Mally Quack Quack - The Story of an Orphan Duck

What do you do with a duckling that has hatched but it's mama was eaten by a fox two days prior? Why you bring it into the fold.

That is what I did about 5 weeks ago, when the wild mallard that was sitting on her nest outside my office was killed by what we think is a fox, leaving her nest unprotected.  No one thought her eggs would hatch without help but it is against the law to move the eggs.  So they set there in one of our potted plants.

Luckily, they were close to their full gestation period, and two days after Mama Mallard was killed a duckling hatched. Turns out she would be the only one that hatched.  Being that is was Friday at 4:45 and no one wanted to leave her to fiend for herself, I was called upon.  Because I have "sucker" written across my forehead and I live on a farm. :)

MQQ only an hour old.



MQQ only a couple of days old.

The only room in my house that I can close off is the bathroom, so Mally Quack Quack is now residing in my bathtub.  I remember from previous ducklings how messy they get and the tub cleans up quickly. This is how Mally Quack Quack came to live in my bathroom.



MQQ 2 weeks old.

MQQ started out swimming in my sink and she has since progressed to a galvanized tub and a swimming pool. Because she is living in my tub, each day when I take a shower she gets to swim in the sink.  In the beginning she couldn't touch the bottom and was able to swim about, now her feet touch and she really can't go anywhere.  It is hard to believe that she has gotten so big so fast.

She will soon move outside to her own pen with access to a baby pool. It is almost complete so she will be able to spend her days enjoying the outside world.  But for now she is still living in my tub and splashing in my sink.


MQQ loves sitting on my shoulder at 3 1/2 weeks old.

I hope to release her back to the wild where she can join a flock.  For now I am enjoying her sweet company. I will keep posting as her story and adventure continues.

MQQ splashing in the sink at 4 wks old.

All This Rain Has Made the Flowers Grow

With all of the rain we have been getting in Lexington our grass has been growing wildly out of control.  Even though our grass becomes jungle-like within days of mowing, I'm still happy to see rain falling from the sky.  This is because of all of the other plants that are happy when the rain comes. 

 

Our flowers have had a banner year in the garden.  Everything is growing and blooming; roses, lilies, hollyhocks, begonias, larkspur, geraniums, inpatients, petunias, cone flowers, and the list goes on and on... My strawberries have even been giving me big, beautiful red fruit in adundance.

 

The riot of color with a lush green background has this wonderful calming effect on me, especially when a small breeze makes the tall stalks gently sway as if conducting the garden orchestra. 

 

So when my life seems to be constantly on "GO", I am able to "stop and smell the roses" I appreciate that my view is one like this and that the rain has brought me so many flowers.

 

Not So Patiently Waiting for Breakfast

 

Breakfast couldn't come soon enough for these three mischievous amigos. You can tell that they are starving by their round bellies. :)

Blooming

Spring jumped out of nowhere and came on full force this past week. It smells heavenly on the farm; the lilacs and cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The tulips are up. My bleeding hearts and lilies of the valley all have flowers on them.

Expectant mothers are around every corner. The birds have built their nests and are sitting on their eggs. The geese at the pond have an egg they are eagerly waiting to see hatch. Baby bunnies and baby mice have been seen scampering around.

Even the young snakes have been seen.

Yep, spring is here...now I'd just wish the weather would realize it! I have another frost alert tonight, so I'm covering plants and wearing a sweater!

But I'm trying to appreciate this cooler weather because before too long its going to be hot and I'll be longing for the cool temps of April.

Flowers in March

Daffodils aren't the only flower popping up around here. These purple beauties also come in a white variety and both are springing up everywhere here on the farm. They are a gentle reminder that spring is on its way, no matter how many times it snows!

Blackberries & Snakes - Every Girls Dream Morning

Saturday morning after my chores were done I decided to head to the pasture and pick some wild blackberries.  I have plans for those blackberries and, by golly, the birds aren't going to get all of them before I can get my fair share.

So me and the dogs got to picking before it got too hot.  And yes the dogs picked blackberries, unfortuanelty they didn't put them into my bucket but kept them for themselves. Selfish little beasts. :)  At one point there was a row of dogs next to me with their heads buried into the bushes.

Thank goodness they could only reach 2 feet off the ground!

Puppies still picking blackberries, whereas, the dogs are headed to the other side for fresh berries.



