Busy Us

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,

And all the sweet serenity of books.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I'm grateful for books!

This a photo from yesterday of Morgan watching the chickens. Kristine and I have decided that she does a great job of watching the chickens when we are there with her and the chickens. But she spends a lot of time looking for squirrels in the trees and laying on the back porch when she knows I''m on the computer near the back porch window. I didn't put in enough time training Morgan to watch the chickens all the time.

I spent the day cutting branches and making wreaths. It is a lot of fun, but my back hurts. We get Thanksgiving off and then back to wreath making. I think tomorrow I will get to do some wreath decorating. I wanted to take some photos today but it was too foggy and windy. I suppose I could have taken a photo of the fog. The sun should be out tomorrow.

I did pick up some florist wire today. Now all I need is some free time to work on my wreaths. I'm going to go to bed and read one of my C. J. Cherryh, Foreigner books. Early to bed and up again early to make more wreaths. I'm tired and not tracking real well. This post seems a bit disjointed.

It was very cold today, foggy, windy, rainy and we even had some snow. But no puddles on our property. Rain is forecast again for Sunday. Sun tomorrow. I feel bad for all the people who are suffering because of too much rain. We need the rain here!

I made chicken soup tonight for tomorrows dinner. Tom can heat it up on the wood stove so we can have dinner ready when I get home. Kristine is going to be visiting friends.

[One egg today]

I filled both the feeders with the new organic feed tonight.

Hope the hens like it.

Smiles

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What Fox?

Eye halve a spelling check air

It came with my com pew tear

It plane lea marks four my revue

Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

~ From the internet

I'm grateful for my computer!

The chickens seem to have forgotten all about the fox attack and have gone back to the attack area to scratch around and dust. I was surprised. I went outside today with Morgan and the chickens and raked my paths clear of leaves and branches and stuff. Some of the chickens followed me around because they have figured out that I am moving a lot more of the leaves around than they are and it is easy for them to search and find good things to eat. Morgan sounded off once in the afternoon and took off for the back fence line. Maybe the fox was near? I need to count the chickens and see how many are still here.

Before I came in from working I checked the Christmas boxes and found the bag with last years wreath base and decorations. Tomorrow I hope to stop and get some wire so I can work at making some wreaths. I have been thinking of several ways to make them by hand using things I already have (except I need wire.) I will need to find my good pliers and garden clippers. I'll take photos and I hope my ideas work out and I can make a post soon on how to make wreaths at home. Well, one way, the way I make them. I'm sure there are lots of instructions for wreath making on the internet.

[Two eggs today]

Smiles

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Rain, Rain, Come Back!

Drip drip the trees for all the country round,

And richness rare distills from every bough;

The wind alone it is makes every sound,

Shaking down crystals on the leaves below.

~ Henry David Thoreau - The Summer Rain

I am grateful for rain!

We had some rain last night and some is forecast for Friday. What we really need are some heavy rains that will come through and make puddles. Haven't seen a puddle yet this year. The chickens spent most of the day in their coop in case the fox came back for another chicken dinner. We will wait to let them out all day for a few more days and then I will go outside with them and rake or do something. Cut branches for wreaths? Tanya suggested I make a post about putting a wreath together. I will take some photos and see what I can put together. I will try making a hand wired together wreath and one made using a foot operated clamp to close the prongs on the wire base.

Kristine found several breeds of chickens that we are thinking of adding to our flock. We like the Jersey Giants, Sussex, New Hampshire, and Welsommer because they are not white, do well in cold climates, free range, are not agressive and have brown eggs. I like brown eggs. Kristine did find that there are blue Delaware hens, so we will see about finding some of them too. I don't want to get anymore white chickens that can't hide in the leaves from predators.

If you are voting for Suzanne, Chickens In The Road,

to get to the page to vote for Suzanne click here.

[one egg today]

Smiles

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Pay Attention

The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you

to enter the house of his wisdom

but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.

~ Kahil Gibran

I am grateful for all the wonderful teachers I have known.

Some have been friends, some were instructors,

but they have made a difference in my life.

