Rocking In The Rain

Yesterday afternoon we were blessed with showers that lasted until well after dark.  It had cooled down a bit and I took to the rocking chair to watch the rain and think.  I didn't get much forward thinking done as I sat and remembered Smokey and Fireball the two family horses sticking their heads over the fence and whinnying at me.  Smokey loved to share my cup of coffee with me in the mornings, but she liked it real sweet.  I know, horses aren't suppose to have coffee, but like people they like what they shouldn't have.  Fireball preferred apples and pears, which at the time we had plenty of in the yard, but what he really wanted was just some attention and a good scratch.

I looked at the new barn roof still shiny after several years and remembered the boys climbing onto the steep roof and sliding down onto the trampoline.  They would scare me to death and they would run for the woods to save their tails from a spanking.  The three older boys would run and climb for hours until they were worn out or so hungry they could no longer go. 

The pecan tree that the boys would climb is still there, but the lower limb that secured their climbing rope has been long.  The other climbing trees are still waiting on some little boy to take up the challenge and see how far into its branches they can go.

My daughter and her cabbage patch could be found under some low hanging tree limbs or safe inside a canopy of bushes where she had built a house for the two of them.  She could play for hours with just her dolly, but when she tired of being alone she would capture one of the boys - no they didn't stand a chance - and force him to play with her and dolly for a while.

The old tomato bed, once filled with mulch and super rich dirt, now is the home of a group of red buds that I planted right in the middle of the tomato bed.  The landscape timbers holding in that rich soil have since long gone and the beautiful draping limbs of the redbud is now the playhouse of my granddaughters.  When those red bud seeds were planted I had every intention of transplanting them when and if they came up, but good intentions were lost to other more important things that must be done.  Surprisingly, most of the seeds germinated and have now made a wonderful tree group. 

Several of my beautiful old oaks have been ravished by time and weather.  Lightning has claimed two and another has been hit but is still standing.  It is a beautiful white oak that is so breathtaking in the spring when the little leaves first open and the morning sun shines on the leaves turning the whole tree into shimmering white and silver.  It is only a moment in time for this special show only last for about three days before becoming a memory, but a memory that is well worth hanging on to.

The strong winds have taken their toll on the trees, too.  Many of the older trees could not withstand the winds and their old weak roots could no longer keep them upright.  Many have been toppled over the years. The apple trees are gone as is the old peach tree.  With all the cedar trees in the yard and at the edge of the wood line, the apple trees don't stand a chance.  The plums, figs and pears are still prolific in their production and feed the birds and squirrels as much as feeding us. 

With the loss of trees, the landscape around the house has changed greatly.  I have replaced several trees and have planted 4 oaks and 2 maples which are coming along nicely in the front.  One maple seems to be the target of every car that comes to visit.  It has been run over at least five times since its planting, but always springs back with little harm done.

I miss the smell of the baby calves that once graced our little farm, but I also remember the cold icy winters of making sure that had plenty of hay and water.  On the really cold nights they were kept in the barn.  They enjoy the warmth of the barn, but the call to freedom meant trouble.  Many a time when the barn door was opened one would come barrelling out just to get free which meant a cold wet chase to get the rebel back to the warmth and safety of the barn. 

Yes, the rocking chair and a little rain can do wonders for the mind.  I enjoyed my short visit down memory lane and look forward to another trip soon.

Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Friday Night Date

My Friday night date was very special.  My husband took me to the local livestock auction featuring 350+ cages of rabbits, chickens, guineas, turkeys, pheasants, ducks, and geese and then throw in the goats, calves, emus, and sheep.  It was quite a night at Buggytown Auction Barn!

We arrived a little late for the miscellaneous sale which usually starts at 6:00, but must have started around 5:30 on Friday night.  Anything goes during the miscellaneous sale and we have seen some really good buys during this sale.  Advertising signs, truck parts, tractor accessories and parts, cookware, handtools, work gloves and so much more are included.  Some people come for this sale only and then others stay for the livestock. 

On Friday night, there were not as many goats as from previous weeks and prices on the goats were higher.  The price of calves on the otherhand were down - small (two week old) were selling between $16 and $22 per head compared to $65 a head a couple of weeks ago.  There were also several nannies with babies that I would have bought in a minute if I had a good spot to put them.  One little family of black goats stole my heart for a little while, but I got over it and waited patiently for the chickens.

Some of the auctioneers tend to dawdle over the livestock and attempt to draw a higher bid out of the audience.  The owner of the auction will move right along and if you want to bid you better be on your toes and make sure you are seen. 

Usually, hatching eggs are sold between the miscellaneous merchandise and the small livestock.  Friday night however, all the eggs did not get sold during this time so were presented before the poultry and rabbits.  As I walked back into the bidding area from reviewing the poultry in the back of the building, my dear hubby was saying $.50 a dozen, that's a deal and ask me what I thought.  Well, this is what I heard out of all the commotion - from the auctioneer  "50 cents a dozen but there is only 10"  from my hubby "that's a deal, what do you think?"  My response, "whatever you want dear" - big,big mistake.  Well, 10 dozen hatching eggs are now on my kitchen table waiting to go in the incubator my hubby has rigged up.  Okay, I now know to keep my eyes and ears open and to never, ever leave my hubby alone at an auction.  Well, it doesn't matter whether he is alone or not, because not more than thirty minutes later with me safely at his side, he was calling out his number again and had bought 5 baby black giants for $1.50 each. 

At this point I gave him my sternest look and said "No more!"  He has the most innocent smile - he never committed to the "no more", but I did get a "we'll see."  We have increased our flock by 120 eggs (which if estimates are correct we should get 60 chicks, but it will take 21 days once the hatching process is started) and 5 chicks.  Oh my, we are now chicken farmers.  I will admit our chickens have made wonderful pets, are no trouble to care for, and bring many hours of joy.  They enjoy a good game of race when we give them scaps of lettuce or celery and compete for our attention in a friendly manner.  Some of them are real show offs.

Whether it was the seller or just the turnover of the buyers, the price of chickens were up and down.  Some beautiful roosters went for $3.50 a piece early on then the price quickly jumped to as high as $15.  The same with the chickens, but the highest price I remember was $18 a head for a pair of black copper morans. (I know that is probably not what the auctioneer meant to say, but that is what these ears heard.   Beautiful long tail pheasants brought $26 a head while one big tom turkey sold for over a hundred.  I can't figure out the logic, but it is always interesting to see what draws a persons interest.  I learned there is a chicken/turkey mix called a turken. They described them as turkey neck chickens.

We left at 11:45 with the sale still going strong, but it was a little late for me (it was past my bedtime).  There were still cages and more cages of poultry and we were told later it was around 1:30 before all was over.

That is the best $12.50 date I have had in a long while!  Every time we go I learn something new and see something unusual.  And everytime I make the trip the kid in me comes out and I get that "daddy please?" syndrome.  I love animals!   And yes in a couple of weeks, I will have another Friday Night Date, but this time I am taping hubby's hands to his side. 

Next week maybe you can have an exciting, educational Friday Night Date.  Try a visit to the Buggytown Auction on Highway 341 south of Barnesville.  In the meantime, thanks for dropping by.

Happy Reading!
Belle