Good Saturday Afternoon

It is a sunny and warm day here in NW Georgia. Just a fine day! Yesterday Shelby and I went to visit my parents. Erin and her boyfriend stopped by also and we had a real nice visit. While I was down that way, I went about thirty minutes south of where Mama and Daddy live to pick up some new chicks. I also got to see the parents of the chicks and it looked promising for these chicks to turn out to be show prospects. You never know for sure until they are grown and you take a good look and choose your best and put them in show, but I am keeping my fingers crossed. Here are a few pictures of the parents. I had a picture of the Buff Laced polish rooster, but it turned out blurry, so I won't include it here. These are of the white crested black polish group and the Golden laced polish group. Then, pictures of my new babies I brought home yesterday.











You can see that his tail is not in condition, and the girls are a bit ratty, but that is to be expected at this time of year. It is mating season after all...and soon they will molt and lose a lot of their old feathers and by the end of the year they will have their new feathers coming in. All mine are like this right now too.

Here are the babies.








In other news, day before yesterday I heard a ruckus out on the front porch and two mockingbird parents were having a hissy fit. I knew the problem was going to be one of the cats...and I was right. Mocha had snagged their baby bird. It had feathers and could hop and flutter, but it was not ready at all to fly. I hollered for Ian to come and help me. He crawled under the porch and got the cat. The baby hopped away and I pulled some of the lattice on the front of the porch away and picked the poor little thing up. I brought it right in for inspection. It did have a small puncture wound, but didnt seem to be bleeding from it. I packed on the antibiotic ointment. I fed it at regular intervals. I have done this before with three baby robins many years ago with success. You wet some dry cat food down and let the water soak in. Use tweezers and feed the baby small pieces.

Things looked okay at the moment. Yesterday morning it seemed a bit less enthusiastic about eating, but I made it eat anyway, along with a few drops of water out of a syringe to help wash it all down. I packed up the baby mockingbird along with us to go for our visit to see my parents. Baby birds have to be fed all the time...all day. It wasnt an hour and a half we had been there, and it was not looking good at all. The baby started breathing heavily and after about fifteen minutes it fell over on its side. Minutes later it passed. I believe that nasty cat puncture was the cause of death. It had bled some out onto the babies chest feathers overnight. The cat must have done some internal damage. Poor little thing. I had to try though.

So far today I have not been productive at all, I have been fooling around on the computer for a few hours, Facebooking, posting pictures, emailing, just catching up on here, but now I have to go. I have much to do around here, and it doesnt look like my little magic fairies are going to appear and do it for me. ;) I just wanted to make a post about these precious new babies of mine I have.

He did give me five extras. One was weak and not expected to live. He thought maybe if I took it it would survive. What had happened was some lady had come the day before me and was looking at the chicks in the brooder, and buying some. All the while her two children were messing around. He thinks one of them slid the side door open to the brooder just enough that the chicks got out onto the floor that night. Newborns can't survive without staying warm, they will die. He found seven of them on the floor and obviously away from the heat lamp. All but one bounced back, poor little buddy. I did everything I could. He wanted to sleep a lot, so weak and tired. So I put him in a shoebox, in with the others, but seperate so he wouldnt get stepped on and could rest. He had his own little water and food. But he was just too tired. I found him passed on this morning. Poor little buddy.

I will focus on the ones that are living now though, and not be too sad. I sure do love these new babies, they are so much fun! :)

Everyone have a great Saturday! :)

New Show Prospects

As time goes by, I am leaning more and more towards keeping more show lines than regular layers. I am always on the look out for new things. I have wanted Golden polish, and Buff polish for some time to show. You can't just go out and buy any old bird though. I was looking through Craigslist, like I always do in the farm and garden section and clicked on someone selling polish chicks. Turns out I am headed his way on Friday and I really was impressed by the pictures of the Daddys posted of these two colors of polish. The pictures were tiny, but here they are. I will be going to buy all the chicks I can of these two colors of polish. I am like a kid in a candy store I tell ya.





I will be sure to take the camera with me when I go out there this Friday to pick up my chicks.

You may or may not remember, but Babe was beat out by a guy showing Langshans at two seperate shows. She was beat out for the Champion Asiatic by the same bird at both shows. She still won Reserve Asiatic, but I am always looking to improve my game. So, searching the internet for show quality breeders I came upon a lady in Oklahoma that has show stock from the top show stock guy in Langshans. He has won in the Ohio National with his birds. That is the big big big show. Her girls have gone broody right now, but soon as they start laying again I will be buying some of those eggs from her to ship to me. It will be too late to show them this coming year, they won't have filled out enough, but I will have them ready for the following year. Here are a few pictures of her breeders of Langshan chickens.













