she’s here now.
* * *
You guys are so good for my ego. Did I mention thank you for reading? Because, seriously. Thank you for reading. If I had no readers at all, I don’t doubt I’d still be here five days a week writing entries, but the fact that y’all are out there reading just adds a little extra something to the experience!
So, thank you for reading. Seriously!
* * *
Yesterday morning I had a hard time getting going – it’s gotten cooler these last few days*, and what with it being so dark in the morning when Fred leaves for work, I have a really hard time getting up and staying up. But I needed to dust and vacuum because I had Very Important Visitors coming later in the day and I did not want them going home and telling the internet that I live in a sty of piggy slothful dustiness with dust bunnies as big as the cats roaming through the house, so I finally hauled my butt out of bed and got the dusting and vacuuming out of the way, then I lay in bed for half an hour and read before going on to do laundry and then hang it out to dry.
(On the laundry: I really should have done it Monday, but Fred was using the smoker, and I didn’t want our clothes to smell like smoked meat, so I didn’t do laundry, and then Tuesday I didn’t dare to do laundry because it was supposed to rain (though of COURSE it didn’t), so Wednesday was crunch day, since Fred was down to his last work shirt. And there was so much laundry it almost didn’t all fit on the clothes line.)
I was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher when I heard Frick standing on the back steps and making a kind of alarmed cackling sound. Except for a speckled chicken, the rest of the chickens were still in the chicken yard (Frick and the speckle had flown over the fence into the back yard. Frick usually does that every morning and sometimes Flappy does as well; this was the first time I’d seen a speckle do it.). Frick was standing on the back steps staring toward the chicken yard, and as I looked over to see what he was looking at, I saw Tommy and Mister Boogers standing on the cement pad looking kind of agitated.
The reason for their agitation:
(
flickr)
Standing on the gate next to the chicken yard, a hawk. In the chicken yard, not a chicken to be seen (they were hiding under the chicken coop).
I was so concerned for their safety that I ran and got the camera. Ahem.
(
flickr)
The hawk seemed not at all worried about me as I walked toward him, snapping picture after picture. When I got close enough, he flew off to the gate on the other side of the chicken yard.
(
flickr)
(
flickr)
And he stood there until I was within ten feet of him, whereupon he flew off and landed in a nearby tree.
(
flickr)
I walked toward him again, and he finally decided I wasn’t going to leave him the hell alone, so he took off for greener pastures.
We’ve had an issue over the last week with a hawk (I don’t know if it’s always the same one, or a different one every time – they always seem fairly small, so I’ve been assuming it’s a young hawk) spending a lot of time hovering over our back yard, eyeballing the chickens, and flying low over the back yard. They’ve never – so far as I know – attacked, but almost every day I’ve heard the chickens sound the alarm and run for the nearest safe place, then seen a hawk fly low over the back yard.
We’d decided to leave the chickens in the chicken yard until Fred gets home, but the last couple of days I’ve actually forgotten that we were doing that, and let them into the back yard around noon.
I guess we’ll see what happens!
*Seriously! It was 83 yesterday! I practically had to put on my boots and winter coat!
* * *
So, the Very Important Visitors? Kathy and her
DreamGuy! They had to be in the area, so she asked if they could stop by to visit, and of COURSE I was thrilled to finally meet her.
(Okay, I was nervous too, because I’m just that kind of dork.)
She is, you should know, the MOST ADORABLE woman. She’s tiny, and I thought about putting her in my pocket and carrying her around, but then I thought that might be weird, so I refrained. She is a smart and wily woman, so she brought me stuff, because she totally knows that my affections can be bought. An Amish egg basket! How perfect is that for me, I ask you? Also, some cool Alabama stuff (Fred’s an Alabama fan, of course, since he went to UAH) and some protein bars, and the very
litter mats she’d mentioned in my comments the day before (to the person who asked, they’re just made out of plastic; she says they work like a dream!).
I unloaded some habanero jam on them (and might have encouraged Kathy to wait a few days and then email Fred to tell him that the jam was good, but not hot enough, ha!) and some eggs (aigs!), and I made her admire the foster kittens, and I think she even got some Mister Boogers het on her.
They weren’t able to stay long because she had an appointment, but it was so neat to put a face and voice to the name (well, obviously I’ve seen pictures of her, but they don’t nearly do justice to her tiny cute self), and she even offered me their lunch leftovers for my own lunch, which I totally took so I wouldn’t have to poke around the kitchen and wonder what to have for lunch. (Amish meatloaf, in case you were wondering, is REALLY damn good!).
Kathy, I’m serious. Any time you guys want to stop by and admire my Girlz and my kittens, you are more than welcome!
* * *
The funny thing is that while we were standing in the driveway saying goodbye, someone going by slowed down and yelled out to ask if we sold eggs. I told her we didn’t have any extras at the moment, and she asked if she could give me her number. I said goodbye to Kathy and DreamGuy and went inside, wrote down Fred’s name and cell phone number, and took it out to her. I told her we might have a dozen in a few more days, and she said when we had some, to give her a call, because she’d rather buy them from us than from the store.
We’re talking about getting more chickens, so we can sell eggs on a regular basis. We’d never get rich off selling eggs – at least not with the small number of chickens we’re talking about getting – but it would be nice to be able to provide free range eggs to people who are interested.
* * *
(
flickr)
Nothing Our Toms likes more than writhing around on Fred’s bed.
(
flickr)
* * *
Previously
2006: But there’s no horn on the lawnmower!
2005: Did you feel the earth shake too?
2004: No entry.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: My breasts are strawberry scented.
1999: I was ambitious today.]]>