Several things here

It may look a little like fall here now, but it feels like we have jumped smack dab into the middle of January! 

Seriously! 85 degrees on October 31st, and 28 degrees on November 9th...and next week is supposed to be even colder. Don't we need a bit more time for our bodies to adjust?

Our sweet little flock of seven guineas...

is now six. We lost one to a Great Horned Owl just before daylight one morning early last week. I have grieved right along with this sad little group.

We raised these guineas from babies and they have been so tame and so fun to have. They actually tag along behind me when walking Eli...it would be a funny sight, I'm sure...me and big Eli followed by Weetie and Smokey, followed by the row of guineas. 

Not much "pink" left in the yard now except...

this camellia at the back steps. Have you ever seen a more pitiful bird house as that one in the picture? Actually, there is a little Wren's nest inside. We have another bird house with a tin roof that will go there.

and speaking of little Wrens...

This old fruit basket was hanging from a nail under the shed. Look what was inside. Such a cozy nest for baby birds. 

Burrr!! Let's go back inside to the sewing room where it's warm...

 I've been busy sewing again. It's about time too! 

 got a couple of girl's aprons made from the sweet Hollie Hobby fabric from cousin Pat...

I tried cutting out a doll from the fabric and stuffed it to fit in the pocket. 

I think little girls might like these, do you?

Shelby and I have a big new craft event..."Santa's Christmas Bazaar" in Franklinton, coming up November 23rd. It's supposed to be big, and a good one.

and, using some of the fabrics from a special friend Diane in Kentucky...

made this "Beehives and tiny bees" bonnet and apron set, and also the pink rosy doll dress and the bonnets. 

Well, I've covered about everything here, oh wait, better run and let Eli in. He's at the door with his bear...

Hope to be back soon. Thank you to another new follower...who actually followed after the silly inchworm post. :) I do appreciate my blogging friends. Best friends I have ever had.

Love,
Henny

A day in the yard

Dear friends,

I fully expected to pull up my blog and find that all of you had left me. Sure hope you're still there.

I've been in the playhouse today...why, I've been all over the place today!

We've had a couple of cooler days and of course, I went crazy...cleaning the garden, moving plants around, raking leaves, cleaning out the teeny tiny greenhouse, stacking pots...

Why stacking pots took a while and I'm still not happy with the look. Sometimes I think being a Virgo will drive me crazy! :)

and leaf raking! It's way too early for that! But did you see all the leaves inside the playhouse? Our entire yard looks that way. It's this dry weather! We need rain!

Mama used to say, "oh it will rain again. It always does". Well I sure hope mama was right. It is dry as a bone here. 

The guineas kept me company inside the garden today. In fact, they got a dust bath just inside the garden gate.

Oh, that one strange looking plant left in the garden is "Horseradish". It has been growing all summer so now I need to read how to harvest the root, and then grow another. Whew!

Here's another thing! There's always something needing to be rescued...

I went to get a bucket of compost from the bin, which is dry as a bone too, and pulled up this tall skinny pitiful looking weed. But wait, that outer shell looks like an English walnut! and look at the long root, reaching from under my thumb all the way to the fig leaf...

This was the top of the plant. Did I mention pitiful? Oh, this little nut tree just has to live. I will keep you posted.

Look what I found while cleaning up the garden....

Remember the beautiful Leek that grew and grew then burst into a ball of tiny flowers? Her remains. :( Hopefully one of these tiny seeds will product another beautiful lady.

One more thing to show you...

Poppy was deer hunting and found this unusual mushroom in the woods.

and this is how it looked the next day...

sorry for the poor quality. The picture was taken with Poppy's little flip phone.

Okay, this is it. Thank you for stopping by. My plan is to do better at posting and visiting, and I mean it! 

Thank you, new followers. I do love my blogging friends.

Love,
Henny

On Henny Penny Lane today

Poppy was out fishing in the rain early this morning. He said back in 1996, when the little pond was built, that one day he would catch a ten pound Bass out there. We shall see. 

A tired and sad little bunch of guineas gathered under the kitchen window...

They seem to be grieving the loss of the only little female in the group and staying close to home these last few days.