I think of teachers as bringing light to clear away the darkness.

This afternoon I heard Morgan barking and yelled at her to "leave it!" I thought she was barking at squirrels. No! My neighbor called and said her daughter had seen a fox nab one of our white chickens and take off with it. Morgan must be so confused or just think I'm a big dummy. The new rule is that when Morgan barks I need to pay attention and go outside and find out what she is barking at.

Now we have two Light Brahmas left. The white chickens are easy to spot and we have now lost two of them to predators. The Wyandottes are the only breed we still have four of, so camouflage is definitely a good thing.

The hens are doing their pre-roosting before going in the coop for the night. I think they are a bit rattled after the fox attack. Tom said he saw them all come running out of the woods. Poor Morgan. She can't be everywhere and me telling her to be quiet didn't help.

If you want, click here to go to the page to vote for Suzanne, Chickens In The Road.

[One egg today]

Smiles

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Hold Still!

All around the chicken coop,

The possum chased the weasel.

The hen on her eggs was fast asleep,

Pop! goes the weasel!

A penny for a ball of thread,

A penny for a needle,

That's the way the money goes;

Pop! goes the weasel!

Pop! Goes the Weasel

I'm grateful for playing and having fun!

Kristine remembered this nursery rhyme when I asked her if she remembered any rhymes that had something to do with hurrying around. I thought of Hickory Dickory Dock and Three Blind Mice, but I liked Pop Goes the Weasel best.

If you click on the link under the rhyme it will take you to a wiki page with lots of variations of the rhyme. I picked and chose the stanzas I thought went well with this post.

Since the chickens and Morgan were being especially hard to get a photo of, I decided to post the kind of photos that make up most of the ones I take.

Besides, the blurry images do give a good idea of how fast the critters are all moving around. I usually just keep taking photos until I finally get a few pictures of them standing still or at least not blurry.

The hen wants some more carrot peelings or broccoli or anything and Morgan wants me to tell her it is OK for her to go outside. At least they were both still for a few moments.

I made stew on the wood stove again and this time I added barley. Kristine liked it! In fact she was the one who suggested I add the barley instead of lentils. I think I like the stew with lentils better than with barley, but they are both good.

After I made pancakes this morning I went back to bed and slept off another headache. Pancakes, sleep and then stew! I feel much better!

Oh! And for those who are voting for Suzanne, Chickens In The Road the voting is starting up again. She has made a video and there is info on her web site. Click here to go to the site to vote.

[no eggs today]

Smiles

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No Place Like Home

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;

A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,

Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.

~ John Howard Payne - Home, Sweet Home

I am very grateful for home.

My brother and Sandy built this house and I am happy here. We moved around so much when I was a kid that I wanted to stay in one place after I married. So, we built a house and stayed there for over thirty years and now we are here. I like this photo of the house. It looks cozy nestled in the snow. I would sure like some rain and snow!

Another chickens in the woods photo.

This year I'm going to be making wreaths! I made this wreath last year. Here is a link to a post showing me taking this wreath apart. I need to look in the Christmas boxes and see if I can find the wreath makings to use again this year.

I'm looking forward to handling the pine trees, cutting the branches into wreaths size bunches, and assembling the wreaths. Then will come the wreath decorating part of the operation. Adding Christmas decorations to the wreaths is fun! With the economy the way it is I hope people will be able to buy wreaths. It's a bit sad to make a pretty wreath and then not have it sell and be able to spread it's Christmas cheer.

When I started making pancakes this morning I remembered we were out of baking powder, and Tom hadn't gone to the store yet, so I made soda pancakes. Can't say as I liked them as well as baking powder pancakes. They were OK, but I don't want to make them again. I remember making soda bread and I didn't really like it very much either. I guess I would like it better if I was used to the taste. I suppose we like what we grow used to eating.

[3 eggs today]

The hens are still molting.

Smiles

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Clouds

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,

From the seas and the streams;

I bear light shade for the leaves when laid

In their noonday dreams.

