I have had a productive few days. Got the house cleaned, jumped the Blazer, got it running, inspected, & serviced. Got the grass cut so my yard looks great. Haven't made any progress with those pesky loose goats but the chickens have finally started laying in their new three hole nesting box.
This morning, after my nice grass cutter left, I spent some time sitting in the chicken house communing with the chickens. I love when they want to get around my legs & do so by stepping on my foot & brushing by. Despite the chill I was wearing shorts & I love the feel of their soft feathers brushing against my calf. They are laying well, although some have learned to break eggs & if I don't look often I don't get any. A very bad habit taught by a couple older hens.
One was setting in the end cubby picking up hay, dropping it over her shoulder, making a nice nest in which to lay when Biwhiby, the older humongous rooster, came in the house & stood right in front of her. I started hearing the strangest high pitched almost a whistle sound. Biwhiby was making it. It was as though he was standing guard over her so that she could lay without trouble from the other hens, several of whom were standing around in front of the laying boxes. They wouldn't go inside the other cubbies to lay but a couple were fussing as they do when they want to lay & can't find a satisfactory place to do their thing. The others were just standing around. I have not seen that behavior before. All the years I've been around birds & I learn something new so often.
It is a lovely sunny day after a string of cold cloudy ones & the sun is quite welcoming. We had a hard frost today & one the day before as well. It was in the mid 70's on Friday & the forties for the next three. This is why I don't like hot weather in March. All the plants start budding & sure as shootin' we get a freeze. I went by Lowe's yesterday & they had huge covers over most of their plants & tall racks of many stuck everywhere inside near the garden door. Suckered me. I bought two tomato plants for $6 each. I never do that. I always wait until later in the season when prices are slashed & are more to my liking. I don't know what has gotten in to me. Anyway, that's what happened. Of course they stayed inside so they wouldn't freeze.
My tomato plants will go in pots on the screened porch to keep them safe from the chickens. I hope I have better luck with them this year than I've had in the past several. I love homegrown tomatoes! Mine seem to grow all leaves & produce a tease of fruit right before the first hard frost. Before I even put them in my cart I pinched off the suckers sprouting in the crotch of each big leaf. I know what to do. I just don't seem to get the desired results. Some say why bug yourself with failure, but I am stubborn & terribly hard headed so I will try again. Any tomatoes that get rot go to those ravenous chickens, the ones watching the one being guarded by my whistling rooster Biwhiby. The good ones will go to me.
0 comments:
Post a Comment