Christmas Afternoon Nap

Christmas Brunch

Merry Christmas!

Snickerdoodles bound for South Africa

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These ingredients may be sightly different in SA.  Use granulated sugar which is just sugar in SA.  Use APF, all purpose flour, do not use self rising or cake flour.  Use baking soda, which bicarbonate of soda.

Creamed butter.  This is difficult to do in a 32 degree F. kitchen - winter in SA

Dry & creamed ingredients ready to be mixed together.

Cookie sheets and the bowl of dough cooling in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before shaping.

Cookies being shaped for the oven.

Eight minutes at 325 degrees F. on convection bake and they are done.

Coyote Hunting Our Fence Line

I just saw this coyote hunting our fence line from my dining table.   This coyote is quite big and looks to be in good shape.  This is a reminder of why we count the chickens at night when we put them up.  A while back we found evidence that we had missed a chicken in the barn and that he had found it.

After a painful loss to coyotes we did some research on them and found some interesting things about coyotes and their lifestyles.  Coyotes are the only predator that man has not been able to control.  Man can take down the population of coyotes, but then the coyotes have larger litters or allow new coyotes into their territory, until the population stabilizes

Coyotes do a beneficial service.by reducing the number of rodents.  In the panhandle of Oklahoma someone introduced mange into the coyote population.  Yes the coyote population went down, but the rodent population went screaming up.  I have a friend in the Panhandle that told me of the difficulty they and the area farmers were having with rats and field mice.  And I can attest to the fact that it didn't have a long term effect because on my last visit to her farm we stood outside at dusk and heard coyotes from all four directions.  On the visit before we watched a coyote sit under the yard light maybe 50 feet from the back door.  My friend went running and screaming down the sidewalk toward the coyote.  He wasn't impressed but I certainly was!

Coyotes chose a mate when they are about 2 years of age and stay with their mate their entire life.  Which makes them one a very few animals to do that. After learning the previous information we have adopted a live and let live attitude toward the coyotes in whose territory we live.  We do our best to protect the  animals for which we are responsible.  We will occasionally shoot into the ground or under a coyote to discourage them from coming around the house and barns.

Other interesting facts that I learned about coyotes from an internet search is that they that they have a chasing speed of up to 43 mph, their litter size can be from 1 to 19 with an average of 6. The gestation period is 60 to 63 days. And they can live to be 15 years of age.

Living here I have developed a respect and even admiration for coyotes.  The internet article said that they are some vocal at dusk and dawn, but I can verify that they also call during the night.  Just a couple of weeks ago their calls woke me from sleep in the middle of the night and often when I am feeding between 3:30 and 4 am I hear them howling.  I am grateful to live somewhere that I share with wild animals.

An Icy Bath

Working Cattle

Prepping

                                                                                   Going down the alley.

Waiting in the chute especially designed for long horn cattle.

The vet working and Duncan, the bull watching over his herd.

Waiting for the Vet

Just hanging around waiting.

That is the vet coming down the road.

Sisters!

Who is Smarter the Goat or the Owner?

This little girl stuck her head in the chicken feed container to get an extra treat.  Now she is wearing the crown of shame..  I can't decided who was dumber the goat for getting her head stuck or the owner for leaving the gate open so that she could get in the coop.

Middle of December Weather

Doing chores last night both DH and I took our jackets off.  It felt like a balmy spring is coming day.  Felt strange.

DH was very pleased with his "In Your Face" birthday present.  Oh, what a run around Fed Ex gave me, but he did get his present on the correct day.

The builder is still working on the house - replacing all the trim that was damaged during the staining of the floors. Someday.

Continued Experiment in Inter Species Living Arrangements

 The chickens and cats seem to be doing well.  Can you see Frankie, aka Cyclops in the far right nesting box?  With only the one eye, he is a little hard to spot. 

I am amazed that approaching the shortest day of the year and we keep getting more eggs from this little exotic bunch.  Maybe the exotics have more use than just their cool factor.

Here is a close up of Sweetie Pie.  She loves to be held.  She pecks your shoe to get you to hold her.

Pretty in Pink

 This is Sweetie Pie's sister, Pretty Bird.  DH was expanding my chicken coop when Frankie, alias Cyclops lost an eye and needed a place to stay. With 4 cats in the house I quickly suggested making the chicken coop a cattery.  Now the exotic chick collection needs a warmer place to stay.  Thus the experiment with inter-species living arrangements. 

 This is Pretty Bird cackling her pride.  

Evidently Pretty Bird was ready to begin laying.  Although the exotic collection was 6 months old I didn't expect them to start laying during the shortest days of the year.

 This morning the pink cat bed was not available so she climbed into the cat cage and laid her egg in the cat bed inside the cage - determined to find a nest isn't she.

 DH got the nest boxes mounted in the cattery and I filled them with alfalfa - only the best for the exotic girls.

 Pretty bird at home in a proper nest box.

 And the results.

 Frankie, named for the nasty row of stitches across his face when he came home is unsure if there is room for Tripod in the pink cat bed.  Yep, you are correct, Tri only has 3 legs.  Frankie is growling at this point. DH was happy to hear this because it means the cats in the cattery won't be multiplying anytime soon.  Frankie and Tri are not pleased to be roommates.

 

Ok, nice and comfy now that those chickens are in their place.  Strange to see 3 eyes staring at you isn't it?