Coffee's ready...

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Coffee is the first thing I want every morn. My sis says it's bad for me ...but she's a health nut. Over the years she's told me to stay away from salt, bread, coloring, cake, refined sugar, corn syrup, and here's the kicker: CHOCOLATE! Perish the thought!!!!!! Of course all these things are either good for you or simply not bad for you. Fads! Who needs them. Eat, Drink and be Merry.

I can't get any kind of Cherry to grow. I've bought large caliper trees and little whips. They all die. My soil has been checked and it's fine. I just don't get it.

 

[oesdog]

Hi everyone.
Well been a really busy day today. In an odd kind of a way we actually managed a few hours to do our own thing! The Dogs so need walked regularly but it simply has not been possible for that last few years. Once I got diagnosed with Fibromyalga taking two dogs out alone became impossible especially since the big fellow is a strong old brut and the little guy is just a whirling dervish on the end of a leed. Then od course DH had the heart attack so that and then the disability issues well it kind of gets quite hard and frustrating that DH and I can;t just say "lets go for a walk!" like normal couples. We do get out as much as we can though and this turned out to be one of those moments. Dan was at Adult care centre for a few hours. DH was not feelilng ill so he was in good form. ( His spine is degenerating so often the pain is too much to be dragging a dog about!) So DH got his camera bag and we headed down the coast to an old village by the shore and parked up. It is now a national trust site and no one really lives there anymore. Most of the cottages are owned by folk who use them for short holiday breaks so this time of year the place is diserted. We had a lovely walk along the shore and managed to get a few good photos too for DHs collection. It was good to relax and enjoy the time. We even got back in time for a nice lunch and coffee before we had to go to bed for a few hours. - We have to rest between 1 -3 in the afternoon before the lad gets home or we simply couldn;t function what with being up most nights with the boy. So all in all a very enjoyable time.

We also had a wonderful meal last evening for valantines. We stayed home as going out with a disabled 24yr old kind of doesn;t do much for the romantic mood! But the meal we had was really nice and well worth the money. We had a lovely starter scollops and creamed potato served in a shell, with white sauce. Then main was duck with orange sauce and sautayed potato in garlic and cheese with a side of mixed veg. For desert we had champaigne sufflee - then a bottle of wine and chocolates by the fire. Not bad considering.
At least I feel a lot more rested and less tired. My car is in the garage ( poor Matilda was sick! Something wrong with the gears - she is an Automatic but was not doing what she was told! I believe it was some kind of oil sensor causeing the problem.) So I will have to get the old girl back from "the garage hospital for sick cars" Friday. More money!!!!! But I love Matilda much and even though she is 10 yrs old now she is mine and I know her history. I actually would drive her forever - but my husband thinks I am crazy. I just don;t want to change her. I wouldn;t care if she was 30yrs old as long as she got me from A-B ok.

Anyhow that is the news from the oes!

Oesdog

 

[karl E lutz]

Good morning chicken wranglers
Oesdog you have a very interesting life.Good you got romanced with dinner and a jaunt.Pour deb only got a card and chocolates.I got my boys each a small chocolates box,I knew they would eat their mothers anyway.Deb is far too weight concious to splurge.
Godess I'm on your side eat drink and be merry.Tummy tucking is just a fantasy for fatties like me.
God Bless!

 

[quercus21]

Morning People,
Another spring like morning here. Yesterday, as I was hauling wood to the house, I heard the crows raising some ruckus. There was maybe 6 - 8 of them along the woods edge. The next thing I hear is the screech of a red tail hawk. In no shape, form or way did the crows want that hawk around here. The hawked moved within 50 - 60 yards of me with the crows following. Some crows were within 5 - 6 feet of the hawk doing that dance of theirs and screaming at the hawk. The last I saw, they were all moving south of me.

I think those sour cherries should be good for attracting birds. It'll be nice.

Gargoyle: The better half feeds the birds just about year around. When we go away, they are on the list of things to be feed. I hope that most of the cherries will be for us. We make jam and freeze them for tarts and crisps. Nothing like a hot cherry crisp with vanilla ice cream.

