Close call!

I like for my chickens to be free range, we let them wander all over in the field.  Realistically, I have to be prepared that it means that I might lose some...

Almost happened...

Husband and I were talking, and whoosh, a hawk flew by the window.  I didn't see what commenced next, but the hens were screeching and running for the hen house, and then I saw the hawk fly up to the top of one of our neighbor's trees, and watch.  Uh, oh...

Neither Husband or I could tell if the hawk had grabbed anything.  I was busy making dinner, so he went out and checked.  He looked a bit pale when he came back.

"I can't find the babies."

Oh, crap.  I told him that I would go out and check after dinner. 

It was a rather quiet meal... 

After getting things put away, I put on my coat, and went out, fully expecting to find no chicks, or a small explosion of feathers.  (Hawks 'tackle' prey, and then proceed to tear out feathers. Both lead to a big mess of feathers on the ground...)

I walked out, and saw the hawk had left. Well, plus one, anyway.  Then the group started coming out when I called for them...

Then I heard it, peeppepepepepepeeeeppeeeep!  I looked, Mama had to vacuum packed chicks near under her as she walked. (How she didn't trip, I am not sure...)  But both Salt and Pepper seemed none the worse for wear, shaken badly, but they will live another day.

Whew!

V is for Da da da da da da, VAC MAN!

I was pretty young when this happened, grade school, I think.

We had gone to bed, and it was pretty late, I know I'd been asleep for a while.  Something woke me.  Next thing I know, Mom was sounding upset, and I heard noises in the front room.

I got up, and started to go into the hallway to the front room.

Mom bellowed, "Get back in your room, and close the door!"

I did, but not before I got a glimpse of Dad's backside, naked, running around with the vacuum cleaner, randomly swatting the air.  No clue what was going on, and I was trying hard not to giggle.

As it turned out, we had a bat in the house, and Dad was using the vacuum to chase it down.  I heard thumps, some swearing, clanks, then a "swwwONK" noise from the vacuum.  Then, finally, quiet.

Dad said, "It's still alive, I'll go take it outside."

Mom's reply, "PUT SOME UNDERWEAR ON FIRST!"

Yeah, I lost the giggle battle at that point...

Our family seems to have a problem with males and bats.  My Grandpa was painting his house, and was leaning out to paint the trim, when something came out at him.  His first reaction was to swat at it.  Well, he looked up, and saw a Hunter Green bat flying away...

That animal, I must say, isn't one I have dealt with overmuch.  But I must say, it has made for some funny stories in our family...

How to drive Ding crazy(er)...

Had to go to town, my shoulder was giving me fits, and so I received a Cortisone shot, and much info from the doc on how to avoid ANOTHER shot.  So far, so good.

Came home, and Ding was just wild.  Well, thought I, the Martins are getting ready to make nests in the birdhouses near our window, she must just be excited about that...

Didn't pay all that much attention to her zipping back and forth, that's what she does... Until I realized she was not watching the window, but the woodstove...

And I heard, tap tap. Tap tap tap. 

Ah, crap...

So, I quickly put Ding in the big carrier, much to her extreme disgust, grabbed one of my coats to use as a deterrent, Husband closed all the windows, the TV was turned off, and we opened the front door.

ZOOM!!!!!!!

The bird launched out, and I think was doing just short of Mach 1 by the time it got outside!

I then let Ding back out.

It is now 8 p.m. (ish) here, and she is STILL trying to figure out where her new "toy" went...

(On the bright side, there is no 'evidence' it left on the flight out the door.  We have not been so lucky when this happened before....)

Ok, that is ENOUGH...

This has been an unmitigated screwy couple of days.  I have been walking, um... bra-less of late.  I haven't figured out why, but the strap leaves me raw as hamburger.  Now bra-less isn't normally a problem.  The nearest neighbors are about an acre or so away, Rudee obviously doesn't care, and if any folks show up, they are in Husband's shop, and I discreetly go the back way into the house, and all is well. 

Ahem. 

I was walking down the hill, heard a car, okay, no big, I knew Husband had a delivery from work.  I went out to feed the chickens, and realized I had no clue about the car in the drive.  Hmm.  Then the guy got out, and I thought, geez, that isn't the normal guy...

That looks like my Father in law. 

But he's in Missouri, or Florida.  Where ever they are spending the winter.  Must be a different guy delivering the stuff...

Hmm.

I feed the llamas, and look up to see the guy walking TO THE HOUSE. 

Okay, this is screwy.  I also realize that I don't hear machinery from the shop. 

Uh.  Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. 

I feed the chickens.  Water the chickens.  The guy doesn't come back out.  I manage to avoid having my favorite hen, Buttercup, make a landing on my back (again), and get out the cell. 

"Hi, Husband, are you in the house?"

"Yep."

"Who is there?"

"My Dad and his wife."

OOOOOH, S#*T!!!

I remind him of my less than chaste dressing style, adding to that, the fact I had been exercising heavily (for me) and was sweaty.  And stinky.  He suggested going in the side, and he would distract them while I changed. 

