I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

I’m sure you remember me telling you about Miss Mara, my hard headed hen.

Mara continued day after day to get out and go on the “other” side of the fence.

When morning would come she would pace the fence line acting as if she wanted back in.

It became a game to her, I suppose.  She would allow me to get close…only if I was on the opposite side of the fence than her.  I would tell her to come on….and I would start walking along the fence, toward the gate.  She happily flitted along the way….until we neared the entrance.

That’s when she would promptly make an about turn and head back into the wood line.  ARGH….this went on day after day.  Most of the time I would have to finally just walk away.  Eventually,  she would get  SERIOUS about wanting back in….and whoever was around would let her in.    However, by dusk, the whole scenario would start all over again.

I discovered how she was getting out.  She would flutter onto a cedar cross bar,  that is part of the fencing, and then she was able to flutter again, gaining just enough height to be able to let herself over.

Before I knew it ….Quinn and Lynn had followed in Mara’s footsteps.

She had set a VERY BAD EXAMPLE.

They were almost impossible to get back into the fence as well.  I will have to say, THANKFULLY,  that they didn’t continue this bad habit.  I was very glad…I can’t say the same for Mara.  She continued….and finally one day….Mara wasn’t at the fence anymore.

I really hated it when I arrived one morning….and she never showed up.  All day I kept my eye out for her….but she never appeared.  It is possible that she went through the woods and found somewhere else to call home….but it is not real likely.

A few days later I found parts of one of my hens in the yard.  It wasn’t Mara….it was one of my red girls.  I think that Mara started it though.  Once a predator gets one…they start showing up, over and over.  Within a few days I was missing another….and then I found a mound of black feathers.  My poor rooster Sylvester was gone as well.

That put us down to 9 hens.  It hasn’t been a good year for them….

Our automatic door opener isn’t cooperating either.  Due to the fact that we do not have electricity at the coop…we have to use a battery.  We have solar panels to help with recharging the battery…but things get out of kilter easily.  The time change has been a tricky thing for the timer too.  Several times we would check on the girls just after dark and the poor babies would be huddled next to the automatic door opening….but the door would have shut early, leaving them stranded outside.

I know…it is so sad…and pitiful.  Fortunately, nothing bothered them during all that adjusting with the door.

Billy finally said…you know…I’m going to do something different.  l’m not going to depend on this opener…we will build them another enclosed area that hooks to the coop and they can come and go freely.  It will be completely enclosed, top and sides.  Then we can to let them free range in the big yard when we are around to make sure they are alright…otherwise they will free range in this smaller area.  They will be safer, or at least as safe as you can make it.

Well…..it’s been COLD…and RAINY…so the construction hasn’t started yet.

Sunday, Billy let the girls out after church.  I didn’t know he had.   About 9:00 that evening he asked me if I had put the girls up.  No…I didn’t let them out today.  I knew we weren’t going to be home long.  He said…Uh…Oh….I did.  I let them out…we better get home.  We were in two different cars so I stopped at the coop and he went home to take the trash can to the road.  I know…we have such exciting lives….

ANYWAY….

I just so happened to have my handy dandy LED flashlight with me.  Naturally the goats greeted me at the gate and followed me all the way to the chicken coop.  I opened the main door and shined my light inside, just before stepping in.  I usually hurry in and close the door, so the goats won’t go in.  But that day I didn’t I opened the door and was ready to do my headcount.

MUCH TO MY HORROR….A Raccoon was in one of the nesting boxes…looking back at me.

The goats were standing by my side….all of us….we were just looking at this raccoon.  And he was just looking at us.

Amy…one of our prettiest hens….walked right past me and the goats…. into the yard.  It was as if she was in a daze.

I stood at the door and started screaming for Billy.  The raccoon continued to look at me….I continued to scream for Billy.  But Billy apparently couldn’t hear me. Finally…. after about 5 times…he said …WHAT??????

OH!!!!…..COME HERE!!!….COME HERE!!!….. I said.

HURRY….

RACCOON….

HURRY…..

That coon was beautiful….he had a huge fluffy tail…and the cutest little black mask across his eyes.

Then I saw my POOR innocent girl….laying there….without her head….

It was awful.  The whole scene was UGLY…

The coon started moving, squeezing himself between the wall and the nesting boxes.  He was trying his best to back away from the light….inching… into the darkness.

About that time…..Billy showed up.

The other girls were pretty calm…all in all.  They made their little chicken noises…but they handled all the excitement well.

We dealt with the coon.

We closed the small opening and secured the girls coop for the night.   We couldn’t find where Amy had gone.  I’m sure she decided she would just take her chances in the yard.  Bless her heart.

The next morning…Amy was back.  She was with the goats in the little goat house.

I feel pretty sure raccoon’s have been a lot of our problem this year, as far as predators go.  There are many more in the nearby woods, more than likely.

When we got home of course my mind was reeling.

I kept reflecting on scriptures referring to light.  Like this one for example.

Winter has finally moved in.  Late summer Billy worked on designing and constructing a pole barn for the farm.  Bless his heart, he tries to explain to me what it will look like before hand.  I can get the general idea…but I have a hard time really judging size.  I always have to have him walk it off for me, or compare it to another building that I would be familiar with.

He drew out his plan, we studied it and tweaked it together and then he began.  Billy can’t build everything these days…we just have too much going.  He has some great guys that work well with him.  They take his plans and the little things Billy visualizes and they make them come to life.

