Boy, Was I Wrong!

How could I miss all these cute little toes?  I thought my rooster was the little dark chick but then I remembered that Salmon Faverolles have 5 toes...so this is my little man.

The Ameracaunas have the sweetest fluffiest cheeks!  I have three dark ones and they are getting heavy and so much bigger than the others.  The other Ameracauna is going to be white.  She's the one in the upper right hand corner of the picture.

The little chicks are growing and have been moved out to the playpen area of the chicken yard during the day and come in at night because they're not completely feathered out. I'm anxious to get them in their chicken house but won't push it.

You can see the turkeys hanging around the chicks. 

Unfortunately, these are two of the four poults left.  Two died overnight in their house.  I think they flew up too high on the roost and fell to their death.  It was soooo sad.  I think I have a tom and hen left.  A few more weeks and maybe I'll be able to tell.  There seems to be a difference in the two already.  I'm growing pretty fond of these ugly little birds.  When I open the back door, they come running.  It seems they can't get close enough.

 

 The chicken pen has a hot wire running along the bottom completely around it.  A few of the dogs have already been zapped and won't go near it.  Did you notice the satellite dish is gone?  Poor little chicks, no more night time tv.  We're still wanting to get some netting to tent over the top of the pen.  I've seen it on Randall Burkey.  Can anyone recommend a good source for getting the netting?

Happy Trails...

Berte

A Whirlwind Birthday

 Saturday was my 60th birthday and my husband pulled off a huge surprise.  Eating at Red Lobster is a tradition with us on each of our birthdays.  He asked me what I wanted to do after lunch and I told him I wanted my "senior" nap and then go for a nice trail ride.  The surprise waiting for me at Red Lobster was all my kids and grandkids and one of my sisters.  They all drove from out of town.  And the surprise wasn't finished.  My daughter had hauled her daughter's horses here (over 3 hrs) for us to go ride together.  Saturday evening, the kids rode in the round pen.  They even got to take turns on my horse.  My daughter saddled up Buddy's roping horse and, very long story short, she drove out of here with him in her trailer today and left the bigger of her ponies here.  Good trade?  Yeah, for who?

She's a pretty little thing but too little for anyone around here to ride.  Guess we'll be hauling her back up to Ft Worth ...

I have to admit, it's pretty heart warming to be able to see my grandkids riding horses. I wish they all lived closer to come ride more often.  My daughter spent the night to go on a trail ride yesterday evening.  Now, that's pretty special to go ride, not only with my daughter but, with my granddaughters. 

I am blessed with great kids and grandkids!

Oh...and, no, I never got that "senior nap".   What is a senior anyway?  Buddy asks me "if I didn't know how old I was, how old would I be?"  hmmmm...

Happy Trails...

Berte

The New Peeps are Here

 Starting completely over with new peeps.  I've been buying farm eggs (ugh) but, for some reason, they just don't taste the same as I used to get from my own girls.  There are 4 black sex links, 4 golden sex links, 2 plymouth barred rocks (they are the black with the white spot on their head), 4 ameracaunas (two will be white - they are the light colored ones) and one Salmon Faverolle rooster.

This is the Faverolle rooster.. isn't he precious?  He's the little brown guy sitting in the bowl.

We're still working on the pen...coming along but not quick enough.  The turkey poults have been moved out to the house.  They are almost 4 weeks old now.  I'm still learning a whole lot about these fellows...they are interesting but not near as much fun to watch as the peeps. 

We've also been invaded by these little guys.. yep, little tiny frogs EVERYWHERE!  And they're disgusting!  I don't even like to look down when I'm walking around because I know I'm stepping on them but I have to watch out for snakes.  They are from the house all the way to the barn and out in the pasture.  Yuk!  Now I wish I had a mess of ducks to turn loose on all the frogs.

Happy Trails...

Berte

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day
     to all you dear sweet Mamas out there....
I pray God's blessings to each and every one of you.

Happy Trails...
Berte

Turkey Hunts and Baking

Ya'll are gonna get sick of my posting about these turkeys but I never dreamed they would be so amusing.  I sure hope this one is a girl because I keep calling her "What's the deal, Lucille?"  She will not stay in the tub.  I'm trying not to get attached to them but, regardless, this one is a keeper.  It just insists on being noticed.  I finally had to put wire over the top of the tub to keep me from going on turkey hunts.

