The floor

We finally finished it. Sorry, this photo is a phone snap, but it should give you an idea. :)

Chicken Hawk

I knew when I ordered my chickens from McMurray Hatchery that I might have to deal with predators. That just goes with the territory. After all, we've got woods, and in those woods are rabbits, possums, rats, mice, snakes, coyotes, and hawks. Oh, and deer. Can't forget the deer.

I love the wildlife and have done my best to attract birds of all kinds, goldfinches in particular. I hit the jackpot by not only attracting a couple of goldfinches, but a pair of lovely bluebirds. I haven't even mentioned the sparrows, cardinals, and bluejays that come around now and then. I even loved the black and white hawk that hung out at the front of our yard last here. It was small and kinda cute.

I didn't invite the chicken hawk. I didn't even know it was there until I noted two bantams missing. I figured the cold got them. They like to wander the woods sometimes and one loved to sleep in the trees, so this wasn't an unreasonable assumption. Then Ray, my daughter, called me to take a look at one of our other birds, a white silky bantam. There was blood all around the head and neck, and shallow lacerations. I figured it was due to a fight gone bad, since he's occasionally feuding with a buttercup that also lives here. I cleaned him up and forgot about it.

Today, I left my daughter out back to begin a cleanup while I checked the mail. Halfway back down our long drive I heard her yell for me. I ran the rest of the way and reached the clearing where our house sits just in time to see a hug brownish hawk take flight. It left in a flurry of crows, but hung in the air long enough for me to get a good look at its size. For a split second I was really worried about why I was called, then saw Rachel running toward me, full of news.The hawk had attacked one of our nankin hens, Smidget. Rachel thought the flurry was over a rooster jumping a hen, but wondered why the chickens and goats were running tfor shelter. Then she realized it was no chicken that had Smidge.

Fortunately for Smidge, the hawk caught her too close to the fence and had a wing pinned, so she was able to get away. I headed in the the direction Ray told me she'd run and found her in the shelter. She was disinclined to be caught. Given the situation, I don't blame her. But I did catch her and brought her inside for a betadine treatment, after pushing a dogoutside to make sure the hawk didn't make another attempt. The wound was shallow and right on the side of her head, next to her eye, but she should be fine.I think a livestock guardian dog is in our near future. Besides the hawks, I've seen the odd coyote. I don't want to risk our meat birds, which will be coming soon, or our dairy goats.

An update

Dan-Ric gave us $2,500 to "refrac" the well, on the condition they'd be exonerated from further expenses. Seemed cheesy to me, but in this economy (especially the housing market) I can't really blame them, and all in all they're been pretty good.

Afterwards, the technician said the refrac hadn't worked...but we seem to have enough water now. Maybe it did.

Rachel

I figure Rachel needs her own post. She has quite a bit going on as well, so I may as well make allowances for it, even on the Internet ;-).

Rachel is now a busy little girl. She has riding lessons, ballet, class, art class, and Drama Kids. In a couple of weeks, she'll be attending Camp Shakespeare as well.

I know, its a lot. But I'm trying to figure out where her interests lie. I know she loves the animals and wants to be an animal caretaker of some kind when she grows up, but she's young yet and has much to experience before making any firm decisions. So rather than narrowing the field just now, I'm tossing her into the world so she can figure what she thinks about it all.

Believe it or not, we're narrowing things down already. Drama and art are on the same day and in different towns. Its a lot of driving and we can't always make it in time, which forces her to make a choice. She's chosen drama. I am not surprised.

What does surprise me is her love of ballet class. She has to work in there, something she generally doesn't like. She says she wishes she could take ballet several days a week. I have no problem with that, but not together with drama and horses. Too much money. At some point, she'll have another choice to make.

The Well, A Continuing Saga

Well, our water issue has raised its ugly head again. We started running out daily again, and that's with conservation efforts. I called out a different contractor, and can you guess? Our well is nearly dry. Dixie Wells knew it, because they put a pump protector on the well so it wouldn't burn out when the water ran low. They never told us this was done.

