My Outdoor Wildlife!

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Just a couple quick shots of things around my yard this morning.

Pepsi surveying her new homestead.

My girls love their treats!  This morning it was lettuce and spinach, tomatoes, cheese and some cooked spaghetti noodles (which they chased each other for!!!)

Also got some chicken scratch.

That's it from my little Square Acre Homestead today  : ))

Shirley

Time for my Fall Mantle Decor

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I changed my mantle from summer to fall.

 This is the shelf across the room.

My sister made me this beautiful fall card.

I'm adding it to my mantle

Happy Fall Season Everyone.

Shirley

New Mail Box and The Plumber

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It wasn't easy and took me all afternoon! (Would've probably taken half an hour with two people.)

I got the easiest and cheapest least expensive mailbox, since mine seems to be a target!!!

My demolished mailbox!

Tracks of the guilty car!

The easy post I could install myself.  After all, no mailbox . . . no mail!!!

Had to get it up quick!

My little girlie tools. 

But here's the end result.  It's at least functional.  Kind of hard to see so I'm going to put lots of reflective tape on it!!!

It's also pretty straight!  (I'm most proud of that!)

Now, the clogged sinks and the plumber situation!

He snaked and snaked.  50 foot of snake and still didn't really fix it good.  It's at least draining slightly better.  The problem is, no one knows where the drain pipes from this kitchen go!  My kitchen guy hooked into existing older pipes but heaven knows where they go.  My plumber is bringing his boss over next week to see if they can figure it out.  There's only about a foot high crawl space under the kitchen and dining room area and you can't see under there.

It's always something!

The plumber was here over 3 hours and didn't charge me a dime because he didn't fix the problem!

Nice  : ))

Of course who knows what it will cost in the end if they have to go digging!

Shirley

Short video of the horses

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Calling in the Herd

You can view this a little bigger by clicking on YouTube.

Shirley

Demolished Mailbox, a Police Report and a Clue

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Yes, I had to call the police again!

No I wasn't locked out of my chicken coop.

I had just gone shopping and was unloading things in my kitchen by the window when I heard a "whomp".

I glanced out my window and saw a car speed past before the a second loud "thud".

I went out, as there was an accident a few years back when a car ran off the road hit one of my big rocks and a tree.  I thought this was maybe the same thing and thought someone may be hurt. 

However as I left my front door I saw what had happened.

My mailbox was completely demolished, post and all and a rubbermaid container that I keep next to the box for packages was in dozens of pieces and everything was strewn down the road.

(Did I think to take pictures for my blog . . . NO!!)

You could see the tracks of the car but it was gone.

I called the township police.

A really nice young officer came out to take a report and followed the tracks of the car and saw where it side-swiped a tree, leaving a CLUE!!

The red tail light cover from the car.

I told him what color the car was but that's really all I saw, it was so quick.  I'm not a very good witness!  I should have done better, being the wife of a policeman!!

After the young officer helped me pick up all the pieces, he situated the half of my mailbox with my house numbers out front as that's the only place my address was!

THEN HE WAS OFF TO TRY AND FIND THE CAR WITH THE LEFT SIDE DAMAGE!!

Unfortunatly, now I have to call my handyman, Kerry to help me install a new mailbox!

It's always something!  (It wasn't even the snowplow that got it this time!!

Don't I live an exciting life! 

Shirley 

Japanese Anemone

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One of the few pink flowers to bloom in the fall, the Japanese Anemone.

I planted three plants when I put in this garden, never thinking they would spread so much.  I have to keep the trailers cut back or it would take over!  

I especially like it though because the flowers are delicate on thin stems and they blow nicely in the breeze.  Pretty foliage too.

I posted this especially for Pink Saturday because I have been slacking lately in the pink department!!

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Shirley

Waiting for an Egg!

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My girls are 17 weeks old today!  They can start laying at 16-18 weeks although some take longer.

So I'm waiting for the big morning surprise.

I remembered that I had some antique, hand blown nesting eggs somewhere and I finally found them.   I have 4 but 2 will due since I just have two nesting boxes.

The nesting eggs are to let the hens know where to lay their eggs and to encourage them to do so!

They look big in my hand but actually are the size of a regular egg.

I put one in each nesting box and the hens immediately had to investigate.

Martha was especially curious!

Pepsi watched all the goings on from on top of my car hood.

I will be checking the boxes each morning from now on!

Isn't this exciting stuff!!!!

Shirley

William and Blue's Arrival

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William, Preacher and I at a recent clinic. 

This is William.

He is 90 years old but you'd never know it.

