Yesterday I saw my shadow...wonder what that could mean?

The sunshine was wonderful and I was all over the place...

first in the back yard where the sun had dried and warmed the leaves, I raked up a tarp load and emptied them in the chicken lot. Hens were tickled to death to have warm dry leaves to walk on and scratch in....

up at the garden, all by myself, I tried moving the long legged tower. Had to give up on that idea. Poppy said he would help me...just not now. :(

So, back in the goat lot...I opened the door to Heidi's little stall and out she stepped, strong and ready to face Rosie. It was sweet to watch, and funny too...

Rosie ran in circles and did flips in the air and little Heidi put her head down and butted horns with her. Not once did Rosie push Heidi down. I think they were feeling well again and happy to be out and together.

But, all that was yesterday.  This is today...

I am in no way complaining...there are lots of folks around the country who would gladly take our 32 degrees with rain, and ice. 

By late afternoon it had warmed up to 33.4 degrees and the ice began melting from the trees. Still my biggest worry is a tree falling on the house...

Remember this tree? Not the one with the birdhouse; but the tree with the weeping branches in back...

we call it the red bird tree...

this was a few years ago, before the timber was cut in the background.

Well, I guess this about does it. Sounds pretty quiet in the living room. Poppy and all the animals may be asleep, so I'll end this here. Hoping for warm sunny days for all of us. Take care.

Love,

Henny

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Flowers in the dead of winter!

isn't that what Olivia said to her husband John Walton when he made it home through a blizzard late on Christmas Eve. He handed her a bouquet of cut flowers.

Well, these beautiful flowers are from Poppy, to me for Valentine's Day. 

I've never seen so many different flowers in one bouquet...

Why, I've taken about 25 pictures and none of them show their true beauty...

My plan was to do a quick post early this morning and say "Happy Valentine's Day" but...

again today I haven't felt well. Not sure what's going on so I will probably call the doctor tomorrow. 

Oh, my GOOD NEWS! Little Heidi is standing on all four feet, even walking around. She wants out of the little stall she is in but with all the rain, and Rosie, being the little bully that she is,  I feel Heidi is safer there. Hopefully the rain will stop soon.

And a bit of SAD NEWS too...Our oldest hen died yesterday. She was very special...

this was her when she was just a baby. Our neighbor came knocking at the door early one morning a few years ago. He handed me the little black chick and asked if I could raise it.

There was a bad storm the night before. Some animal had killed the mother hen and this little chick made it through the night alone.

She has been a sweet hen...

and even raised a few chicks of her own. We will miss her.

Guess I need to stop here.  Poppy just asked if we are having ice cream tonight.

Hope you all have had a nice weekend and a Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Henny

The tower and other things

My dearest blogging friends,

Thank you so much for the nice comments on my last post. I seriously meant to reply to each one...seems like I did reply to one, but how sorry is that. Don't the days simply fly!

Sure loved reading your thoughts on the long legged tower. Karen you made me laugh, saying you never did like the tower.  You've all given me good ideas, so stay turned for some changes. :)

Remember when I talked Poppy into adding those long legs onto the little well-house top...

All I ever wanted was a little roof over my head; a teeny tiny potting shed. Oh, I've dreamed of having my own little building for years. I was so appreciative of the teeny tiny greenhouse, but a little potting shed was my dream.

Well guess what Poppy said just this morning..."LET'S GET THE NEW PANELS FOR THE GREENHOUSE FIRST, THEN WE WILL GO TO LOWES AND YOU CAN PICK OUT A LITTLE BUILDING".  That's exactly what he said! my heart skipped a beat. 

These wet rainy days make looking after animals, especially sick ones, extra hard...

Heidi seems better, if we can just get the muscles in her front legs strong again. When it's not raining, we bring her outside.  I've rubbed her little legs and tried helping her stand and walk. She actually took a few steps on her own, with front legs straight, this morning, which was very encouraging.

