Warm January Days

Friday and Saturday were absolutely wonderful. Especially Friday. Sunshine all day; around seventy-two degrees and just wonderful.

And we stayed outside most of the day. Chili just laid down and soaked up a few rays.

It's rainy today. Suppose to be rainy for the next couple of days. By Wednesday cold is back. I think the lows will be around twenty-five to twenty-seven.

Oh well, it is still winter and we got some warmth and sun.

Wordless Wednesday

Daytime Deer

I still have a crowd sometimes at night. I still haven't seen a buck yet; and the chances are not good right now. Their horns will be falling off soon and I wouldn't know one if it strolled by. That is until they grow back.

Three came by again in the daylight.

These are not real big. I do have some big does that come at night.

See how pretty and shiny her coat is?

I finally cleaned out the hen house and the nest boxes. It was "a mess."

Raccoon

As you can see this is a very young raccoon. Probably the reason he got trapped. I'm relocating him. He will be much happier in another location.

I'm having to trap again because one came really early last week and almost got one of my hens. Actually, she died anyway. I found her the next morning in the shed. I guess she died of a heart attack. I went out to close the hen house about one hour after dark. Bad me.

"I see you".

"I see you, too."

The little coon doesn't care where I am. He has to watch Skylar.

The wire at the top; shouldn't be there. Oscar tore up my trap while trying to get at the coon. I had to just put it in the truck and shut the tailgate to keep him away. So no more trapping until Johnny fixes my trap.

Squirrels and Squirrel Nest

This little squirrel must be pretty hungry because he let me get pretty close. How he could be hungry is beyond me; as much chicken feed as I put out.

Yesterday I was just glancing out the window and I thought I saw something moving in the tree. I first thought it was just the wind; but, after watching for a minute or two I saw a squirrel. He was picking twigs of leaves off the branches and then run up the trunk.

He or she was really busy. I tried to get a good shot but I guess it was the angle of the sun glare.

I think he started this smaller one on the outer branch and must have decided that wasn't the spot. You can see it on the left and higher.

Or maybe it is another squirrels home. Who knows.

Sign of Spring?

A couple of days ago, while I was out taking some pictures, I found this one bloom of forsythia. Sign of spring? I bet not. I don't know how it bloomed anyway because the nights were down in the low twenties.

It has been raining for the last two days. Yesterday it didn't rain very much; just a little drizzle. This morning it was raining when I got up and it has been raining all day. This is really good. I noticed in the paper today that we are behind about two inches on the yearly average. This is since Jan. 1. I have gotten an inch and a half today. I don't know how much we got yesterday and last night because I had forgotten to put my rain gauge back out. I'm thinking we are about caught up or will be by the time it quits raining. Yea!

New Bird Feeders

This is one of my new feeders and hanger. Cute, huh? The birds seem to like it also. I put bird seed in the top section and sunflower seeds in the lower.

I've had the little thin one for a couple of weeks. I had to have more because they go through that little thin one in a day. I would rather not have to put out bird seed every day.

These feeders I have hanging on an old patio umbrella; minus the fabric. I dug a hole and put a large pvc pipe in the ground and then set the umbrella down in that. In the summer I planted morning glory and moon flowers to grow up the pole. The flowers didn't do well last summer. I don't know if it was just too much sun or what.

This little hen's name is Gold Dust. She has a little gold behind her ears and under her neck feathers. She was born the end of June. Her sister, Snow, has been laying eggs for a month; but, I don't think she has yet.

My little fish are huddled down at the bottom. It got up to forty-one today but because my little pond doesn't get sunshine in the winter it still is frozen over except of where the water runs into it.

Bad Poppet and Suki

I went down to the barn to feed horses this afternoon and look what I found. Actually, I forgot to take a picture before I put most of the hay back in the stall. They had got the stall door open and helped them selves.

"Who me? I was hungry."

Actually, I feed them a couple of blocks each every morning and then feed them food plus a block of hay each every evening. Believe me, they aren't going hungry.
The picture on the left is how I had it closed. I thought that if they tried to open it again, they would have to push the handle up. Evidently they succeeded. The picture on the left is how I closed it tonight. It is pretty hard to open since it is stuck in the corner. At least I hope this works until I get another latch to add to this.

Chili was trying to eat grass today.

It's pretty hard with ice all over the grass.

It has been icy and dreary for two days now. We got some freezing rain and a little sleet. No snow like the weathermen PROMISED.

With the weather so dark and dreary I was surprised I got as many eggs as I did. I got eight today and eight yesterday. My good little girls.

My New Toy

I bought me and outdoor wild game camera. The first night the camera was out I had lots of deer. Starting about a little after midnight, they starting coming in and then lots of shot till about three am. Then they started again about six. This shot is at six thirty eight am.
The camera is in the woods behind my house. Not too far back, though. I want to get it closer to the house after they are use to it.

And this is Oscar going through about six forty eight am. Oscar, my brothers dog, had spent the night with me. He is a big time hunter.

These I got last night.

"What was that? Did you hear it"

"This is my corn"

Silly raccoons think they are going to take the corn. You noticed one of the deer ran away.

Three raccoons, one deer. That's alright. She can guard hers.

This morning it started sleeting early. The birds were really after the feeders. Then it changed to freezing rain. That really scares me because if it gets too bad we will usually lose power.

Early afternoon it let up and stopped. Then about five pm it started snowing for a few minutes and then changed to sleet. I don't think it is going to get as bad as they said on the weather channel. We will see.

Feeding Up

It is absolutely amazing to me how something as big as a horse can make a trail this small. They also walk on the trail everyday.
What is taking so long? Get in here and get me my food!

Oscar, my brothers dog, was hunting rats in the barn. He found one, too; just didn't catch it. He did get a lot of cobwebs.

My sister has three guinea. They do make a lot of racket, but they are extremely fast. My son said they look like prehistoric creatures.

Wordless Wednesday

Poppet and Suki

This morning I looked out the window and noticed a car pulling over on the shoulder of the road. It was down in front of the old house on the other side of this pasture. A lady got out and was feeding apples to Poppet and Suki. I knew this because I got the binoculars out to see what she was doing. Poppet and Suki were standing there with their heads over the fence yumming it up.

Later they were standing in the pasture just staring down the road. I don't know what they saw or heard, but they were really watching.

So, I grab my camera and apples to get them to come up to the fence. I had just given them apples here and they are watching down the road. Poppet is still chewing on hers.

Until I snap the first picture, and away we go. Poppet didn't go too far at first, but spooky Suki kept cutting up until Poppet took off also.

They both can imagine buggerbears easily.



And Skyar is saying "Oh man, I'm on the wrong side of the fence."

A Few of My Flock

Foghorn is working on his feminine side. I went out to check on the hens and there was Foghorn sitting up on a nest. I don't know how long he was there, but it was a while.

This is Buttercup.

And this is Butterscotch. I call them The Butters. They really turned out to be pretty hens. They were born in April and think their mom was a golden sex link and I think Foghorn was the father. I think. They lay really good too.


These were the white and black biddies born in the end of June. The white one, Snow, is already laying.

I'm not sure about the black one. And I have no idea who her mother was unless it was a barred rock. Oh well. Everyone is still okay so far. About once a week I still walk through the woods trying to leave scent to keep the coyotes away.