Thursday morning chick fiasco

Ella and the nine are abroad

It was about a quarter 'til nine, when I went out to milk Thursday morning.  I noticed that the cats were all lounging around the chicken tractor (where Ella Mae and her chicks are living).  I should have known something was up!  They were all innocently sleeping when I went back in with the milk, so I left them alone.  

I brought the milk in and started to strain it when I heard a commotion outside including the excited peeping of a chick.  Running outside, I saw Sassy (Liam's cat) streaking across the yard holding a chick by the tail.  He went through the fence and out to the pasture near the goat pen.

Of course, I was barefoot (and we live in mesquite country) so I was running on tiptoes yelling at Sassy to drop the chick.  He ran under the truck and luckily kept going to the woodpile.  After I finally caught him, I had to choke him to let go of that bird!  While I held Sassy by the scruff of his neck, the chick ducked into the woodpile.

I locked Sassy and the other cats in the garage, then went out to help Liam with another  chick.  While I was chasing Sassy (with Liam laughing at me), he managed to catch the other escapee and hold him until I could open the cage for him.  After attempting to lure/dig/scare the chick out of the woodpile, we decided to let Ella Mae and her brood out to call the chick.

We locked the goats out of their pen, so they wouldn't disturb the returning chick.  Then we tried to get Ella and her chicks to make as much noise as possible as they were exploring the backyard.  Liam went out to watch for the peeping chick from a vantage point on a picnic table and reported on his progress.  The little chick actually crossed most of the goat pen and was closing in on the yard when Sassy came running around the yard fence and grabbed the chick again!  I thought I was going to kill that cat!  Evidently, he squeezed under the garage door.

I grabbed Sassy (I had shoes on this time) and he immediately spit out the chick.  The chick ran to the woodpile.  Aarghh!  I take Sassy and throw him into a chicken cage.  Liam was laughing at the whole chase and I was walking around muttering in disbelief and thinking murderous thoughts about a certain black and white cat.  I had told Sassy earlier that I was going to kill him and Liam wanted to know how we were going to do it!

After a couple of failed attempts to lure the poor chickie out using his mother, we ended up locking Ella and the brood back up in the chicken tractor.  I fixed the hole that had appeared under the edge of the cage.  Then Liam and I went inside hoping that the little chick would come out on his own.  It was 11:30am!  Over two hours of chasing fowl and feline and there was still a chick in the woodpile!

When we got home from my parents' house that afternoon, I was hoping, hoping that the chick would be waiting at his cage door.  I really didn't expect it, but miracles do happen!  Well, I went outside and there was the little guy waiting for me.  I opened the door and he hopped right in - thank goodness!

Oh, and I didn't leave Sassy locked in the chicken cage all day, though I was tempted!  I did relish seeing him continuously try to get out while the hen and her chicks wandered freely around the yard.

Mustang grapes are here!

The kitchen is beginning to smell like cooking grapes - yum!  Jason picked 8 quarts of mustang grapes yesterday and is out picking more today.  Though the high was 108(!) degrees today, tomorrow a cool front is supposed to come in and cool us off (to 90).  I'm so excited that fall is coming.

The mustang grapes will join the domestic plum and wild plum juice that we put in the freezer earlier this summer to can into jelly this fall.  We also have a Mexican plum tree loaded with pretty pink plums just begging to be picked.  Liam and I brought in a grocery sack of them today, but I hope to pick more tomorrow.

Mexican plum blossoms in March

So we should have at least four different types of jelly to eat on our honey wheat rolls this winter.  I can't wait!

Our latest recipe experiment was 'Trombetta pancakes', which Jason made on the grill (because it was so hot to cook indoors).  Add to that some wild blackberry syrup and we have a very local and delicious meal!  I froze dozens of cups of blackberries earlier this summer after wading through prickly wild blackberries in 100 degree heat.  I think it's time to claim my reward...

Trombetta pancakes
    * 4 eggs
    * 2 cups grated trombetta (or zucchini)
  
    * 3/4 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat
    * 1 Tbs white sugar
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
    * 3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
  
    * 4 teaspoons baking powder
  
    * 1/4 cup butter, melted

   1. Preheat grill to 425 to 450 degrees F (220 to 225 degrees C).
   2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, add shredded zucchini and mix well using a fork. Add flour, sugar, salt, spice and oil and stir to blend well. Finally, add baking powder and mix well using a large spoon. The batter's consistency should be like heavy whipping cream.
   3. Spoon batter on hot grill (about 2 tablespoons) for each pancake. Cook until there are no longer bubbles forming in the pancake about 2 minutes; turn over and cook for 2 minutes longer. Rub pancakes with melted butter and serve immediately (with yummy blackberry syrup, if you have it).

Like most good squash bread recipes, you (and your picky children) cannot tell that there is a vegetable in it!  The pancakes were quite tasty even using whole wheat flour - yum!

Mustang grape arbor partially covered in Trombetta squash vines

My truck is back!

My truck - winter '09

We were able to pick up the truck from the shop in Jacksboro on Wednesday.  Of course, the steering column that I drove 150 miles for was the wrong part - it belonged to a 1996 truck.  Thank you very much Dallas County Auto Salvage in Grand Prairie on Macarthur!  Unfortunately, it probably wasn't incompetence, but rather dishonesty.  I will never do business with an unknown business again without a complete internet search first!  Actually, I did do a search, but they had changed their name.  Grr!

