OK, start again, today was REALLY just one of those days. The chicks started to hatch, yesterday afternoon but I guess we got a slow starter and his first little peck really didn’t progress much despite all the willing on it got from an extremely enthusiastic Mica and Jasper. This morning we expected Bran the dog to be parked in front of an incubator rocking with the sound of cheeping chicks…nothing!!! The peck was not much bigger and the chick was peeping from inside an egg with a dried up membrane. A little assistance was offered and the chick emerged much to Micas delight. Now there are two chicks and several more eggs with suspect little chips in them. Update tomorrow morning on the increase in our poultry population…watch this space.Friday morning and I’m back on “house arrest”, no, the sheriff didn’t get me, it was the back police…and that’s even more scary, smile.
During the night another little yellow chick emerged from its shell, total count currently stands at three with several suspicious chips in the eggs being batted around the incubator by the very active band of three.
Derrick and Lesley arrived courtesy of Amtrak all the way from California to spend a month interning here at the ranch under the woofer programme (oops, I think that is English spelling and I don’t know the translation spelling!) We are really enjoying getting to know all our “guests” and are managing to complete projects we planned before my body decided to stage it’s revolt. I’m sure that our new guests are going to fit in well and their enthusiasm is contagious! I’m not going to be there this morning, I hope Greg is gentle on them…he doesn’t have his “Boss” T shirt on. (smile) Quatre left to go back to Seattle for a week, she was only here a short while but I know we are going to miss her and look forward to her return. For some reason yesterday I think I decided to talk to both Quatre and Jasper at the same time….I was calling them both Casper! I’m blaming it on the medication!!
A neighbour advised us yesterday morning that their pony, Wilbur had made a break for freedom and hadn’t left a forwarding address. After promising to keep an eye out for the escapee we set to work on the jungle that had sneakily grown up around the blueberries. Greg bribed the workforce that lunch would be served AFTER the row was denuded of the offending weeds. Stupidly I commented that the pony would arrive just as we were going to lunch….and Wilbur did, right on cue! In the truck at the corner of the road there was a sign “Found, chestnut pony”. Chances were that Wilbur was the only chestnut pony wandering the neighbourhood so we were bound to report our find. Update on Wilbur the terrible, happily chomping on grass, safe and well in our pasture until his mom gets his pasture fencing made Wilbur proof. Lunch was delayed, Greg was further convinced that I possibly originated in Salem with a black cat and a cauldron but we were so glad we could help.
I’m under orders not to misbehave and I did promise the back police that I would take it easy so I’m going to wish you all a great day, take care and keep safe. M