Calling Mr. Natural

I couldn't find him,  Mr. Natural . . . anywhere.  The chickens were
waiting to come in to their bathroom  tub roost for the night.  They
were impatient.  So when I opened the door, one walked in.  I
scooped it up and carried it to the bathroom.  Then another, and
and another,  Three walked inside on their own and I picked them
up and carried them to the tub.  (Poor chickens--no coop yet for them.)
 The 4th walked in and evaded me and promptly escorted herself to
the bathroom.  Mr Natural showed up and took care of the final four.
It will be a shock to them to discover they really don't live in the
house with us. 

Both of us have felt so badly lately that nothing has gotten completed.
His truck is in the shop.  Still another unexpected bill.

Butterfly bushes are starting to bloom.  Except for the new one, which is
heat stressed.  I have tried to get them all together.  All that I truly
accomplished was sending my neck, back, and shoulders into muscle
spasms for 2 days straight.  Obviously, the dose of prednisone I am
currently taking is not helping me that much. My daughter came and helped
--she watered the worst of them.  And carried the ones on the porrch
around to the back yard--except for the ones not needing direct sunlight.

Mr. Natural didn't water them, so that is up to me I suppose.  Or maybe
my daughter can help me as she's coming back tomorrow.  I am very
determined.  If I have to buy a coop and hire someone to paint the house,
but I will buy the scaffolding first.  I'm hoping he'll feel better soon.

And that is where we are at the bird house.

All for tonight.

Kate 
  

Midnight with the Chickens

Mr. Natural sometimes sleepwalks.  And he did last night around midnight.
Only this time I didn't know he was asleep.  He looked totally awake.
He went in the bathroom--the chicken's bathroom--and proceeded to
gather them all up and put them in the container--to take them outside.
He thought it was morning--until I woke him up--before he reached the
front door. 

Then it really got funny.  He was apologizing to the chickens for waking
them.  I think he speaks chicken because they seem to understand
everything he says to them.  He cooed and fussed over them and I
tried not to laugh too hard.

This is truly a "bird" house!

All for tonight

Kate Thorn

Life

First, the chickens.  They are are now regular visitors to the deck.
They have even flew up on the railing and eyed the birdfeeder.
but so far, no accidents.  My deck (and  front porch) leave a lot
to be desired.  But, on the positive side, they are on their final molt.
Once they finish this molt, they will be adult chickens and ready
to lay eggs.  So Mr. Natural is talking more about their new home.
(You know, with heat and air conditioning and hot and cold running
water--I am joking--but I think if we could afford it, he'd do it.)

My butterfly bushes are going to bloom out this year--soon.  One is
nearly as tall as the tree I want to get cut down.  I bought a gorgeous
vibrant purple one at Lowes and both hummers and butterflies have
been visiting it.  My orange trumpet vines are nearly ready to plant
at the base of the tree.  I have 2 more butterfly bushes but they had to
be treated first. 

I changed my mind regarding as to where to place their birdbath.  It
is definitely going in the front yard in view of the bead room.  Speaking
of, he repainted it--it is beautiful--a nice neutral off white with a whisper
of pink in it.  Lovely. 

Daisy's old perch--is getting the same color, only
in semi-gloss and the top will be covered with similar shade of carpet.
This is to help  her from falling off--having one eye gives her depth
perception problems, so this will help her.

The bead board which will cover a goodly portion of one wall is
also painted the same shade, though you won't notice that when all
the beads are on it.  And maybe I'll be able to bead enough to
strengthen my hands, which are incredibly weak as is the rest of my
body.

When I went to Doctor on the 14th,  he added to my diagnoses.  Just
what I needed.  More autoimmune stuff to deal with.  He added
hypothyroidism  (Hashimoto's I believe).  I haven't started on any
thyroid meds yet--He started me of 20 mg Prednisone.  I see him again
in July for a recheck.  I looked pretty horrible by the appt.  Mr. Natural
went with me--I was having problems focusing and knew I would
forget to tell him.  Still look horrible.  The Prednisone did alleviate
the pain that was body wide by then--but I only feel good for a few
hours.  The pain has been greatly helped, but the lack of appetite
and difficulty swallowing continues.  I go nowhere now.  Exhausted
all the time, so there will be lapses in this blog until he gets me remission.

All for tonight--

Kate Thorn

Painting

Mr. Natural painted my bead room today--pink even.  Actually it was much
pinker than the paint showed on the can or the colorstrip.  We were going
for a pale beige with a hint of pink. So we we got more pink than we
bargained for.  I plan to tone the whole room down by adding light beige
accents.  (I think!)  And some lacy ivory curtains.  After all the beads
get in there, you won't even notice the a bit too pink walls.   

The above pics were snapped as we looked out the window and saw
the "Girls" rolling in the dirt.  The leaves are pretty thick; that's why
there are so few.

We were visited by the pileated woodpecker, and while he was busily
throwing seeds he didn't want on the deck, the chickens were climbing
the stairs to get the discarded seeds.  They were noisy.  I thought they
would disturb the woodpecker, but he paid them no mind.  Chickens
and a pileated woodpecker on the deck at the same time.  It was quite
a sight.

