After dragging myself and my suitcase across America and back again I was more than happy to put on my work clothes and get stuck in to farming again.
After being away a few days in the tidy suburbs It strikes me is what a lot of junk we have accumulated over the last few years or am I still clearing out junk that accumulated over the years before my arrival here eleven or so years ago. 
Anyway, even though we are in the shortest days the chickens are still laying quite well, the ducks still give around a dozen a day, I think runaway Molly is pregnant though she made a real mess of the old gate she broke through – that needs replacing. Both sets of cows are up on the concrete waiting for the fields to dry up a bit.
Poppy and Sheila are all good in the rat house ( called the rat house because when I first arrived it housed whole families of enormous rats – then I sold the grain bin and got cats and housed the chooks in the rat house and they soon sorted that out). No rats now.
Jude the little rescue pig is fat and happy – yesterday I sorted his house and bed back out and set him free again. He loves to run all over the yard. In fact he seems quieter and less manic after a week without me.
Tima and Tane are well, Wai is vigorous though his skin is so thin. Tane the crippled boar is so grateful for this incredibly warm winter so far.
Who else? Cats, dogs – all good. Mr Flowers and Pania present and accounted for.
On our way back from the railway station the night before last we saw four coyotes – big healthy animals – caught by the drift of our headlights in a field a mile from here. They watched us pass with interest. There have been wolves and cougars sighted around these parts but I have never seen one. We have no large stands of trees for them to hide in. I am saving for one of those motion activated field cameras to put down by the creek. Anyone have any recommendations for a reasonably priced one? The long grass and young trees down the back houses many pheasants and wild birds – my ‘no shooting’ signs (as well as my attack dogs and waving arms) have taught strangers to keep out for a few years now. With a little protection and the trees, the birds are flourishing. It stands to reason that other species might be there too.
Anyway- today I hope to get my teaching assignment finished in the nick of time – you were right I had NO TIME to write in California. Sorry about that.
I still have all your questions listed though and will answer them as we meander into the new year.
Take care. I will do the chores then come back in to chat!
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
55 responses to “HOME, AND IT IS STILL WET”
A healthy coyote population is a good thing where I live, in a riparian farming valley in California. We have a creek at one side and a river on the other, with levees on both. Coyotes keep the ground squirrels under control. Poison is also effective, but is dangerous to other animals and birds. The coyotes also work on the jackrabbits and cottontails, which make them an asset in the alfalfa fields and row crops. The only loss I’ve had to coyotes is barn cats. We need the cats for rodent control. If the coyotes would just catch and eat rats and mice in and around the barns, that would be fine.
Yes – I feel we have a similar balance around here. I have never had a problem with them – though I don’t leave baby animals out or anything silly like that .
That looks like duck heaven! Jude is looking tall.
GoPro make very good small cameras which are often used for film and TV. They are modular and can be operated by a phone app. They are multi purpose and could be used for many things on the farmy. I’ve just seen older models (new) on eBay for about $20.
Can you leave them outside overnight?
I think so – they stick them to airplane wings and all sorts.
Lordy!
No grain bin + hungry cats + assertive chooks = no rats Got it.💕
Yup – you got it! So did the rats!!
All the mud! At least the ducks are happy.
The ducks are in heaven and looking very good.
I have three of the small Browning cameras, have had them for 2 or 3 years now and I like them. They’re simple to operate and use AA batteries. I use the red and gold DuraCells and they seem to last forever. Once a week I make the rounds and swap out the sd cards to see what’s going on out there. Funny but on the one closest to the house and barn I usually have at least one pic of a coyote. We have some fellas who regularly hunt them so they’re kept in check around here. Whoa to a coyote who gets inside the fence with Winston the donkey! Apparently there are wolves in the general area though I’ve never seen or heard them (I think it’s the coyotes I hear at night). We have had cougar and bear sightings too. It’s been unseasonably warm here also though we did have a bit of snow over night and have a couple of cold days predicted. All in all some squirrely weather!
Thank you sherry darling. I am sure this Christmas was hard – all my love!! Maybe I need a Winston. I have always fancied having a donkey!
It’s good that you could come back and find everyone fit and healthy and all the systems working. Shows they were good systems and everyone was in good shape when you left. Cold and rain sound rather good from the peak of the Wet in northern Queensland. We have the rain, just not the cold; the temperatures are in the crazy range all over Australia. I’m also keeping a weather eye on my favourite forecast site, Windy.TV, which is showing another potential cyclone brewing in the Coral and Arafura Seas. That’d be a jolly start to the New Year, eh? I’d love to see night vision of your local wildlife, by the way…
Oh merciful heavens. Batten down the hatches.
I have to go and move a pile of 20 sheets of roofing tin we’ve got in to fix the big shed, or it could turn into flying death. Happy days… We’re good for 4 or 5 days yet, so maybe I’ll wait till the Husband’s off shift and we can do it together.
Yes – that sounds like a bit of a hazard.
It’s good to hear how it’s all going on the Farmy. Happy New Year to you my lovely!
Goodness! There is no need to apologize for not writing much. We all have priorities.
Agreed!