Luckily, my truck was at a new shop in town, Main Street Auto, and the mechanic there was resourceful (willing to rig), so he was able to fix it up without the part, after all.  Too bad he didn't mention that option before I drove to that forsaken salvage yard!

I may be silly to be sentimental about a truck, but I've had it since I was 16 (as many of my high school friends remember).  This December will make 17 years, so I've actually owned my truck for over half of my life!!  As long as I can find parts (or someone willing to rig something up), I don't see any reason to buy an expensive newer truck that will probably have lots of problems, anyway.

So, thank you, thank you, Main Street Auto, for repairing my good old truck for me! 

Hot, hot, hot!

OK, I think that I can handle a lot of heat pretty well, but I've had enough!  By day 22 of 100+degrees for highs and this morning, the low was 82.6, for goodness sake!  The sun seems to drain all of my energy in the first few minutes of exposure.  Perhaps, I've just had a hot weekend.
Saturday, I drove into the city (Fort Worth) to get a steering column from a salvage yard for my old '89 Ford F150 truck.  After a week of searching for the part online, I finally decided to get it at the closest location - Grand Prairie - 75 miles away.  I found the place easily enough, but learned that they only accepted cash - grrr!  Of course, they could've told me that over the phone, but that would be too easy.  I don't have a pin for my credit card so I ended up cashing a check at one of those 'fast cash' places.  Lots of new experiences that day!  I just fervently hope that the silly part fits my truck, after all that driving in the 103 degree heat!
My nieces are visiting for the week, so we've been down at my parents' house every day.  My older niece, Kinley (age 5), really wanted to help me milk the goat, since she helped me on her last visit.  This time, we got a few pictures.

Milking practice!

In this picture, I think Lacey is wondering what the heck is going on back there.  She was sooo patient with me, as a beginner milker, and she continues to be patient with little Kinnie, as well.  I believe it helped that Kinley said that Lacey made such tasty milk!  Liam always helps by bringing out Lacey's milking reward - animal crackers.  Lacey demands her crackers immediately after milking.

Tonight, both girls were up here at milking time.  Kinley was helping me milk.  Her sister, Melanie (age 2), was in the yard on the swingset, crying.  Liam worked on locking the other two goats out of the milking pen.  Everyone had a job!  Now, I'm worn out and ready for bed.  This week - soccer camp for Liam and Kinley in Jacksboro - fun!

What a group!

We have little peepers!

One of our little grey Cochin hens disappeared about a month ago.  I had noticed that she was missing at feeding time and hoped that a predator hadn't gotten her during the night.  A few days later, I was weedeating a spot near the house in the backyard when a grey flash of wings suddenly flew out of the grass.  Ella Mae had decided to set on a clutch of eggs!  After weeks of waiting, we have nine amazingly cute chicks following their momma around the chicken tractor.  No two are alike - all are different colors!  The last to hatch out is the little white chick.  Liam has already chosen that one as the 'pet' - he's been lucky enough to hold her a couple of times.  We're thinking of naming it 'Snowflake'.  Yes, we're thinking about snow in August because it's 103 degrees right now!
 

Ella Mae with her chicks

Ella Mae is already teaching her chicks to hunt grasshoppers - good momma!  Every time I pass the grasshopper trap (Liam's wading pool), I grab a couple of swimming hoppers and take them to the chicken tractor.  Ella immediately starts calling the chicks when she sees me coming with the bugs.  Imagine a little hen chasing and tearing into a grasshopper with nine chickies following - everyone peeping loudly.  Soon there's nine excited chicks running around the cage with pieces of the unlucky grasshoppers in their beaks!

Bella on her nest

All the other chickens have visited Ella and her brood.  My little silver Cochin, Bella, was evidently so enamored with the babies, that she decided to hatch some out herself!  So, hopefully, in a couple of weeks, we'll have even more chicks to eat the all the grasshoppers around here.

Watering Day

Rainwater system tanks

9:15 am - It's watering day!  It's supposed to be 101 degrees today, so maybe the water will keep us cool.  Since we use rainwater captured off of the house for water, we save that wonderful water for indoor use.  We have a 1500 gallon tank that we have to fill with pond water about once a month during the summer.  There is a pipe and hose system attached to that tank for watering our garden and flowers.  On those 'watering days' when we switch to the pond pump to refill the tank, we also water everything we can reach with a hose!  Liam (my 4 year old son) is outside now watering the herb garden (and the patio). 

herb garden

3:00 pm - Everything has been watered/flooded at least twice now.  The plants are already looking happier!  Liam and I are both wet from various water fights out in the yard.  His favorite game now is for him to pretend that he is a turkey and I'm supposed to lure him out of hiding (with my turkey call) and 'shoot' him with the water hose.  He is also enjoying the assortment of mud holes that have mysteriously popped up out in the flower beds.

10:30 pm - I'm calling this watering day a success - it smells like rain outside.  We've probably moved about 2000 gallons of water from the pond to our tank/garden today.  Now the water has been switched back, so we can use water in the house again without worrying about 'pond water' entering the house!  Now, maybe the temperature will drop and we'll get some rain in the next couple of weeks (I hope I'm not dreaming).