1:15 AM - Wake to deep barks from the pups, which they tend to use when there's a varmint or unknown human on the property. Go outside with the flashlight, look around, don't see anything. Hear a chorus of dog barks in the distance... and the pups replying with the same deep barks. Ah, I see: they're trying out for the dog messaging relay team."QUIET!!" Miraculously, they listen, and are quiet the rest of the night. Or else the message was relayed successfully. Probably the latter.
5:30 AM - Roosters are impatient for the sun to rise, and did not get the "QUIET!" message from earlier. They decide to encourage the sun to come up, and do not stop crowing until the rising is complete. Good job, roosters!
6:30 AM - It's 30 minutes before I'm usually up. I'm now hearing loud, annoyed nattering from the ALL the geese. No barking from the pups, so am not sure what's going on. Roll out of bed, look through the window, and see that both pups are out of their kennel section and are now in the main poultry pen *sigh*. Before I turn away, I hear YIPE! YIPE! YIPE! and see that Maggie has forgotten past lessons and nosed the electrified netting. She's running around like a dog on fire, scattering geese and chickens everywhere. I hurry outside, turn off the netting, and as I open the gate, both dogs nearly bowl me over as they tear out of the pen.Oh, this day is just getting better and better!
Corral the pups into the big pen, get the geese their green feed, head check all the critters (all are accounted for), and head back inside. Write this post so as not to wring any necks. Where's my @#$!! coffee?
Welcome to farmsteading.
[photos have nothing to do with this morning's events]
good morning . . . i've had an interesting morning as well. went out at 5:30am per usual to kennel the beast (wink - 10month old great pyrenees who chases chickens - hince the early a.m. wake up call for me) and she is no where to be found. after calling and whistling (maybe that's what had your herd in an up-roar) no wink. drove around, came home, made poster, posted those around the neighborhood & area, until 8:00am - then i hit the vet clinics with posters. came home made some calls and sent this and other emails.
ReplyDeletethe odd thing is she has never stepped foot off this well fenced property. there are no tracks, no signs. just weird.
i heard nothing in the night because i got stung by a scorpion about 9pm and took a benadryl. sleep like the dead. (but my lips and mouth are still tingly - it's never lasted that long!)
yes, what a day! and it's only 9a.m. . . . terri from across the road
Oh no! I'll keep an eye out for her! Sorry to hear about the scorpion sting as well :-(. Let me know if you need anything.
ReplyDeleteOh, rats! Good luck, Terri! (We've met--I swear. Visiting East Coast people, last fall. In fact, I think we met your pup!). Anyway, I hope your doggie shows up---that's so terrifying!
ReplyDeleteOur last few days have been uncomfortably focused on a limping peacock. No visible wounds, don't know what he did to himself. He seems no worse, and no critters are willing to mess with him, so we're doing the wait-and-see. Might try your homeopathic-in-the-water approach (that stuff doesn't do jack for me, but maybe it's different for poultry).
good morning da & karen . . . posting to report wink is here . . . safe & sound. that's the official version. truth is, as i was out walking the fenceline yet again for clues to her disappearance (no hair where she crossed a fence/gate, no tracks, nada here at casinada), i noticed the pump house light was on outside. it's about 200 yards from the home, so that's why i didn't see it on and since we're on a solar grid tie, we're big watt watchers.
ReplyDeleteanywho . . . opened the door to make sure all lights were off and guess who had gotten trapped inside? yep, the winkster! she hadn't chewed up everything yet and thank goodness the rainwater jet pump and filtration system hadn't been destroyed,so all's well that ends well . . . until the next time . . . the queen of casinada
Hooray! So glad to hear that Wink is safe!
ReplyDelete@karen, let me know if you try the arnica, and how it works. Many "bird people" swear by homeopathic remedies.
ReplyDelete