Just a word or two

Mr. Eli barked, all Halloween night...

keeping the scary things away

Yes, you!

We did have unusual weather for Halloween, especially being the last day of October. It was windy, hot, and humid, and 85 degrees! The storms came through here around 9:30 with heavy rain and winds that scattered dead tree limbs and leaves over the yard. 

Smokey said he didn't hear a thing!

Looks now like we are headed right into winter. Wish we could have a few more pretty fall days...but that's North Carolina...jump from hot and sticky to freezing cold.

I'll have to credit my friends and neighbors for the fall display on the front porch.

Neighbor Ann brought the marigolds a few days ago. She said the rain beat them down. Then yesterday I came home from grocery shopping and found the long-handled gourds, a surprise from my friend Nellie. 

Ann stopped today and handed me this grassy looking tall stalk with seeds on top. It came up in her flower bed. Anybody know what this is? I like it!

So yesterday I closed the little vent windows in the greenhouse to make it warmer, but it still looks cold inside...

I'm thinking of putting a teeny tiny table in the teeny tiny greenhouse and make use of those teeny tiny stools. I'll have a candle burning on the table and a cup of tea. I will let you know when this happens. :) Sounds cozy though, doesn't it?

Actually, I have been thinking of using those big emergency candles to burn in the greenhouse for warmth. Wish I could come up with something. Those small space heaters run the electric bill up. Any one have any ideas?

Well, I just wanted to post a little something. Need to get busy. This day is going way too fast. Thank you for visiting.

Love,
Henny

Just noticed a new follower. Thank you so much!

A HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Halloween on Henny Penny Lane...

For Halloween, my daughter Lynn did something with her journal called "October Daily," where she did a journal spread each day in October. Her journal is about witches, learning more about what happened in history and how the witch-hunt craze became so horrible and widespread. The journal is also fun and full of bright paper, sketches and old images. This particular spread is about my twin sister and her being born in what they called a "veil."

Lynn's journals are amazing, but this "October Daily", to me, is super amazing. One of my favorite entries is Episode 7. You can see Lynn's Episode 7, and others, on YouTube at abitofbirdsong.


Thank you dear friends, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Love, Henny

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Darkest night...

the old cedar chest...and a scary kitty cat...

Hey, it's pretty neat living in a house that can look a little spooky at times...comes in real handy at Halloween...

especially with a little adjusting of the colors. 

Not a Halloween night passes that I don't think about how Poppy used to scare the life out of me. It would be pitch black out here in the country...

when I would pull in the driveway on Halloween night after working all day and driving that long drive home from Raleigh.

Sometimes I would sit in the car with the doors locked for a while, too scared to get out. 

Poppy had the most horrible mask. Wish it was still here so I could show you, but the rubber face finally got all sticky and gooey and one of the eyeballs fell out. What a relief that was!

But, he would wear that mask and put on an old dark plaid robe and his big brogans, unlaced, and carrying an ax, would be hiding somewhere in the yard, ready to jump out when I got out of the car. Really glad we have outgrown all that! :)

So, this is about as scary a post as I can come up with. Speaking of scary, I have an appointment with the back doctor today. Yes, it's been aching again, and most of you warned me to "be careful" and "take it easy". Hopefully, I have just hurt my back...chopping down trees and moving cinder blocks...and it will get better. :)

Love,
Henny

Halloween on Henny Penny Lane

Strange, very strange...

Why did those white lines show up, that were not there when the picture was taken? Scary stuff!

and why did their faces change???

The old cupboard on the front porch is perfect for holding a few scary items on Halloween. But seriously, I don't know what caused those white lines.

My grandma's old home place has nothing to do with Halloween, but I was going through some pictures, saw it and thought, this would now be a scary place to be on Halloween night, and what a shame. Why, mama was born and raised here...

This home was once warm and cozy, and lived in. We visited here when I was a child and I remember mama and daddy leaving me with grandma for a few hours late one evening. I was surely very young. The living room was lit with an oil lamp and grandma spread a quilt out on the floor for me to play on. 

One of my all time favorite Halloween nights, well, in my adult life anyway, was back when Poppy and I were dating...and I've posted this before...

we went to a Halloween party at the Holiday Inn, in Southern Pines. We were not aware that a fifty dollar prize would be given for best costume. We were simply in love...and on the dance floor most of the night. At closing time, the announcer asked, will the cowboy and his Indian maiden come up front. We won the prize, without even trying.

