Sunday, June 03, 2012

A Sunday Morning in Early June....

I woke up early this morning ~
the sun was so bright streaming into my little bedroom,
that it nudged my eyelids open and coaxed my sleeping brain into alertness....

I headed down to the kitchen to get my (fisrt) dose of green tea, then headed out to the barn where I knew, if I were up and ready for the day, that surely our hens & roosters would be too...
and that they were.

so I let them out and they headed directly to where they could take their morning bath.
in the dirt.



now , what looks suspiciously like a chicken-fight
(which also occurs daily, depending on moods and such)
this is actually a friendly, community-style grooming ritual...





sometimes I can't tell where one chicken starts and the other ends....







Brother-roosters scritching in the dirt together....not my idea of a relaxing bath, but hey,
I don't have feathers and they seem to be happy "<


after the dirt bath subsided, I headed into Henry's coop...
(Henry is my Senior Citizen duck, who is reaching his 14th year this yr)
henry is now blind, but can hear just fine. He knows my voice and can navigate his coop by memory & touch...I was feeling badly that he was alone in his coop, but then one day realized he wasn't...

Henry has a friend that resides in his coop with him...
please meet Mr. Toad:




Mr. Toad & Henry get along swimmingly (pun intended) ~
since Henry can no longer see to dig or eat worms, I dig them up for him and hand-feed him...
and, every morning, sitting on the sideline, is Mr. Toad ~ waiting for a morsel of Worm that I toss over to him and he hungrily slurps them up...yes, Mr. Toad may need a visit from Jenny Craig,
but he is fat & happy...just look at that smile:








After making sure that all was well in the barnyard, I headed back to the farmhouse and found this gift on the lawn at my feet:

we've had a few windy days, and this tiny abode must have been blown out of one of our many black walnut trees...




just look at how artfully woven it is...
I spotted sheeps' wool, donkey hair & chicken feathers among the sticks & brambles used to create it.

how clever and a true make-do!!





Hoping you can all find beauty in your surroundings today!!!

Blessings from the Farm,
Lori

16 comments:

The Eveningstitcher said...

OH Lori....How I wish I had the courage to hold a toad...I am scared to death of them..I have finally just have been able to work in the garden when I see one hop by me..I used to scream like a baby!!!! Love the hens...Have a wonderful day!

Rugs and Pugs said...

Lori ~
Beautiful pictures but I especially love those of Mr. Toad.
Happy Sunday to you!
Hugs :)
Lauren

Robin at The Primitive Hutch said...

Wonderful pics of your morning adventure! Love the pic of the toad ~ so glad Henry has a friend.
Such a true treasure to find ~ love bird nests.
It's a beautiful day here in WI too.
Enjoy your day!
Prim Blessings
Robin

Deppen homestead 1862 said...

Hi Lori~ enjoyed watching the dust bath~ Mr Toad is so cute( I have a thing about them, love them)~ Perfect bird nests, they are indeed little artist~
enjoy your day on the farm~
I am headed to pick some strawberries~ yummy~
smiles
Teresa

P.J. said...

What a wonderful morning! The joys of the simple things and habits of the critters. My heart warms when you talk about the special care of Henry. And Thad fact that Mr. Toad is in residence; with the juicy morsels you toss him, why live any where else. Thank you for the splendid peak into life on the farm.

Anonymous said...

Oh Mr. Toad is a lovely critter!! So perfectly plump! I think he is just begging to be immortalized in craft :)

Jennifer said...

Love those chickens! What beautiful colors. Need to tear myself away from BBC and the Queen's Jubilee celebration to go OUTSIDE and celebrate this lovely day.

Karmen said...

Beautiful post; I love your sensitivity to nature and your ability to share it with us through photographs. Karmen

Sassafras and Winterberry said...

Your chickens are beautiful. But I especially love Mr. Toad...he's a beauty!
Hugs,
Courtney

Natasha said...

I love that fat happy toad LOL We use to have one that would visit us every morning before we moved back to the city. On more than one occasion I had to rescue him form our pool.

I just adore those chickens. Hopefully soon DH and I will have a piece of property in the country again I would love to have a few
Thank you for the wonderful photos

Jane said...

Seeing your critters is always a joy because i know how much they are loved. I found a big Mr. Hop Toad as I was weeding yesterday. I told him to take care of my garden!!

Cherry's Prairie Primitives said...

Loved seeing all your wonderful animals and nest!!

linda said...

Your chickens are beautiful! All of their beautiful colors are so inspiring. Mr. Toad is a hoot too. I love how nature can adapt. Beautiful day, beautiful animals, beautiful photos. Thank you for making our day better!

My Colonial Home said...

Lori what a beautiful post.
I loved all parts of it...our words carry.

I love that Henry has Mr. Toad as a friend...Nature is incredible.

Blessings to you you
Karen

Wendy @ Ravenwood Whimzies said...

I so enjoyed your pictures - especially Mr Toad - great photo!

A Primitive Homestead said...

Such TLC you give your duck. When digging in my gardens I collect the worms to treat my ducks of 8 & 9 yrs. Always wondered how old ducks could lived to be. What a toad. I collect them to & put them around my garden pond. Love to watch them. My neighbor even gathers them up for me. Simple things in life are precious. Birds give wonderful care to build their nest. You got a great looking flock. Blessings!
Lara