Osedog: That's pretty good you name your car Matilda. My van is also name, Vincent Van Gogh, shorten to Vinny.

Welcome back Karl

Anyone else names their vehicles?

Enjoy your day

 

[oesdog]

Hi Everyone.
Well yes my car is called Matilda. It is called that not after a recent film but after my great grandmother. I just liked the name. Though Granny was mostly called Ada though I like it more shortened to Tilly which some folk are known to do also. I just call the car Matty-hilda when she isn;t being a good girl! DH keeps threatening to get rid of her but really she is fine only has 47000 on the clock and the worst she ever did to me was eject her exhaust pipe once on the way to an important hospital heart appointment for DH ooops!!!!!!! I was going quite fast trying to get us to the appointment on time went round the roundabout and onto the duel-carrageway and heard a clunk! Then a very mutilating screech!!!!!!!!! So I pulled over and thats when I saw it. The mangled innerds of her undercarriage! OMG - Dh ended up driving what was left of her to the nearest garage that fixed her pretty quick for an emence fee!! We did finally make it to the hospital about an hour late with a new exhaust pipe. DH assured me it would not happen again - it did a year later but fortunately for me DH was driving her at the time!!!!! So much for it wont happen again love!!!!!! Yeah right!!!!!!! DH ended up having to take what was left of the "New exhaust pipe" off and put it inside the car and drive her home sounding like a tractor!!!!! - So Dh is not exactly thrilled with the old girl much! But I love her. I am missing her right now a great deal and also a bit worried about the fee to fix her. I keep telling DH that it is good because we know she is ok and why get rid of her to buy into someone elses junk! Better the devil you know I say! though he gives a sniff and reminds me she is 10yrs old! I can't change that no matter how many toys and fluffy pillows I put in her. oooops did I say that out loud!

I am tired as ever tonight. Been a bit busy today. Managed to get the hen coop cleaned on my own this morning without ending up stuck in it upside down with my legs in the air! So that was possitive. The girls are happy. My Brain injured sons rabbit is still squatting in the shed! I had to buy it food this week? Why its not my bunny???? And its eaten all my lettice and carrots. Ok it has a pretty nasty eye injury that I am nursing it for - The lad thought he should dispatch it -???? Someone told him it was "suffering". Sometimes I want to poke these folk in the eye!!!!!!!!!! The poor thing has a scratched retina which is being treated with drops from the vet. So yes it is going to hurt and be sore but as I said to my lad when he was a kid and scrapped his knee I didn;t cut his leg off! He doesn;t understand so I had to lift the rabbit before it became an x- rabbit! Hence the reason it is squatting in my shed eating my food and costing me money!! I am hoping the drops work as the eye is still quite cloudy and the eyeball was very swollen up a good long while. It isn;t so bad now but I still wonder if the eye will be viable longterm. Anyhow maybe I will be able to work a move and keep it then get it better find it a friend - guinnie pig mate and give it to the grand baby???????? Just a thought. Though right now its not the friendliest bunny and the grand baby tortures the cat like crazy, I don;t believe old bunnykins would be quite so tollerent?

So Thats the news from the Oes
Coffee cake today

Dh was busy in the kitchen!

Oesdog

 

[rngrbill]

Ok! gang. One of my NHRs is not doing well. She looked like a bucket of water had been dumped over her. Her tail feathers looked like they were chopped up. She is lethargic, I don't think she is eating well. When I threw out some scratch grain she ignored it as well as only taking a couple of hot grain I put out. She is drinking from a bowl of water. Her eyes are clear when she has them open., nose is dry. She has been standing still. When I open up the coop she comes out last very slowly and doesn't move aroung much. tonight she didn't go in tonight when I picked her up she sqawked once but didn't resist. She didn't seem hot or cold. Should I be worried???????

