THIS & THAT.

Some random photos from the past week.Sweet Charlie has become an indoor cat during these colder days. A pecan pie before I completely burned/ruined it.Love these sweet Shetlands.Clearing land means making bonfires.Have you guys seen Destiny's Child lately? She's all grown up!

BROODING ONE CHICK.

Brooding only one chick is the most ridiculous thing. Truly. It means sometimes starting a fire in the woodstove before we leave for market....just for her so she won't get too cold. It means digging through the dirt outside to find worms and grubs that we then have to mash up with our fingers for her. It means coming home to find that she has jumped out of her little box and pooped all over the floor.And all of this for what could actually be a HE.But....it also means lots of cuteness.So I guess we will keep it up.

CHICKEN UPDATE...

In total, during last week's episode, we lost 5 hens. Once the Smith's returned from their vacation, we were able to break the pattern and routine - standing guard around the chicken yard during the 5 o'clock hour. No more attacks. We are also reinforcing the fence, making it taller so the dumb birds will stop jumping out. So far, so good.But YESTERDAY: I was walking back from digging sweet potatoes, and just a little ways away from our house when I heard quite a commotion - a sudden explosion of screeching guineas and chickens. I started yelling and clapping my hands, sprinting as fast as I could. As I rounded the corner of our driveway, I saw a dark, squat sort of creature run across the road into our neighbors cornfield. At first I assumed it was Charlie (our cat), but realized it was much too big (about raccoon size). I checked on the birds - no fatalities, lots of feathers. What a stroke of luck that I chose to walk back when I did!Later that evening, I told Jesse what I saw. It definitely was not a fox, and I don't think it was a raccoon either. I didn't have any sort of tail I could see. He brought up the idea of a bobcat - which is kind of amazing. Bobcats live in the area, but we have never seen one. We are hoping to borrow Eric and Cher's nature camera and see if we can get a glimpse!And in other news, Destiny's Child is alive and kicking. Eating lots of worms and flies and pooping all over the floor.- Hannah.

A BAD WEEK.

Things continue to go remarkably smoothly while we watch Bugtussle Farm for the Smith's. But at our own homestead, things have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Starting on Saturday, after we went to do chores around 5 in the evening, we came back an hour later to our cabin to find the chicken yard FILLED with feathers and the fence literally knocked to the ground. A quick head-count and examination of feathers, and it seemed Grampa Munster was a goner. We were super bummed and a little confused - we have had virtually no predation problems. Was it an owl? Hawk? Fox? Who knocked down the fence - was it Wendell hopefully trying to protect the flock?Well, this continues to happen. Three days, three chickens gone - ALWAYS when we go and do chores. Yesterday, we even heard the chickens sounding the alarm while we were up on the hill moving the livestock. Jesse ran down the hill but it was too late (and he found our dummy doggie sleeping soundly under the house). Losing a chicken a day is never good - but especially not when we only have 15 laying hens. And of course, this smart thief (we are guessing fox) has been taking our fattest, favorite birds....not any of the 20 or so bantams that we don't particularly want or know what to do with.On top of this - a broody (sitting on eggs) hen was attacked two days ago while sitting on her nest. We don't know what got her, but her leg/thigh was badly opened up and bleeding, and things don't look good (I mean....there are maggots involved.) So basically - this past week has sucked, and we are super sad - not just about losing our egg supply but because we love/name/obsess over these girls. And because we don't really know how to stop the cycle of death.But here is the thing - and it is a magical thing. It is that thing that always seems to happen on the farm, where death and life are connected and always seem to follow, one after the other. Although we don't think the mama hen is going to survive, one (only one!) of her eggs hatched yesterday morning. We are brooding her inside, next to the woodstove. We are loving her and willing her to survive.There is always hope.She was born the day our favorite chicken, Beyoncé, was killed. And so her name, obviously, is Destiny's Child.- Hannah.