From my wings are shaken the dews that waken

The sweet buds everyone, ...

~ The Cloud - Percy Bysshe Shelley

I'm thankful for clouds.

One day when Kristine was very small she came into the kitchen and took me by the hand and pulled at me to get me to follow her out onto the deck. She couldn't talk yet, but she pointed up at the beautiful clouds that filled the sky. She had discovered clouds.

Kristine spent yesterday cleaning her room and moving furniture. I'm almost back together. Still no rain. The chickens are fine. Morgan stepped in something stinky and she scratched and got it on her neck. Ick. Kristine was going to get pizza, but that didn't happen. I've been doing laundry all day and trying to stay awake. Early to bed.

[4 eggs today]

Smiles

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My Black Hen

My Black Hen

Hickety, pickety, my black hen,

She lays eggs, for gentlemen;

Gentlemen come every day,

To see what my black hen does lay,

Sometimes nine and sometimes ten,

Hickety, pickety, my black hen.

I'm thankful we have our chickens!

I love old nursery rhyme and fairy tale books and I used to always ask for fairy tale books for my birthdays. I especially loved the ones with beautiful illustrations by Parrish or Rackham . I haven't seen nine or ten eggs for quite a while. Last year the hens adjusted to the weather and light change and did quite well laying through the winter. Don't know how they are going to do this year.

My brother and Sandy had chickens when we moved here. Kristine is the one who wanted to get chicks and she researched and found the heritage chickens she thought would be best for this local. She recently found another breed (Delaware) she and I like that would do well here. I like that they are prolific egg layers and are docile and calm. They are also supposed to be rare, so I don't know how hard it will be to find some chicks. We don't need anymore chickens now, but when the time is right we will be getting some Delaware hens. At least we will try to find them.

This silly Light Brahma is in a dither because all the other hens have left the coop and she has had a lapse of memory and can't figure out how to get out. Perhaps it's a visual thing? She watched all the hens run past out the door and she tried to get through the chicken wire to follow them. She finally calmed down and flew down and went around and out the coop door. Maybe molting has made her a little ditzy.

[no eggs today]

Smiles

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Wild Lake

So lovely was the loneliness

Of a wild lake, with black rock bound,

And the tall pines that tower'd around.

~ Edgar Allan Poe - The Lake

I am grateful for the lake.

For water, oceans, lakes and puddles.

I haven't been to visit this lake for a few years.

Another chickens in the woods photo.

There was a bit of rain last night which made everything nice and damp. Not enough rain to make puddles, but some rain is a lot better than no rain. I'm still getting rid of the migraine after effects.

[2 eggs today]

Smiles

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Thank You

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb

voting on what to have for lunch.

Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!

~ Benjamin Franklin

To all Veterans

Thank you!

Tall Trees

"My leaves are turning crimson," the giant oak tree said,

"It's almost time these children should seek their winter's bed,

But how they still cling to me and gleam with crimson hue,

They truly are more lovely than cirrus clouds of blue.

Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr. - A Song of the Woods

I love and am grateful for the seasons.

I can't get all of these trees into one photo

without backing far away and then they just look like regular trees.

I thought I would try two photos to try and give an idea of their height. The bottom photo also shows the greenhouse and the woodshed. The top of the pine tree is not able to be seen from this angle.

This is a photo I took on Sunday.

I'm using old photos because I slept the day away because of a migraine. Phooey. All my painting plans are put off until tomorrow. I hope that will work out ok. We had leftovers tonight. I just heated up whatever I could find in the fridge. Think I'm going to go back to bed.

[3 eggs today]

Rain tomorrow. 80% chance.

Smiles

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Apple Picking

An apple a day

Sends the doctor away

Apple in the morning

Doctor's warning

Roast apple at night

Starves the doctor outright

Eat an apple going to bed

Knock the doctor on the head

Three each day, seven days a week

Ruddy apple, ruddy cheek

~ Nursery Rhyme

I'm grateful for apples.

Well, really I'm grateful for all the good things we have available to eat.

Yesterday I went out to check on the apple tree and found there were still a few apples.

