Saturday, May 23, 2015

Back To Black


 I truly had planned to post before now, and even sat down at the computer several times to start writing, but just couldn't get my brain to function well enough.  I've had a very bad headache for the past 4 days and I've been sorta stumbling around here like a zombie.  I finally got it to ease up some over last night but it always seems to come back in the late afternoon.  And we have another rain front coming in Monday and I'm just hoping and praying it doesn't start all over again.
Geez, I feel like all I ever do anymore is complain on this blog.  It is just so frustrating right now.  Everything hurts and I'm trying so many things and nothing seems to be working.  It just knocks the wind out of my sails and I get in a very low mood.  I'm fighting hard not to but sometimes I can't help it.


In some news though, Big T has gone to live at another home in north Alabama.  He had gotten to where I often had to watch out for him because he would attempt to jump me when I would be walking amongst the hens.  I got a couple of good kicks in and that discouraged him somewhat but he would still try to sneak up on me occasionally.  I don't know what made him get that way.  Anyway, that was not that big of a deal; I can handle a rooster.  The problem was he started picking on Zuzu and Peepers and ya'll know how I am about my sweet Speckles.  I admit those 2 are spoiled rotten and that rooster was not going to bother my babies.  Zuzu and Peepers are kinda low on the totem pole and of course that makes me take up for them even more, and I think because of this they are very shy and timid at times.  Big T just scared them to death and they would run from him whenever he tried to put the moves on them.  I think this pissed him off and he said, well, they will not be in my flock then, and started running them away from food we put out.  Well, that ain't going to fly around me.  So.  I kinda hated to get rid of him since we had raised him from such a little bittie, but nobody hates on Zu or Peep.  The guy I gave him to wanted to trade for some Silkie/ Cochin hens and I said, sure!  I've always wanted some Silkies and these 2 are just precious.  Unfortunately, I did not realize how much smaller Silkies are than regular hens and they are a bit intimidated of the girls.  And the girls are not terribly friendly towards them.  Oh, how I wish we still had Ramona who was always my ambassador to new girls.  She would befriend anybody and make them feel part of the group.  She was a good chicken.


Anyway, these 2 are just the cutest things ever.  That is Agnes on the right and Elvira on the left.  Elvira is pretty laid back but Agnes seems to be in a perpetually bad mood.  I suspect it is just a defense mechanism at being around so many large hens.  I love them though and they took right to the nesting boxes their first day and have laid good since.


Generally they hang out to themselves down by the coop but they do wander up near the house occasionally.  Interestingly, they don't seem to mind staying in the run all day, whereas the other girls act like you're killing them if you don't let them out to free-range by 10:00 a.m.  So, we let them stay in some after the others go out so they can have plenty of time and solitude to eat their crumble in peace.


I haven't even felt like taking many photos lately but I did get a few the other day.  I thought this one came out nicely.  I like the soft background.



The babies that Etta hatched are doing well and growing fast!  I hope we got mostly girls with these three.

I told ya'll we did get the garden planted but it seems the corn needs replanting.  My seeds were old apparently and hardly any has come up.  Everything else is doing well though.  We are trying a couple of new things this year that I will show ya'll soon.  One of which is plating runner beans instead of bush type so that they will grow up a trellis and I don't have to bend over to pick them.  I don't know what the hell I was ever thinking that made me plant bush beans!  And more than once too!  My back can't take that crap.  It's funny how you get stuff in your head though, about how you think something ought to be and it's hard to imagine it another way sometimes.  So, finally, I figured out, hey, I don't have to bend over to pick beans!  Duh!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend and hopefully I'll have another post soon.


7 comments:

JO said...

WOW to bad the rooster turned mean on you. He sure was a pretty rooster. The new girls are really good looking. Love the dragon fly pictures

ErinFromIowa said...

I am so annoyed with Feedly I could spit! They took away the button that allows you to open a website directly... so I couldn't comment. I had to drive a stick shift (internet wise) to get over here. Gah! I'll bet they want me to pay to be able to comment. Foolios.
I love the dragonfly photo. Thoroughly enjoyed the Chicken Chronicle update!
It's your blog and it's ok to vent Annie. You definitely balance it out with positive vibes!

MamaHen said...

Hey Jo! Yeah, he was a real good-looking bird but I think he'll like his new home too. It seemed like a nice place with good people.
thanks!

Hey Erin! thanks! well, I'm glad you went to all the trouble to comment! Always good to hear from my readers!

Aunty Belle said...

Gosh, I jes' hate that youse feel in' poorly. Headaches ain't purty. Could ya be allergic to somethin' in yore environment? got new carpets? The formaldehyde in the backing can make some folks real sick.

Yore chicks is fun to see...an' good ya sent that Roo packing.

I did want ya know how much I love the pie dish ya made fer Aunty. Today I baked a pear and blackberry custard pie in it. I would post a pic, except I don't think blogger will let me post to you. Anyhoo, I love my Annie pottery.

Hope you feel much better very soon.

Hermit's Baby Sis said...

Yeah, Annie, as your blog title suggests "chronicle of a life in progress", so we don't mind hearing about your downs. Go ahead and bellyache - we feel like we're helping somehow if we know you're feeling bad and we can comment to help bring you up some.
Your girls will hopefully come to incorporate the new neighbors into their group,'cause they really are pretty! Just like bringing home a new puppy or baby sister - it all takes getting used to ...
Really bad weather here in Texas this weekend - crazy weather. Floods and tornadoes and lightning, oh my! But Bubba Hermit, Mama, Hubby and I are all high and dry, so Life is good. Hope you are feeling better soon ...

Ed said...

Reading about Big T reminded me of my dear Rufus whom I have blogged about before. Back when we raised chickens, all the roosters eventually found mom's stew pot except for Rufus. He eventually met his demise via the jaws of my dog Ted.

I completely understand what you are going through with your critters! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

MamaHen said...

Hey Aunty! I'm so happy to hear you are still enjoying the pottery! Love it when people let me know that.
The headaches are due to the fusion of two of my cervical vertebrae, unfortunately, so nothing to be done about it. Just one of those things.

Hey sis! I'm so glad to hear that all ya'll are doing okay and did not get flooded in all that bad weather!
The new girls are settling in more and my older girls have quit picking on them so that's good. It just takes 2 or 3 days for everybody to adjust.

Hey Ed! that was a great story about Rufus. Hated to see he was killed by a dog but it was fitting that he went out with a fight for his girls.