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

~:>

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

~:>

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

~:>

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

~:>

Overcast Sleepy Day

I followed the chickens into the woods today and tried to get a group shot, but the hens were on the move. I hope they are finding some good things to eat under the trees. The chickens do a great job of turning over the leaves and churning up the dirt. At least the forest floor is damp now and not the dusty crunchy place it was a few weeks ago. It's nice and cool in there.

Morgan seems to have a limit set for the chickens treat time.

She will watch them for awhile.

Then she is on the move.

Morgan will move through the middle of the group,

and the chickens will scatter,

and a a hen or two might squawk and fly up and flap their wings

and then go back to eating.

There she goes through the middle of the group again.

Then she will go around the outside and stand and watch again.

I think she has a plan, but I don't know what it is.

The pumpkin is almost not there. Tom worked on the wood again today. Kristine came home with a splitting headache, so I'm glad I didn't paint. I'm in slow motion today. I'm not going to stress over the painting. It will get done when the time its right. I hope Kristine feels better soon.

[3 eggs today]

Must get the hens another pumpkin or squash.

Smiles

~:>

Free To Be Morgan!

Morgan was sooooooo happy to be outside with her chickens today after two days confined in the house. And the chickens were pretty happy to run around in the woods too. I was trying to get a group photo of everybody, but they mostly all took off in different directions. Screamer, the big Light Brahma dug a deep hole and dusted in the damp dirt, then Orp/Roo chased her away and she dusted, some of the hens sat in the sun by the greenhouse, while Morgan ran around the hens in the woods and had a great time.

I think the chickens all really enjoyed scratching around in the wet leaves. Too bad, but after two days of rain we barely got the ground wet. There are no puddles. I raked through the layer of leaves and the dirt is barely damp an inch down. If we get a lot of warm days, all the lovely wetness will steam away and we will be back to crunchy leaves and dusty dirt.

I didn't paint because it didn't get warm enough. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 79. It was supposed to be in the 70's today, but it never got out of the 60's.

I spent some time raking the drive way today until I got too tired and had to give up. I'll be raking everyday for at least an hour. I wish the leaves had been ready to fall when this storm hit. I love it when all the leaves hit the ground at once and I only have to rake up everything once. Well, the leaves fall all year, but this is the time for the major leaf dump.

[5 eggs today]

Muddy eggs from muddy hens.

Glad they are laying again.

Smiles ~:>

Chickens and Bird Song

I thought I would start off today with this video and if I have time I will add to this post later today. I was surprised to hear the bird song when I played the video. I was so intent on the chickens and the rustle of the leaves I didn't pay any attention to the birds.  There aren't very many chickens in this spot. They make a lot of noise when they are together.

You can hear the noise the chickens make

scratching and walking around in the leaves.

I'm standing still.

And you can hear some bird song.

I don't know what the "tweety" birds are

but the  cawing call you hear at the beginning and at the end

is a woodpecker.

Wow! [12 eggs today]

Smiles

:)

Idaho Moccasins, Snow, And Boots

 Snow today!

Hard to believe, but that explains why it was so cold.

The snow didn't last very long and melted away.

At first I thought it was hail, but it was snow.

I checked the weather radar and it was snowing up at Tahoe.

[3 eggs for breakfast + 7 later = 10 eggs)

Not too bad for a cold, cold day. This is another backward post.

Gee, I hope I'm not going to get another migraine. I'll chalk it up to being cold.

Start reading at the bottom of this post.

It will make more sense, kinda.

--- --- ---

This is me by the front gate that I unlocked

waiting for Kristine

because she called and is coming home early because she is sick.

I can't just unlock the gate and leave it open

because of the dogs in the neighborhood coming after the chickens.

While waiting, since I have my camera with me,

I thought why not take a photo

of my handy dandy super doober

way of putting a plastic bag on my foot

before putting on my boots.

This way I can take them off with no problem.

My feet slip right out!

The feed store lady thought this was the coolest idea.

I hadn't really thought too much about it, I just got tired

of going through all the pulling off of the boots thing everytime

I wanted to go back in the house.

Lazy me.

I love my boots, too!

That's me, socks, boots and moccasins.

I do have a couple of pairs of regular shoes but I don't wear them

at home, only when I leave the property

and if I can get away with wearing my boots that what I do.

I love my moccasins.

There was a wet dog on that sheet a few minutes ago

drying off from the freaky snow fall.

My poor patch job.

I need to take them to the shoe repair fellow

and see if he will sew on  a leather sole.

I went and dug out my moccasins because it was so cold.

(I normally wear socks in the house)

They were put away because I had worn a hole in the sole.

