Frick and Frack are back and they are not happy

My neighbor brought Frick and Frack (my wayward geese) back this morning. He said his kids just herded them into his barn with no trouble at all, hummmph. I bet there would have been trouble if I had tried it. I noticed he was very careful how he positioned himself when he helped me get them into the new cage (Goose Jail #1). We mentioned to him about the geese making alot of noise and as he drove off he said "ya, but you'll get used to it" as he smiled. Hmmm, me thinks I got the geese back because he wasn't about to get used to their noise.

When ever I go near them they hissss, and honk, ruffle their feathers and act tough. I guess I am going to have to bribe them into at least liking me a little.

They better get used to their new home, they are going to be there a while.

Photos to be posted later.. sigh

The Great Goose Caper

I went to the Amish/Mennonite Sale and Auction Saturday. I was bound and determined to come home with some live stock; my first choice was chickens and or geese.

The poultry barn was crowded with people and birds of every age and description and making it feel more rural part of the barn was where the horses were kept before they were auctioned off. The sights and smells were dramatic. there is nothing quite like the smell of an old barn full of horse sweat/manure and bird shit mixed with tobaco smoke and that feeling I get just before I spend money sort of nervous anticipation. I was getting real intense, spending money does that to me.

The bidding on the stock was held outside the barn in the weather which was cold with a light wind carrying some small snow flakes. There wasn't enough snow to cover the mud though. I got to bid on my birds two geese. This was my first time bidding at an animal auction and I was over anxious; I ended up trying to bid against myself and the auctioneer looked at me and said I have you at fourteen already! I tried to be a little less intense and go with the flow I got the bid on the birds and I ended up buying some pullets also and took them all home.

The geese were not happy about the trip home. and when I put them in the barn and let them loose they were mad. They strutted about and glared at me as if to say "come on just try something we'll kick your butt"!

I left them some food and water for the night; the real fun was in the morning.

Went to the barn to check on the geese and they were waiting for me. I forgot to put my dog up and when I got the barn door to slide open I had to use both hands and swoosh in went my dog a yellow lab and there go the birds!

I yelled at the dog who had a confused look for me and decided to heck with the yelling old lady I am having a run at these geese YaHoo! The next thing I know we are in the barn yard I am mad at the dog and concerned about the now free and loose geese. They strutted about the barn yard and made like they owned the place. The dog was still confused. Then the blasted dog barked and one of the geese flew over the pasture fence and its mate followed and they headed for the farm pond.

For the rest of the day the geese played around on the pond and ignored the world, they had found their play pen. Being Sunday I had to go to the next large town to buy equipment, feed and stuff for the geese and the hens I bought. When I got back the geese were gone they had moved over to my neighbor's pond; a much larger pond and that pond had something mine didn't, geese. So, there swim my geese fat, sassy, mean stinkers wagging their tails and blowing me off.

The neighbor's kids may be able to catch these wayward geese, but their Dad said that the geese would just come back again as geese like to be around other geese.

Sigh, another lesson learned the hard way.

So much has happened

In the past few weeks this ol' farm has been a busy place.

The siding project is almost done; just need some facia nailed on and the washroom is completed, next is the west end of the house under the porch.

A new roof was put on by a local carpenter as I have a thing about heights ( I get dizzy licking an airmail stamp). Also the carpenter rebuilt the mudroom porch for me as it was about to fall down do to rot. Gee, owning an old place is so much fun one gets to meet so many nice people who will cash your checks :) Carpenters, Electricians, Plumbing supply stores etc.

I have had an electrician wire the wash room for electricity and put in a 200 amp panel and service for the electric Co-op. The electric Co-op stake engineers, two guys in a truck, came by three times to figure out how to bring in the electricity. The Co-op construction crew came ned this Thursday. I noticed that they had left and I went into the wash room and tried out the electricity..... ha! I couldn't get it to work. G r r r r eat, I was a more than a bit frustrated and gave the electritian a call and told him that I couldn't get the electricity to work. As usual I ended up looking rather silly; I hadn't checked all the electrical outlets just the GFI one. All I had to do was reset the GFI plug by pressing the aptly named reset button and Viola, there was electricity. I then tried the plugs and the switch for the florecent shop lite and everything worked. I had to apologize to the electrician for bothering him for nothing, he took it well and to his credit didn't say something condencending.

