Good Weekend, Bad Monday

We had a very nice weekend.  It was sunny and fairly warm!  Saturday, Mike made another little chicken coop.  And I spent a good part of the day cleaning out the storage shed.  It was so full that you could barely get inside the door.  I cleared out tons of junk!  There is so much space in there now! 

Our friend, Les, had gotten a few roosters from us earlier this year.  He ended up returning some.  He returned two white silkie roosters because he didn't really have room for them.  Then he returned a white mixed bantam rooster.  The white bantam (which is a pretty bird) got put in with another bantam hen that just started laying her first eggs a couple of weeks ago.  One of the silkie roosters also got put in with another bantam hen that just started laying.  I didn't know if that would work, but he's topping her (that's what I call it anyway, to be mild).  So we will see how that goes, eh?!

Then, my younger sister called to just say hi, and Mike told her to bring the kids over to spend the night.  So she did.  And it started out pleasant.  But Saturday night didn't end well.  Cheyanne is eight years old, and did quite well.  Joel, who just celebrated his sixth birthday last month, had a big problem.  First, a little history (in a nutshell).  He's got a very short attention span and was recently diagnosed with ADD.  He's now on medication that has changed him tremendously (mostly in a good way) and has also helped him in school.  But just before dinner he said that his stomach was hurting.  He ate very little dinner and only one bite of his ice cream sandwich.  Then the nastiness began.  It was diahrea all night long.  He was laying in bed with Mike watching tv and fell asleep.  When I went to move him it came from both ends.  I stripped the bed and his clothes and put him in the bath.  Clothes and bed sheets got thrown onto the porch till morning.  It happened again, and we went through the same routine.  I had no medicine for him, and his mom was not answering her cell phone.  So we trudged through the night and he woke feeling better Sunday morning.  He did throw up again late Sunday morning after jumping on the neighbor's trampoline and spent the rest of the time on the couch watching cartoons.  His mom came to pick up JJ and Cheyanne just after lunch. 

Mike and I just piddled around with odd jobs outside.  The weather was just too nice to stay indoors.  He put the wire on the breeding coop he made, and I moved around some chickens.  We've got several roosters that have been alone most of the winter.  No need to have hens getting roughed up if they're not laying.  So, I grabbed a few hens and put them in with roosters.  And Mike put an Omaha Steaks roast on the grill over some oak wood.  It turned out very delicious!  We had au jus that we dipped french fries into, and a spinach and tomato salad.

Then, I came to work this morning.  It was not pleasant.  I think I will spare those details, but I get e-mail updates that tell me about jobs that become available in the area.  Still waiting on a call from SFC Cook about the reserves.  She told me Friday that I'm probably getting the boot out the door.  She was checking so regs for some way around (I don't really believe that) but she would let me know for sure today or tomorrow.  The really stupid part is I can go see a recruiter and get right back in.  That's the U.S. Government (not) hard at work.  Whatever.  I'm in a pissy mood today, and almost didn't post.  I only did because I haven't since last Wednesday.

Rest In Peace Black Kitty

Mike and I had a tragedy this weekend.  Friday evening Black Kitty was outside playing.  Around 7:30 p.m. it started to snow.  Mike wanted the pets all inside because it was going to be another cold night, and with more snow on the ground this time.  They usually come running when we call them, but Black Kitty didn't come.  Of course, he'd only been outside about 20 minutes, and Mike thought he heard him meow.  I walked the yard, checked the field, and even searched the nieghbor's yard a couple of times, but to no avail.  Mike walked inside, but I thought I better walk the front yard.  That's when I saw the lump on the road.  In just a short amount of time some fool had hit and killed Black Kitty.  The road I live on is less than a quarter of a mile, and it was a black cat against a white snow-covered road.  How screwed up is that?!  Mike was pretty upset because Black Kitty would curl up next to him on the bed to sleep at night.  But Black Kitty is no longer with us. :(

On a lighter note, we had a nice V Day.  Nothing special.  There were no flowers, no chocolates, no cards.  We didn't go out to dinner or even have anything fancy at home (breakfast for dinner).  Instead, we spent Sunday afternoon finishing a chicken coop that Mike had built for the blue splash silkies.  Their current home is the old duck pen, and it's starting to fall apart.  It turned out pretty nice!  I just forgot to take pictures.  I'll get some this week to post later.

Most of the snow has melted, and it's pushing 50 degrees today.  I'm hoping it's the last of the snow.  Even if it doesn't warm up right away, I'm at least ready for daylight savings time. 

John, the Sunshine Award is for you, too. :D http://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/

I do have to say that chickens are not the most intelligent creatures I have ever had the priviledge of working with.  I let mine have free range of the yard from time to time, but it seems near impossible to get them to go back inside.  Farmer said to leave them alone and they will go back in on their own at roosting time, but I don't buy that.  They are quite adept at finding new places to roost, as chickens are curious creatures.  So I entice them back inside with feed...of course.  But a few of them are often behind the coop or off in the side yard.  They know the food is in there, but how to get to it?  They will run, and I do mean run, up and down the side or back or the coop trying ever so hard to figure out how to get inside.  They even jump in the water dishes!  It never occurs to them to walk around to the front of the coop and go inside the very same door they exited from.  I have five tiny bantam chicks that China hatched, though, and they have learned well the little holes they can squeeze in and out of.  Maybe, they lose intelligence as they get older.  Hmmph...don't we all?  My white silkie hen is sitting on one single egg.  She layed some a few weeks ago, but was kicking them around and not sitting on them.  I tried to incubate them, but the leaked.  So I am not sure if she will be able to hatch this single egg.  But time will tell.  I think she's been sitting a week and a half, so I will wait another two weeks before I take her off the egg.  I'd love a little silkie chick, though.  We will see.

No More Holiday : (

Well, my little holiday is all over. What a very sad thought. I have returned to the chain gang. I didn't go to the beach. Some things came up. I had some business affairs that I needed to take care of this past week. Isn't that a lovely way to spend a holiday? I did have a nice 4th of July. Mike and I drove to my parents' home on Friday. Then my mom and I went shopping. We picked up a whole pig that I cooked for the holiday. My niece and nephew were at my parents' also. Then on Saturday all my brothers and sisters and their spouses and children were there. I wish I had taken a picture of the pig, but I didn't take any pics at all that day! How dumb of me. We had a good time, though. Oh!!! Elvis came home!! He showed up Thursday evening!! He almost got shot at with a pellet gun. Prissy is in heat, and this male cat keeps hanging around. So we have to shoot "at" him with a pellet gun (not shoot him) to scare him off. He's black like Elvis. So at first we thought Elvis was this black cat. Anyway, he's been in my bedroom since Thursday. His food, water, and litter box are in there, temporarily for sure. He's eating, drinking, and pottying, but rarely comes out of the room. That's not like him. Hope he's back to his old self soon.

Here's the beginning of the new coop. We obviously have not finished yet. I haven't gotten the wire either. I think it will be nice when it is finished. It's hard to find the time to do all the things I want to do around the house, though.

These are a couple of the ladies waiting on the new coop. At least I think that's how we're gonna do it. I think the Buffs and the Sex Links will go to the new one. We will see if I ever get it finished. One of my Buffs is in with Perogi. She has four eggs that I'm hoping she's gonna hatch for me. I just wanna see what the kids will look like. LOL!

I need to get outta here. I have some fuel reports that are not matching up. I'm even coming up short 500 miles on one. I'm sure it's a simple mistake, but they're getting old. There's always at least one that is wrong every month. Wish me luck! Have a good one, y'all!!