Most of the apples had fallen and been eaten.

I knocked a few more off trying to get to some apples on high branches.

This was the best apple I found. The others looked alright until I turned them over and found they had been worm eaten or badly bird damaged. I don't know what type of apple tree this is but the apple tasted like a Granny Smith or Pippin. It had some sweetness to it and was crunchy. If I could get to the apples before the animals I bet they would make a great pie.

I got the storage/in between space ready for painting. There is still the old refrigerator taking up room. I wish it was out of there. It is a neat side by side, but it costs way more to run than the new one we have. I pushed it towards the middle of the room so I can get to the wall. I still need to get the spider webs down that are on the tall ceiling. I'll have to get the big ladder in there.

Painting is OK out there because I can shut the area off from the rest of the house so the paint fumes won't bother Kristine. At least I hope they won't. I was thinking that maybe I could paint in the kitchen if I just painted small areas at a time. Maybe?

[no eggs today]

Tom got the chickens another pumpkin today.

The chickens aren't eating much of their feed.

I guess they have found some good things to eat in the woods.

Smiles

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Happy Hens

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul.

And sings the tune

Without the words,

and never stops at all.

~ Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886

I'm thankful for Hope.

The hens are stuffed with melon. Some of them came up on the porch and ate melon pieces and then left for better pickings in the woods. This poor molting Light Brahma came back to this cantaloupe and had it all to herself. She looks bad but she is growing in a lot of pin feathers. Now all three of the Light Brahmas are molting. The plastic is covering up firewood for the wood stove.

The chickens went to this sunny spot in the woods.

I walked around back there under the trees and it is warm and peaceful.

I almost stepped on this Wyandotte. It wasn't as light as it looks in the photo and the sun was shining in my eyes. The photo shows how fast the dirt dries out after two light rains. This hen was nice and warm and didn't get up when I got closer to take the photo. I watched the hens dust bathe and found that some of them peck in the dirt and find things to eat as they lay in the depression and kick and dig and fluff their feathers in the dust. I didn't realize they ate and dusted at the same time. Smart little hens.

This photo is here just for fun and laughs. I made buttermilk pancakes for Kristine this morning and for some reason the last pancake was thicker on one side and didn't cook through. So this was my solution. It was just uncooked on the end. When the girls were little I used to have a lot of fun making animal shape pancakes. I got this no side iron skillet a few years ago and it makes flipping pancakes so much easier than using the sided skillets. Sometimes I use it for tortillas or as a lid for the dutch oven or other skillets.

It was very nice talking to Kathleen tonight!

[no eggs today]

Smiles

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Living In The Sticks

Got no check books, got no banks.

Still I'd like to express my thanks -

I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.

~ Irving Berlin - from Annie Get Your Gun

I'm thankful for being retired up here in the mountains.

Iphoto is being weird today and hiding the photos I took today in yesterdays group and leaving today's date group blank. By the time I found out what happened I had already loaded some other photos from days gone by. I think the date thing got messed up when I charged the battery. This is another lookout view. I'd like to see some snow on those mountain tops in the distance soon.

I like gate pictures. There is something about gate, path or road photos that capture my imagination and bring back memories. I've made up a few stories about them. Sometimes I think that bloggers are writers at heart and blogging is a way to soothe the need to create.

I took this photo this morning after another light rain. I was trying to capture how the rain had caused the leaves to reflect their true colors instead of the dusty brown I usually see. Lots of pine show up in this photo, but the oaks are there. They are just way taller than the pines. I cut out most of the underbrush and still need to carry away fallen branches. I'll do that when they stop falling out of the trees.

Kristine brought home a big bag of organic chicken feed that will hopefully provide better nutrition for the molting hens and help them grow their feathers back. The organic feed is over twice the cost of the regular lay we usually buy. The feed store must have just started carrying the organic feed because we have asked for it before. Hope the chickens like the new feed. The instructions recommend feeding only the organic feed. So, we'll try that and see how it works.

[4 eggs today]

Their pumpkin is in small pieces.

Smiles

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