Tonight is Bible Study so I had to fix something to take for dessert.  This is Lemon Crumb Cake.  I actually needed something quick so I used a Duncan Hines cake mix and got the recipe off their website.  Looks and smells good...I think I'll drizzle some lemon sauce over the top... Yummmm.

Here's yet another batch of One Rise Bread.  You can find the recipe here.  This time I used honey instead of sugar.  Can't wait to try this too!!  Oh my goodness, it smells so good.
Happy Trails...
Berte

"Mama, Mama, Where Are You?"

One, two, three...where's #4?  Hmmmm....where's #4?  Great.....
"Mama, Mama, here I am...do you hear me?" 
Here he comes from the other end of the room just a chirping.. here I am, here I am!!

Yes, they are in my back porch room and this little guy is loose, running around, trying to find someone to help.  He has walked passed a very large stuffed horse and then comes up to a stuffed chicken.  Hmmm....what's this?

Ahhhh, safe and sound, back in the water trough with my friends...

Thank goodness, at two weeks the imprinting has paid off.  I called out for little one and he came running and let me scoop him right up.

Happy Trails...

Berte

       

Country Chicken House

Preparing for the girls and their gentleman friend...even though they'll be day old peeps when they get here, I'm still excited about their arrival.  Two more weeks!
Happy Trails...
Berte

National Day Of Prayer

I would like to share this with you...

It was in 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the addition of two powerful words to the Pledge of Allegiance, "Under God," stating: "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

The president, while sitting in Lincoln's pew, had been inspired by Reverend Docherty as he delivered a sermon based on the Gettysburg Address titled, "A New Birth of Freedom." President Eisenhower then challenged the citizens of this great nation to remember the God of our fathers as those two words captured "the characteristic and definitive factor in the American way of life."

The prayer of godly people in the United States are the strong thread that binds us together. Because we have been "One Nation Under God" for more than two centuries, we continue to enjoy the fruit of His blessings and the individual liberties we hold so dear. Godly people who know the value of earnest prayer are the backbone of our nation. As such, let us unite in the following prayer...

Lord, America needs Your guidance and direction. We humbly ask that Your spirit intercede with the leaders of our nations, giving them the wisdom to make decisions that will honor You. We pray fervently for peace, both here and abroad. Let us live a life of reverence for You with peace in our hearts for our fellow man. May we always remember You are the Almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May we be steadfast in our humble obedience to You and boldly declare that we are one people united through Your powerful name, indeed, one nation under God. Amen.

"BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD"

PSALM 33:12

Through prayer we actually experience a relationship with God. The quality of our prayer life then determines the quality of our relationship with God. Prayer is talking with God. Prayer is listening to God. Prayer is enjoying the presence of God.   

www.nationaldayofprayer.org

Please pray with your heart.
Happy Trails...
Berte

Chicken pen and Washtub gardening

 Very slowly but surely, the chicken pen is making some progress.  We're gonna have to pick up some speed because these four little turkey poults are gonna be too big for their brooder.  I've also ordered my chicks which are will be ready for pickup on the 16th.  I ordered the same ones I had in the past - black sex links, yellow sex links, ameracaunas, barred plymouth rocks and, a gentleman, Salmon Faverolle rooster.  I love the sex links because they are the ones that love laying in the winter.  I went with the Faverolle rooster because of their sweet demeanor.  I would like to get some Faverolle pullets but Ideal was out.  Once we get the pen ready, I will acquire some various pullets that are already laying.  I've bought farm eggs locally but, for some reason, they just don't taste the same as "home grown".
Hahaha...I just looked at my picture again..no, my chickens are NOT going to be hooked up with satellite tv!...that's coming down.

 We've had different gardens in the past years and they always seem to get out of hand.  Or maybe I'm just too lazy to keep up with them.  I know I'm late planting but I went with putting a few plants in washtubs.  I did a few last year and they worked well.  I went to the antique store to find some more washtubs...yikes! they're pricey!  This year I'll be buying from the local farmers market and putting up.
Another issue we've been tossing around is selling this place and moving closer to our church - we've decided we're staying put and will continue the long drive.  When God called Buddy to start a church 45 minutes from here, we knew it wasn't going to be easy.  Think about it...when God asked men of the Bible to do something, it was never an easy task.  Can you imagine what people thought of Noah when he was out building an ark?  We had this place on the market last summer with no prospects and the economy doesn't look any more inviting now.  We know that God will lead us in the right direction on when and where to go. 
Happy Trails...
Berte