Heaven And Hell Are Neighbors

It's hot but I'm not complaining.
Nothing is nicer than paradise and a bunch of beautiful chickens...
even the unwanted visitor is beautiful.
Everything is perfect!
No ruffled feathers
no hisssssy fits!

Why It's Worth It

If you think it's been easy to ignore this blog...you are wrong.
I have been so busy with the birds that it has taken me to new levels of responsibility...but, it has also taken me to new levels of reward and return regarding the investment. I have introduced new blood into the group and I have been very selective about it. The baby roosters I have now are showing new color schemes. They are all pure blood and their quality is expressing itself in magnificent ways.
Otherwise, the weather is hot and that means snakes.
Everything else is a blur...

Too Busy To Blog

The past few weeks have been too hectic to get to the camera or the computer. It amounts to a bunch of chicken grief and related mayhem...but, it wasn't for nothing. The thing is that you cannot take Nature's place ever in Life. However, it is a personal obligation to help Nature along as it does what it does. Here's some of what I've been helping Nature do...

3 little weeds

It's impossible to notice when it's happening...
but, the babies are growing like weeds.
Pretty soon, they will be parents
and thus, have little weeds of their own...
If all goes well, someday we'll have ivy!

The Rain, The Ravens, And Other Things

Hopefully, losing an hour will put me back on schedule. I have been falling behind ever since it rained last week. We needed rain badly. So, when it rained 5 inches in 24 hours...that's when the chaos began. Since then, I have been trying to repair 'flash erosion' damage with a shovel, rake and wheelbarrow. The process of filling in ruts is never fun because the dirt is always somewhere downhill.
The rest of my time has been spent trying to control the egg-thieves of the neighborhood. I haven't had any problems with these ravens in all the years I've had these chickens. But, recently, the ravens have become very treasonous. In the last week, they have robbed my nests of over 100 eggs. Many of these eggs were being incubated by hens. I have set up a camera/monitor system which allows for some observation. It's really just a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. I am still at war with them. A few days ago, I caught one of them. I kept it in the cat-carrier until dusk. I wanted to mark him with fluorescent paint...but, I didn't. I don't know if we had any kind of an understanding...but, I released it unharmed. I don't think the problem is fixed. The beautiful struggle continues...

Egg thief awaits sentencing...

The warmest spot in the house

When it's cold...it's warm!!!

It's going to rain

This morning is damp and grey and getting colder.
But, yesterday's sunrise was nice. They will be even nicer after some weather makes everything wet. Water is the essence of life and makes the cycle repeat itself.
So let sunrise splashes everywhere like a wave on the beach...
it's time to get wet!

Shots In The Dark

I was out of patience when I went out this morning.
So, the camera saved me...grabbing my finger at just the right moments and pushing it down on the shutter button...
for these...

Sequence Of Events

Any narration would only thin down the plot...
hence...