Now we're thinking we should leave this big old dead tree, because maybe he sits there more frequently than we know. It is up the peak of Lythos and he hunts around the slope of the hill often. We see him hunt but haven't seen him land before. He was making lots of noise Saturday though so he didn't go unnoticed. I was heading out on the trail on Lucy and was having Dan take a picture of us going out into the woods. The hawk got the last few whirls of camera battery.
This is not the one that visited. There was no band on its leg. This I know for sure because it let me get way too close before waddling off bobbing its head and looking at me with those beady rat like eyes. Yuck! I am not a pigeon fan. They are very much like rats in my mind. Nastiest bird next to a Sea Gull. I guess it's just because of the scavenger flocks you see in cities and on some farms. We had a flock one year in Standish when I was kid. I got lots of target practice that year with mom's .22.
Last nights pigeon visitor was bobbing around in the arena sand. I followed it, got way too close to it. Wondered if it was injured somehow. It was not fluffed up like an sick bird should have been. So I charged at it. This did make it take flight for about 100 feet and then it landed again in one of the paddocks. Tired maybe? Long flight off alone, misdirected somehow? I let it alone. I figured it would rest and be off again on its trip to some city where there are more french fries to eat.
It stayed a little too long:
Scooby found it this morning. It let him get too close too. For some reason Sparticus didn't eat it. (Too fresh--he's used to eating his fowl a bit more aged?. Maybe. He was already full? Not a chance. That dog had hold an amazing amount of food. Shucks I've seen him swallow pieces of meat bigger than that pigeon whole.) What ever the reason, while I was off in the woods trying to follow where I saw him disappear with it in his jaws, he circled back to the cabin and buried it right at the edge of he rock Dan is making a base for the front steps with. I knew it was there only because he was so adamantly guarding it from Bear, and even tackled him when he got too close. Then I looked and saw the tell tale few feathers strewn near some scratch marks.
My concern it that there was something wrong with the bird and eating it could make Scooby sick. I think I will dispose of it some other way. Why would a pigeon in its right mind / body let us get so close?
Nope. These piggies are very happily cooling off in their 50 gallon water trough / swimming hole. Notice the male "Bacon", is sitting down in the water. They will both lay down in it when the level is a bit lower.
My how they have grown!
This is Henry he is a Heritage Black from the Noble Sam bloodline. He is the Boar who sired the the little piggies we brought home on Saturday. He weighs approximately 600 pounds and resides at Alder brook Farm in Athens Maine. He has his own back scratcher rake and gets lots of love and attention. His stall is a run in type and is kept amazingly manure free. The entire farm is remarkably clean.
This Charlotte she is from the Warbler blood line and momma to our little ones. This is one of the pastures that the pasture fed hogs live on year round. More to come later on the Heritage breed, Alder Brook farm and pictures of the little guys. . . (I hate when work time cuts into blog time)
And these are our cute little piggy pies: Loinie and Keven (yes--as in Bacon).
The Final afternoon of the Annual Mushers Bowl on Highland Lake in Bridgeton.
$20.00 a head for a half hour ride. Alicia was the name of the musher who took the grandkids out.
Somewhere out on the Lake cassie got out of the sled and stood with the musher. She immediately apon arrival said she hoped they got the Purple sled with the pretiest golden lead dog. She jumped for joy when it turned out they had. I was thrilled that they got such a kid friendly musher--though I'm sure all of them were very pleasant, judging by the many smiling faces all afternoon.
Alicia gets a kis from one of her lead dogs. She said her dogs do race but had not been part of the racing this past week. They were just there to give rides. They all seemed very happy about it too.
Beautiful animals. They work hard and eat a lot.
There was a fair amount of trading out of dogs during the afternoon. A fresh dog would be brought out of its box from the back of a truck to eagerly replace one who was taken to a tether line for food and water and rest. These dogs are so full of energy their traces are tied off to trees between runs. Notice in many of the photos of the dogs in traces that they are often testing that tether while waiting. There were some who would dig at and kick up the snow impatient to be off and running.
It looked almost like heat vapor rising off the roadway outside the shop, but not quite. What in the world? Dan walked out to get a closer look. A swarm of bugs. They began to cluster on a nearby bush and it was soon discovered that they were bees. Raychell quickly searched on line for information on Swarming bees and learned that they will not sting when swarming. They swarm to find a new hive. Bees only sting apparently when they have a hive to protect. before swarming the bees gorge on honey. This tends to sedate them. They need to find the new hive before the honey stores run out. I understand they will rest occasionally like this swarm during their search. Dan , Kelly & Dave couldn't resist the urge to explore this phenomenon. They snapped a few pictures and then left them alone to rest and continue on their journey.
