Somebody mentioned asparagus last night – good grief, I hadn’t even checked!!!
After all that running and digging, Hazel headed for the tub.
Brush piles in the grove where I throw all the sticks. Today I drug a really big limb and as I threw it onto the pile, it popped up and I went down. At least I didn’t break my glasses or any bones.
More about Hayrack Hen – of course she wasn’t outside in the cold winter!! None of the chickens were outside in the bitter cold BUT when everybody was let out in the spring Hayrack made a beeline to hide under the hayrack to avoid the bullies. I always waited for her every night to sneak into the barn after everybody else was roosting. I watched from the house as she slowly made her way to the barn – with her head on a swivel watching.
Bob picked Molly up this afternoon- I’ll bet she’s still fast asleep. Tired girl! A week’s exercise was probably too much for her.
Here unfortunately is a common sight around here but not usually in the house – a mouse head and tail in the first pile and the regurgitated mouse next.
You can’t make this stuff up!
Paducah quilt show pictures tomorrow! No more room tonight.
Can’t wait to see your succulent planter filled. I have to look for a log like that. Hope your arm heals quickly, and looks worse than it is.
Keeper, you are such a handsome boy. Happy birthday & many more. Mary, take good care of the arm. Triple antibiotic & a bandage should put you on the healing path.
So sad for Hayrack hen. My sister moved where there is a pond and the ducks lay their eggs. Couple of days ago she saw the baby ducks with momma and now there is only one remaining. The neighbor told her that the snapping turtles get the babies. So sad.
Dee – these things make me just sick.
Happy Birthday, Keeper! I hope you get a special treat for your 4th birthday.
Mary, glad that tree limb didn’t harm you any more than it did. I’d like to say, “slow down” but you’re like me, we can’t! The work doesn’t end and who’s going to do it if we don’t? Have a great weekend!
Happy Birthday Keeper!!!
That will be perfect for succulents!!!! I hope Hayrack find comfort with the baby chicks….bulling in the animal world. I’ve been washing windows….I use your formula….just love. Have a great day. Love the blog!
Becky – when my readers click on the ads, those pennies add up to enough money that I can hire a couple to wash my windows! So thank you!!
Carol, so glad that Elio and his parents are receiving financial support, this is a truly good use of taxpayer dollars. Best wishes for continuing positive progress. Mary, that’s a tough scrape and I hope it heals quickly. It’s a great idea to give Hayrack a job, hopefully a win/win for her and the chicks.
Thank you! It’s a relief that they will have support navigating a system, for sure. Emotional, social, financial, it all comes into play.
I hope that scrape on the arm isn’t as bad as it looks, I bet you turn a few shades of purple when it starts healing. Falling is never fun, not at my age. I wonder what makes the other chickens pick on Hayrack hen. Happy Birthday to Keeper, he is living the good life. Carol, thank you for keeping us posted on Elio and his medical hearing loss, it sounds like he has a great team taking care of him. He is in our prayers and you have a wonderful time loving on him for all of us. Today we will plant the wildflowers in our woods and get them watered, finally have all the underbrush cleaned up and lots of roots dug out. We left 3 trees that are completely dead for the birds to enjoy. We have pileated woodpeckers that come most evenings to dig in the trunks for bugs & sap. Rain is in our forecast for tonight.
Kim – I’ve seen a pileated woodpecker only once – they’re an impressive looking bird. I’m expecting the orioles in a week or so. I see one nest way up high – wonder if they reuse those nests.
Thank you so much. We can’t wait to meet him. They’ve had so many visitors, they are exhausted, but they have solid support, which is wonderful. Our turn is next weekend, we’ve held back so they have had some time to themselves to work through the emotions.
Happy birthday to Keeper!
Last night, I read the comments in yesterday’s blog to see if there was more news about Hayrack Hen. She has lots of fans. We are rooting for her to feel safe and have a peaceful life.
Sheryl – I hope she gets real tame!!
Mary I still get goose bumps remembering you picking up Keeper at the shelter and how happy he must have been to see you come get him.
And Carol I’m so happy you will get to hold and snuggle little Elio soon.
Kathy – and I think that’s why Keeper is such a clingy dog at times – it’s so hard on him when I leave and can’t take him with me. Don’t you imagine he thinks I’m leaving him again? Makes me upset with the shelter that they didn’t contact me when his adoption fell thru.
Thank you, can’t wait to “snug” … you just reminded me that our son used to shorten words (always the efficient one) and he used to say “we need to snug now”!
Happy Birthday Keeper.
Love that split log for planting, so fun
Great pictures today. I love seeing the antics of your animals. Hazel and Keeper sure are busy dogs. I realized after I posted yesterday that you said you waited for Hayrack to come into the barn at night. I couldn’t imagine that she would be able to withstand the cold temps in Iowa. Not to mention that you would never leave her out to fend for herself. Sorry if I offended. I should have posted immediately after I reread your post and common sense kicked in. Just so sad to think of her spending her outside time under the hayrack. I went to the Paducah AQS quilt show in the late ’80’s. It was amazing.
