Very Mad Tuesday

     It started out as a perfectly lovely morning. I did all the inside chores and was checking the emails as Miss Gabby was helping me.

Then I decided to take fresh water to all the chickens and feed Yukon? I carried two jugs of water from the house and when I got to the first kennel and looked down my heart sank. There were fresh tracks in the new snow of a raccoon and that is Always bad news for me. They were Big tracks too.

I sat my water down and went up the hill and called Yukon and put him in his kennel with his food, noticing the tracks the whole time. I followed them back down the hill and picked up my water , noticing that they did not got out to the dove house . So, I headed down to the "chickie condo" that DH had built me and then I saw all of the buff colored feathers on the ground??????  Still following the tracks right to the middle apartment where my very favorite couple lived. They were buff colored Cochins - Beauty and Bubba-two of the sweetest little birds you would want to meet , so soft with brown and white splashes of color . I peered into their apartment and saw what remained of Bubba and Beauty was gone except for her feathers on the ground. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! 

I have tried to hard to live in piece with the wild life in my area , knowing they have to eat too-but this was the last straw. It was bad enough that he had already taken two of my turkeys and now this? Male raaccoons can be Extremely powerful. I one had one Rip welded wire off of cages that my guinea pigs were in one summer and the game person told me that he had seen them rip chimneys off of houses to get to something they wanted? He said they have a 30 mile range.

I took what was left of Bubba/s little body and placed it in a wire trap. IF he comes back -he will be in serious trouble and I know he will because he will want to test out the other two apartments where another pair of Cochin's live and a trio of seabrights. I really thought the condo was secure -but now I see it was not. 

Boy it was cold - I came in and fixed Blondie's rugs at the front door so she could look outdoors and decided to call the Humane Society about help neutering this stray cat and discovered the phone was not working. GRRRRRRR.  I spent TWO HOURS trying to get help from VERIZON.  I Always have this problem with them . They make you move heaven and Earth to get in touch with them. They are suppose to let me know something by tomorrow night.

Next it started snowing and flurried the rest of the day - off and on.  I did get the trash ready and took it down to the road so it will be there first thing in the morning. I have had a terribly rotten diet today. I had picked up some Gorton's Frozen Fish and they were terrible - much to strong on garlic for me. Why do they think they have to dose those things like that?  So, now I guess I will just ruin the rest of fit by having a cup of hot chocolate . After that I will attempt to get the meds down all of the pups and feed the two kitties in the cages. One the new stray -who really seems to be happy to be in out of the cold -but can't stand the other cats or dogs -and the other is Cowboy and his rotten ear that does not want to heal. But at least I make sure he gets his meds down this way. He does not approve of either of the two new cats and I hate that. I keep hoping things will get better and one day the house can be peaceful again. ~smile~