The Loveliness of Good Friends

We have had so many wonderful things written to us at the loss of Abby...

Even today we got a card from Tweedles and her mommies in 

Oregon... telling us how much they will hold our little girl in 

their hearts. 

We cherish them so much. 

Here is something else that came today in the mail... 

and which we will cherish forever... it is a

gift for our new house. 

Ramona, the Japanese Redneck, is not just a talented rider and benefactress of dogs and cats... she is also a talented seamstress and mosaic artist.  She sent us this beautiful wall hanging for the new house. 

Here is a closeup of her beautiful work... and as you see... it says "Home" on the right hand side of the heart. 

Thank you, Ramona and Ronny... we will always treasure it. 

This guy got to come home... and is feeling considerably better.  He will have weekly checkups for a while. 

Boo!

We were going to move this cabinet today, while Chris was here... and I went into the new 

henhouse to get it ready (i.e., dusting it off)... and BOO!  Someone was there before me. 

After I took his picture, he slithered down onto the floor... and... we left the cabinet for today. 

Almost brand new, it got dusty so fast that I never used it for the last year and a half, so we are going to clean it up and bring it over here for the garage. 

Chris will be back in three weeks so we can move things to the fairgrounds for the next auction... and then the following week... we will get the dumpster in and do the final clean-up. 

YAYYYYY.  

I'm worn out going back and forth. 

Don't look now... look what's growing in the south flower bed! 

I'm leaving it, just to see what happens... in fact, I'm going to put a cage over it. 

(tomato) 

Next week... I'm going to take two hours, go over to the old place, and work in the perennial beds.  While the kids worked today, I pulled weeds.  I've left some hoes and rakes there, and a shovel, and I'm going to do a general clean-up.  I have some straw that I bought for the henhouses, and I'll use it to mulch instead. 

We are about to have a HUGE display of flowers. 

The (almost) empty deck. 

The two responsible for all the heavy lifting in the last two days, and I caught each in 

mid-chew!

I can't tell you how much they have helped, loading and unloading the truck and the HHR three times today, and they are cutting the grass here right now. 

They are going to a movie tonight, I'll drive them over... they don't get to go very often because there is no movie in Garnett... so this is a treat.  I'm so glad to drop them off and go back for them. 

We are about worn out, they more than I. 

I'll run to church in an hour, and then afterwards, take them to their movie... and 

in the morning, we will drive south again.  

Thanks again to Ramona and Ronny for our wonderful house-warming gift... 

and all of your kind words for our little girl lost. 

100 with a Chance of Storms

100 out right now, with a heat index of 108... and I believe it.  However, we have an outside chance of a storm tonight.  I'll take it. 

Everyone is trying to stay cool, and I mean EVERYONE.  She did not mind me taking this picture, she is just perfectly submerged except for the head, and she wasn't going to move out of the cool dish I had changed this morning. 

These guys were in a hurry to start their day this morning, and gave me what for as I brought the bottles.  You notice they have quite the wildflower patch growing near their barn! 

They are currently getting only milk with their probiotic in the morning... then mixed milk and water at noon... and milk with water about 7 PM.  Last night at 8 I gave them each a full bottle of water, which they gulped right down.  I figure it's better to make sure they are hydrated in this heat. 

This is one hot chick.  Folly and Fancy would both be so much more comfortable if they would come down, but they won't.  I put two frozen bottles in their waterer (behind Folly) and a frozen bottle that she can lay against. 

The chickens on the floor are doing okay, and they had a bottle to lean against, plus three frozen bottles in their waterer... and they know that water is cold, look at them! 

The majority of the flock was under the henspa where it is dark and cool. 

I cannot tell a lie.  The goats were in the henyard, and they always run out into the yard when I bucket, and it was HOT.  I dumped the pool.  The ducks were glad. 

I was glad the goats were in there... they aren't eating a lot of chicken feed, they are browsing constantly on the growth in there.  I was glad they were in the cooler henyard, as their yard has little shade.  I snuck out as soon as the pool was full, and came in to do this post.  

Frankly, I'm still dripping, and I'm going to lay down and read for a while in the air conditioning. 

Everyone stay cool! 

Pick a Little, Talk a Little

Here's Butch, eating a treat.  He won't get to go outside right away... he has a 4 x 4 pen with a tarp roof, but right now, that pen is solid mud underneath.  As soon as it dries out a little, he'll get to enjoy the fresh air, but for now, he's still King of the Feed Room.  He likes to eat on top of the rabbit hutch.  There was a plastic trash bag there, waiting to be used, but Libby has started laying an egg on it daily, so for now, it's staying as a nest and Butch is having his treat on it.  His bad eye has opened, after being closed for months, but appears to be dead, though he can see fine out of the other.

I thought I had posted this video last night before going to bed... but when I checked at work today, it was not posted.  I don't know if it was tired me, or Blogger, so my apologies. 

Our friend the big black rat snake is still hunting in the henhouse.  I found him today curled up by one of the buckets we use as nests.  I keep checking that I still have all my bantams in the big henhouse, and hope he doesn't get one, but goes for the mice instead. 

None of my friends can believe we have a snake awake in the henhouse this early, especially since a week ago tonight it got down to 7 below zero here. 

The snow has almost all melted here now, and we are expecting temps in the 60's tomorrow, so are going to leave windows open for the day to try to air some of this house and it's winter smells out.