2.28.2014

weekly roundup of #100happydays project!

If you haven't been following long enough to know about this project, you can read all about it in my very first #100happydays post HERE. You can also view previous week's roundups HERE, HERE, & HERE

First though, let me just say that even though I lost Aeon this week, she brought a ton of happiness to me while she was here. I know a lot of people can't imagine that a person could really be close to a chicken, but she really was different. I have lost a few chickens that made me sad, but I wasn't as attached to them because they didn't need the attention - they were happy just being free chickens. Aeon was very different. She greeted me every single evening and asked to be put up. She was extremely vocal, and very playful. Just a week ago today I snapped this one of us, and although it wasn't an official '#100happydays' pic, I am including it in this post as an extra....
 

day 24:
 day 25:
 day 26:
 day 27:
 ....and a bonus pic for day 27:
day 28:
 day 29:
 day 30:

2.27.2014

want/need/hear/read

want:


Ooooooooh weeeee! I REALLY would love a padded hammock with built in pillows! I'd probably never get anything done at the farm..... the one I have served it's purpose, so until it dies, I'll just have to make do with what I have! I think I will pay close attention to all the after summer sales this year.....

need:
hahahaha - yeah, gonna need one of these soon.... catalytic converter. Yep - fun stuff! 
hear:
  
read:
The Kinfolk Table cookbook. I have yet to really open it since I got it last Fall and have really enjoyed all the photographs..... Gonna flip through it a little more this weekend while lounging in my garden hammock......


2.26.2014

Good-bye, Aeon Clux! I'm so glad you could stay a while....


Well, today started off a little sad.... Aeon passed away. She had been here since January 2012 when she was saved from the highway after falling off a chicken truck. I had the day off already because I was out of town until late last night/ early this morning - and I am sooooo glad I was able to have a later start at the farm or I may not have even noticed Aeon was feeling bad..... If you have been following my Instagram at all, you probably already know I recently had been working with her and trying to get her to be able to walk up the ramp into the coop - all by herself. Well, she had been making great progress...but then this morning, she did not appear to be feeling well..... she didn't even want to come out of the coop. I went in and got her and took her to the barn thinking that I would just let her hang out in the barn today....then I saw that she really didn't feel well at all. I knew that it was very possible that my goofy girl might not make it very much longer. She was breathing funny and shivering. I put Baby in the car and then put Aeon on my lap to take her to the house and see if I could make her feel better. She stopped shivering and seemed to be going to sleep, but then just arched her back and ... just... died. She has always been a very heavy, wheezing breather due to her massive everything (heart, lungs, etc) from how these chickens are produced. She made loud barking noises every night when she would eat, but she was happy. Here are a few pics from her very first days at the farm. She was only six weeks old in these...

This is a more recent picture.... with her friend, Baby the pitbull.... ;)
 ...and this is Aeon right after she passed. Still beautiful. Gonna miss her funny ways.... RIP, girl.
She got a nice little grave in the garden....

Afterwards, Christian, me, and Baby all hopped in the car for short ride to switch mental gears. It was so beautiful and much needed. Not a person in sight and Baby had a ball.......






 I love Baby's ears in the pic below.... the wind was whipping my hair and her ears big time!



















2.24.2014

Farm post! Sun! Puddles! Doggie friends!

Yesterday morning was PERFECT. The sun was shining, the temperature was steady rising and my mom brought out her Brittney Spaniel, Austin - which is Baby's most favorite dog ever! Baby has finally gotten around to being able to run hard one day and not be limping the next, so I feel confident that she is ready for this playdate.... poor girl hasn't had a doggie farm playdate since last summer before her knee surgery....
...the puddles were like mini ponds and creeks which are perfect for my Baby girl because she LOVES the water, but is scared to death of deep water and cannot swim to save her life. I know this to be factual because in 2008 she was introduced to her very first deep creek experience (this creek was a good 25 feet wide and 10-12 feet deep). She was with Austin and he jumped right in - he is a great swimmer and I assumed Baby would be as well, but when she jumped in the creek after Austin, panic ensued and Baby was sinking.... guess who's mama instincts kicked in and jumped into this muddy lurky scary-because-you-can't-see-the-bottom creek? Me! Fully clothed, and not being able to touch the bottom either, I was able to hoist my panicking Baby girl out of the water and up to my mom who was standing on the banks. That was Baby's last ever jump into water.... she has since been really good at slowly walking and feeling the depth of any water before she gets playful. I always thought that a dog's natural instincts would kick in when submerged in water, but after a few seconds of gasping and sinking and seeing Baby wasn't getting the hang of 'dog paddling', I realised either Baby is an exception, or some dogs just can't swim! 
Austin's energy reverts to puppy-like behavior when he is at the farm. He gets really curious, really energetic, and has a permanent smile on his face. You'd never know he was almost 6 years old...

..and let me just tell ya... Austin is FAST. I wanted so bad to get the perfect splashy pic...
...but it was difficult...
He LOVES seeing Baby, but when she finds a stick in the field, she only pays attention to chewing......
..and Austin is left to entertain himself.



Baby absolutely LOVES playing in the water. She runs through and is gulping the entire time.....



...and every once in a while there is a doggie collision.... looks vicious, but is all fun and games.....

Austin is such a cutie pie, don't ya think?



....and now on to the goats... Mama had the camera so for once, I was able to actually get IN some of these goat pics without them being 'selfie' style ;)
...in this pic, I was rounding up materials to try to fix my broken hammock. The wood snapped last year (probably because the wood is weathered and stays outside), and I have been hammock-less since. With this warmer weather, I am really needing my hammock back....

Yippeeeeee! Mission accomplished! Fixed my hammock!!!!! I am in heaven!

Baby is already pooped to the max here..... too tired to play anymore.
Look at that face. I love that face.

I let the 'babies' (my three year old babies - ha!) start to clean out my raised beds and overgrowth in the garden...
Eli was being super sweet......

Love my sweet Ellie-poo! She is a feisty little thing, but will never pass up an opportunity for a hug....
Eli loves having the top of his snout/nose rubbed....
...then Forest came over for some attention....


...then I move on to Eli's ears. He loves having his ears rubbed too! Look at that face....
"What's been going on, Miss Milly-poo? Having a good day?"
Misty was making it a point to even clean up the privet on the OUTSIDE of the fence too!

Misty and her wattles. She is the only one I have with them....

Perfect lazy day...........

...and teeth. I love animal teeth. Can't you tell?
It's rare that everyone is lying down at the same time.... but with the warm sun, dry ground, and sound of singing birds, everyone is in full on relax mode.
Milly...
my sweet, goofy, Milly.... oh, how I love everything she has taught me! 
...when life hands ya lemons, SMILE about it! At least you have some lemons now!