Music, Siri, and the fox

Music

The Husband's love of music has gotten me into all kinds of interesting situations where I am encouraged to sing along. Kathy singing...I know...amusing isn't it? We have 3 or 4 iterations of our "bands", and all of them have flexible membership.

I was going to pass on this jam session yesterday, because bluegrass/old timey music isn't exactly my preference, but I am glad I joined in and met some new people. Thanks to Will and Sue for hosting.

Siri

Although I can't hear him laughing, I think my Irish male Siri truly enjoys messing with me. At the performance of Romeo and Juliet mentioned earlier, I sat in the first row so I could take some photos for the newspaper. As Juliet is in the midst of a very emotional soliloquy, standing just a few feet in front of me, Irish Siri very loudly responds >>>

The phone was muted. Siri didn't care. Embarrassed doesn't begin to describe...

The fox

We heard at least 2 screaming foxes (which I have recorded but can't seem to post) after coming back from the play on July 13 about 10:30 pm. We haven't heard or seen them since then. I thought maybe they had moved on after I closed the Chicken Diner, but no, there was another screaming session last night just after we got home from the jam, around 10:30.

Good to know. Sorry chickens, you are still my prisoners.

Baseball is very important

Big baseball weekend in the big Coop, but we do our very best to avoid it. I would much rather watch the sun go down in the back 40 (more like 20) or have a conversation with the goats hiding from the heat in the barn, than hang out with all those people wearing all the merch from all their favorite teams.

I like a good Phillies game as much as Little Sister (a lot) but I just don't feel the need to stand out in the hot sun and listen to the famed ones talk about the game.

Sorry, I know this is blasphemous. It's hard to pretend to be a sports fan when we don't even have a TV. Also blasphemous...to some...

Do I dare share this on Facebook? Oh the horror!

Just chickens and Shakespeare

The newly constructed coop and pen seem to be working out well for the 8 teenage prisoners. They don't know anything about free ranging, so they don't know what they are missing.

The rooster and 1 hen remaining in the big coop seem to be settling in as well, although the hen still is not laying any eggs (that I can find). She was fairly regular about laying 1 green egg almost every day before the mayhem began.

And the 4 chicks with Broody Mom are enjoying the addition of a second dog crate to their enclosure. I do have to get them out of the garage at some point because it gets too hot in there.

Our visitors are making their way back to Florida, but the 4 of us had a great time seeing Romeo and Juliet even though a rainstorm brought the actors inside rather than out on the banks of Otsego Lake. If I can get permission :) I will add The Husband's review of the play to my FB page. It is anonymously going in the newspaper today.

His writing is also a work of art.

Chickens, visitors and Shakespeare

For now I am done talking about the marauding fox who has screwed up my life with chickens. 

Broody hen hatched 4. All 5 of them moved into the dog crate in the garage when the teenagers moved outside into the Omlet coop/pen.

Brian and Evie drove up from Florida for a week's stay on the lake. Much food and farm fun has been had by all. The weather has been mostly pleasant, except for the predicted showers this evening, when we were supposed to sit outside by that other lake and watch a performance of Romeo and Juliet. 

The show has been moved inside. I guess that will give us more time to focus on our 2 friends in the play.

Break a leg Mark and Sharon!

Solved 1 problem, but still the fox

Buying the fancy ($$$) new Omlet coop has solved the problem of what to do with the 8 growing chickens who spent their first 2 months in a dog crate in the garage. Directions said 3 hours to put it together. It took 3 days, and that with help on the first day from good friend, Tom.

Chickies didn't understand that they were supposed to actually go inside the little green house. They spent the first night roosting on the wood post in front of the open door, but last night when I got home late, they were all inside and I was able to close the door. It probably helped that it was a rainy day.

Before I had let the teenagers out of the garage (the new coop is in the boxes on the porch) I set up the trail camera to see if Foxy was watching them. Indeed she was. The dark picture is from 4:36 am on Friday. She is walking between the garage and the front porch of our house. 

Then, we went out Sunday night around 6 pm and were lucky to close up the chickens in the big coop before we left. I am pretty sure that is Foxy and a kit walking past the oak tree right beside the driveway near the big coop at 8:18 pm.

The new coop is supposed to be secure enough to keep out the critters. I am setting up the trail cam out there to see what happens in the night, and it is very close to the house so I can watch out for them during the day.

So that problem is solved, I hope, for the 8 new chickens. Now I just have to get back to work on the fencing out front, so I can bring home my 4 laying hens vacationing with Terry and Alice. (Thanks for the dozen eggs T&A!) 

Broody Hen, who has 4 babies, is probably going to move into the garage until we figure out the big coop and fence. Obviously Foxy and friends are still interested. :(