Pepper and Elijah

You will be missed!

The Sole Survivor

After countless predator attacks, we were down to one lone and very worried chicken.  This afternoon she entered a Witness Protection Program, and that's all I'm at liberty to say.  

This does mean that we are now a Poultryless Family.....

kind of bittersweet....

2013 County Fair

The animals....

The awards....

 The Ducky Races.......

The Chicken Bingo.......

 The 4-Her.

Show Time!

Saturday was the annual 4-H Bunny and Cavy Olympics.

There are no shot put, high dive, or relay events,

But there is some pretty intense competition.

And this year's grand champion is.......!!

Congratulations to all on a job well done!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Doug brought this sombrero home, and I figured we had to get some use out of it.

Thanks for volunteering cooperating putting up with it, Elijah!

Safe at last. We hope!

Since the Eagle attack, Doug has worked tirelessly for the last week making a new, safe home for our nine surviving ducks.

 Today, they have officially entered the Witness Protection Program for Poultry and have relocated to their, hopefully, safe haven (the location of which I an not at liberty to disclose because, you can't be too careful with those Eagles, not to mention the coyotes and the sneaky neighbor dog).

They appear to be pretty happy campers!

UNWELCOME GUESTS!

Mr. and/or Mrs. Eagle, you should be ashamed!  I'm sorry, but you are no longer worthy of the honor of being our National Bird.  We used to love watching you soar above our house with your white head and tail reflecting the sunlight.  Now we (and our ducks) live in fear of your presence. Our forefathers should have listened to Benjamin Franklin when he lobbied for the Wild Turkey to be given the honor of National Bird. For shame!

 

Over the past few days we have had several unwelcome visits from several very aggressive and apparently hungry Bald Eagles.

The first visit ended in two non-life threatening  injuries.

The second visit ended in a fatality! We'll miss you Jake the Drake! 

On their third visit they met with some interference in the form of flagging tape and string criss-crossing the ducks new (temporary) home, so they left empty taloned. We are hoping that will discourage any further attempts. Eagles are very well protected by our government, so they can pretty much do anything they want, and there really is nothing else we can do to protect our ducks from them. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our government took protecting their CHILDREN as seriously as they take protecting their Eagles? The Eagle is no longer an endangered species but there are many children who are. Plus, they are a whole lot cuter!

 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

WELCOME GUESTS............

A lovely Mallard couple came for a few visits recently.  Our domestic ducks were very cordial, and shared their little swimming hole and food with them.

We are proud of our ducks for the hospitality they showed their unexpected guests. I guess they were brought up well!

The Annual 4-H Bunny and Cavy Olympics

 There's the anticipation/preparation..........

 The fitting and showing competition........

 The ribbons........

 Meeting new piggies....... (Yes, he's cute but you already have four........)

 and, most importantly, the FRIENDS!