All for tonight

Kate  Thorn

Dust Bathing and Siesta Time

"Ain't Misbehaving"

The chickens were as good and even endearing as they were
maddening and frustrating the day before.  Maybe they picked
up on our feelings and decided to mend their ways for a day or
two at least.  .  They stayed very close to the house while we were
gone to look at the mobility cart--which I didn't purchase.  It needed
new batteries and not much power going uphill.  Since we have a lot of
hills here, it would be useless.

I saw the slender black hummer today.  Wish  I could get a really
close look at it and ID it--still think it is a Lucifer at this point.

All for tonight

Kate Thorn

Chicken Chasing

Today began much as yesterday, but the chickens pushed Mr. Natural
a bit too far this time.  He spent most of day chasing them, keeping them
in the yard and out of the neighbor's yard, and they found their way to
the fig trees that have been petted as much as they.  Then he couldn't
get them back to front yard.  And the water hose was brought out.  That
did the trick, and they behaved for hours. 

But only for hours.  Then their older teenage behavior began.  He was so
frustrated by around 5 pm that he actually said they had to be moved to a real
coop--he had to get some relief.  I crossed my finger and prayed.  I really
like the chickens--a lot more than I thought I would--but not free-ranging.
He left for an hour and I fretted about them the entire time--I can't walk
fast enough to get them if they decide to roam out of the yard and into the
road.

I felt great the first 5 hours this morning (I'm on a new medication), so
it is working--but it didn't last very long.  All for tonight.

Kate Thorn 

Baby Birds

Today I saw a baby downy woodpecker.  Beautiful!  And about
the length of my middle finger. (And I have small hands.)  I love
having birds hanging out here.  And Daddy Pileated woodpecker
made an appearance today.  Such a truly gorgeous bird.

Wonder if the birds told the chickens what suckers we are!

Ok--truly all for tonight.

Kate Thorn

Late teens and Timeouts

Anyone that's raised kids knows the scenario--slightly rebellious
in early teens, but late teens, true pulling hair out time.  That time
has come for the chickens.  The leader, of course, is Blondie.
I cannot  tell you how many times Mr. Natural chased down
the chickens--but that was all he really accomplished.  Each time
he started one of many projects, the chicken had all gone missing.

This fiasco culminated in Mr. Natural putting Blondie in a timeout
in the small coop in the front yard for one hour.  A chicken in a
timeout.  I am serious--do you think she got the message?  I doubt
it.  She is a chicken, and being such, is governed by rules of nature
that have nothing to do with human standards of behavior.

Last night he forgot them.  I just happened to realize it was 2100,
and I hadn't hear him bring in the chickens.  He was asleep--that's
what happens when you get up with the chickens and spend the
day chasing said chickens.  Lots of exercise makes you go to bed
the same as the chickens. It was so funny.

The sisters were waiting politely, one on the porch, and the others
lined up in single file outside the gate.  And they filed in, one at a time,
to be brought into their "coop", the bathroom.  They don't like
to be outside after dark.

Had Doc's appt today, so that is it for tonight.

Kate Thorn

Mr. Natural and the Natural Chickens--And Daisy Cat

My partner decided to mow the yard today; he is Mr. Natural.  He
had to start and stop several times due to the chickens.  Inside, watching
the chickens run towards him, I was helpless with  laughter.  Chickens,
observed closely, are funny creatures with uniquely different personalities.

There is Blondie, who misses no detail and the first to lead the others
into trouble.  Then there is Red.  Red, is much larger, but she has got
to be the dumbest chicken ever.  The others will be running after Mr.
Natural while Red is looking around and when she finally figures it out,
here she goes, half running and half flying  as she tries to catch up.

I am glad I have had the opportunity to get "to know" natural chickens,
but I worry about them not adjusting to being in a henhouse.  They are
accustomed to our voices, TV, music--they come up to the gate wanting
to come in for the night.  And their time inside is coming to an end. Home
to them, is the guest bathroom.  Just not right at all. 

Mr. Natural is like that.  He tried to teach Daisy Cat to hunt.  But she would
space out and walk off from the intended prey.  He got frustrated and gave
Daisy to me.  She was made to be an indoor cat.  The reason she was spacy
was epilepsy--just no seizures while a kitten, but no concentration either.
But she is incredibly smart and rule oriented.   She has NEVER scratched
on any furniture.  I have this "scratch mat" made from rope that I bought
at a flea market.  When we moved in this house,  I put it in the sunroom
and made a big production of scratching on it several times a day.  Within
2 days, she was using that to keep her claws sharpened.  And both of us
praised her. After the first scratch, she knew that was her spot to scratch.

I used to trim her claws; she wasn't fond of that.  She started biting them
off when they got too long.  I have never seen a cat do that. She is a great
cat--follows me to whatever room I'm in.  I couldn't ask for a more loyal
cat.

All for tonight--

Kate

Sneaking Out

My partner needed to go to town today--grocery store thing--and
he literally had to sneak out the back door and down the steps so
his children, oops, chickens, wouldn't see him,

He went to mailbox the other day and all the chickens were flocking
after him,  It was so funny.  He turned around to come back and
the were 8 chickens staring up at him.