We let Dan-Ric, the builder, know about what was happening. Dixie Wells came out again and said yes, the well needs to be hydrocractured. This is a process of forcing water through the lines to free up obstructions and allow water to run into the well. It has a decent chance of success and costs 2500.

We were a little annoyed, to understate the issue. If they had told us when they first discovered the problem, we could have payed for this months ago, rather than leave a pump protector on and leave the well on borrowed time. As it is, we're a little stuck.

Dan-Ric has agreed to pay for the procedure, but no more than that. Its a saving grace, unless it doesn't work. If it doesn't, we'll need to have a new well dug, and they will not pay for that. No one is willing to guarantee a well will not need such treatment because you can't predict rock shifts and debris. Funny, but it seems to me this is a predictable event in a well that was not used for two years. Too bad I didn't know that at the time of purchase, but live and learn.

Hopefully, this will be done next week. I can't help but think someone is pulling a fast one. Perhaps the property is on a site that can't provide water. Perhaps they know the wellmust be replaced. I do know that legally, they cannot dig a well and call it such without a certain output. If the hydr0frac fails, I will find out who I can call to look into the issue. It seems that if the well runs dry, they had to have known it would have limited service. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope so.

HOUSEWORK

I know I said I would not be one to write on your blog, but I immediately felt a little guilty. I am not one to pick up the phone, nor am I one to chat on the computer, but I will write a few words in answer to your previous blog, which by the way I just scanned.

It sounds like you are engrossed in a few physically taxing projects. I like mom's idea of allowing nature to take care of the water problem. I thought it was just a few days ago that you were speaking of having no water in your well or very little water but now it is a swamp in your front yard.

Well, on the rare occasion when I have watched the town station, when they throw their weight and power around and refuse people access to their own property to build under some bs guise of limiting the building of facilities, except of course when it is a large enough company to grease the right palms, The builder has suggested plants not only for aesthetics but also to absorb water. That was also a suggestion made to us when we looked at property that had a hill that sloped toward the house and was obviously not properly graded and would never have been allowed to be built on long island but since it was upstate they get away with a little more. Take a look at hgtv.com for some landscape ideas or go to a nursery and get some suggestions.

Now to the digging trenches, you have a little more moxie than I do because I would rent equipment and then hand it over to the boys. I have gotten past the age where I will take certain risks physically. I smell my mortality and it does not smell good.

I hope I do get to see your new ceramic tiles in your den, I am sure they will look fabulous even though I do not even remember what you said you were doing for a design. I would forget my head if it were not attached.

We are currently packing and loading and preparing for our move. I have given some thought to change for the new house but I want to live in it a little while and see what the house is asking for.

gardens and tile

Hello, ladies.

It's been busy around here, with projects popping up every week. We just started the tile project in the living room. Most of the carpet and backing is up and we're creating our own design with black and reddish gold tiles. I expect slow going, but its not as if we have a deadline.

We figured out a solution to that drainage problem in the front yard. Rather than having expensive drains installed or having equally expensive grading done, we'll work with nature rather than against it. I've already dug a trench for a dry creek bed. It'll run from the deepest part of the yard to the drain in the side yard. If I run an arm from the concrete walk, it should also take care of the water that collects at that edge as well. Lots of work, but better than maintaining a swamp in the front yard. Besides, I've always loved rock gardens. This is a great excuse for getting one going.

Now, the back yard is a different story. No swamps, but lots of erosion. We planned on building retaining walls, but mom suggested we might find plants that will do the same job. There's already an oak starting to grow at the top of the hill, by the horse paddocks. I'll just let it be, if it wants to be there. It'll create interest and a nice bit of shade for the horses.

Paul bought himself a very nice camera and I still have the one mom bought me for Christmas (or was it my birthday?), so pictures of these projects will follow.