When the party ended and we got to the car, we realized that we had locked the keys inside the car. Count Dracula and his wife gave us a ride home. My apartment was only three miles from the hotel. 

I gave up on trying to decorate this table, but the crow on the witch's hat  lets out a series of caws when we walk out the front door. 

Wish we could look forward to crowds of children knocking on the door for treats, but we live too far back in the woods for that. Why, it would scare me to death if a ghost or goblin came rapping at the door, way out here.

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "Tis some visitor", I muttered... The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe  I like this poem! 

Mama simply hated Halloween night and was scared to death of folks dressed up. I think she may have enjoyed the children on Halloween after she moved in with Shelby and Jimmy...and felt safe.

Have a scary one!!

Love,
Henny

Just when you think you are getting ahead...

Yesterday, there was a little set back to my fall cleaning, Poppy was home all day! I should have stayed home instead of riding with him to Oxford to pick up the wall clock we had repaired. We then drove to Wake Forest and walked through Lowes, hoping to buy enough carpet for our two small bathrooms. Didn't have any luck with that. 

At Lowes, this couple greeted us at the front door. Her outfit looks like something I might like. :)

Do you ever have a day that, instead of accomplishing things, you only make more work for yourself? Yesterday was like that for us.  

Our late day walk with Eli...

after our walk around the pond, Eli, without his leash, likes to run on the dirt road and fight with Poppy. Well, he decided to check out the weeds on the far side of the ditch and guess what grew there?

Beggar's lice! Poor baby. These things were sticking to his feet and face and his tail was full of them. We couldn't help but laugh. Eli acted like someone had thrown a net over him, like he could not walk. It took some time to pick these sticky little seeds off him, and set him free.

It had been three days with no sign of Wilder. I was propped up at the kitchen sink, looking out the window, when who should hop by...

but Wilder. It's the bunny, I yelled to Poppy. Seeing him making it on his own, makes me happy.

and moving right along with nature,  we found a new tree growing on the property...

This is a possum haw, or deciduous holly. It reminds me of the holly trees here, except the leaves are not tough and sharp pointed. A pretty little tree with lots of red berries.

Better get busy. Poppy is home again today and here it is time for lunch. I might as well go search through the refrigerator. :)

Thank you for visiting.

Love,
Henny

HALLOWEEN!!!

Bet you can't guess who this is!?

Poppy's horrible old Halloween mask, the one he used to scare me with every Halloween, finally melted and the eyeball fell out. Thankfully!!

For years, on Halloween night I dreaded getting home from work, way out here in the country. Poppy was either hiding behind a tree or would jump in the back of my truck as I drove down our long dark dirt road, and he was always wearing that scary old mask and carrying an ax.

This one makes me laugh!

Happy Halloween from Poppy and me!

Love,

Henny

Scary Halloween and digging in the dark rich soil...

Gosh, I wanted a scary Halloween story to tell this Halloween morning but can't think of one. Better be careful what I wish for...Huh?

Living in the woods as we do can be pretty scary in the middle of the night anyways. Last Halloween I posted the story of Poppy and my scariest Halloween ever!!

There was one other dark Halloween night that Poppy tried to scare me death. It was always dark by the time I made the long drive home from work and really dark out here in the country...no lights anywhere except for the car's headlights. 

Back then I drove a small pick-up truck. I was almost home from work that dark Halloween night and as I slowed down at the row of mailboxes to turn off the paved road onto the dirt path leading to our cabin, a man jumped from behind some trees and into the back of my truck. I drove on and pulled into our driveway. What else could I do? As the truck stopped, the man jumped out, ran up and looked into the driver's side window at me...it was Poppy! It's a wonder that I didn't have a heart attack back then! He had walked up to the highway and waited for me to get home.

On Halloween, Mama would call and say, Dan, please don't try to scare her tonight. Mama did not like Halloween and was afraid of folks in awful looking masks. Poppy used to enjoy scaring Mama too.

Okay, enough about Halloween, except, hope you have a happy one!

