Bruce's Journal

[Bruce]

Looks like your grass is greening up really good for ya and I know your feathered "herd" is enjoying it........I don't blame ya for the delay, there is time to do ahead when conditions are more favorable....

Yep, I might need to get the mower deck on the garden tractor. Not for the area you saw in the pictures but for the lawn around the house.

Just the slightest bit of snow STA, 1/4" maybe? I think Mike should send me his logging winch Of course he now has tractors again, probably thought he had died not having any tractors for a couple of weeks, so I guess he won't give it to me.

And then there were 21. Zorra died this morning, she was a month shy of 8 years. She's been off by herself during the day the last few weeks and not interested in morning BOSS or evening scratch so I knew she was fading. Last night she was in the closed nest box instead of up on the roost, same thing Yue (same 2012 batch of chicks) did last fall so I figured she would similarly live only a couple more weeks.

But this morning she had (I assume) a heart attack right outside the barn when I was tossing out BOSS and feed. Fell over right in front of me, I picked her up and she died almost immediately. Frankly I'd rather that than to find her just dead somewhere, I know she didn't suffer.

Zorra would go broody a few times a year and raised many of the remaining 21 girls.

This is her last June

 

[farmerjan]

Sorry for the loss of your hen. I know they are much more like family than mine are, and that you don't look at them as salvageable for meat after a few years of laying when they fall off. And yes, at least you know what and when and that she just went quick.

 

[rachels.haven]

Toast to the life of Zorra! Off to chicken Valhalla! May she raise millions and they conquer the grain mills of heaven together forever.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

 

[Bruce]

Hi Barb

 

[Bruce]

I've been messing with the stupid pool and getting the garden started. I can kinda see the bottom of the pool so the suspended dirt is slowly clearing out. I've managed to get all the pine needles off the bottom. Garden has been cleared of weeds. Spinach and peas just starting to come up. Planted the Sun Gold cherry tomato and the 4 celery plants today.

Got a picture of the Tree Swallows at their house


and while I have no pictures there is definitely a robin's nest on the main beam under the back deck. Every time I walk by the bird takes off even though I'm probably 10' from it and it is at my knee level. I wouldn't even know the bird was there if it didn't come blasting out.

Also noticed that the barn swallows must be getting close to laying eggs in their nest in the barn alley right in front of the chicken coop. There were some visible feathers sticking out.

Got a new accessory for the tractor. I've been needing something to carry "equipment" other than in the bucket, especially when I'd rather have the forks on for "logging". There is a thing called "The Big Tool Rack" that can hold a lot of stuff, very versatile, but it is:

• really expensive
• rides on the 3 point so pulling with the draw bar would be difficult and I couldn't use the quick hitch to drag logs like a logging arch
• has nice retractable legs on wheels that work quite well for people with concrete floor equipment sheds for storage (which I don't have).

So instead I got this Tractor Caddy from TractorMike. It can't hold near as much as the Big Tool Rack and only 40 pounds at that (though I suspect it is sturdy enough to hold more, it seems quite well built). I don't need to carry the chainsaw on it since I made a holder that is mounted on the left side of the operator station. And I no longer need to carry gas and oil since the Echo has a much larger capacity than the little Stihl. So I should be able to carry the other stuff I need on the caddy. I had to move the mount for the "slow vehicle" sign, it was low on the left where I put the bracket for the caddy. The tray is mounted with 4 clevis pins so easily removed when I want to use the backhoe. Note that they don't have a snazzy color scheme, it is gloss black, the sun did funny things to it color wise.

 

[CntryBoy777]

We had a nest of wrens to flege this past week and many other birds fledging too....the wrens were in the carport and had 3 that came from the nest.....I know the tool rack will be a big help to ya and 40# of tools, sure beats none....

 

[Bruce]

Everything happens sooner down south! The swallows usually fledge the first or second week of July.

 

[Baymule]

And of course one must watch out for the ancient barbed wire (or bob wire for those that say it wrong )

Bob wire is still sayin' it wrong. If'n you're gonna say it wrong, get the wrong way right.
Pay atttention:


BOB WAHR

 

[Baymule]

I'm sorry about Zorra. I know your chickens are pets and they mean a lot to you. that is a long life for a chicken.