Summer

Despite the purchase of a bug baffler shirt (which I am VERY pleased with) and numerous days and evenings of watching with rifle in hand, the foxes (yes, I discovered there are two of them again) have whittled me down to just six hens.  There was a thicket of trees and shrubs on the east side of the house that was one of their hiding places, so I spent one day limbing up and thinning out that thicket. 

Limbed and thinned thicket

I haven't seen a fox since, but I know they are still out there.  I heard Dad shooting one day (he watches Mary's chickens) and you can hear the sand hill cranes and crows squawk when they are being bothered.  My neighbor has bear hounds and they usually sound off when a critter is around; that gives me a heads up to be more watchful, too.  Yesterday Tom helped me put up a second fence that is 7' tall around the existing fence that surrounds the chicken coop.  I have come to the conclusion that I cannot let the chickens run and expect to have any kind of flock or regular supply of eggs.  As much as I hate to keep the chickens fenced, it is something I have to do if I want to keep chickens.  I live just too deep in the woods.  When I get a chance I will enlarge the chicken area to include the wild roses that they love to hide under.

Wild Roses with "Chicken Cave" entrance

I love the scent of wild roses.  Tom thinks they smell like a funeral parlor.  Sometimes I wish he'd just lie when I ask him some questions.

Wild rose bloom

Can you see the mesh of the second fence? 

Second fence around chicken coop

I am determined to raise my own flock of chickens -- preferably Dominiques.  Tom doesn't like my chickens.  He was not happy when these arrived yesterday:

Dominique chicks

I ordered 15 pullets and 5 cockerels.  Cackle Hatchery sent me three extra chicks.  How nice! This Fall I'll pick the best to keep and butcher the rest.  I figure learning to raise and breed my own flock of chickens is like studying for my General class ham radio license -- I'll get the hang of it at some point and accomplish the deed.

Well, that's all I can think of to share with you right now.  Summer is a time for eating cherry pie so I think I'll have a piece.  Cousin It says my pies "have heart".  A great compliment like that makes a piece of pie go down all the sweeter! 

Cherry Pies

Be safe, Everybody!

P.S. to Mavis -- Spinning, weaving, and knitting belong to my "winter" tasks so right now I'm not weaving anything.  I am still practicing moving the shuttle back and forth to get decently even edges and playing with the pedals to study how different combinations create patterns.  This winter should be fun though!