Not a very pretty picture, but look! I did get the fig tree moved from the garden down to the south side of the house. Shelby says that is where a fig tree grows best, the south side. I'm planning on fig preserves next year. :)

and, with the help of Jewel and her baby chicks I also got the peach tree moved from the garden.

Hard to believe how fast these chicks have grown. I've been letting them out of their pen every day and they were all under my feet eating grubs while I was digging. I then dug the third hole and moved the overgrown potted blueberry plant from the teeny tiny garden. Can't tell you how proud I am of getting this done.

I simply must get out of here and get busy. I still have the cherry tree and an apple tree to move. That means two more big holes to dig...if my back holds up. Thank you  for listening again.

Love,
Henny

Scariest Halloween...

My Halloween post is the post below... Sometimes I wonder about myself!  

My Halloween Story

Halloween...

It has been a scary morning around here. Very early, before the light of day, I heard what I thought was the eerie cry of a screech owl in the distance. Thinking of the guineas, I quietly opened the back door. As I stepped out into the darkness a soft movement of white disappeared into the woods. Surely this was my imagination I thought, as I turned to go back into the safety of the house. That's when I noticed the old rocking chair moving slowly, back and forth...

Never a Halloween passes that I don't remember my scariest Halloween ever. Scary enough that I want to re-post my story so that I can share and re-live that frightful night...

Back in the late 1980's when Poppy and I first moved out here, we were deep in the woods.   Only one neighbor lived down our dirt path, a quarter of a mile from us.  The dirt path was narrow then, room for only one car.  Nights out here were dark, very dark.  Poppy and I both worked a 45 minute drive away, and in opposite directions.  In the wintertime it was  dark at 5:00 p.m.  Poppy's drive home from work was quicker than my drive home; his drive home was through the country.  I worked in downtown Raleigh and was in bumper to bumper traffic for quite a ways.

It was Halloween night and between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. as I arrived home and pulled into our driveway.  Immediately I thought to myself, why is it so dark out here tonight.  We normally left the light over the kitchen sink burning...the kitchen window was dark.  I stopped the car and sat there, wondering if it was safe to get out and go in the house.  My eyes adjusted somewhat to the darkness.  I was looking around...for what, I don't know...perhaps trying to convince myself that everything was okay and safe.  That's when I spotted what appeared to be a man standing behind a large oak tree near the driveway.  It was a man! He was holding an ax!!  I tried to breathe! My heart!  My hands were shaking as I started the car and threw it into reverse.  The man was walking toward the car...I had to get out of there!  My trembling hands caused the car to swerve as I backed out of the driveway.   This was a horrible looking man.  There was something wrong with one of his eyes and there was blood on his face like he had been injured or had injured someone.  A black hood covered his head and he was wearing a long, old looking, plaid coat. His boots were muddy. As I gave the car gas and began moving forward, the man began running; running toward the car yelling at me to stop, stop, ...

stop Mel, he yelled.  It's me, Poppy!!!

I can tell you one thing!! Somebody almost got murdered that night!!! and it wasn't me!!!

For years after that Halloween night, mama would call Poppy and say, "please don't do anything to scare her tonight"!  Mama was not a big fan of Halloween night anyway.  She was seriously afraid of that old mask that Poppy wore.

So that's my Halloween story.

By the way, that first paragraph was my imagination. The above story, however, is true.

Love,
Henny Penny

Guinea Update

My plan was to be at "Town and Country Supply" when they opened this morning.  Those baby guineas need medicated "Start n Grow" chick feed...asap! 

Before leaving, I checked on the babies, and oh, there lay one on the ground, cold and dead.  At least it looked dead.  It had somehow gotten out from under the mother during the night.  I picked it up and felt the faintest movement.  It was cold.  I put it under my shirt over my heart and came in the house. 

I put a soft cloths in the microwave to warm so that I could keep a warm one around the baby.  With one hand I mixed a little sugar in warm water and using a Q-tip, put drops to it's tiny beak.  I kept doing this and the baby began to move.  Then I noticed it's throat moved, like it swallowed.

Having no place warm to leave this baby (in the excitement over the guineas yesterday, I dropped the heat lamp and it broke), I started the car, turned the heat wide open, put the broken heat lamp in, got myself and the baby (still wrapped in warm cloths) in and drove to "Town and Country".  Holding the baby close to me with one hand, I carried the broken lamp, (cord dangling), and my purse and went in.  