 

[oesdog]

Ok! gang. One of my NHRs is not doing well. She looked like a bucket of water had been dumped over her. Her tail feathers looked like they were chopped up. She is lethargic, I don't think she is eating well. When I threw out some scratch grain she ignored it as well as only taking a couple of hot grain I put out. She is drinking from a bowl of water. Her eyes are clear when she has them open., nose is dry. She has been standing still. When I open up the coop she comes out last very slowly and doesn't move aroung much. tonight she didn't go in tonight when I picked her up she sqawked once but didn't resist. She didn't seem hot or cold. Should I be worried???????

Yes I think there is something deffinately wrong. Part her out as the others will pick on her and that may account for her deshevelled appearence right now. Try to make sure she is getting water often. Think extra Vitamins to biuld her up. Infant vitamin drops without iron. Make sure she is not egg bound or has an impacted croop. Give her things like bread with veg/sunflower oil through it. This will help digestion and get rid of anything stuck int he croop. Egg bound - you can usually tell by the swollen belly and feel an egg. - You should look at the thread on egg bound and internal laying. This may help you. If she is internally laying then there may not be much can be done.

Hope this helps you.
Oesdog

 

[rngrbill]

Thanks Oes. Dont know what I will be feeling for will give her a good going over, The bread sounds like a good idea! Isolation might be difficult as I don;t have a place to put her and it is too cold to lock her out. If the others are pecking on her it might explain why she was reluctent to in the coop last night. I haven't seen any one picking on her though.
Thanks again

 

[oesdog]

Thanks Oes. Dont know what I will be feeling for will give her a good going over, The bread sounds like a good idea! Isolation might be difficult as I don;t have a place to put her and it is too cold to lock her out. If the others are pecking on her it might explain why she was reluctent to in the coop last night. I haven't seen any one picking on her though.
Thanks again

No problem. I am not an expert though and am only telling you what I would do. I never take my birds to the vet now. Some folk think that is bad but when the Vet here charges £20 before he even looks at a bird and I can get 3 point of lay hens for that it doesn;t make economic sence. So if I can;t fix them they go for the chop. I have taken them to a vet in the past. 2 ones Dh got out of their shells ( We were kind of Mom and dad to them but they turned out to be Roo boys and had to leave and a hen we got in place of one that died because she had a terrible prolapse and I didn;t know what to do. Now I do so never again!) You learn much in this game. I think we all get very attached to our birds, sometimes we forget they are livestock! I hope she gets better soon for you. I just know if you are thinking it might be internal lay or being Egg bound you need to look up those threads on BYC as I have never delt with it so wont be able to advise best practice. - I have heard of warm water bath for an egg bound hen though but wouldn;t recomend leaving her wet outside in the cold for sure. If you do do that make sure she is well warm and dry after!!!!!!

I am away hope things go ok for you
Oesdog

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

rngrbill:
We just went through what it sounds like you are going through.
My girl got bonked in the head by an unsecured door during high winds.
She became a stargazer with a twisted neck and head but also was no longer cold hardy, uninterested/unable to eat and drink.
She could not walk and sat in the yard, shivering. the other birds started picking on her so I scooped her up - with no objection from her at all and brought her in.
She was unconcerned that our 100 lb dog was very interested in her. The cat was also a non issue. As was my husband & myself. She was just out of it and could not have protected herself by even moving out of the way.
2 days passed and I called a friend who recommended vitamin B drops. We gave them to her once a day. I brought her out with me every morning and put her with the flock to drink from a familiar vessel. The rest of the girls saw her incapacities and picked on her when they could. I would then bring her back in. She stated improving.
3 days later I decided to leave her outside ( yes we had a free ranging house chicken for 6 day ( thank goodness for tile floors). that was 4 days ago and she appears fine.
My friend told me to bring her in because of her non cold-hardy status but I feel that if I had left her out, the other birds would have done her in too.
You can find vitamin B drops for about 10.00 at the grocery store by the vitamins. I was also told to get some poly vi sol baby vitamins without the iron but she improved before I got out to get it.
It does sound like the others picked on her and did feather damage but why? Most likely she has something wrong with her and they do that to the weakest of the flock. I say bring her in. Keep her warm. Bring her out to the flock daily under supervision and for short periods so they don't forget her and attack when you return her after she is healed.
Good Luck