Up until the last two years we were riding buddies along with my daughter and another friend, Pam.

In the last two years he's lost two of his three horses.  One to age and the other was retired because of suspensory issues and then hurt her leg and had to be put down.

He has a younger horse left, a Missouri Fox Trotter mare named Blue.

Her name was Cherokee when he bought her but he thought it was hard to call her by that name, having too many syllables, so he simply named her Blue because of her one blue eye.  She's a brown and white pinto.

William hasn't riden her in a year because his last barn owner thought he was too old.

We have finally gotten him and Blue into our barn.

He and Blue arrived today.

The trainer here will get William back in the saddle.  That is what he wants.

Here's Blue

More stories about these two to come.

Shirley

Winter Idea for Outside Cats

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Really good idea for feral cats or barn cats in a barn that is really cold.

I got this idea from:

http://www.facebook.com/Wishuponapaw

By the way, I let the 2nd kitty out of the cage yesterday and she is sticking around.  She's staying right by Pepsi and coming when I call for dinner.

Here the two of them are.  Stuck right together!

The gray one is the mother of Pepsi.

Both spayed now of course.

Shirley

Introductions

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The last couple days when I've been home, I've put the new cat's cage outside of the garage so she could get used to her surroundings.  Michele named her "Angel".  She's been over by the chickens and that of course keeps her interested!  Today I let my two dogs outside with her.  Rocky sniffed her and she hissed and growled at him and he was out of there!  (He's such a "chicken" for a hunting dog!!)  Monk on the other hand pays no attention to her warnings and gets even more interested.  I think he will need a good clip on the nose from her.  Of course he'll never get that close once she's loose because even his lumbering "run" is SLOW!  And he's easily confused when they escape up a tree!

She's getting very restless in the cage (tomorrow will be day #5), so I plan on letting her loose in a couple more days then we just have to hope she sticks around.  Pepsi did and they know where the food is.

Who's watching who!

Shirley

That Horrible Day 11 Years Ago

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11 years ago, I had just gotten up.  My husband was at work.  My sister called and said, "Turn on your TV".  I couldn't believe it.  The first tower had just been hit.  Then the second tower was hit.  My sister was panicky because her son worked in the financial district, right there in NYC.  She kept trying to call him but got no answer.  I watched, glued to the screen with a horrible feeling in my soul as people jumped from the towers and then the towers fell one, then the other.  My sister's son saw the first tower fall and was in that hoard of people that fled the area.  He still won't talk about it at all.  He finally got a cell phone signal and called to say he was alright.  It was one of the most horrible days I can remember.

I watched the firemen as they were running to the devastation and the policemen with the looks of disbelief.  It seemed like the end of the world.

 We prayed for all the souls that went to heaven that day.  

Shirley

Tiny Video of Riding this week

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Michele and rode together on Sunday.  These were taking with my phone and we were on horseback so they are short.

It was warm but humid so we didn't have much energy.  No one except Preacher who Michele had to keep slowing down!

(If you want to see these a little bigger, click on YouTube on bottom of video.)

Boy!!  That WAS short!!
I'll do better next time!

Shirley

Turkey Soup

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I made a pot yesterday.  

I had it for dinner and have enough to freeze for 4 more meals.

There's some days you just NEED a good bowl of homemade chicken or turkey soup.

I made this by simmering two turkey drumsticks all afternoon in a pot with celery, onions and carrots.  I added the noodles at the end.

Yummmm.

Shirley

Living On What We Have

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My sister and I were talking after I had been to the grocery store and telling her about my food storage problems.

She said.  "You know, we both have way too much food!"

Now that is certainly true.  I have gotten a lot more since I started with the couponing too!

So, we decided that we would try to live on just what we have in the house, only shopping for absolute necessities and perishables.  We have to use what we have in storage and try to use up some of this unnecessary stuff we've accumulated!

I told her I could probably live for at least 6 months on what I have in dry goods, canned goods and freezer things.

I wish now that I had had a garden this year!

We're going to start this Tues. after Labor Day.

I'll let you know how it's going!!

Anyone want to join in, please do!

Let me know!!!

Shirley

I Want a Pantry But . . . .

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But, I have no extra room for a pantry.  I have shelves down in my basement that I keep canned goods and such on but I hate running down there for things and often times I just forget about what I have down there.

I do have a cellar way area though, so this is what I did with it today while I was making a pot of soup.

It went from this:

To this:

And I plan on adding a few more of these shelves to the right as you go down the cellar stairs.

I feel like I accomplished something today since it was too hot and humid to go to the barn and ride my horses!

Shirley