist... to find this: 

I made a nest of paper and put it in a box, but it is dying.  It's going out to the hens in a few minutes.  Do you see why I don't want to sit there and be rained upon? 

I have sealed all the holes with duct tape.  I was going to put paper inside each piece so the mice would not stick... but I was scared on the ladder, so just taped each hole shut.  Yes, they will chew through some. 

I used white tape so you could not notice it very much. 

I got batteries for the Wildgame cam last night, and put it on the deck today.  Cold days are good days to catch the wildings, because they come for the water. 

Oh, boy, did they... folks... spring is on it's way! 

Am I dreaming, or is this a ROBIN on January 28???

Mockingbird

Male and female bluebirds

The other sure harbinger of spring for us... Red Winged Blackbird, the first I've seen so early in the year! 

My gosh! 

One of our many, many cardinals. 

Goldfinches

Bluebirds and a Robin

A Blue Jay 

And, keeping with the blue theme: 

A Kafee Klatsch of Bluebirds around the water cooler! 

The secret... warm water, and keeping it full! 

What wonderful creatures we get to see out here! 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! 

The Oak Ridge Boys and More

Yes, here we are at the Oaks last night. 

We had a GREAT time.  

The Oak Ridge Boys did about 45 minutes of their old hits... and went off, and came back 

out and did a full Christmas show, with secular hits and sacred Christmas music... 

after all, they are known for their gospel music, too. 

It snowed on stage!

And those cool trees behind them changed colors, from red, to gold, to green, to silver... and multicolor... it was just really beautiful, and the simple backdrop faded in and out with the lighting. 

Towards the end of the concert, the Oaks sat in rockers from Cracker Barrel as they talked about their childhoods, and what Christmas meant to them.  The big fireplace was wheeled out, and it even had a fire that looked real! 

One of them made the comment that using the rockers had extended their show lives by ten years, which got a great laugh.  

Then they stood and the rockers and fireplace were taken away, and they finished with four wonderful Christmas songs.  

They are not afraid to talk about why we have Christmas, either, and the Reason for the Season... to much applause. 

We really enjoyed this show and highly recommend it, and here, let me say... the Oaks ARE OLD... Older than I!!!  Yee ha!  They still sound pretty good! 

And then... back to reality: 

Icelandia is melting... we have one more day of high temps this week, and then we are crashing again. 

I moved the pool over to the place where you see deep water... at the far end, and leveled it and filled it full with the hose, so all five ducks had a good swim. 

I'll do it today, and then may have to dump the pool again for a while. 

I am still being VERY careful on this ice. 

My helper is still working for me, she is looking for eggs here. 

There aren't any in the duck house, mama. 

But there WAS a surprise in the old henhouse. 

We got a green Ameracauna egg from this girl: 

Chatterbox had such a hard moult I thought that was it for her... she is, after all, almost four years old. 

Look at the pathway in the grass where the wildings are coming in and out. 

I told Keith I was going to block the hole... like I did the first one they made... and his comment was... "They'll make another one". 

He's probably right. 

Here is the beautiful sign that Jesse, Amber's husband made for us for Christmas... it is on solid oak... we are going to ask him to make a smaller sign to hang beneath it reading 

"Calamity Acres". 

It is very heavy... and beautifully made.  It will be put out by our gate in the spring. 

 And here's the gorgeous new moon this morning, washed by the sun's rays as it came up, and as the moon was setting.  What a gorgeous way to start the day!