Scooby Snack

  

 At one point while I was picking I got a strong sent of cucumbers.  My cucumber vine was 100 yards away and it is barely surviving, so it wasn't my plant making this scent.  I had heard an old wives tale about copperheads secreting the scent of cucumbers when they feel threatened, and I know there has to be snakes in the blackberry vines, so not wanting to get tangled with a snake I backed away quickly and moved to some other bushes.

Now the cumcumber smell might be an old wives tale, but I can't figure out what would have suddenly made that smell where I was.  And I didn't want to take any chances.

Snakes have their place in this world, I would just prefer we didn't travel in the same circles.



A small tangent - this spring when searching for something in the attic I came across a snake skin in one of my boxes. I dropped that box and beat it downstairs...QUICKLY!  When I got downstairs that overwhelming feeling of "You are going to have to deal with this because there is no one nearby that will move that snake skin for you" came over me. Hand to forehead...sometimes I really hate being an indepentant woman. 



And...this was one of those times I chose to ignore the problem.  I made sure I got what I needed, but I waited for my Dad to visit and dispose of the snake skin.  There are just some things I would rather not have to do.  I can dispose of animal caracasses everyday but one snake skin creeps me out.

Where the cucumber sent was coming from.  I didn't want to explore any further.

After changing locations I proceeded to fill my bowl with juicy, wild blackberries and I only had to give up a few to the mooches with puppy breath.  I can't wait to make cobbler, cake and jams. Yum!  Now the temperatures need to cool down so that I can get back into the kitchen without sweltering.



Please keep an eye out for the others.

"Can I have those?"

A full bowl's worth even with a "snake" encounter.

Farm Animal Friday - Lulu

When you step outside of my house around 4pm you are likely to here a couple of things - chickens clucking, birds chirping and Lulu, the mule, braying.

She is not necessarily braying because she is hungry, though she will happily take any feed you give her, but around 4pm is when Brady, my thoroughbred horse, comes back from the front pasture with the cows - otherwise known as "work." It's like she calling her husband in for dinner.

Lulu

Lulu is a sweet mule who at one time had a mischievous streak.  I was told that in her younger years she would cause havoc for her hitch partner and for anyone wanting to handle her.  She could leap tall buildings in a single bound and fight off monsters. I have heard her referred to as "a fiery pistol," (that might have been an understatement). 

She is older now and has subdued quite a bit, and then last year I brought Brady to live with her.  Those large ears perked up and she was immediately enamored.  She now had someone to "talk" to and share meals with.  So when he isn't home on time she let's the world know the only way a mule can...braying. It's just one more wonderful sound of a farm.

Brady greeting Lulu after a long day at "work."

Strawberry Nibbles

Finally, after years of growing and tending to strawberry plants I have strawberries that actually take two bites to eat!!!! Yippeee!! Usually I get the tiny, misshaped nibbles before the bugs…or sometimes, the dogs, get them. All it is a taste sensation – a good taste sensation. But now I actually have real big strawberries.

I have been guarding them from everything…including myself. I want these suckers to ripen perfectly and then enjoy them as they were meant to be enjoyed…straight from the plant. Yum!

It all started when I bought a couple of strawberry plants at the store because the picture offered me possibilities of harvesting my own strawberries, and the bounty could be used to make jams, cakes, pies, etc. Yeah right…it takes more than two plants and at least a couple of years. So I kept purchasing plants and buying the offered strawberry hanging baskets, all in hopes of having a bountiful strawberry harvest.

My plants have been through a lot; me knocking them over, the dogs chewing on the leaves, squirrels trying to hide their nuts in the pots and the weather. But they have hung on through it all. Starting this spring I got quite a few little nibbles, where I could get the sweet taste of the strawberry while I was outside. But that is all. Then about a week ago I noticed one of my later bloomers had a huge strawberry growing on it. At first I thought it was an optical illusion. On closer inspection it was a real strawberry that was at last 4 times bigger than anything else I’ve harvested.

While keeping a close eye on it I noticed that another large strawberry was developing…JACKPOT!!!! I might get to make strawberry jam. Or not, I don’t think two strawberries will make me a lot of jam.

Hopefully the rest of the plants in this container will bless me with big strawberries, if not though, I will appreciate their sweetness in a small nibble. For now I get to look forward to two big juicy strawberries. I can’t wait!!!

