Apparently the White Chickens are not the only ones hiding in the bushes.
Can you see Mr Flowers?
He hung out with the meat chickens all day yesterday. Tucked into their weedy bushes.
There is a space for him (Mr Flowers) and the layers to hop in and out of the white chickens run; over a big box. (I do not want flying birds caught under that netting and the gap is through the garage so it is less likely that a rapter will fly in there but could certainly fly out – it is a delicate somewhat flawed balance and so far so good). The layers are scratching birds and keep the area cleaned up, they are also teaching the white chickens to eat their veges.
There have been no more attacks since we put up the netting though the hawks are still making their presence known.
The cats are hiding in the bushes too!
These last two cats are so old that for a moment I thought Vandal was dead until I got close to him.
Last night LuLu ( the smallest oldest cat) patted my study door with her little cat paw and bleated her tiny lamb meow asking to come in. She only ever comes inside in the winter. And seldom uses her voice. So I guess I must concede. Winter is on the way.
Vandal is not allowed inside. Ever. He can sleep with the pigs.
There is a wet warm front on the way which gives us a small reprieve from the cold.
Last night was one of those nights when it was just cold enough to want another blanket but not quite cold enough to warrant getting out of bed to get one. I woke up warm though, after the longest deepest sleep in ages.
And the kindest most gentle dreams.
Good morning to you.
What’s on the agenda for you today?
I am setting up all the pigs for winter. And cleaning out the white chicks house (again) – the apple trees are getting excellent fertilizer this year! I need to begin the pruning the fruit trees soon too now that it has cooled off.
Plus I am making two households worth of Shepherds Pie and a pound cake. (I hope – kitchen time is at a premium lately).
Take care and Talk soon.
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
19 responses to “Camo Cat”
I hope the netting continues to protect the chicks and Mr. Flowers. A fast moving hawk would be a tangled mess if it made a dive for them.
Today, a man comes to replace the exhaust fan on our Radon abatement system. It is 9 yrs old and starting to growl. Radon in the homes is a common problem throughout Iowa due to the way glaciers ground up and spread bedrock across the state. The bedrock contains traces of Radon that are radioactive causing higher incidence of lung cancers. It seeps up under house foundations and gets trapped in the air building up to high levels. The fan system gently circulates it out from under the foundation and avoids the buildup.
Stopping the hawks is certainly a problem – I have welding gloves on hand in case something makes a dive for them and stuff hanging about on the net and in the tree as warnings . Best I can do really.
The radon is an interesting discussion- glad that you have fans to move the bad air on . We are so used to man made poisonous gases that it is interesting to hear about such an ancient problem which I guess only became a problem when we started putting concrete slabs down on the earth. Fascinating.
It’s still 21ºC here, though some rain is due to take it down to 16º or 17º next week.
That will be chilly!
The best part of this post was reading that you got a full night of deep sleep! Wonderful news 🙂 We have rain and thunder here on the coast so expect it to some degree your way in the next days unless it goes up into Canada. The big pigs seem to be wondering where their rain slickers and boots are as they contemplate the rain…
Shepherds pie sounds good. I’ve been thinking I need to make one soon.
Hoping to get back to the house to cook for the afternoon. John will cover for me if my plans work.
I think that rain is coming this way too. We have it in the forecast.
The name Vandal explains why he never comes inside. I know all to well the blanket dilemma, but happy to hear you received much needed rest. 😊
Vandal is a horror inside – he has no manners at all!
Must be a male. 😂
Indeed!
I so agree, very happy to hear about that good night’s sleep, so richly deserved and needed! We are off to Italy on Saturday and so starting to gather things together. So far rain and some storms are forecast everyday at our location! Not complaining though, like you l love to travel if only for a quick hit this time. Clever Lulu😊
Oh!! Italy! I love Italy. Now I am feeling a little envious!
Why does Vandal have to sleep with the pigs?
Vandal screams his head off all night, fights the dogs, and sleeps on the counters. He digs through the trash and knocks things off the shelves – he is not an inside cat!
Oh! I guess not. Outside is his favorite spot
I finished sewing my three year old’s dress–I copied it from one she’d torn a huge hole in–and I made some tortillas out of corn I grew. And I did the school run (which is actually a walk), the household chores, and went to work. Sometimes I feel like the Little Red Hen. I even told the family that I was eating the extra tortilla because “I planted them, weeded them, watered, harvested, processed, ground, cooked…” I could have eaten them all myself! but I wasn’t quite that mean 🙂
This sounds wonderful! And I SO. Understand the little red hen! You and me both. Though I am pretty useless at making tortillas!
That deep sleep and pleasant dreams are the best reprieve-reward during these busy times.
Further to my previous soup comment… more and more I incorporate plant protein in the form of lentils to supplement meat protein in casseroles, stews, cottage pie. Today I’m making a big batch of versatile savoury mince in the slowcooker. Ingredients are 1kg grass fed ground beef plus carrots, big orange sweet potato, onion, garlic, celery including leaves from the garden finely chopped up in the food processor, a jar of tomato passata + the rinse water, a few anchovies and a big spoonful of homemade dehydrated ground mushroom seasoning for umami and a cup of dried red lentils which have been soaked overnight, rinsed & drained. We’ll eat some for a couple of dinners and freeze the remainder. Can be used for cottage pie, lasagne or other pasta/noodles, baked potato stuffing, with fried eggs and/or rice, smeared on a pizza base, etc.
Oh yes!! Very versatile. I must get the slow cooker out. Good thinking. The lentils are an excellent addition. I’m having such trouble finding time to shop! So the cupboards are pretty sparse.