What's up? Dang chicken Butts...

Husband loaned me his battery operated drill, and a less than pristine spade drill that I could use.  I had LOTS of daffodill bulbs, and he thought that it would make my planting a bit easier.

And it did!  I would bore a hole in the hill, drop in a bulb, and cover it with the dirt I had removed, hey, Bob's your Uncle, and on to the next.  I had most of the hill finished in a day.  (I don't know how many in total, but my friend gifted me with probably a hundred or more bulbs...)  I was so pleased.  Deer don't like daffodils, rodents don't eat them, as a rule, this should be slick, with no problems.

And, of course, I was completely wrong...

I went out a day or two later, I had added flower seed, and it had rained.  I wanted to see how the bulbs were doing...  Hmm.  Chickens on the hill... Hmm.  I walk closer.

They were busily digging out my bulbs, when they weren't gobbling down all the seed they could find...

I told Husband that I needed to put up a fence.  I bought deer netting, Husband bought me some TALL t-posts, and we decided, on a recent nice day, to put in the 'new' fence.  Just a quick one to two hour project, not a biggie...

I really, REALLY need to stop saying things like that. 

Husband had to put the t-posts up, because they go in with a device you hang on to, and pound them into the soil.  Well, with it in the air, I was too dang short to reach the pounder!  So, we laid out the deer fencing, put it up, and then Husband looked at the finished project.  

Or, I *thought* it was finished.  I was happy, it would allow people from the road to see the flowers, it wasn't a heavy fence, and it was-

"Invisible, the deer will tear it up in the dark.  We need to put fence panels behind it."  I wasn't wild about this idea, but walking back from it, he was annoyingly right, again...  And so we moved a few panels from the fence above, that we were going to take down anyway.  He pops them in, and realizes, there isn't enough.  

So he goes to the fencing he has stashed by the barn.  The fencing that already has blackberry brambles running through them.  He gets out the pruners, and snips away.  He goes to put away the pruners, and I hear a big clatter inside the Milk House.  Odd.  

He comes out, and tells me he will have to fix the pruners, the handles were so dry, they just came off the metal!  (At least it waited until he'd finished!) So, he took out the panels we were going to use, and he picks one up and trots off.

I pick one up, and try to trot off.  I think, wobble and wander like a drunk sailor might have been closer to my motion.  BUT, get it to the fence I did, and so he puts it up, and we then decide on the 'gate'.  He put it in such a way, I can come in on the side.

So, my "One or two hour, you can have your panels back, so I can keep the chickens out", wasn't.  Well, except for keeping the chickens out.  

One out of 3 ain't bad, I guess... SIIIIGGGGGH...

Getting back to posting...

I took a bit of time off.  I had family that was coming out to our house (to see the cat).  That stupid cat has a better social life than most PEOPLE that I know!  So I spent some time making sure the house was presentable, we had enough seats.  (This is something I have to do.  A flat surface, such as the area beside me on the couch, becomes a makeshift knitting table with amazing swiftness.)  Then making sure that it was as baby safe as I could make it. (Family brought... I think she is two years old, and she is a wonderful little umpty umpth cousin to me...) 

And I have changed my blog icon to reflect the cougar that seems to want all the attention.  I am going to try and get photos on the sides of my animals, so no one forgets old Tux, but I figure, with that cat, I can decorate for the holidays and such.  (Now how am I going to get rabbit ears on that thing?)

So, that was taken care of, and now that I am finally, but finally over that cold, (I had a nagging cough for over two weeks!), I went back to my spinning class.  Then some catch up on all the 'stuff' that I needed.  Let's just say, I am glad llamas and chickens eat more or less the same food, as I was feeding everyone the same thing for a day or two until I could get to the feed store.  I suppose I could have asked Husband, but he is busy with work, so I figured,well, cracked corn seems to fill up everyone.  And with the llamas being somewhat sloppy eaters, it gives the chickens "leftovers"...  (Re reading this, I might mention that Husband and Rudee did NOT have to eat cracked corn.  Though Rudee would, if I would let him...)

Fixed the fence.  You will notice there is no picture.  I did a hideous job that I am not proud of, but it does keep Rudee from going into the neighbor's field.  It did not, however, keep that little PITA dog of the neighbors for managing to nose UNDER the thing again, so I am going to get land mines heavy fencing, and some hog rings, and see if I can defeat the little monster that way. 

This is becoming personal...

I came home to the smell of fir trees.  I wondered what that was all about, when Husband told me we had a load of chips delivered from the power company.  In this area, if you let the company know that you would be willing to take them, they will give you the chips from clearing the right of way. (Otherwise they have to take it to the dump and pay for it.)  This is mostly pine, fir, and occasional other stuff.  But mostly fir, it smells like, this round.  We want to put a bunch of it on some of the sinking areas where the llamas walk from the back field to the front.  Also, my chicken yard could use a good going over, since the rainy season has floated away a lot of our work, leaving a mud ball out in front...

I am knitting a baby blanket.  I said it was a baby boy's blanket, as I am making it in blue with a "diamond plate" pattern.  Well, Husband disagrees, saying that the diamonds are all connected, and big. Diamond plate is tiny, and not connected.  Hmph.  Well, just so happens, I have a pattern for small, non-connected solid diamonds.  The gauntlet has been dropped, and so I know what I will be working on NEXT blanket! 

Speaking of Husband. You remember, the guy who doesn't like cats?  He was so disappointed, he'd tried to get me a Maine Coon, ahem, for ME, that someone was getting rid of on Craig's List. 

He hates cats.  My Aunt Fanny, he hates cats...

And I said that I would get some pictures of the tree that fell?  Here is the root ball. I can't reach the top well, so it's a bit tall taller than 8 feet (about 2.5 meters).

And the tree itself? I am guessing 30 to 40 feet or more (9 to 12 meters), probably more.  It knocked down a smaller tree nearby.  But, again, no one hurt, no fences down.  No llamas squished.  And we will have more firewood.  I guess it's all good.  So far. 

But I am not hauling firewood yet, mid August, either...