~ Retired and Starting My Future In The Foothills ~

[SkyWarrior]

Congrats on moving and the new house!

 

[gryeyes]

Here are some current photos:

Smudge found himself a cool, high place out of the way.

Here's half of the furniture still "staged" outside, awaiting big burly men-types to get it into the house.

And here's the other half of the big furniture.

Here's the stock tank situated and filled. (I spent quite a bit of time trying to convince Kate and Angus this was better than their kiddie pool, but they are still wary of it.)

And here's the Wildlife Escape Ramp, for any critter that falls into it. Plus the "bridge" from the upper terrace to the edge of the tank.

Chickens under the apple tree.

One of the many "chickeny" things I have in the yard.

These are Little Bit's chicks. Don't the lighter ones look like preppie chicks, wearing cardigan sweaters?

Cutie, huh?!?!?!

This is my Grand Dame Rebecca; she will be two years old on October 1st. She's one of my original girls. One of HER eggs, fertilized by Carl, hatched by Buffy, produced Samantha who is just about Rebecca's spitting image. Another hatched some time later, brooded by a different hen, producing a nearly identical Becky.

Snoozing chickens.

 

[SkyWarrior]

Great photos!!

 

[jeremy]

Linda, the Wheaten pullet on the right in the last pic... is she one that you hatched from my eggs?

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Jeremy, yup, she's one of 'em. To the best of my recollection, I have 3 pullets and a roo from your eggs. They're GORGEOUS. Right now they "beep" instead of chirp or cluck. It's so cute. And they have their BFFs with whom they range freely, roost next to at night, and nap with during the day.

They "cheeked" up a while ago; for some time I thought they would be smooth-faced, but they grew their fluffy cheeks just fine.

 

[Kansaseq]

I like big, burly-man types

Your birds and cat look so happy in their new home; and it does look like a little slice of heaven. Thanks so much for sharing all of the pictures!

 

[jeremy]

Linda, I would love to see pictures if you have any more.

They go through that teenager stage where they get gangly and almost featherless at some points but I've always experienced them growing into beautiful bearded birds... I'm biased though.

I'm glad you're enjoying them.

 

[gryeyes]

Wow, look how long it's been since I had any time to post anything which might take thoughtful composition! Too pooped at night to deal with the iPad's quirks, either a lot happened or nothing happened, y'know?

Still nothing on the Code Enforcement front, even though I am continuing to practice my "illegal activity" after September 14th, (the day we packed the furniture at the rental and moved it up the hill to my property). No citation taped to the gate(s), no "confirmation of delivery" tagged mail from the County Code Enforcement Department. Eh.

On September 14th, as planned, most of the furniture - the biggest, heaviest pieces - got moved to my property. Some of it actually made it into the house. It was a 13 hour day for a few people to sort, pack, stage, load, drive behind the 26-foot U-Haul truck, and unload the stuff. The driveway is too steep for that huge truck, so the driver (Farmer Lew) backed it up one side as far as he could get up the driveway. LOTS of dirt and gravel flung out by the tires during this process.

Okie doke, guess we unload right here. Too far from the house for tired workers to carry after the first three things were set in place in their respective rooms. Another Okie Doke - stage it right here, we'll work on it throughout the week. Weather will be fine, just throw a tarp over the sofa!

Notice there was no mention of my lousy ability to assist in lifting or carrying anything heavy. Nor the R&R anybody would need the next day after such a .... hehehehehe..... long haul..... Plus, who could foresee one of the wonderful friends providing this Burly Man Lift, Heft & Carry Service would seriously smash a big toe bad enough to nearly lose consciousness from the damage? Oh, yah, and everybody goes back to work the next day?

We fit almost two entire households of furniture - mine plus the furniture and household goods I received from my sister's estate - and still needed more truck. And more time. And more helpers.

I filled a 10 foot U-Haul truck this past Saturday, which I drove. HHandbasket's son was the only other person available to load the truck for me, which he did. Not quite as long a night, but there's STILL stuff in that rental house, PLUS all the yard stuff (coops, plural, ponds, plural, yard funiture..) to get out of there.