I managed to get semi-presentable, although I think my hair probably looked like it had been done up by Hurricane Katrina.  At that point, I was there, and dressed 'properly', and managed to drown most of my stinky with enough deodorant that I should probably had stripes of it showing through my clothes.  But I managed to not offend, mostly. 

At least not stink wise. 

Turns out, they had just come from Eastern Oregon, and are working on getting some property there.  It looks like a nice bit of property, from the pictures.

But man, it was a complete surprise to have them show up!

So, I have to sit quietly and not knit, or bake, or do email, or the half dozen other things I needed/wanted to do that morning, and mind you, I hadn't had breakfast either.  By the time they left at noon, (I'd been up since 6), Husband saw me bee lining to the fridge, and piped up, why don't you save a few steps, we will just pull down some wallpaper for you. 

Ha, ha... nom, nom, nom, nom...

Anyway, I started to sit down and do some emails (things I really needed to do, for CERT), and Rudee starts barking.  And the phone rings. 

Get that taken care of, and I go back to the computer.  Then remember I didn't put any clothes in the wash, and I am out of pants. 

NOW back to the computer.  Then my Dad and Cousin R show up.  (I think he's actually my second cousin, but I have just called him cousin, ever since I was old enough to know what a cousin was...)  I have a nice conversation with the two of them, and showed Cousin R how to use my spinning wheel.  He is a man who does all sorts of work with his hands, and so he asked to try.  He spun lovely yarn RIGHT OFF.  I was amazed.  He was pleased.

So, they leave, and I try to get the emails finished.  OH, CRAP!  The laundry is still in the washer!  OK, I will get back to my emails.  Husband then points out it's bedtime.

Oh. 

So, the next day (today), I walked, carrying a bra in my pocket, (just in case).  I managed to get the emails finished this afternoon.  I have most of the other laundry finished.  So, brain flash, I need to make an appointment for "the girls".  I called my bright shiny new doc, as I was told that he had to send an order to the OBGYN. 

OK. 

So I had called, and they told me, no, you just need to talk to your OBGYN and get an appointment. This was about 2 days ago. 

I forgot to write it down, and just remembered to call today. 

And the OBGYN appointment lady asked if I had an order. 

Nooo, I was calling to make an appointment. 

But you need an order.  We can't do anything without an order.  When was your last exam?

Guh?  Uh, I don't remember, it's been a long time, more than a year... (I, for various reasons couldn't make an appointment last year.)

I hear typing, and she pipes up, well, we don't have an order for you, so you need to call your primary physician. 

I get a bit growly at this point, but trying to remain polite, I tell her that I had called him, and they told me to call THEM.  She said, well, you need to find the order we sent you, or talk to him. 

I told her ok, and bye, hung up.

And proceeded to scream at the phone for a few minutes to blow off steam. (Rudee peeked out from the dog house, decided it wasn't a good time to be out, and slunk back in.  Poor guy, wasn't his fault...)

So, the plan for Monday, is to go FACE TO FACE with the bright shiny new doctor's appointment gal, and explain that I really need to get IN to have this, and could she please get me this order.

I had an easier time with this when I didn't HAVE a doctor... 

Then to top it off, my computer has been acting up with screeching noises coming from the speaker, and the DVD thing wouldn't record. 

I am now convinced I am really in trouble with Someone...

So let this be a lesson to you all, have good clothes available at all times, and save anything and everything that the doctor's office sends you.  (I have this image of going into the office with a scoop shovel bucket full of paper, saying "YOU find it...")

So, if you happen to see me curled up in the fetal position, sucking my thumb, now you know the back story.

Whimper....

The Case of the Spilled Spinach...

It was such a lovely time at OFFF. I had worn some white pants, and had wandered around in the yarn areas, fiber areas (!), and even in the barns. (!!!) I decided I was hungry. It was breezy, so I opened the window behind the stove, and the door, opposite the stove. I thought, I still have some spinach left over from last night, I will heat it up and finish it! Yum!!

So, I did. Well. It was breezy that day. I had eaten most of my meal, when a gust came up. Now you have to understand, that in my trailer, the stove has a cover, that stands up when the stove is in use. The breeze went through from the window to the door... Pushing the cover down. On the spinach pot. That wasn't quite empty... ON THE FLOOR. AND MY PANTS.

After some panicked wiping, digging spinach out with sponge, towel, and even a butter knife (spinach is sort of like gold leaf, but not in a good way, it sticks and stays...) and just sort of, Oh, G*D! This is... Not going to ruin my stay!

And it didn't. Husband looked at it, and said, well, guess I know what the next pressure washer job is going to be.

So, after a heavy amount of Husband's elbow grease and pressure washing, the carpet is clean.

After my taking out almost all the stuff from around and washing it down, cleaning all the burners, wiping down the fridge (directly UNDER the stove), and mopping the bare floor, twice, it now is clean, and doesn't smell like... Rotten spinach.

And Husband hates the smell of spinach to begin with. That's why I had it at OFFF, so he wouldn't have to deal with the smell. But I guess the wind had other plans.

But the pants are OK... Mom said that perhaps I shouldn't push my luck wearing them to that event again... Perhaps she's right! I might want spinach again!!