Unwanted Visitors

The shrill cry of a young hawk had me scrambling for 4 week old biddies and my precious chihuahuas early this morning.  Prayers were interrupted as I watched and waited for the deathly dipping swoop of this bird in search of prey.   So beautiful to watch as they glide swiftly and gracefully through the sky, these keen eyed predators are deadly to my small animals.

The hens ran for cover and Miss Betty and her chicks froze where they stood.  How this feisty hen conveyed to her chicks the danger of moving is a wonder.  They held the frozen position for 3 minutes before resuming their foraging.  The hens are still staying close to the porch or under the shrubbery - both favorite havens.  The roosters are on patrol, one in the front yard and one in the back. 

Last week my beautiful rooster tangled with this beautiful creature and lost a cone and most of his neck feathers.  He survived the attack and his valiant efforts to protect his flock of hens paid off.  Matilda fell prey to a hawk last fall. An aging Rhode Island Red hen that could no longer flee as quickly as she once could, Matilda was caught in the deadly talons of a large hawk hunting in the area. 

Snakes, hawks, owls, weasels, coyotes and cats are deadly to my menagerie and it appears we have them all.  That's one way to keep me on my toes.  Until next time . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Rabbits and Chickens!

I know N O T H I N G about rabbits! But, I am learning fast! Pick them up by the nape of the neck or you will get clawed badly!  They eat and drink constantly! 

Never thought I would have to learn to sex a rabbit, but dang if these little fellows are a bit tricky,  I started with three of these little balls of fur and lost one - I didn't know what the heck I was doing and had no idea this beauty was pregnant, but I quickly found out you can't keep males and females together.  In all honesty, this little lady was pregnant when I bought her and I had no idea!  I now know you palpitate the sides of a female to determine pregnancy and never keep the males and females together except during the very short breeding process.  It doesn't take long as the sole purpose of male bunnies is to eat and make babies!  

I now know I have all males and will continue in this vein for just a while.  I need to change my hutch setup to accommodate both sexes and keep from losing anymore due to my stupidity!   Things are looking up though and I have learned much in the past 3 weeks about these wonderful little animals.  Their main diet consist of hay and fresh veggies - my bunnies favor celery tops and lettuce (they prefer iceberg but will eat Romain).  They also like ripe tomatoes, but also enjoy any green stuff from the garden.  I fear during the winter I will have to supplement the fresh garden stuff with some veggie pellets, but for now they are happy.  They are emptying the water containers regularly as we have had many days of 90+ temperatures which has really taken a toll on their fur covered bodies.

The "half" grown chickens are doing well.  Mid morning they all get a misting with the water hose and enjoy playing in the rain as long as the water flow isn't too strong.  The mist they enjoy, a washing they don't like!  I a having to dig the plastic eggs out again to stop an "egg eater."  The oyster shells are suppose to stop that, but I have one that attacks the egg as soon as the hen leaves the nest!  I think I have identified the culprit and if the plastic egg doesn't work, she will be separated from the flock for a while.  A hungry little bugger, she eats six or seven eggs a day! 

The neighbor's rooster is still eating as many of my tomatoes as I am and he has learned to "sneak" into the garden through the woods.  He and I fight on a daily basis!  The deer found my cantaloupe and have stripped the vines on many plants.  I can identify that hoof print and so I can't blame the rabbits or rooster for that one.  As some of you know I have rehabbed a couple of deer.  I can only hope that one of them has come back for a visit, but I sure wish they wouldn't eat my veggies.  They cleared a half a row of green beans before the cantaloupe came up but all the plants seem to have survived. 

I have a dozen eggs in the incubator that a mother hen left.  I am hoping they all hatch and they weren't left too long.  Some great person left a dog that was no longer wanted at my nephew's house and he scared the chickens off the nest.  Not vicious, just curious, he had to investigate and the hen ran off.  With luck I can call my nephew to come get 12 new biddies in the next few days! 

Life in the country is never boring and always filled with something going on!  Lot's of work, but so rewarding!

Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

I Miss My Granddaddy!

A couple of months ago Hubby and I were at the Buggytown Auction when several cages of rabbits came up for bid.  I made the statement that I would like to have some rabbits and I got "The Look" - you know the one that says "have you lost your mind?"  Well, I let it drop and we came home with a couple of chickens instead.  I haven't mentioned those cute little balls of fur that can be cuddled like no chicken ever could and I went on about my business.

On Friday afternoon I was talking to my granddaughter in Dahlonega about her upcoming visit and things we would like to do. Hubby comes in and the little one asked to speak to him.  She wanted a rabbit - a brown rabbit!  I thought to myself as I listened to them talk that she was wishing in the wind.  After about thirty minutes of haggling back and forth over money and upkeep, hubby handed me the phone after which we said our goodbyes.  Hubby advised me we were going to the sale barn to get some rabbits.  My three granddaughters have far surpassed me in manipulating their PawPaw - even from 150 miles away they have more influence!

Off to Buggytown Auction we went and home we came 4 hours later with 5 chickens and 3 rabbits.  They all spent the night in the "keeper" pen, but I knew that was not to be their new home.  Off to Tractor supply we went for wire, feed and a bottle waterer.  By Saturday afternoon those little bunnies had a wonderful home and plenty of feed and water and have really settled in nicely.  The youngest two granddaughters had to come see the new "pets" and make sure they were settled in okay.  After two days of multiple visits and all the moving, they have had a quiet day to adjust and rest just in time for the older two grandchildren to arrive mid week. 