Friday I went to town and bought some wire and other electrical stuff and wired a light in over the kitchen sink. In the process, I had to crawl through the attic over the kitchen where I discovered to my dismay that the previous owner thought that just putting small buckets under a leak was fixing a leak in the roof, one bucket was full by the way; from now on he will be referred to as the DPO, D....n Previous Owner. That just means one more thing to be fixed; sighhhh. Any how I got the light over the sink to work. I am so proud of myself. I also put a bigger bucket under the leak and will seal the roof when the weather warms.

Saturday, today, was the big sale and auction that had been advertised for some time here. We thought we would be early by arriving a half hour before the scheduled opening.....nah things were in full swing and had been for some time. The weather was cold, windy with snow fluries, I was cold all day, but determind to come home with some stock for the farm. I missed out on the chickens I wanted but got twelve pullets (females) black stars that supposedly had started laying and two geese mating (I hope) pair; goose and gander known here after as Frick and Frack( no I don't know who is who). The gander, the big one that hisses, is not impressed with me or anything else, he and his mate are in the barn tonight; they are making themselves at home by strutting about and making threating sounds if anyone comes into their part of the barn. The geese have water and some cracked corn to keep them overnight. Sunday I will let the geese out and see what happens. I may be running for safety when the gander gets loose :(

The hens are in the hen house with feed and water and one hen has already laid an egg, a double yolker.... I thought she was going to lay an egg by her behavior pecking at and arranging the hay in a nest. Sure enough there was an egg! I have to get to the feed store tomorrow and get some chicken gear; feeder, waterer, and some nutritional stuff so they can lay good eggs.

This place is beginning to look and sound like a farm now and in a short time smell like one too!

The auction was a marvel of sights and sounds; livestock of all description: hogs, horses, hens, dogs, calves, ducks, tools, farming equipment, lumber, household stuff including the kitchen sink. A great cornicopia of all the things needed in a rural society. There where hundreds of people there coming and going buying and selling at the various auction sites, there were at least four auctions going at the same time. There also were individual sellers as well as food stands; don't forget the snow fluries and cold and standing in the muck wishing you could take a break, but can't or you might miss the the item you wanted to bid on.

Being a community with Amish, Horse and buggy Mennonites and very conservative Christians as well has a host of characters that might have steped out of a ninetenth century scene complete with costumes and manners. This was a muck boot, mud splattered cross section of rural America. I loved every cold shivering minute standing shoulder to shoulder with farmers of all varieties and persuasions today. My body aches, I'm tired and I have been thankful in my prayers for such a wonderful day.

To top off the day I got to listen to my favorite radio program the Prarie home companion with Garison Keelor. I like sitting and listening to this program on radio, it is like an old friend my favorite part is the news from Lake Woebegon.

Well the birds should be on their roost with their heads tucked under a wing and I am headed for my bed also. What a day, what a week.....
I hope all will be well for the night; remember lots of things like chicken.....

Some photos to share with my readers

Like the dog, somedays the best place is close to the stove during the winter. Other times the outdoors seems to call one to come out and see the beauty that nature has wrought. Truly I feel blessed to be here and doing what I love.

Spring is just around the corner there are flowers peeking up through the sod, and some bushes show signs of life as they turn green and yellow. The cycle of life goes on...

Photos of the new cabinets are posted

These are the new cabinets for the kitchen. I think it improves the looks of the kitchen and it sure makes working in the kitchen better.

We have had some storms come through lately that were rather intense and tested my siding that I put up recently. At least I didn't have to pick up the siding pieces in my neighbors pasture; I did have to make some adjustments though. Sixty mile an hour winds can be awsome in the middle of the night with the radio announcer telling you to take precautions and stay away from windows!

The cat got another mouse yesturday and of course had to present me with the trophy, thanks cat....

In an act of faith I planted five trees, two peach, two apple, one cherry; let's hope they are happy and grow. I still have to select a spot to put my rubarb roots and two willow trees are waiting to be planted near the pond.

The other evening there were eight deer in my garden, very pretty, but they could destroy a garden in one night. I will have to come up with some sort of way to keep them out of the garden. Hmmm more thinking again, I sure am burning up the the ol' brain cells ;)