Tragedy and a Near Miss (and other stuff)

 After work yesterday I went out to check the chicks.

After counting over and over and over

it became apparent that we only have 7.

Mama hasn’t had a dust bath in 3 weeks.

So, now that she is unfettered,

she obviously took several during the day.

The floor of the little brooder coop

looks like the surface of the moon.

Including several large holes that now allow

access to the great outdoors

(if you happen to be the size of a golf ball…)

So…

I decided one of the little fluff balls

Took a “walk about” and got “got”

By the pterodactyl “aunts” in the great outdoors.

Meanwhile, I needed to clean out the old nest.

Opened the back and was cleaning (using a kitty litter scoop)

(best invention EVER)

when I heard MANIC peeping.

Glanced up in time to see a little red ball

dashing across the chicken yard as fast as her little legs

would carry her.

Followed by about half of the adult birds

with evil intent in their eyes.

They got her.

Half a second later, I got them.

Reached in and scooped her out of certain death.

Whew!!!

She was so tiny and adorable!

But scared silly,

so I put her back in with Mama.

(She is fine this morning)

Turns out, the wire on the coop is too big.

These little squirts can do just that.

Squirt right on out.

Gathered up some smaller wire

(left over from the rabbit hutches –

those baby buns are tiny too)

And re-wired the bottom half of the coop.

Now they are safe.

Nobody in.

Nobody out.

Further tragedy averted.

(I hope)

*******************************

After all the fun in the coop, Kyle came home

and headed next door on Jim’s 4-wheeler

to reclaim his sunglasses.

The day before, he was over there weed-wacking

along the back fence-line.

Just going along, minding his own business, listening to his iPod.

When suddenly, WHAM!

He got stung by a honey bee right on his eyebrow!

YIKES!

Looking up, he realized he was WAY too close to the hives.

Started running.

Tossed the weed-eater in the back of the Rhino

and took off.

Darn bees stuck with him.

He got several stings.

Including one on his finger while picking 4 of them out

of his hair – and naturally the bee didn’t love being grabbed.

In the process, he lost his sunglasses.

But was willing to write them off.

(grin)

Last night he “snuck over, quiet like a Ninja” and rescued them.

To celebrate, he came home and did donuts in the muddy pasture

right in front of the barn.

Normally the water trough is a white bath tub.

Taken from the house when we moved in.

The roof above the bathroom was damaged in the hurricane.

And the tub took the brunt.

It makes a GREAT water trough.

He had a good time “redecorating”.

And washing it all off.

***********************************

Speaking of bees.

Driving to work this morning, I pulled up behind a

small flat-bed pickup truck loaded with something I

couldn’t identify from a distance.

As I got closer, I discovered it was a dozen or so

bee hives – complete with buzzing bees!

Covered by some “sun cloth”.

I backed off a little.

And rolled up my windows.