I bought these moccasins in Idaho in the 1960's

while on a trip with my dad and Mary.

We had stopped at a store that was near an Indian reservation

that had lots of handmade things for sale.

These moccasins are so comfortable!

Say, I know someone who reads this blog that lives in Idaho.

Any Indian reservations near you?

Oh well, I guess I should just get these patched up.

Morgan is outside the window

because she hears me in here typing on the computer

this morning and she can watch the chickens at the same time.

Lots of noise outside...

There are chickens outside my window.

I heard them while I was reading my email and checked

to see what the noise was all about.

Chickens!

It is amazing how much ground they can turn over.

They are like little plows.

It was so cold this morning that I put the heater

that Jean's son gave us in the bathroom.

Only the second time I've done that.

I took the heat lamp out and replaced it with a regular bulb

to cut back on the electric bill and only miss it

once in awhile... like this morning.

Sorry the post is upsidedown...

It would make more sense to start here.

I'll finish this later... I'm cooking dinner.

This is the goofiest post I've made.

I'll do better tomorrow.

Smiles

Sunning

(click photos to enlarge)

The chickens were very happy

today to find the leaves

were partly dry

and that there was

sunshine for

them to  enjoy.

As soon as I let them out they

ran off into the woods and then they all trooped over to the greenhouse.

This side of

the greenhouse

is the chickens

favorite place

to flock together

and bask in the warmth.

Can you see Morgan in their midst?

I was surprised

to find

small patches of snow

next to new growth

coming up among the rocks.

This Australorp

is enjoying the day

and because of her

black feathers

she is 

especially warm!

Doesn't she look happy!

We called her our "naked" chicken

because her feathers

took such a long time to grow back after her molt.

Tomorrow, is going to be sunny, so the chickens, Morgan and I will be taking advantage of our time in the sun. I need to do something with the chickens yard. It has become quite muddy due to the snow and the rain. I wish I could get some straw to put down, but maybe I can find some mostly/partly dry leaves to cover the coop yard. I'll check around the property for a spot that gets a lot of sun and see what I can find.

Tom came home today from visiting with his Mom and Aunt Jean sent us a wooden folding shelf... well, there are three shelves. I'll have to get a photo of it to post.

I'm feeling better and would like to get back to my quilt.

Smiles

Good Start

(all photos are clickable!)

These are all the scraps I had left after sewing

them up into what looks like a big mess.

I'm thinking "chicken scratch."

After I took these photos I did find some more fabric bits

to add to this jumble.

I would like to end up with

enough fabric to cut

into about 20 to 30 blocks.

I think they would look good in my chicken quilt.

I left the sewing on the table and went out to get my rake

and check on the chicken roost experiment.

The wood shaving look nice and clean.

I guess the chickens slept on the roosts.

Yay!

The girls are out and about in the leaves.

I finished the raking from the motor home to the gate.

And went to check on Morgan.

She is a versatile dog.

She not only herds chickens,

she also exerts a lot of effort keeping squirrels up in their trees.

She herds the squirrels from tree to tree.

Pretty neat!

OK, back to raking leaves.

Below is the before photo.

And this is 1/3 of the way finished.

If you click the photo,

you can see way down there past the table

are the rakes and a chair.

I take the chair with me

so I can take a rest now and then.

It is hard to tell in the photos

but these trees are very tall.

Some of them are over 100 feet tall.

And they make a lot of leaves!

There are many more leaves

over on this side of the property

so I resort to using what I call my leaf shovel.

It is really a snow shovel

that I push along gathering up leaves

and then push them off to the side.

Then I use the dirt rake

to finish up the job. 

Yep, it's a snow shovel.

Morgan is checking for the coyote.

I think.

Maybe.

Or?

There is something

over there in the woods

that she needs to watch.

A squirrel?

I'm done. For today.

The rake and leaves will be waiting for me

for the next month.

It takes a while to rake around

3 acres plus the driveway,

and around the house and other paths.

I hope it rains soon.

It is much easier to move damp leaves.

This is my "work outside in the woods outfit."

I love my boots!

Morgan wants to come in too! Please...

She has been working very hard

all day keeping the squirrels

up their trees, and keeping the

coyote and other critters

off the property.

My boots live outside next to the wheelbarrow.

The wheelbarrow is full of wood for the wood stove.

No, Morgan,

you know you have to wait

until the chickens go to bed.

Poor doggie.

I'm so mean.

But dusk is when the coyote wants his dinner.

I've let Morgan in the house

before we lock up the chickens

 and we have lost chickens to a hungry critter.

Go on, Morgan, go watch your chickies.

Smiles