I am going to need a trailer to pull behind me soon...lol. I am already thinking about how I need to house the chickens I am going to be showing the next year. I think there are going to be too many this time to keep them in the house. I am thinking I will be making the back screen porch into my area for keeping the ones I am showing clean through out the show season. I will just have to put up plastic over the screens to keep the wind and rain out.

Tuesdays Ramblings

I have so many things knocking around in my head to say today I thought I would just call this entry ramblings. Paula, don't you just want to jump into that header picture? I miss the beach so much. Since moving here we have only been on vacation to our spot in Florida once. We always find something to spend our tax refund check on, and it hasnt been taking off to Florida for our three day retreat. I told Ian, next year we are going. I don't care what has to wait, we all miss it, we all want to go, and we all need to get away for a few days. One day, when Ian is retired we are going to sell this house and move to Florida. I have a confession to make. Yesterday I was looking at properties along the Atlantic coast. Just looking, just looking, not going anywhere for a long time. It is fun to look. I actually found some really affordable stuff for what we are looking for. It is a buyers market for sure right now, even in Florida.




I have one lone baby right now. Hatching out the silver laced polish this year has not been very successful at all. I have only managed to hatch out three. Two of those have crossbeak. Crossbeak is just what is sounds like. The top and bottom of the beak do not line up. So far the other two have done well as far as eating and drinking. They will live out their time here, though not be birds for show as I was hoping. This little one you see here above has been a trooper. Usually, when a baby chick is hatched and is alone it cries for company. I will put a stuffed animal in to keep it company until another has hatched. In this case, there just isnt anything to hatch right now, so it has lived out its short life so far being with its stuffed mama chicken in the box, along with my attentions when I can spare it. This is my only new prospect for showing next year in this breed, along with the other four I showed last year. I am not sure I will show Kuckoo again, we will see how he looks when he molts this Fall and gets his new feathers in. Here he is looking out. You can see Laverne, Shirley, and Coco in the back half of the pen in the shade. They seem content and happy, but not laying any eggs for me right now.






I did have a successful hatch with the bantam silver spangled hamburgs! I am very pleased with the way they are coming along. I want to try and show more bantams this coming year as they are easier to groom and transport. My standard size show birds will always still be my first love though. I will always show them. They little guys and gals wouldn't hardly be still long enough for me to take a good shot, but here are a couple of pictures. I also have three bantam cochin cockerals in with this bunch. Patrick gave me these. Dwain, if your reading this, please don't hate me, but I think I am going to hold onto all three of these, I have grown VERY attached to them. Depending on how they fill out as to whether I will show them this coming year, we will have to wait and see.






Shelbys little Salmon Favorelle rooster is coming right along. He still hasnt gotten in all his color, but he is still young. She will be showing him this next year. His name is Oscar, and let me tell you, he is just the sweetest little thing!




I want to be sure and tell y'all, I appreciate y'all all coming back to visit my blog, even though I kind of flaked out for a little while. It is always about this time of year that it happens. I get drawn to the outdoors and can't stay inside for long. The housework suffers, but it will be there. I still have many more blogs to visit today that I didnt get to visit yesterday, so I am going to balance my housework with reading today til this afternoon, and then I am going to outside and spend some time with the animals, see what they have been up to all day and what they need from me. Have a good Tuesday, and I will see y'all tomorrow. :)

It's Time To Get Back To It

So here I am. Its Monday, and I am ready to start fresh and get back to blogging and visiting blogs. I hope too many folks haven't given up on me and abandoned me. Sometimes, you just have to take a break...but now, I am back and ready to blog.

So, lets back up and try to remember what has been going on with me.

First off, June was brutally hot, most of it. We had temperatures into the hundred degree mark day after day with heat indexes up to 120. So, I would go out before daylight and get everyone out there prepared for the brutality of the coming heat of the day. I had to, for them, and for me. At midday, you could step outside and the heat and humidity would swallow you whole within minutes. I puttered about the inside of the house during the day, cleaning, dusting, cleaning out odds and ends. I also got crafty and gathered up some shells both from past beach visits and shops off of the beach selling shells and made my plain toilet paper basket into this...





Ian wanted to have a garden this year, but we are just not at a time in our life when he can dedicate enough of his time to having one, plus, with the brutal temperatures in June I was kind of glad he didnt have the time. It was not fit for man nor beast. So, in light of this, I have planted just a few things...and have them on the front porch. It is easy to keep up with and I like having it on the porch...three upside down tomatoes...and two pots ( I am only showing one here) of cucumber seedlings coming up. I will be seperating them out into more pots very soon. I also have a couple of pepper plants out there too. In the last picture are some more tomato seedlings coming up in a pot to be transplanted later. As you can see, the upside down tomatoes are thriving. I did an experiment by planting one in a pot, and in regular potting soil. The hanging ones are in Miracle Gro soil, and boy can you ever tell the difference!