UPDATE:  I ate the large strawberry this morning, and it was...wait for it...Perfectly Sweet.  Everything I imagined. Yum!

Adventures in Puppies

Roughly seven weeks ago one mama dog and her seven puppies got a reprieve from death and came to my house. A friend had seen a beautiful red heeler posted in an email imploring everyone who red it to adopt or foster her and her seven puppies immediately because she was due to be put to sleep in two days time. This friend knows that I'm a sucker for sob stories and cute puppies, so she forwarded the information onto me and two days later she was delivering said mama and pups to my doorstep.



Maggie nursing her puppies



Maggie, as the heeler is named, came with seven wildly different puppies.  None of them looked like her.  It was almost as if someone had switched litters.  There were three black puppies with white chins, chest and toes; 1 butterscotch/brown puppy; a black and tan puppy, a white and black spotted puppy; and a mostly white tri-colored puppy.  They were three weeks old and already trying to walk around.  And, oh, so adorable!

They all got names from characters that Paul Newman played: Luke - Cool Hand Luke, Hudson - Cars (Doc Hudson), Cassidy - Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Dodge - Message in a Bottle, Murphy - Fort Apache the Bronx and Maddox - The Helen Morgan Story.  One of the girls is named Charlotte after a Pride & Prejudice character (this was when we only thought there was one girl. Turns out I was too hasty in trying to sex Cassidy who previously was known as Butch).

Maggie and pups settled right in.  My two dogs, Willow and Denny, enjoyed having visitors.  Willow was immensely curious about the little squirming beings. Denny just wanted to play with Maggie, and she was more than willing.  My cats weren't thrilled about the new additions, so they decided they would stay outside until the puppies departed.

The weeks were filled with cuddling, feeding, cleaning, playing, teaching and loving. Luckily I live on an acreage so the puppies could go outside and see interesting things like cows and chickens.  They cows thought the puppies were a little strange and didn't want to get too close.

Charlotte - 11 wks old

Scooby - 11 wks old

Mama would sometimes supply them with fresh meat, not one of my favorite things. I don't know how many times I would find them chewing on a animal she had just caught.  I don't know much about Maggie's life before the shelter, so I'm guessing she had to fend for herself for awhile. Though I appreciate the rodent and groundhog control, the puppies (and Maggie) were getting fed a really good diet so Maggie didn't really need to supplement.  Plus, I don't enjoy disposing of animal bodies. Unfortunately it comes with living in the country.

Luke - 11 wks old



Maddox - 11 wks old



A couple of weeks ago four of the puppies; Dodge, Luke, Murphy and Cassidy found homes.  Unfortunately Luke had to come back because the older dog at the house didn't want to have a sibling.  So four puppies are still looking for homes; Scooby, Luke, Maddox and Charlotte.  All of them are smart, sometimes too smart, sweet, loyal, playful, gentle and want to be loved. If you know of anyone who might be interested in a heeler/hound or a heeler/lab mix please feel free to leave a comment.

Horseless in Horse Country

For the past two years I have been a horseless horse-person who lives in horse country.  As you could probably guess it can be quite difficult to see these beautiful creatures frolic in the pastures and not be able to touch, groom or ride one. (I also notice the longer I'm away from horses the more idyllic I picture them. When in reality they cause almost just as much frustration as happiness.)

After this two year self-imposed exile I decided I needed to bring them back into my life.  I am now living on a farm with some acreage, a barn and multiple other animals - mostly cows...so why not?  I could afford a nice pleasure horse.  And Kentucky has its share of horses looking for good homes.  And I really wanted to explore Kentucky by horseback.

The process began, I don't ever remember it being so exhausting when I had looked for my past horses.  I wasn't looking for a competition animal, just something that I could have fun with on trail rides and maybe do a little eventing.  I couldn't spend a fortune and I needed something a little steadier than my past high-energy horses.  I'd find one and try it out...and it wouldn't be quite right...or it was little too energetic...or not broke...or they thought their 15 yr pasture horse was worth the 5 grand they were asking. 

I almost gave up.  It was October; Fall had settled in...I told myself that I didn't need a horse. Then it happened...as it always seems to do.  I inquired about one last horse.  A blood bay thoroughbred on the CANTER KY website named Outlaw's Song.  I looked at him before on the website and really liked him but I didn't think a recently retired racehorse was for me.  I needed steady.  I needed quiet.  Not high strung and temperamental.  But one statement on his listing grabbed me and wouldn't let go... "They even take him home (from the track) on the weekends for some time off and trail riding."  TRAIL RIDING!  What!?! This doesn't sound like the racehorses I am used to seeing.