The little female went missing a couple of days ago. Thinking she might be sitting on eggs hidden in the woods, Poppy went searching. All he found were her feathers down near the pond.

Something wrong up at the house, Mrs. Duck inquired.

I spend more time at that kitchen window, but it seem there is always something going on there.

and lately we can't keep the hummingbird feeder full...

aren't they fun to watch? 

and we had to laugh at this little one...

instead of eating, he took up guard duty on the big old ladder, looking first one way...

then the other way.

Guess that's about it for now. Well, except for old sweetie pie, asleep on the couch...

Love,
Henny

Termite feast!

Good gosh, is it ever hot and humid today! Not complaining! The sun is shining!! I've just come in to cool off, eat a popsicle, and load the termite pictures. :) Sound like an exciting life, doesn't it?

Guineas drying off yesterday after yet another shower of rain. Anyhow...

I had cut back a big overgrown button bush, which, by the way, almost beat me to death, and was dragging the limbs down the path to the woods when I spotted a cloud of what looked to be billions of small winged insects taking flight!

There were supposed to be flying insects in this picture.

it was so silvery and pretty, all the tiny little fluttering wings in the air. So, I ran to the house for my camera, then ran back to the woods, but the silvery cloud was gone... then I saw this...

  
Termites! Hatching out of an old pine log and flying away. Where the heck are the guineas, and where are all those frogs and lizards when you need them. "Here guinea, guinea, guinea", I called...

and they came running! Surprised me too!

I left them to enjoy their feast!

Well, I didn't get any scaffolding built for the chickens but I did find a big fallen tree limb...  

and dragged it into the lot. Most of the hens flew up on the limb, but, of course, by the time I got the camera out all had jumped down...

except for one.

The weather forecast for next week sounds absolutely wonderful. Lower humidity, lower temperatures, and sunshine!!! Things should dry out, even the poor chicken's feet. 

That's about it for now. I'm going back into the heat, this time, up to the garden to finish the little wattle fence. Such as it is! :)

Thank you friends.

Love,
Henny

Dinner, and a little critter update

Here's our little Thanksgiving meal...

it was just the two of us, so I  cooked small and didn't do any fancy table setting. Goodness, I could have at least sliced the turkey breast and put it on a platter before taking the picture. Not a very pretty Thanksgiving table, but it did taste good.

and here's Poppy heading back into the woods across the road, to sit in a tree. I offered to go sit in the tree for him if he would wash the dishes and walk Eli, but he said "no thanks".

Granny Marigold recently asked about all the critters, so here's a little critter update...

I am totally shocked at how fast a baby rabbit grows...

isn't she (or he) adorable? She still doesn't have a name. I call her little sweetie pie, but we've got a dozen little sweetie pies already. We need something special, and I just can't come up with one that fits.

Here's big old Bun Bun, little sweetie pie's papa. She doesn't favor him at all, does she?

then there's Fiona. Fiona does her own thing. In fact, she has been hard at work digging a tunnel. See her dirty little feet and nose? She has built a nice little storm shelter under her cage. 

Miss duck duck paddles along the bank with us when we walk. She seems lonely since her best friend Mrs. Muscovy is sitting on a few eggs on the other side of the pond. Crazy, I know.

Eli found a broken duck egg 

the babies decided to leave the heat lamp and sleep upstairs.

cozy little bunch.

and since going through molting, these hens have stopped laying. Not one egg have we found in the chicken house in two months. I've bought two dozen eggs lately. Probably the first store bought eggs we've used since moving here in 1989. 

and that sweet little Rosie. Why she has tried her best to eat every leaf that falls. See her there in the picture with the chickens...eating leaves! We had to close her up in the goat barn until I could rake the lot...

I will have to get a newer picture to show you just how fat she has gotten. She is obsessed with eating. Seriously! Wonder who she got that from? :)

We haven't seen Wilder lately. I do worry about him and hope he is safe in his own little rabbit hole somewhere. Weetie did go tearing off  after something a few nights ago when I went out to close the chicken house door.  It could have been him. Weetie like to chase rabbits and squirrels, but could never catch one.

Maybe I will sew a little tonight. Thank you for stopping by.

Love,
Henny