Non-white Christmas

I really, really wanted a white Christmas.  The tiny bit of snow we had a few days ago is all melted.  Today's forecast was rain, followed by rain.  I was watching the drizzle when suddenly the sun shone brightly.  I ran to the other end of the house with my camera...

I guess God felt bad about me having no snow.

I think a full rainbow on Christmas is kinda cool!

Merry Christmas to all...

Think Tiger Has Too Many Chicks?

Mr J and I have neared divorce over his chicks!  It's not that he has the chicks, or really even how many he has...  It's that he's let them run wild around here!  Imagine the grief it would bring to Elin  (and my heart truly goes out to her) if Tiger let his chicks run wild around the mansion, like Mr J or this guy...

OK, maybe it's not the same, but I've also experienced tremendous grief.  Just take a look at the destruction Mr J's chicks have caused in my territory!  (click to enlarge any photo)

  I had started some young plants here to fill in the open space.  They're gone now.  The border and decorative rocks are all but buried in the mulch, while the barrier that's suppose to be buried has been pulled to the surface by the nasty birds' scratching.

Let me interject here that I do not like chickens.  As much as I love animals, I do not consider chickens in the same catagory.  I do not like chickens.  I love fresh eggs.  I like chicken.  I do not like chickens... plural...  as in alive and running around outside my house!

See the big hole right smack-dab (whatever that means) in the middle of my lemon thyme?

No, I didn't put the hole there as an architectural element.  Those dad-blame (whatever that means) birds did it!  They dug holes in the centers of most of my plants. 

My red sedum has suffered the most damage.  Just look at this...  

See the big bare spots?  ...the chunks of bark laying about?  This sedum is much more prone to breakage than the thyme or other plants.  Here, the chickens have removed every bit of it that was above ground.  Fortunately, it is hardy and will probably grow back. I'm really hoping the white spots are just some left over snow flurries that managed to snuggle into some shadowy crevices.

In this corner of the sidewalk and driveway, I had a nice clump of Japanese blood grass... had being the operative word here.

Notice again the revealed weed blocker, and the way the mulch is scattered over the jelly pebbles.  The mulch used to be just around the grass and on the other side of the border rocks.

Now that I've told you what my garden used to look like, let me tell you what the chickens used to enjoy... running free.  They are still free-range.  It's just that their range is smaller than it used to be.

Here is what they used to have...

The big hen house is in the foreground.  The north end of their pen runs between the little red house and the horse trailer.  (That's Benji coming up the drive.)

In this photo, you can see a distinctive line in front of the hen house, but behind the waterer that is sitting on the pile of bricks.  (keeps the water cleaner)

 That is where the fence used to be.  We extended their area up almost to the barn, as seen in this next shot...

Their area actually goes past the side of the barn.  Mr J has a compost pile over there.   It is like a five-star restaurant to the chickens.  So now they have free access to it.  It's full of little critters they eat.

On a sad note, Mr J has lost one of his hens.  She was a beautiful golden lace.  We don't have a clue why she died.  Mr J wonders if she got into something there in the tall grass by the barn.  FIL has dropped a lot of nails around there and Mr J found some broken glass. 

Here is a close-up of the feathers on another golden lace hen...

He will miss her...

A Soldier Story

A soldier is hiding out in the goats woods.

Do you see him?

How about now? (click to enlarge)

That is Soldier.  (I think.  Mr J got a better look and says it is.)  He was named by my oldest grand.  A very fitting name, indeed.  You see, Soldier only has one antler.  At first, we assumed he had lost it in battle with one of the bigger bucks that inhabit the woods.  Now, I'm not so sure.  Year after year, he appears, each time having only one antler.  We have seen him every year for at least five years.  Somehow, he manages to escapes the arrows and ammo of the winter hunts.

Before all the electric fence went up for the horses and goats, we had quite a herd of regulars.  We used to put cracked corn down where the goat shed now stands.  It was a perfect view from the living room windows.  Every evening, after dinner, our routine was to clean up the dishes, and then sit and watch the deer come out.

The most regular visitor was a young doe named Cookie, also named by the grands.  (Get it?  Cookie Doe?)  Every day, without fail, Cookie would come for her evening meal.  She didn't mind that we came out the door and yelled hello to her.  She would look up at us as we made our way across the porch to the chairs, and then return to her food.  I don't hunt, but I'm not opposed to hunting.  I do imagine, however, than any deer bagged in this area is certainly not one of ours! 

We see glimpses of deer quite often in the wood line.  Occasionally, we see them on this side of the fence, but mostly they stay in the front pasture.  After a rain, when the ground is soft, we see enough prints that it looks like the deer path hub out here.  We actually have a place in the woods were several of their worn paths cross.  Before the goats cleared the brush, the only way through our woods was using the deer's paths.

It's hard to say if Cookie comes back now, as she has no markings as distinctive as a one-antlered buck.  But, if you're a hunter, before you pull the trigger on that bow, see if she answers to Cookie.  And if she does...  Please, send her home. 

Monochromatic Morning

 Our first snow of the season fell last night.

I love waking up to a world I've missed for months!

This black and white view waited outside my bedroom door .

The bare trees seem even darker against the pure white snow.

The valance over the kitchen sink is trimmed in crystal drops.

They appeared more like icicles this morning!

At a different angle, you would have seen the smoke,

billowing up from the outdoor boiler...

a sure sign that winter is near.

Though the snow was light,

the sead heads bowed in respect

of this symbol of winter.

The paling green of a willow bush

peeks through the tender reeds.

Here, you see the willow is losing its battle,

succumbing to the shorter days and chillier nights.

The horses don't notice the temperature dropping.

Their furry coats have grown plush,

insulating them from the brisk air.

Dear Anonymous,

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