Something clicked in my brain, because my fingers immediately typed an email to the CANTER KY contact for more information.  I thought the least I could do is check him out.

After a couple emails, I received a phone call from Outlaw's then owner.  He told me more about him...basically he was the family pet who at times would run a race.  I told him more about me and what I had done and what I wanted to do with a new horse.  Fifteen minutes into the conversation he said, here's what I'm going to do...I'll bring him to you this weekend and you can try him for a week.  If you like him, I'll take $500 off his price.

That happened fast.

My first response was stunned silence, then after finding my voice and letting my mind look for any potential potholes I said "Okay." I was getting a horse...at least to try.  After months of looking did it really just happen that quickly? My mind was whirling, my adrenaline was pumping...I had to clean the house just to keep busy because my adrenaline was pumping so hard!  What really kept me from going into hyper-drive was that I had a week to try him out and make sure we were a fit.

Two days later, Outlaw arrived. 

A little back story, where I live has a few jersey cows (with horns) for milking and one donkey...a very curious donkey...or as I like to call them the Purple Horned Monsters (PHM). During the day they are in the front pasture...this is where we had to unload Outlaw.  The PHM's were curious when they saw the trailer but when they saw Outlaw come out of it they came running!  And the donkey started braying!

Can you imagine unloading into a new place and the first thing you see are five overweight, oddly-shaped horned beasts running at you and then hearing the loud noise that sounded like a dying crow?  I think I would crap my pants and run.  Luckily, Outlaw didn't do either. He just jumped back and willingly followed his owner to the nearest exit.

I did my best to keep everyone back as we got him to the gate away from the chaos. And Outlaw did a good job of staying out of their way.  As soon as we got him through the gate and away from those oddly shaped creatures he put his head down and started grazing.  He would look up every once in a while but overall he was content...like he hadn't just been greeted by fire breathing dragons.

I think this just might work....

Outlaw meeting the PHM's

(To Be Continued)

Comin' In

Each evening the cows come down from the front pasture to the back pasture.  This journey takes them through a nice shady lane.

Normally, I head up the lane with Jackson following closely behind me to call the girls in.  This particular evening they were already heading in.  It was a nice little surprise.

Jackson is watching the girls come down the lane, missing his evening herding opportunity.

So nice of the girls to head in by themselves.

Mama Cow is always first.

Then comes her 2 yr old calf, the Future Leader.

Sweet Rose trying to avoid the paparazzi after a hard day.

"Are you really going to take my picture?" Julie isn't too keen on photographs today.

And BeBe making sure everyone made it in.

If only every evening was this easy.  No worries, I am sure I will be walking up the lane looking out for snakes tomorrow.  The girls like to keep me on my toes.  At least Jackson will be happy.  He loves being the herd dog of the operation.

I Like to Think I am Loved

I would like to think that the chickens genuinely like me and are running to see me.

But I know better...they think I have food.

This is what I see every evening on my walks, even when I am not carrying a bag of veggies.

A few herald my appearance.

Then the rest start to follow.

They come from all directions.

Waiting expectantly for some tasty morsel.

Mister Rooster is always front and center...though he rarely gets the first bite.  He's a gentleman like that.

They just keep coming!

Piggy, my shoulder riding chicken, is in the middle of the pack hoping that I have saved her the best bite.

Wow, we have a lot of chickens!

Yeah, I would like to think that they just wanted to be in my company but the truth is I had food.  It helps the ego to see so many running to be near you. :)

I Never Thought I Would See This

I never thought that living in the city, even though it is on 20 acres, that I would have more wild critters running around then when I actually lived in the country on a big ole’ horse farm. But it is true. Since there is no major green space all of the wild critters come to my little 20 acre paradise. I have seen the traditional squirrels, and variety of birds. Now I am seeing raccoons, foxes, and the ever present groundhogs. I think we have a least ten that call my paradise home.

One of her favorite holes in the field.



It is these groundhogs that keep Willow busy. She has always got her head in one of their gigantic holes. Holes so big that I have contemplated using them as storm shelters during all of the tornado warnings we have been having here in Lexington. On our evening walks she will dart off because she has caught a glimpse of an elusive yet ever-present groundhog.

