Inundated with life

I guess we all really are overwhelmed by life. In my last post I had shown the picture of my hillside garden that I was working so very hard to bring to life.  It was very hard . Standing on the hill was hard enough, much less digging, tilling , mowing, planting , installing the fence-outsmarting that deer because she actually got buzzed by it and stayed away while the beans grew-until they were just a couple of weeks away from having them to put in my winter storage????????????????? Then my  daughter came running to Share with me and this was what I saw??????????????? The entire garden was demolished .  What the tree did not get - that deer devoured that night. There was no way to save any of it. The tree is still attached at the base and we cannot cut it up because the leaves would wilt and they are poison to your livestock so I do not want the donkey to eat any of them.I did get up under the tree and lay down a lot of my fence - just trying to save the poles as that was the major expense for me this Summer? Guess it would have been cheaper to have just bought a bushel of beans somewhere???

Then exactly a month ago I lost my best friend of 41 years. She went in for a knee procedure-the doc gave her a steroid shot and it spiked her blood sugar to 1200. Then infection set in and consumed her body. She lapsed into a comma and I sat with her while they turned the machines off.  It is horrendous to lose such a friend. They live in a space in your heart forever, if you are lucky enough to have one.

Yesterday I had a wonderful friend stop to share some crackers and cheese with me as I had been sick. I was so very grateful and after she left I went down to the main garden and picked a small mess of Tenderette beans. This is the last mess of them so I pulled the vines as I worked so I could see them better with my puny eyes. A storm was brewing and the wind was up so I carried them up to the porch . I planned to work on them and watch it rain, but the rain only ended with just a few drops. I heard a car down at the road and shortly after I heard a familiar sound???? The sound of a chicken???  Now, my chickens are all enclosed due to predators ?? So, I got in the car and drove down and my eyes rested on the biggest rooster I had ever seen???? After my recent concussion from the rooster that I own (who is secluded in his own space) -well- roosters are not on my "most favorite species" list?????

I pondered what to do- just leave him on the highway and let a car seal his fate??? Let him wander into the bushes and let the nightly raccoon have chicken dinner??? Boy , that dinner would feed his entire raccoon family> lol . I stepped toward him and he moved away from me. I tried to grab him and we play ,"keep Away", until he flew to the highway????? So I herded him back to the creek side where he decided to sneak into the tall weeds, thinking I could not see him. But I saw his back leg and managed to get a hold on him and drag him out. He was so heavy I had trouble getting him into the car and to the house.

I checked my cages and none of them were big enough to contain this giant of a bird. That only left the dog kennel that housed two groups of my laying hens, so I plopped him in there. I stood back and watched as the "Red-Dina-soars"  (my nickname for them) ran over to jump on him as they have been known to kill other chickens but - no- he put them in their place and walked off. SO the newest group of the colored egg layers decided that he looked good to them and they flew down and invited him to take a dirt bath with them???? After that - that Crowing the good life was all I heard the rest of the evening??????

Now, I do not even know IF he will flog like the rooster I already have??? And I still Have to get in that kennel to get the eggs???? Plus, from the looks of him- he will eat as much as I will???? How am I going to feed this behemoth??????????? For now -his future is uncertain-hoping a new home will present itself in the near future??? ~smile~

Casper also got very sick at the start of the Summer. I thought he was a gonner, as he went into seizures . I decided that the house was just too dark and we needed the light so I fixed a cage on the front porch and have put him out there almost every day giving his fresh apples and veggies each day. He has had a lovely time making lots of messes and seems to be doing much better. All of his feathers look much more bright and his spirits are wonderful.

I was dealing with a tremendous amount of pain and the doc sent me for those xrays and mri . It turned out to be degenerative disc and tons of arthritis so she sent me for physical therapy, which I am pleased to say has actually helped ease the pain. They do not give us pain pills anymore here so you have to find something to help yourself or just live in AGONY! Mama never told me how very painful this aging process can become. It is an everyday battle to maintain your health when you have limited knowledge and resources. But, it is worth the battle to treasure each new day that God shares with you. 

I pray you guys have had a lovely past season what ever that has been in your neck of the woods and I have missed hearing about your life. Thank you so very much for the ones who have checked in with me- I love you guys dearly ......