Since I’m not a builder….I try to help wherever I can.  He tells me what he is thinking….and I get my wheels turning.  My way to help this time was in the recycle wood department.  He wanted to have a sawyer come and cut some trees into lumber.  That’s where I come in!  I happened to be running errands one day and passed a house where a tree service was cutting trees.  It wasn’t just a few trees….it was a whole lot of  HUGE trees.  I passed by and thought….ew…ew…I wonder.  Just like a magnet, I was drawn back to this house.  The men were getting into their trucks.  I rolled down my window and asked a man if they were taking the trees to the dump or did they have somewhere else they were going with them.  He said they were taking them to the dump.  WELL….I told him that my husband sure could use them if they wanted to save a dump fee.  He talked with his boss…and the rest is history.

Since they were loading up anyway…they delivered the wood….right then.  They followed me to the land and unloaded them.  That made Billy very, very  happy!  Which in turn….made me happy too.

I have no doubt that God allowed all that to transpire.  I get amazed at how so many things work out….like this.   Seriously what are the odds that I would pass that house at the exact time they were loading up to dump all those trees.  It was God’s perfect timing,  I love to watch Him work out details like this.

Billy lined up a sawyer to come out with his portable saw, transformed into beautiful, useful post.

The sides of the trees, where the bark is, was laid to the side for another use.

Construction began…..

Like I said before…I can’t always visualize it, until I actually see it.  He had talked about using those scraps of the wood, bark side, for the siding.  Alright…I understood that. But when I saw it…I was totally blown away.  I didn’t know the siding would go up and down instead of across.

I thought that added a beautiful touch!

Some post were placed in front with wire and a gate….

It looks so nice.

Completed just in time to load up the fresh hay rolls.

And…..before the yucky weather settled in.

The barn was filled.  The animals started hanging around immediately.  It’s probably like us smelling cookies in the oven….always hard to wait until it’s time.

The cold and the rain have arrived.  The first hay roll was placed in the ring…..

Clementine and Punkin wasted no time enjoying it.

However there was evidence that Joy had been there as well……

Actually all of them either had hay hanging from their eyebrows, mouths or were laying down chewing cud.  Needless to say, they were very content.  And THAT is what makes Billy and I happy.

Yes….I think it looks real purty….

especially when I park my Little Green Tractor next to it!

It was a beautiful day today, but the forecast is not looking so great for the rest of the week.  We have had a little rain here and there so the pasture is already muddy.  I dreaded going through the pasture.  Reluctantly, I pulled on my boots and marched through the gate.  All the animals were back in the fields.   I was looking down, trying to find the grassy patches to step on.

As I passed by the pond, I heard some quacking, and was surprised to see four ducks swimming happily.  I smiled as I thought that at least they have been happy with the wet weather.  Besides, Billy has been hoping some ducks would start using the pond.  We have had a visitor a time or two but perhaps these will take up residence.

While admiring the ducks, I saw the donkey’s heading my way.  Whenever they see us inside or outside the fence they come to greet us.  Always glad to see you,  now how can you not smile at that.

Our first donkey was Moses, he wasn’t real interested in being petted.  It didn’t take long though for him to start inching closer and closer to us.  Finally we were able to pet him, now he seems to love every minute of it.  Zippy came into the pasture shortly after Moses and that made him even happier.  Zippy has a different personality, she is a bit snippy at times.  Especially when it comes feeding time, she gets down right hateful.  However, Moses loves her just the way she is.

Their first child was a boy, and we named him Jack.  He wouldn’t let me get very close for the first year.  I had heard that you needed to “imprint” them within that first year.  I wasn’t sure I really knew what all that entailed, but I knew I wanted him to be sweet and like to be touched.  The year came and went and I was only able to pet him a very few times.  I was afraid that I had missed my opportunity.  Slowly but surely month by month he started inching his way closer to us.  He eventually let me pet him all I wanted.  Matter of fact, now I am the one that has to walk away first.  He is the absolute sweetest little boy donkey around.

This is about as good of a picture as I can get nowadays.  He stays so close, loving every scratch and pet that he can get.  I sure am glad that he decided to like me.  Oh…and he likes Billy too.  Matter of fact, they are pretty good buds, it’s pretty sweet to watch them together.

This summer Zippy gave birth to a little girl, we named her Jill…of course.  She was and is a beauty.  I can’t believe how fast she is growing.

She is doing the same thing Jack did at this age.  She won’t let me get too close.  I’ve touched her two or three times, and that was only if I was quick.  She scampers off, then quickly turns to watch me from a safe distance.  Today she decided to ease a little closer since I was petting Jack.

She seems to have straight hair like her father, at least for now.  Today it looks like her front half is dark and the back half is light.  It may change color again by Spring time.

Moses has dark gray, straight hair.  Zippy has lighter gray hair with a wave .  Jack looks more like Zippy, yet he has a sweet, easy going personality like Moses.

I believe we will win Jill over before long.  She sure is curious, she sniffed my hand and let me touch the soft fur on her head today.  She feels just like a stuffed animal, with her winter coat.  Those soft fluffy ears are just about too adorable.

I was so excited that she was letting me take her picture this close that I totally forgot about the others.  Well, until I saw them out of the corner of my eye…..

There they were…peering through the trees.  Jack is on the left, notice his wavy hair, and Moses is on the right.

Zippy just watched today, content with seeing her family interact.  I did give her a good hug before I left though.

I couldn’t help but wonder why they would want to come hang out with me.  Being curious is one thing…..coming to see if I have a treat…I could understand….but just to hang out?  Why do they love me so much?  I haven’t done anything special….anything to really earn their love.  They just do…..

On my way out of the pasture I turned around and watched them….watching me.   I am glad I didn’t let a little mud keep me away today, I sure would have missed out, if I had.

I headed back to the house, when I noticed the sun setting.  God never ceases to amaze me with all His creation.  Once again that same thought went through my mind….why does He love me?  I’ve done nothing to deserve it or earn it.  He just does…….and it’s humbling.