This past week while my Mom was visiting, we were planting flowers into the garden. Out of the corner of my eye I kept seeing Willow run around; at first I didn’t think anything of it but then I realized she was looking up and circling the same area. Looking up, I first thought the tree had a huge wart on it’s branch but it turned out to be a treed groundhog. That’s right, Willow treed her first groundhog. You might be shaking your head in disbelief, much like I was doing, because as the name indicates these are underground dwelling creatures but apparently they can climb. I even took pictures so that I could have proof.

She stayed on that groundhog until he or she came down. Once it was down she proceeded to chase it. She caught it but she was so stunned that the groundhog got a 3 yard advantage and beat her back to its hole.

This kept her busy for awhile.

Willow’s day was made and I was very proud of her. My sweet puppy has found her new ambition…Groundhog Hunter. (It’s the catching part we are working on.)



P.S. Two days later we discovered that that particular groundhog had dug up under my house, right under the heater and broke it. Now I’m really glad I have my own bona-fide Groundhog Hunter at home.

Meet Begonia

Meet Begonia, a slightly irrational Jersey milk cow that lives on the farm.  Her personality is less than approachable, more standoffish and somewhat belligerent.  But yet I like her. I want to say that she is misunderstood but I don't think that is it.  She trots to the beat of her own drummer and even at that she is off beat. Begonia, or BeBe as I have affectionately started calling her, gives our small herd character.

Begonia "BeBe"

I RESISTED!!!

A friend and I visited the local Tractor Supply store so I could pick up a card and as I paused from talking my ears picked up a faint chirping (actually it wasn’t faint, I had just decided to start listening.) Immediately my brain processed the sound and I knew it was the music of baby chicks.


Ditching my friend, with a quick “Chickens!” over my shoulder, I raced toward the sound. There I found bins full of baby chicks, ducklings and bunnies. And they were so adorable, I wanted to take them home. Problem: I don’t need any more chickens. A little backstory: I love chickens and every spring I have to stay away from the farm stores so that I am not tempted. I live on a farm that has 80 chickens, 5 cows, a donkey and a mule…and I personally have two dogs, a foster dog and 3 cats so I don’t need any more animals. But dang they were cute and oh so tempting.

After much effort, and help from my friend, I left the store without any animals. I know that my animals are happy for that.

Harry has Hedwig and I have a...chicken?

At my new place there are 80 chickens I help look after, mostly on weekends, after a while you start to see their personalities. For instance there is one that follows me everywhere hoping that I will drop food. Others squawk when I get to close to the nests, and then their Miss Piggy.

Miss Piggy gets her name from her ability to go right for the source of the food...the food can. When I am filling up the feeders for the rest of the chickens she waits til my back is turned then jumps into the open container to gorge herself. No other chciken has figured this out, so she has zero competition for an unlimited source of food. Well unlimited until I turn around and lift her out.

It was because I was constantly picking her up that she got comfortable with me holding her. Now she actually seems to enjoy sitting on my arm which on this one occasion became my shoulder.

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Winter has established itself...

What a crazy winter this has been. It seems like we have had snow on the ground as soon as the dishes were done from Thanksgiving. So, needless to say, it has been a beautiful white winter but incredibly chilly.

Starting Dec. 1st I have been taking care of cows and chickens on the weekends. i have been getting the feel for what living on a ranch or farm would be like. Believe or not I have been enjoying it and I am looking forward to owning my own property some day; (of course, check back with me in a year). This winter weather has been enjoyable, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I can't wait for Spring to get here. I have already got the itch to start planting my garden.

I get to start a new garden this year, since I moved (more on that later). I am hoping to add more varieties of plants and vegetables. Since my gourds did so well last year I would like to have one or two vines of pumpkins this year. There are more rabbits at my new place so I am going to have to start thinking about rabbit deterrents. Does anyone have a good idea? At one point I thought of leaving Kody and Willow out in the garden, but then I remembered how much they like the soft soil of the garden. Maybe I could create a moat around the garden and keep them there, kind of like dragons protecting the castle.

Kody and Willow are enjoying this weather; Kody especially with his big winter coat. The cats...well, no so much. They are enjoying the warmth and cuddliness of my couch. Speaking of the couch, I think it is time for me to go stake out my spot before the cats completely take it over.

Stay warm!