Earlier in June, several weeks ago I went to a swap meet over in Cedartown that someone was holding...for selling chickens. I didnt go to sell chickens, but it was so close, I had to go look. This guy was there, it is an Americauna rooster, he was five months old. She wanted fifteen dollars for him, he seemed to be docile, but I was really not in the market for another rooster, so I passed. The next day I saw him for sale on Craigslist, so I guess she didnt get her going price of fifteen dollars for him. It is just hard to sell roosters, they are a dime a dozen.






Pretty boy isnt he? But I have many I need to sell off myself. Shelby was with me...funny thing, we were supposed to be out shoe shopping... and we did, eventually. We went shoe shopping...and came back with these. Someone was selling baby ducks at the swap also, and I just couldn't resist.







Of course I don't have any pictures of the shoes we bought, but the ducks...of course, I took pictures of. It seems like every day I go out there they have grown so much. In these two pictures they are already much bigger than when I bought them. They are pekin ducks. I named them, Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe, and Tod. Well, there are five ducks, and so I had to think of another name for the fifth one! Tod stands for The Other Duck. :) They are so sweet. I forgot how fun it is to have ducks. I had two at the old house in Forest Park many years ago, both girls. This was way before my chicken days.

Up until yesterday I couldnt tell you the last time we had rain...weeks, its been weeks. We had a nice soaking shower rain a lot of the day. The grass was looking pretty bad before...here is what it looked like before we had a that rain yesterday. I am sure the weeds will be growing like wildfire now that they have had a good drink of water!





The wheat has all been cut down now across the street and down the road. They only take the top half off, so everything looks so dead around us now..




Except next door, they have planted cotton and it is coming up nicely...




I have many more pictures and a lot more updates on everyone out in the yard...but I will let this be enough for today. Just to wet your whistle you might say. :)

Now I will be coming around to visit everyone. I hope y'all are all having a nice Monday.

Americas Got Talent

There wasnt much on tv last night...but we always have it on while we are eating supper. I found Americas Got Talent on, so we watched that. I never follow it for very long, I tend to lose interest, but last night...wow. An unemployed farmer from Kentucky came out, and they laughed at him while he answered some of the judges questions.

Once he started...it showed the audience...the judges, everyone was BLOWN AWAY...watch as Kevin Skinner...just a country boy, blows us all away with his emotional singing and playing...he is just amazing to me. Click on the link and scroll down to the second video.

Well, just cut and paste it, I can't get it to work right!






http://widetrends.com/americas-got-talent-kevin-skinner-sings-if-tomorrow-never-comes/

Had To Post This!

Viral Video going around the internet today...what do you think it is? I googled it and found what it more than likely is. It's in a North Carolina sewer...

The Blob?

ET?

You decide...

I have been taking a break from journaling. I guess you can see that. The summertime is very busy here. I have to get out in the morning before the temperatures reach the nineties, which they have, for days on end now. The animals need fresh cool water and to be fed early to be ready for the heat of the day. Once I get done outside, there is the inside to do, always something to do. I haven't felt very creative in my writing lately either. I have just been drawn to doing other things lately. I know I will pick it back up at a regular pace eventually.

I hope everyone is doing well. I haven't been to many journals lately either. Most of us are busy in our gardens, or mowing, planting, just enjoying the outdoors, at least I hope that is what everyone is doing. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to drop a few lines on the page here to let anyone that stopped in know that I am fine, we are all fine...just enjoying the summer.

Shelbys Horseback Riding

It seems Summer is coming in early this year. We are having temperatures in the nineties already and the heat index went up to 104 yesterday. If its this hot now, we are going to be sweltering by August. I guess I had better get busy freezing 2 liter bottles of water to put in the pails of water to keep the animals water cool for drinking. I am thinking of installing a sprinkler hose for them to cool off in too.

I woke up at 3:30 am, and I think I turned off the alarm while I was half asleep. I woke back up at 5:38 and panicked, waking Ian up abruptly and getting his clothes for him. He didnt hardly get to wake up, much less shower and he was out the door. I hate when I do that to him. I have never turned off the alarm like that, but the more I thought about it, the more I think thats what I did.

Today Tip is going to the vet for her annual check up and shots, then we will be off to go and visit with Mama and Daddy for awhile before coming back home.

I thought I would try and keep up with my journal a little better and make more posts. So today I am going to post pictures of Shelby riding Patches at the neighbors. Laury has been very good with Shelby in teaching her how to ride, how to control the horse. Patches is an older girl, so she is really sound, and I trust Laury to keep Shelby safe. They have gone on several rides now, but it is already getting so hot, so I don't know how much more riding they will get in unless its in the early morning or late evening. Even in the late evening the heat has been hanging on.











