First few days on the farm

I spent my first night on the farm Sunday night. I would have written about it sooner, but I didn't get internet connection until yesterday. To be honest, I still cannot believe that internet is possible way out here! But a nice man came by- a true southern gent- and set me up with a phone and internet. We have to be a bit 20th century out here in the sticks and have a real land line! It's crazy- I think I'm the only one of my friends who has one. If you want to give me a call, email me and I'll give you the number. I don't have an answering machine yet, so if I don't answer after a few rings, try again later. Cell phone service is iffy out here. It can work, but you have to be standing out in the driveway.

So much has happened in the past 3 days I am not sure where to start. Do I begin with the chickens and how much they love me? The epic battles between Wiley and Hilda, AKA Daisy, AKA Lady Gaga, AKA Queen Kitty? Should I tell of the biting furry caterpillars? The cute table I found and am restoring or perhaps I should start with the "Pit of Time" that has relics from decades past buried in it....

I'll begin with the chickens. My hens have now begun to recognize me and get all excited when I come by the coop. They come around and start clucking their happy song, which to my ears sounds like, "oooooh...here she coooooommmes....I hope she brings treats....ooooo....oooo..". The one eyed chicken I am adopting as my particular pet and in honor of the woman I inherited the chickens from, I am naming her Wanda. In my opinion Wanda One-Eye is the best chicken ever. I re-did her perch so it's much more stable now and I gave her new bedding and replaced her water tank with a small basin, perched on some rocks. I find it easier to dump the old water and replace it with new like this. I'm thinking about moving all the chickens to another location inside the barn, but it will need a lot of work before it's ready.

Wiley has taken to farm life very well so far. He harasses the cats but I am no longer worried that he will hurt them. I watch him closely when he's around them and he is very deferential to them. He jumps around them and gives them lots of play bows and generally invites them to play with him and chase him. Too bad the cats don't speak dog! When they don't play with him, he barks at them and then looks at me. As soon as his head is turned the cats generally take off and Wiley chases them. That part he just can't help. They're too fast for him and can jump great heights. I hope over time that the cats and the dog will come to a middle ground and figure out how they can play with each other. I suspect it will mostly be the cats teasing Wiley and Wiley falling for it EVERY SINGLE TIME.

The queen cat- Hilda- is the smallest of the cats but she rules her minions with an iron fist. She eats first and slaps and hisses any cat who comes near her food. We do feed the cats once a day, just to supplement their rodent diet. Wiley and Hilda have started to figure out their friendship but I think she's a devious little cat because she keeps luring Wiley out to the road. She might be trying to murder him and take his place. Lately she's been pawing at the door in the evening and not just the back door but the front one too. Wiley wants to play with her just as much as he wants to play with the other cats but she just sits and stares him down, occasionally hissing and howling at him. He thinks it is part of the game.... and perhaps it is.

The wildlife here is pretty standard- except for the brown and black furry caterpillars that bite. I found one yesterday on my ankle. Their bites sting but don't leave a welt or anything. Last night we thought we had an animal on the property so we went out with a shotgun (Aaron) and a flashlight (me) but we found nothing.

There are a ton of interesting things all over the farm- mostly in the barn. I have found a deli meat slicer, a collection of miniature goblets, french onion soup mugs, a few knives, a broken shovel, an ice cooler on wheels, a lawn umbrella, a large rubbermaid container, a chainsaw, a wet vac, and the list goes on and on. It's like doing an excavation! Speaking of excavations, the PIT OF TIME is located just behind the red barn. It's a sink hole that has decades of junk in it that is now starting to churn up. Most of it is glass but I also found an old rusty tricycle and a variety of buckets. While I'm digging through there, I keep hoping I don't find... body parts.


Here are some photos:

Wiley on the first night.

First morning looking out the front door.

The front of the chicken coop.

A better look at the ladies. In the front you can see Wanda One-Eye.

A look up to the red barn/studio with Wiley laying in the front.

Looking to Post Oak Bridge Road- South view from the front steps.

First sunset at the farm.

The donkeys across the street.

The Queen- Hilda!

The no-name cat- I just keep calling her Sweetie.

The Goon Squad! Lucy and Carl.