I must have had that "I need help" look because the store owner and a lady buying horse feed asked if they could help.  I briefly told them the story.  The lady said let me hold the baby while you get what you need...the store owner took the lamp, replaced the broken bulb, got me 5 pounds of chick feed, and put it in the car for me.  I paid, thanked them several times, and took the baby and left.

The store owner said to me, "we have some of the nicest customers you'll ever meet...because they are animal lovers"!  He is so right about that!

Driving home, the heat in the car was so hot I thought I would roast! It was all I could do to drive and hold on to that now, lively baby guinea!!!  It is fine!  I can't tell it from the others!

Thank you for listening!  Happy Halloween!!

Love,
Henny Penny

The Rain and the Greens

This is sweater weather for sure.  An inch and three quarters of cold rain has fallen since last Monday.  Rain we really needed!!   In fact, the broccoli, cabbage, collards, turnips, and mustard have decided to grow.  Sounds like a huge patch of greens when actually there is only eight or nine plants of each.  Even that is more than Poppy and I will use.  This is my first time growing broccoli, and I am seriously looking forward to eating broccoli from our garden!!  :)

The turnip greens...

 The Mustard... 

The problem here is that Poppy likes only collards, no other greens.  He also likes turnips, not turnip greens.  I was reading just this morning about the health benefits of mustard greens, and that the peppery taste of raw mustard is good in salads and sandwiches.  Somebody has got to eat this stuff and it looks like it will be me!  I had a couple of leaves for lunch today...I know, Wow!!

 "Tofu Eggless Salad"...  1 lb. tofu, 1/4 to 1/3 c. mayonnaise, 2 tsp. prepared mustard, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, pepper (to taste), 1 rib celery chopped, 2 to 3 scallions (or 1 sm. onion minced), 1/8 tsp. turmeric,  1/2 tsp. soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. sea salt.  Mix together...this is good in a whole wheat pita pocket topped with alfalfa or bean sprouts.  I tried  it with raw mustard leaves tucked in with the salad and it was very good!!!  It has been years since I've made this salad.  After digging around in the cabinets I also found my jar with the screen wire top for growing sprouts.   Just may grow some sprouts!!!

Poppy made this picture Tuesday as we were getting in the truck to go shopping...late morning.  It was dark cloudy and misty...a little spooky looking which reminds me of a Halloween story, a scary Halloween story I want to tell you.  I will be back....

As mama used to say, I have simply got to get busy!!!  Hope to return soon!

Love,
Henny Penny

Poppy, me, and the Chickens

I had started this post over a week ago.

Talking about arrowheads and Indians in a previous post reminded me of something that happened back in the early 1980's.

One Halloween night there was a dance at the Holiday Inn.  This was back when Poppy and I were dating!   Everyone went in costume.  There was a contest for the best costume and a $50.00 prize.  Poppy and I actually did not enter the contest...we just enjoyed dancing and was on the dance floor most of the night.  Around closing time the announcer came on and said, would the cowboy and his Indian maiden please come up...that would be Poppy and me...we won the prize... What a fun night that was!!  :)

Being Henny Penny...I have somewhat to say about chickens!! 

What a ragged bunch of chickens we have here!   It is moulting season and the chickens, especially the older hens, look just awful!   Moulting has affected their egg laying too.   A month or so ago I was gathering 10 to 12 eggs a day.  Now it's 2 to 4. 

During moulting, the chickens lose their old feathers, usually  in late summer or early fall, and then grow new ones.  Our older hens, like Annie (far right in above picture), actually mope around like they feel bad.  Feathers are everywhere!!!

"Big Boy" sporting only one tail feather...Probably a good thing he and his hens can't see themselves in a mirror! :0

Keeps me busy cleaning out waterers and feed bowls around here!  Natural apple cider vinegar added to the chicken's water is supposed to give them a boost, make them feel better, and start laying again, so I'm taking the jug out with me this morning.  It amazes me how much water chickens drink!!

This Walking Stick bug was crawling on the bedroom floor this morning.   Have no idea how he got to the bedroom but is now outside again!!!

So, I have missed you all!!  Thank you for visiting.  I hope to have bunches to talk about and will be back soon.


Love,
Henny Penny