Project Updates May 3 2009

Fencing - Finally! The yard is now completely fenced as of Friday at 5:30 p.m. - oh there's still work to be done but the majority of the project is completed.

Shortly after the last nail was in place, Moggy, the rat catcher, raced around the exterior of the fence inciting all four dogs to race around the interior barking their fool heads off.....as I watered the veggie garden out back, Moggy paused to give me a cheeky meow as if to say "see this, mom? I've got them right where I want them". As he continued on his merry way, I imagined him saying "Nanni Nanni boo boo - you're STILL fenced in dummies" to those dashing dogs.

Friday evening was spent sitting on the front porch watching the dogs have a ball with their new found freedom to be out there with us even as the tractors come in from their days work in the fields. As is his way, King raced up and down the front barking at those tractors with Callie nipping at his heels......its clear to see that there will be a path worn along that front fence line within a week or two.

Because of the massive root system of the pecan and cypress trees, David will now have to go around the fence leveling the top of each post - there was no way to uniformly "plant" them....as he does this, I'll be transplanting lilies, bulbs, jasmine and honeysuckle along the interior....most of the original plantings (azaleas, hibiscus, sago's) are all now outside the fence line leaving the interior rather sparse looking.

I've been waiting for this for five years....there are hundreds of ancient bulbs in a garden that runs alongside my office.....each year, we dig up between fifty and 100 of them for transplanting and give away....now I can really see where to plant them for the best growth and showing. We have no idea of why so many bulbs were planted in one little spot in the yard - perhaps it was where our P.O.'s just threw them when finding them in old, overgrown gardens during the 11 years they lived here. We don't even know what all of them are - so far, we've identified amaryllis, hurricane and day lilies, but several of them have never bloomed...it is hoped that transplanting and separating them will help us learn their names.

Chickens - last night marked the second night they stayed out....they were not very happy about it either. I felt a strange sadness as I walked inside and locked up for the night leaving my chicks out in the cold dark night. The dogs were not too sure about it either, refusing to settle in for a while. My chicks were inside for much too long- creating a mutual dependence that must be lessened.

Naming the Chickens - One of the hens received her name finally - Aggie short for Aggressive When Ticked Off - when I visited with them yesterday morning, she pecked at my feet and my hands apparently in retaliation for my leaving them out all night..... none of them had deliberately pecked me in the past.

So that's three of them with names now....Captain Feather Eater (who has apparently gotten over this habit for the time being), Aggie, and Hessie short for Hesitant Hen.....

Captain Feather Eater Strutting His Stuff~

Hessie, this littlest of the hens has, from day one, kept her distance from the others and was always the last to enter or exit the crate. She is also the only one who seems to crave my attention. Her white tipped wings make it easy to tell her apart from the other girls; she always gets as close to my lap as she can when I sit with them in the afternoons.....

Hessie is the second from right - the one with the stretched neck? That's our Aggie!

that leaves the other hen and the second rooster to show me who they are.....we're making progress.

We'll re-evaluate the coop and play yard as they grow and mature. We hope that the roosters will not fight to the point where one will have to go.....if this does happen, the most aggressive one will be the banished one....or perhaps we'll add on and get one of them his own set of hens.....who knows...we're just starting out on this adventure and are learning as we go~