Ginger – I don’t think I’ve ever had a hen so bullied before and in a day or two or three, I will open the door to a larger pen for her and the chicks. We’re in for bad weather tonight so they have to stay put. It’s so windy I can hardly stand up outside. Neither man nor beast can withstand our winter temps – I’m so glad I have months ahead of me to enjoy the nice weather.
Elio is also lucky to be born in a time when there is help for his hearing. My husband has two cochlear implants that allow him to hear but has had hearing loss all of his life. No money and no medical help when he was a child and it still affects him in ways that the rest of us take for granted (sounding out words, pronunciations of words,, watching TV or movies even with closed captioning, participating in group and individual conversations). We’ve seen the result of early intervention and speech therapy in today’s children and it’s amazing.
Thank you, Christina. We’re hopeful that the medical field has advances we’re not even aware of yet, but will be, and that Elio has a better chance than many children in our generation had. We’re also grateful that Pennsylvania has laws in place to help children like him get the care he needs. I can’t wait to see him and hold him and hug him.
Carol – great news about ELIO!!! Yes, you just have to go pick him up – he’s a little guy, isn’t he? And financial aid is a fantastic plus!!
Thanks, Mary! He’s such a little squishy guy, those cheeks, definitely his father’s baby face. We’ve talked on and off about moving close to Pittsburgh (their home) and it makes sense financially, we know that. Our property is a lot of work, so there’s that. You know all about that! But it’s home. I’m guessing when we meet him next week, the urge to be closer will be much stronger. Letting God’s plan unfold…
Christina – no reassuring to hear about a successful hearing loss situation – thank you!
Hi, Mary,
A little update on Elio. I’m just cutting and pasting the info we received from his Mom. I have research to do to more fully understand what’s going to happen, so I have no more to input.
We’re headed to PA to see him for the first time next weekend, in May. We’ve given them space and grace to make new parent adjustments (this is a big one, for sure), but I just have to hold that wee one!
“We had Elio’s audiology appointment today! It was a long test. They had a few quick tests that he had to fail first that required ear canals but then we did a test that measured nerve response to air input and bone conduction input. Via normal air hearing he starts hearing around 80/90 decibels or just below a chainsaw/lawnmower. With bone conduction he starts hearing around 50 decibels. It seems like it’s similar to my mom’s and my aunt’s levels of hearing loss. We follow up in one month to repeat the same test and confirm similar results. The plates in his head are still settling so they like to confirm. We also have an appointment with an ear specialist doctor that will likely order a CT/MRI but unfortunately he is not available until late August. We will call at least once a month to try to see him sooner. The goal is to get him on something like the Baja headband by 6 months old. It’s good information and we are glad that all these specialists are so close by. We also found out that Elio qualifies for state Medicare insurance which will cover all his health relating needs, not just hearing things, but it will cover those devices fully. That is great because we won’t have to worry about what our private insurance will/won’t cover.”
That’s all I know at this point. I’m grateful that he lives in a state that is so responsive to newborns’ needs. What a blessing!
Thank you for the update, Carol. Prayers will continue for this little one.
Hi Mary, your arm looks sore! Not easy to deal with that as your skin gets thinner as we age, l end up with marks on my arms etc and no idea how it happened! Happy birthday to Keeper, he is a lovely dog! I bet Molly is having a big sleep now she is home.Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Happy 4th Birthday to Keeper! So glad the weather was nice for outdoor play.
Mary, your arm looks quite nasty; who knew picking up sticks could be so dangerous. Take Care
Keep us posted about Hayrack hen. Bless her heart. I wonder what marks a particular hen to be the target of all the others. So cruel. I hope she likes her life with the baby chickens.
I also wondered about what singles out one hen to be picked on. I remember when I was a little girl, my grandmother or grandfather would put something like tar on the picked on chicken. I shouldn’t mention this because I really don’t remember or know for sure. Maybe it was a medication but I thought it was to keep the others from pecking.
Sheryl – yes, I think I remember the same thing. I have sprayed her back with an antiseptic spray and I should do it again.
The hazards of yard work and having pets! Hope your arm heals quickly. Happy birthday to Keeper—such a good boy. The hollow log is a great find for a planter— a nice reward for having picked up all those other sticks. I put out the hummingbird feeder and the oriole feeder, though I don’t expect them for another week, but since the weather has been so warm, I thought they just might arrive sooner.
Sara – I got my oriole feeders out today and I’m sure I have several jars of jelly leftover
Happy 4th birthday to Keeper. Our barn cats have been catching shrews and one got a baby mole the other day. Though it was dead she played with it, tossing it around for about 20 minutes. Apparently they don’t eat moles. I guess they don’t taste good. Glad they are doing the job here. The baby horse is having a lot of fun. She and mom got out in our smallest grass field for about 20 minutes today and yesterday. Amazing how fast a little filly can run when she’s only 4 days old. She’s adorable.
Teresa – oh, those first tentative running steps are precious!