These European Red Deer don't wander very far on DeerWander Road. But ever since I first drove down that road when searching for property I just loved it that there was a deer farm on DeerWander Road.
JB, the woman of the farm and now neighbor, was very hospitable in allowing me to photograph. She loaded me up with apples from a box that she said squirrels had gotten into. many of the apples had tiny teeth marks as evidence. She told me all about her deer and about the Standard-bred race horse she used own. She talked about farming cattle for beef prior to the deer farming. The Doe pictured here came right up and ate apples out of my hand. JB laughed out load when I asked her if the deer farming was business. She pointed out this the deer eating from my hand was a rescued deer from a farm being sold off due to divorce.
This is Brave-heart. The big buck who covers all the does. He had to be removed from the herd, explained JB in exasperation, "because he's a jerk!" He ran himself ragged herding the does continually. She said he lost 100 pounds. He was quite relaxed in his own paddock. he never got up once while I was there.
I was home sick yesterday and since the car was the only warm place I could be I drove around part of the morning looking for Raychell's cat. Something had eaten the cat food Raych left in the stalled construction project just beyond the deer farm where someone reported seeing a cat just like Cairo. I saw cat tracks but who knows (?). I met another neighbor on Mansion road walking her dog who said she saw a cat fitting his description at the home next to hers. It was a cat she hadn't noticed previously but she didn't know if they'd gotten a new one (?). JB feeds "stays" (and some who stray from rather nearby homes) in her barn. She hasn't noticed a Cairo looking kitty though.
The bank called yesterday and said that we should be called today with a closing date for the loan. I cried. Partly due to being ill and partly due to being so overwhelmed by mud. The cold is uncomfortable at times but the mud and the dirt is so hard on me. I will take some more pictures of the yard and cabin area before the construction resumes in earnest. I haven't for a bit because I can barely stand to look at myself right now.
But the view remains spectacular all the time. It's getting brown and gray and green. The yellows and reds are fading. I equate the blandness of coloration with rest and cozy cuddling after a days work, trail ride, or a cross country ski in the chill air. I love this time of year and the winter to follow. And today I get teary eyed again when I think of how comforting it will be to have everything all buttoned up for winter after this stress filled Autumn and be sitting in front of the fire napping with my hunny!
Well.
It seems we have birds. I don't know what to name them. It may take time. We just met. They love the dogs. The dogs want to eat them. The birds aren't making that connection. They yell for them when they leave the room. If I leave the room also they get very loud. I went down to the barn and I could hear them loud and clear from the open window beside the computer where I placed the cage. They have learned the call of wild birds. A couple of them very loud. The whip-o-Will is one and the others I will have to have DM identify for me. This may be the reason that we inherited them free of charge. So far they seem quite interactive and the loud spells are easy to quell or don't seem to last long-not sure which it is. I am not a bird person and will have to start reading and taking notes. The darker one with the brightest orange face spots is the friendliest. He (?) will step onto my finger readily. The other seems to be the boss--gets first dibs over the strawberries, but doesn't want to get on my finger.
I was at the Physical Terrorists this morning being stretched and put through my paces, when Ann called. I appologised and said I had to answer it, it could be important, we are trying to save a little ram lamb from the meat man. Sure enough it was Ann. She found someone to take him. "Call Brad! Stop the truck!" she said urgently. I called Brad. He said he wasn't there. I thought we'd missed the truck. But no. A breeder came looking and spotted him yesterday. He took him to Berwick to use as a real ram. A studly Rambo Ram.
The dogs were so intent on killing little Lamby! It was horrible. Sparticus was off his feed and pacing the wire mesh. He would bite the wire when the sheep came close to it. But he only did that when I was there, When Cindy came to clean yesterday she let them out and Sparticus didn't go near the barn. Bear sat under the tree watching for another chipmunk. (?) I am baffled. As soon as I got home they were at it again. Bear barking and Scooby stalking and pacing. I couldn't take it. I took him back to Brad's.
Now I feel evil. The project folks would have taken him Friday. Now he will become part of a curried lamb and rice dish at 'Tan Dor'. I love that stuff. I don't have the huge problem with that that Ann does. I grew up raising a sheep , a pig, and cow every year to put in the freezer and share with my cousins and aunts and uncles. But I do wish Rambo (Ann named him) could have worked out. Ann by the way was the one who thought it was a bad idea. She would have left him for the project folks (the katahdin hair sheep project folks) now it's to late they have gone back to Pennsylvania or some other away place. The project is over. A dealer is coming on Wednesday to take all the rest. Ann has sent out all points bulletins to try to say Rambo. She has less than 24 hours for someone to come through. I have to ask my ferrier. his kids do 4-H with cows. maybe they would like a groovy Hair sheep ram lamb. I'll call him.
Hay to Rescues
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