But how discouraging is this? We have six straight days of rain in the forecast starting today. There will be a picture of the weather forecast at the bottom of this post. 

Last night instead of getting on the computer or sewing,  I stretched out on the couch and watched "Mountain Men" with Poppy...

You see, I got up Monday morning with vertigo and nausea. Scrounged around and found a bottle of Dramamine tablets and decided to take one. It helped, but made me sleepy.  I began feeling better and by Tuesday felt okay. Yesterday and today though, I have had periods of nausesa and feeling a little dizzy. Not a good feeling!

Don't know how Dumperoo knows, but as soon as I sit down, he appears and will not leave my side. 

Weetie stayed close by too. Worried about me, I suppose. I can tell you the sewing room was pretty empty last night. 

Funny about my vertigo and nausea; Shelby (my sister) got up Tuesday morning with the same sickness. We haven't seen each other in weeks! Strange, right?

Well, here's that depressing weather forecast I promised...

Thank you reading this mess, if you're still here. Sorry for all different size print and all the times I used the word "little". I'm as bad as mama used to be. :) 

Love,

Henny 

 

 

A walk to the garden

Hey Friends,

I'm surprised any of you ever come back to visit. I was lying awake at 3:00 am one morning this week, remembering questions that some of you asked in past posts, which I never replied to. I'm sorry and will try to answer them in this post.

The weatherman said we could have sun, up until lunch time, then the clouds would come back bringing rain overnight. 

Well, we've still got sunshine and it's 2:27 pm. Yay! So, I wandered up to the playhouse and teeny tiny garden to have a look around...

and found things looking pretty dull and drab. 

Could I ask your opinion please...I stood looking at the "long legged tower" and thinking how the playhouse and greenhouse would look better with it gone. What do you think?

Suddenly, I find it looking awkward and out of place. I guess Poppy will have a fit. Remember back when I talked him into nailing four long legs onto that little wellhouse roof? :) Maybe I can move it to the edge of the woods and he will never notice. 

Anyhow, I swept the leaves from the playhouse floor and picked up a can or two the wind had blown about. When spring comes, I need to buy new cushions for the chair. No, I need to buy a new chair, then cushions...and paint the mirror frame a bright and cheerful orange color.

The empty garden inside the gate looked pretty drab too. In the fall when I raked up the Willow Oak leaves, which are small leaves, I spread them over the garden soil. A layer of leaves protects the soil and feeds the earthworms...besides that, it just looks warm and cozy.

Why, if it wasn't for Smokey, there'd be no fun at all in the teeny tiny garden.

I kept an eye on the sky, watching the cloud move in and thought, good grief! Why didn't we cut down all the old sweetgum trees years ago.

Sweetgum balls! What a mess they make! Many years ago I picked up several wheelbarrow loads of those pesky sweetgum balls and had a brainstorm!! I will cover the muddy path to the chicken lot with sweetgum balls! Just so happened that evening that it was Poppy who closed the chicken house door. Walking on balls was not easy and his feet shot out from under him. I remember hearing him say, "WHAT THE H---". I spent the next day raking up sweetgum balls. 

one more picture from my trip up to the teeny tiny garden...

and greenhouse. Three years ago our neighbor Ann brought this little dying plant, saying she was going to throw it out but thought I might want it. I stuck it in a pot with fresh soil, and here it is now. Such a determined little plant, the cold doesn't seem to bother it. 

and now to answer a few questions...

A few weeks back I posted a picture of our soon to be new neighbor Steve...

Connie, at "Far Side of Fifty" asked if the new neighbor had something to do with the cutover across from our property. Well, no, thankfully. Steve and his wife bought land at the end of the dirt path. A beautiful piece of property with a creek that flows across the back. Maybe another year and they both will retire and build a home here. We are looking forward to that. 

