A new year, indeed. Did you know that 2018 is the year of the dog? But it doesn’t start really until February 16th, so we’re technically still in the year of the Rooster. Both actually suit us just fine, I suppose. As far as new things happening… there aren’t that many. As I write this, both Sue and I are battling the flu that has been so pervasive in the community. We’ve been fighting through out the holidays, I believe. Sue thought she was over it, but it kind of rebounds on you. As I write this, I am sipping a hot toddy and Sue is taking a nap, before we go to choir rehearsal where she is going to be the substitute pianist tonight. I’m supposed to be rehearsing a solo in a song tonight, so we’ll see how well we both do. We had to make a midnight run to the airport last night to pick up a solider flying in from Virginia and take him back to Fort Huachuca. It has about done us in! We’ve done well just keeping up on the normal stuff! Continue reading
a new year has begun
03 Wednesday Jan 2018
Posted in Musings
Wednesday night and most of Thursday, we had some fierce winter winds. They were blowing like crazy! On the littles’ side of the coop, the wind was just barreling through the small chicken door – heedless of the wind shield Sue put up for just this reason. So, Sue went and picked up some straw bales from Gem’s, our local feed store, and arranged a wind break for them. You can see Imen there, inspecting for bugs today. This is really the first day they’ve been out with the bales, because it was so bitterly cold and windy yesterday – they all
hung around inside. Today it was warm and calm enough to have the door open for a few minutes when the sun was shining right inside. They love to hang out in the door way and sun themselves. Anyway~ Sue also added three bales on the other side for the biggies as well. Just so their food pallet would have a little protection as well. The biggies were out a bit more yesterday than the littles, but they are all still quite interested in the new hairy lumps that have been added to their run. I was out there watching them this afternoon, and I goy the distinct feeling they think that the additions are for a Christmas Barn Dance. I saw them making all kinds of little preparations….
Sue is really good at building and rebuilding things, re-purposing, re-using, re-configuring. It happens on and off… build something that the ducks don’t like and repurpose it for the chickens. Build something as a tractor, reuse it as a shade shelter, or in this case. Take something that was a tractor, then made into an above the ground shelter and now repurpose it back into a tractor. The photo shows the tractor on it’s back, the legs have already come off and then Sue’ll begin to take the chicken wire from the bottom. This one sits right on the ground, so she didn’t want the chickens to tear up their feet as they try to scratch through wire. We’ll be moving it out near the “leaf pond”, setting up a fence around it and putting the Banties out there to have some fun in those leaves. We’ll put hay down inside the tractor and surround it with hay bales as well. Eventually, we may be able to let them out of the fencing to free range in the yard – even just an hour to begin with. They’d love it and they could help with bug control in the spring. We’ll see how it goes. 
Things always keep going, no matter what. Even if they are little things. Or nature – type things. While I was out in California, it seems we had some weather. Sue said that it rained for a couple of days – snowed in the mountains just above us. First snow of the season, really. It’s been quite cold at night; this morning I ended up having to scrape the windshield. We really needed the rain, so I’m glad we were blessed. I’m also glad that I didn’t end up driving home in any type of rainy weather. Sure makes for a pretty view. 
The last couple of days we’ve had freeze warnings here. We did take them to heart, but we really didn’t think it would get as low as it did. I have the NOAA weather application on my phone, and it is pretty accurate about the warnings that it gives. I have it programmed for Ramona and for Hereford. So, while Ramona warnings were all about wind and extreme fire danger, ours were about freezing temperatures. 
Wing and a Prayer 