Rabbits do make good pets, but when I said we were finally going to have some good rabbit stew, my daughter in law looked at me like I was delirious.  She vowed never to eat any rabbit and neither would the girls.  She'll never know the difference as I will fry those offspring in a heartbeat and tell them it is chicken.  Nothing is better on cold wet winter nights than a pot of rabbit stew!

Next I would like to add a couple of Pygmy goats to my menagerie, but the middle granddaughter is begging for a horse.  That I do believe will be Pawpaw's waterloo and he has said he will never have another horse.  We will see!

Until next time. . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Dangerous Plants

My little chihuahuas are very important to me even if they do get on my guest's nerves with their barking.  They are with me day in and day out and when they came to live with me, they became part of my family.  They live here - my guests don't. 

Last week I was researching sago palms.  Mine are dried and brown after a very harsh winter and I needed to determine if I should give them some time or dig them up and replace them with something more hardy.  In the process I found that Sagos are poison to animals, especially the seeds.  Thankfully my little ones don't eat plants, but I was glad to find this information so I could be more vigilant. 

After finding this tidbit of information, I proceeded for research other poisonous plants and foods and found an interesting site from Squido with much information on poisons, symptoms and treatment.  The Humane Society also has a good site for dangerous plants and foods as does The Earth Clinic.  My chihuahuas will eat most any food dropped on the floor, so now I have to be more careful of the tidbits they consume.  I once had a horse, Smokey, that love to share a cup of coffe with me every weekend morning.  I didn't realize that coffee could be detrimental to his health, but that danged old horse is still alive and kicking (just not so high).  The best we can figure, Smokey is close to 25 years old. 
 What animals like to eat, is not always what they need to eat.  I know a few humans with the same problems.  For those of you who treasure your animal friends, please check out these sites.

Happy reading!
Belle

Still no job and I haven't received any large checks from the publishing world, so I have decided to try an on line store with Etsy.  During the early 1980s I had a toy and hobby shop which lasted a whole two and a half years - the early 1980s were not the time for any new venture, but especially a toy store.  I had a great time with all the kids and they enjoyed the store, especially the hobby shop in the back where they could put together models and build their model rockets.  It was everything I had hoped for only it didn't make any money - so we packed up and everything went into storage.  Over the years much of the merchandise deterioted even in storage, but I managed to keep several containers well sealed and intact. 

It has been a joy to once again go through all the stuffed animals, figurines, and other items that tickled my fancy then and makes me smile now.  I had planned on selling these treasures at one of our yard sales and then for kicks started checking on-line to see if some may be collectibles.  Oh my goodness!  Yes, I had sold a $46 bear for $2.00 at one yard sale!  I reconnected with the collecting world and found I have a treasure trove in my little boxes.  I am slowly getting these little darlings unfrumped (storage makes them flat) and pictures made and posted.  I would love a visit from you at my new shop.  You can visit me at http://www.clairecollections.etsy.com/ - at least I think that is right. I am new at this, but I am learning fast.  My daughter has a shop that brings her much joy and keeps her creativity flowing.  I think when I get over the newness I will have as much fun.  I plan to add a section featuring my sewing projects, but that will come with time. 

I have not given up on my writing, just added some variety to my life.   My Spy Girls are still in the works and Sam and Zeb still have many adventures before them.  I am also working on another completely different line so we will see how that progresses.  I dreamed a story for the spy girls the other night but did not get up and write it down, so it is gone for now, but I know I will get it back in the next day or so.

Thanks for visiting!

Happy reading!
Belle

It's Here

It is freezing outside! So cold that even my demonic animals are inside by the fire (and it has been gong constantly). The wind is sending daggers of cold right through the body making all barriers useless. The promise of snow later in the week brings a smile to my face until I open the door and slide into the frigid air.

In 1984 we hosted a New Year's Eve party in 4 degree weather. Everyone was gathered around the fire and still froze. Worst party I have ever had the pleasure to attend much less give. At midnight, everyone rushed to their warming vehicles to escape the angry weather making it the shortest party ever for this celebration. Strangely enough it warmed up a great deal with the departure of the guest. Believe me cold doesn't always mean snow, so there was no reason to keep opening and shutting the door to "see if it's snowing".

Well, for those of you who think we must have 3-5 days of freezing temperatures to kill the insects - we should not have any bugs, insects or anything else for the next year or two after this weeks temperatures. Do you think it will drive the armadillos south again?

Those beautiful palms that I refused to put in the ground year before last and now in the ground and will probably perish after this front finishes dumping its icy temps. I look for them to jump out of the ground and run back to Jekyll and the warm soil of the coast. I think it will be safe now to prune the trees and shrubs and shape them up for a beautiful spring. Surely the sap raced down the stems to escape the wintry blasts.

My grandchildren are on the way and I am so happy! I will fill their little tummies with good gooey chocolate pies and fruity strudels. There is so much I need to share with them and I will have only a few days in which to catch up and build memories. I so need to see the sparkle in my daughters eyes and hear her joyful laugh.

I know I have rambled a bit tonight. I lost a most important and longtime friend this New Years. I had things to tell him before he left us and so many things to thank him for before asking God to take special care of him. Life was not always good to our friend, but then God knows that and will grant him peace. Hubby and I spent a day in remembrance and thankfulness for our friend - so many years takes a little bit of time - but we enjoyed the journey and we enjoyed the friend.

Thank you for returning to check on me and my thoughts. They will come back together over the next few days and maybe the writing will be more sensible.

Remember, you can't build a future if you live in the past. Move forward, thank God and be nice!

Happy reading!

Belle