Leigh, at Five Acres and a Dream asked if the vet suggested giving Heidi...

something that would build up her blood as she is very anemic. No, the vet did not. Leigh, I thought I had your email address, but could not find it...I wanted to ask your opinion about giving her something. Gwen had mentioned Redcell, but also warned about possibly over-dosing. Gwen also suggested molasses and I have tried a bit of that. 

and my blogging friend at "Coffee on the Porch with Me" asked the size of our little goat barn...

Poppy says it's probably 10' x 12' and the attached little bedroom is about 6' x 8'.  I'm crazy about the little barn and when it's clean and filled with hay and the afternoon sun shines in...I am tempted to move in with the goats. 

Sorry this is so long and boring. Hope to be back soon. The days are getting longer...and February is the month to cut back rose bushes...here anyway. 

Thank you friends!

Love,

Henny

Mostly about Heidi (update to post, pictures added)

More black and white photos from another dull dreary wet rainy snowy day...oh, and icy. 

and here's looking out the little kitchen window, Thursday morning...

and looking out the little pantry window, also Thursday morning...

very little of this melted throughout the day on Friday but on Saturday the roads were clear enough for me and Poppy to strike out to the grocery store. 

You know how we Carolina folks are...a few snow flakes and some of us go crazy; stocking up on groceries and water and such. :)

One more picture. The wispy little tree right behind the old dog house was covered in dots of snow that looked almost like white flower buds. Doesn't show up so good here, but something about the picture I liked; could it be the touch of color?

Oh friends, I feel like the most awful mama. Let me tell you a bit about Heidi goat...

You know, I thought all along that I was taking good care of Heidi and Rosie. They get plenty of feed; goat pellets, minerals, hay, and we worm them, occasionally.

I keep their little barn swept clean and always keep two buckets of fresh cold water in their lot. Oh, and I couldn't love them any more than I do...but all that was not enough.

Heidi is completely down and doesn't have the strength to stand. Friday, Poppy helped me get her loaded in the large pet carrier and into the back of the truck. 

It took the vet only minutes to determine that Heidi has three types of internal worms and also external blood sucking parasites. I read online that goats are so sensitive to blood loss that even the amount of blood that parasites ingest, whether internal or external, can lead to amnesia and even death. 

The vet treated her for both the internal and external parasites and also sent medication home for Rosie. He told us to add alfalfa nuggets and black oil sunflower seeds to their diet.

It may take weeks or even months for Heidi to recover...if she does recover. We are very hopeful, and I plan to do everything I can possibly do to help her...which includes reading and learning more about caring for goats.

  

Speaking of animal feed, have I ever shown you the opposite side of our little pantry/laundry room? :) Well, it's the feed bucket side...

There's four on bottom, four on top.

had to pour some half buckets together to make room for the new alfalfa pellets and additional sunflower seeds. I do hope little Heidi pulls through. She's just got to.

Through my blog, I've met a new friend whose name is Gwen. Meeting her could not have happened at a better time...for me anyhow. Gwen and her husband have a small farm and lucky for me, they raise goats. Gwen has been such a help, giving me lots of good information and advice she learned first hand, tending her goats.  Thank you Gwen.

Didn't quite finish this post last night...how quickly Monday has arrived! 

Just got to share this bit of good news...when I got to the goat barn with a bucket of feed this morning, Heidi was standing! Her back legs were straight and she was walking on her front knees. That is a BIG improvement! 

We are keeping Heidi inside the enclosed part of the little barn. I've moved the benches and added lots of hay to make her comfortable. Besides, she needed a little space of her own because of Noisy Rosie. Rosie thinks it's cute to push Heidi around.

Okay, I will end this here. Thank you for visiting, and thank you for all the nice comments regarding little Heidi. Will keep you posted.

Love,

Henny

Oh, what lucky goats, to live here on Gwen's farm...

I had asked Gwen for a few pictures of her farm and goats and look what arrived! Such pretty healthy looking animals, and look at that green grass, and blue skies, and happy grandchildren. Thank you Gwen! 

Thank you, dearest friends! I appreciate you all so much!