It came a thunderstorm last night--and they were peeping in a very
distressed manner.  Blondie was the first to fly over the gate
on porch .  By the time he came to rescue them, there were two
waiting to come inside.  They couldn't wait to get inside.  I can
picture it now--him hanging out in the chicken coop every night until
the chickens go to sleep.

He calls them his "hippie chicks" because of their odd "Tie-dyed"
coloring.  He told me they are fans of the Dead. 

What next?

All for tonight

Kate  Thorn

Chickens, Plants, and Birds

My partner named the chickens as a group when they were
quite young--the Poopy Toed Sorority Sisters.  I call them
the "Girls".  The are inventive and figured out today that even
though there is a gate  preventing them from getting on the proch,
they learned they could fly through the slats on the low side--this
is where all my freshly potted plants were sitting.  I was nothing
but a caricature of Peanuts's Pigpen after one hour of planting.

So I went straight for a shower--no choice really.  That dirty.
And I was showering my head, my hair is fairly short now,
but still thick as a hot blanket in the summer, and down dropped
this really ugly beetle, followed by a loud scream from bug-phobic
me.

That same evening my partner had quite a time getting the chickens
back inside.  They were the teenagers again with Blondie leading
the resistance.  He captured 5 and I babysat them in the bathroom
(Will it ever be a bathroom again?  He is very attached to these
chickens and they follow him around like little puppie dogs.).  Then
he got the privilege of convincing Blondie to come to him--Once she
did, the others followed.  But it was raining.  10 minutes standing in
the rain can be a very long time.

Today--no planting for me--just watering.  And helping him keep an eye
on the chickens.  You see, he wants the chickens to experience life as
natural chickens.  So they are running loose in the front yard.  A
natural chicken--with 2 humans checking on them frequently so there
are no predators to worry about--Now what is natural about that??
If you're not laughing, I am!  And he is a very macho kind of guy--never
dream he'd get this nutty over chickens.

Remember the pileated woodpecker whose prospective mate turned him
down because she disapproved of his house?  Well, he has 2 "kids" now!
They come to the feeder and suet now.  They aren't shy like Dad, so maybe
I'll get a pic of the juveniles.  Still young, they are approximately 12 inches
long, as opposed to Dad's 19 inches long.  Still big birds though.  The one
I saw was a male.  I don't know about the other one. I have only caught
glimpses of it.

I thought this was our house--but the young pileated has claimed it as his
territory.  My partner found this fact out:  when the pileated woodpeckers
make a drumming noise when the peck, they are announcing to all that this
is their territory.  Wonder if he wants to live inside like the chickens?


After planting the nearly 3 foot  Golden Raintree--still in a container--but
a gallon size one this time--I brought it back inside in fear the chickens would
get on the porch and start eating its leaves.  I have cared for it since it was
leafless twiglet.  So it is indoors until the "Natural Chicken " phase has passed.

One last thing--a hummingbird ran a hornet off from the porch today.  Too
near his feeder.  That was something to see.

All for tonight!

Kate Thorn

Family members and Front Porch as a Roost

 

Here they are--no fence or anything.  Blondie actually came up to the front
door and looked inside.  They definitely know where home is--but they think
it's inside the house--not the coop!  You think maybe we've mothered  them
a little too much?

It rained really hard last evening.  My partner had the job of bringing them
inside.  They were peeping for help.  Thunder was rolling and the chickens
were under the shelter.  When he tried to get them out, they went nuts.  In
short, both he and chickens were soaked.  I got a huge towel and proceeded
to dry each one off carefully.  Their voices are changing--so they start out
with a sort of hen clucking noise, but it ends up as a peep.  Yes, they are rather
large to be peeping, but any critter let in this house is going to be spoiled rotten! 
And these first chickens are more like family pets in the way they are treated.

Same with plants.  I ordered from a nursery I knew nothing about.  I received
barely alive plants.  Maybe 2 inches tall when we got them.  They are looking
healthier, putting on new growth now.  Of course they have a constant
temperature and live in the sunroom--plenty of sunlight and watering.  All they
have to do is grow.

One of the twiglets (tree), the Golden Raintree, is nearly 3 feet high and ready to
go outside.  But only to the porch until all the poisoning for the fungus, bugs, and
bacteria we have.  This land was just used as a summer place--and I'm a great
believer in organic--but this is out of control.  The plants we are growing are doing
great--but they are all in containers. We have 4 apple trees, 5 blueberry bushes
(plus one I ordered) .  Three paw-paw trees that are sticks with roots right now.
And there are 4 redbud trees (translation--sticks to nurse into growth!) coming.
All the butterfly bushes and trumpet flowers are showing growth--so they'll be
able to be transplanted soon.  I am creating a small hummer garden around the tree
they like so much that is mostly dead.  If it is pink, red, or bright orange, I am
planting it for the hummingbirds and butterflies.  I don't hang out in the living room much.
But I will do the front yard.  First the retaining wall.  We have called so many people
and they all booked up.  So ... what can you do?  Be patient.  Oh well!

All for now--

Kate Thorn