Some grooming first

Then Laury got Patches saddled up and got the stirrups adjusted just right for Shelbys feet....




Shelby and Patches took a little walk around the back while Laury finished getting her horse ready to go...













A few of their other horses look on...




and their off to hit the trails...





My Shelby girl, she is growing up so fast now...but I know that is the way its supposed to be. One minute they are toddling around in diapers, the next they are hauling themselves up onto a horse to go riding...sigh.

Here is a video of Shelby riding Patches around while waiting for Laury to get Midnight ready to go. I am going to leave now and get ready to go. I hope everyone has a nice day today. :)

The Visit With Ray and Mary

By now y'all should be used to my lateness of posts. I am always a day late and a dollar short. Maybe one day I will be on time, though I doubt it will be anytime soon. I did enjoy reading Hollie and Dads entries before my own though, I must admit. :)

Here we are at Jim n' Nicks BBQ. I was, as usual the last to arrive. Now before you condemn me, I was not actually late. The meet up time was supposed to be noon, but everyone got there a bit early, at around 11:15. Just for the record we got there at 11:40, later than I wanted to be, but not late, technically. ;)

We were greeted with open arms and many smiling faces. The feeling in the room was like old friends or relatives meeting up that hadnt seen each other in quite a while. Sometimes things just click into place and feel right. This was one of those times.

There were lots of hugs of course, we southerners, well, most of us are huggers. Thats just our nature. Once we got settled down and sat down in our spots the waitress came and started taking our orders. We have our lunch sitting there in front of us in the picture above as you can see. Dad thought it would be good to wait to take the pictures til we had our food, I thought that was a good idea too.

The manager came in asking what the occasion was for the get together. I told him we were honored with the presence of Ray, the oldest blogger in the U.S., that he had come down from Tennessee to visit us. Everyone handed around their cameras for pictures of all of us at the table and the manager and waitress obliged.

After all the picture taking was finished we got our food soon afterwards and for a few minutes all conversation stopped because the food was really really good, and we were all ready for lunch. After a few good bites the conversation picked back up again. Dad insisted on paying for everyones lunch, but Hollie and I snuck in the tip to the waitress at least. It sure was sweet of him to treat us like that. It was already a treat just having him and Mary there in the first place.

After we ate everyone followed us on back to the house and it was trying to rain on us, but soon as we made it up into the porch it stopped. Not too long after that the sun came out and it got kind of muggy, but not before I could show everyone all the animals. Dad understood my passion for keeping animals, especially the chickens. Some people like to grow flowers, some gardens, and like Dad, tomatoes. Its all about what you like and it keeps your mind and body busy, which is what Dad pointed out. Some people see this kind of thing as work, but it is a labor of love, and so its not really work at all.

Ian and Tony really hit it off, and Hollie and I too for that matter. We felt like we had always been close friends. Even our dog Tip enjoyed seeing everyone, she loved Colt and they got into a playing match...it was too funny. Hollie has a picture of that on her blog of Colt and Tip playing if you would like to see it and havent yet.








We were laughing pretty good at something here above...this is one of the pictures taken on the couch inside at my house. We took many combinations, but this was what was on my camera. I think that Hollie has the ones of Ian, Shelby, and I with Dad on the couch on her camera...Hollie, send me those if you would when you get a chance and I will post them here.

Everyone seemed to really enjoy everything about this day. I know I did. Dad started to get a little wore down that afternoon and it was time for them to head out. We all said our goodbyes and they took off headed for home. I asked them to please call me to let me know they got home alright. Around 7:30 that evening I got a phone call from Mary saying that Dad had decided they should stop in Chattanooga and ride the incline at Lookout Mountain the next day! Can you believe this man, he is just an inspiration to all for sure. I am sure he will have more about that in his blog sometime this week. I am looking forward to hearing about it.

I am going to submit pictures to our local newspaper. In our little tiny town this is big news to have Ray here. I hope they will run a story about it, wouldnt that be something?

Big Day Today

I know I have been lax in posting this past week, but it is only because I have been busy making things look nice around here for my special company coming today. I have the honor of blessing my home with Ray White from Tomato Gardening With Dad today. If you are not familiar with his blog you can look on my sidebar of blogs I read and see him there. He is the oldest blogger in the United States and he and his daughter Mary are coming today to visit little ole me. Hollie and her family will be meeting up with us also...her blog is Life in a Small Town if you want to visit with her sometime. She has a great blog.

We had some rain last evening so I am hoping the ground is not going to be too soggy out there to show Dad and Mary around out back. Lets hope the ground has soaked it all up and its not muddy back there.

Thats going to be it for now. I am going to have a lot of pictures and things to tell after their visit. I am so excited this morning I can barely contain myself! See y'all when I get back!