Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[GregnLety]

handsome Jack convalescing after an encounter with Migos. You can barely see the gash under his right eye. Fixing to clean up the wound again after breakfast.

 

[bgmathteach]

Happy pony Sunday. Since I don't have a Pony, but Elroy is big enough to be a small pony, I give you Elroy:
(trouble is, instead of being able to ride him like a Pony, HE thinks he is a 'lap pony! )

That said, he is a big ole scaredy cat! We were getting ready to lock up the chickens, (Elroy sometimes 'helps'), and someone shot off some fireworks - quite a ways away - but he immediately SQUEEZED through this little chicken pop door to 'hide' All 72 lbs of him!

 

[rural mouse]

Don’t the crows stay year round?
I have lots of them but they live here. That makes me happy as they mib the hawks relentlessly. The most I have seen at once though is about a dozen.

Yes, they stay year round. I've never seen them fly in v nor have I seen that many altogether. Family groups. With that number, a pair with this year's babies, 3-4 of last year's offspring AND their babies too.... speculating that each V might be one of the clutches with the older birds being the outflyers. Where they were headed or where they were coming from and why? Not a clue.

 

[rural mouse]

Happy pony Sunday. Since I don't have a Pony, but Elroy is big enough to be a small pony, I give you Elroy:
(trouble is, instead of being able to ride him like a Pony, HE thinks he is a 'lap pony! )

That said, he is a big ole scaredy cat! We were getting ready to lock up the chickens, (Elroy sometimes 'helps'), and someone shot off some fireworks - quite a ways away - but he immediately SQUEEZED through this little chicken pop door to 'hide' All 72 lbs of him!

View attachment 3263981

Lapdog-ponies are wonderful!

 

[bgmathteach]

Tomato/strawberry plant bandits strike again

View attachment 3263921View attachment 3263922View attachment 3263923

They clearly are accustomed to being around your place....so close to the house! Yes, I have lost all but one tomato plant this year and all my squash/cucumber plants. This year we tried potting all of them and tried wrapping the very large pots with some 2x3 welded wire fencing. Clearly it wasn't tall enough. And then the chickens ate all the Basil that was in another pot (they didn't touch the thyme, though) They got themselves stuck! They hopped up to the top of the fence and then hopped down inside the wire ring....but that pot didn't have a large enough diameter for them to fly back out Boy did they let me know they weren't happy being trapped!!! [they only free range when someone is home.]

 

[ValarieF]

Tyson the protector!!! Big baby also!

 

[GregnLety]

All done, packed to the roof top….

500 rather large heavy square bales of really nice hay packed away for the geegees and we made the hay elevator fit too hahaha.


In the beginning, it was a big void… occupied by the dreaded hay elevator, and about 150 of last years bales.
View attachment 3263087
View attachment 3263088

I even put the horse trailer to use - I was able to put 50 bales in it! Load…. Unload…. Hard work! But my cousin and her husband helped
View attachment 3263090
View attachment 3263091
View attachment 3263092
View attachment 3263093

Then it started to fill up, 300 bales is a lot of hay! But I wheezed and struggled and my cousin her husband and I (and eventually my niece) did 300…. Filling up nicely!
View attachment 3263096

Today we completed the job with an additional 200. Packed it in, and dragged the dreaded hay elevator back up for storage for the winter.
Done for another year

The east side of the barn where my access hatch is located.
View attachment 3263099
View attachment 3263101
View attachment 3263102

The west side of the barn and the dreaded hay elevator, without which non of this would be possible! Had to haul out my ladder to access this side.
View attachment 3263103
View attachment 3263104


View attachment 3263105

Truly hoping I will throw down some hay for her… hold the ladder Tru! I am coming down…
View attachment 3263107

Well done! Now relax and take a break Kelly, you deserve it.

 

[bgmathteach]

Yes, they stay year round. I've never seen them fly in v nor have I seen that many altogether. Family groups. With that number, a pair with this year's babies, 3-4 of last year's offspring AND their babies too.... speculating that each V might be one of the clutches with the older birds being the outflyers. Where they were headed or where they were coming from and why? Not a clue.

In the northeast, it is not uncommon for crows to 'gather' into larger flocks in certain 'amenable places' as winter approaches, and stay there for most of the season. There is a place along the Hudson in NY where there are regularly a few hundred that congregate for the winter. They somewhat disperse during the day, but all come back together at night to roost in close proximity. You might be seeing the beginnings of that general 'congregation'. They don't really relocate per say for the winter, just more congregate together in some nearby locale. (I hope that makes sense???) Heard that on my local NPR station last year when they had a wildlife biologist/bird (avian) specialist on a call-in talk show.

 

[Ponypoor]

Well done! Now relax and take a break Kelly, you deserve it.

Thanks wish I could!

Making bread, just went to the feed mill, still have to do chores and it’s gone 11:00already!

I think a nice HOT cuppa tea and some toast and maybe some smoked mussels mmmm!

 

[Ponypoor]

Old age and heights…

Jump Aunt Kelly come on it’s not that far ……

Today not only do I have the posts hay piling aches and pains, I also have two bruised knees a wrenched right shoulder and neck, and it’s pelting down rain and I have a migraine.

when we got the hay piled into the loft, the access hatch on the east aide of the loft was not accessible. So a ladder is needed to get down.

Unless you’re a 23yr old tomboy who plays soccer 3 times a week and works in construction and is very fit.

And taunting her old aunt to do something she shouldnt really be doing its just not fair! This is why I have such decrepitude. I will take that dare! Ride the crazy horse - sure! Throw rocks at basket ball sized hornet nests - sure! Hahaha

Jumping out of the loft door onto the hay wagon - maybe not… but if Julia and my cousin can do it, so can I!

So Julia reaches up to give me her hand to steady me and I sit on the edge of the loft door, and make a leap of faith down - it’s still a good 5’ from the bottom of my feet even sitting on the doorway!

Thump, then knees give out, I pitch forward oh but don’t worry there are a few bales on the wagon I held back for feeding this week, to break my fall.

So right shoulder / head crash into the bales and landing on my knees and complete the maneuver with a thud onto my right side onto the wagon deck.

Phew! Down yay! Owwwwww!

“Aunt Kelly why did you throw yourself down and do a face plant - wow your crazy, even Allison (my other nice fyi) made it down and she couldn’t even pile the hay like you could, geeeez your sad”

Sad??? As in pathetic I take it ??!!

To which I replied:
“Hey kiddo - I am almost 60! I am an old lady - you could at least ask if I was ok!?”

Her come back:
“Well your still better than Allison at piling hay! Even with all the wheezing huffing and swearing ….”


Hahahaha youth- one day she will be my age

Meanwhile I am staggering around - think some pain meds are in order. Once I get my tea and snack

Hmmm thunderstorms - go away and take the rain back with you where it came from on this day….. and my migraine …

Ahhh there it goes another song stuck in my head (snowbird by Anne Murray)…