There are a couple of negative aspects of renting to a co-worker. As the co-worker tenant moving out, I can tell you the normal tension and anxiety about moving is compounded when the property owner is worried about getting a new tenant in as soon as possible. Sooner. Much sooner.

'Nuff said about that right now. But it's a bone of contention stuck in my craw.

On the really cool side of things, the Internet installer showed up today, as promised after two no- show, no call appointments and quite a few phone calls kicked "up the ladder" until a VP of the company called me to apologize and schedule a new, third appointment. During which the installer, arriving in a DirecTv van and wearing a DirecTv shirt, told me he I would have to trim some trees because they created "splash" and there was no clear line of sight to the satellite from my house. In the first five minutes after his arrival. The appointment was then cancelled by the installer even after I spoke with his dispatcher (geez, I should remember dispatchers are information relay points, not Providers Of Over-ride the Installer's Decision persons) and about twenty minutes later I was on the phone again.

The local staff of the company SELLING the service reviewed all the electronic notes and went ballistic. I am now very happy with the installation which occurred today. Plus, the local installer keeps two chickens, and we chatted a great deal while he put all the stuff together and pulled all the cable and GOT ME CONNECTED to the Internet once again! He's never heard of BYC but will be checking it out.

Oh, and he breeds dachshunds.... So Zorro and Dooley made him smile and he made friends with them right off the bat.

Gotta take a break. I tire so easily. And yesterday I made two dashes to the rental to pick up what I could stuff in my car.... and wasn't done by midnight.

 

[gryeyes]

Paprika laid an egg in my house yesterday! (Pictures to post later tonight...)

The front door was open all day because the weather was nice, not too warm, plus the Satellite Internet installer was going in, and out, and under the house, and up on the roof and all that stuff. Paprika came into the house four separate times; I escorted her out three times. She was investigating, and very determined, entering when I was not there to see it. I'd just find her in the house again. I got a shot of her up on the cat tree at the front window, then escorted her out.

The last time I found her, she was settled on the carpeted base of the cat tree, under the two laying platforms. This is behind a stack of boxes from the move(s) and fairly well out of sight.

Didn't have time to chase her out that particular moment... The installer was at a point of needing my presence. So a bit later, Paprika was at the doorway singing The Egg Song. She left me a nice, large, light blue-green egg.

And she had to have turned around, as if she were in a nest box, to face the other direction, to get the egg this close to the wall.

I consider this to be highly propititous.

The four Cayuda drakes and call duck pair have taken over Night Security Patrol of the property. They've SEEN the six female Cayuga ducklings (now a tad over 3 weeks old) in their separate enclosure on the patio, but are not necessarily hanging out there too much near them. I am gratified the call duck pair have not flown away, not even in a circular flight out and back.... Yet. Because they stayed so long at the rental property with just daily checkups during my week-day lunch breaks, the only duck who comes to me is my original Cayuga drake, Louie. That ride up the hill, 90 minutes stuck in pet carriers in the cab of the U-Haul truck, ascending to 2100 feet elevation, on twisty mountain roads was something they did NOT like. Perhaps that Food Lady will try to capture them again and take them somewhere else, so they stay some distance away from me. The big guy they didn't know at all -who actually captured them - just might be around, too... Ya never know!

it was fun watching them inspect the property. Ohh, a meadow! With lots of vinca/periwinkle, with bugs and slugs! Ooh, a gully, more vinca! Ooh, a patio with ducklings! Ooh, two steep driveways! Ooh, terraced front yard with trees... And look, a squirrel! Ooh, a kiddie pool!(Some splashing and preening to do there for a while.) Ooh! Some chicken friend we remember! Oooh, food in this really big coop!

They have not yet braved a visit up on the veranda yet. Even though the geese go there a few times a day.

Ooh! Look- a forty gallon tub o' water just appeared on the edge of the meadow, JUST FOR US!

 

[SkyWarrior]

Ducks are simply awesome and exceedingly funny! Congrats on Paprika's egg!