LAST DAY OF SEPTEMBER

Here in New England we woke to a beautiful crisp autumn morning. Can it really be the last day of September.A good morning for baking.
The kitchen was soon filled with the scent of pumpkin and spices.I think someone else smelled the deletable aromas. First Miss Henny Penny made her was to the front door stoop

and soon was joined by Gladys and Georgia.Gladys, Georgia, and Henny Penny are my most curious girls. So it came as no surprise when I looked out the front door and found them looking in. Now there is one drawback to having chickens who enjoy your company, they tend to want to follow you where ever you go. Sorry girls you dine alfresco.

FALL WEATHER

Fall rains are moving in~snow showers for the mountains ~
lets hope those autumn leaves remain on the trees, for a little while anyway.

SIGNS OF FALL

AstersBlanket flowerCone flowerCrow on wheatHappy PumpkinScary Pumpkin Silly pumpkin
White pumpkinSquirrels have found their way indoors Cinderella pumpkinAnd this is my favorite squirrel, she likes to keep watch out the livingroom window. What signs of fall are you discovering at your home?

FROST ON THE PUMPKIN

It's beginning to look and feel like fall here at Dog Trot Farm. Saturday morning we woke to a temperature of twenty-nine degrees. As we say here in New England the "frost was on the pumpkin".

The perennial garden fared well as it was protected with a cloth covering. Frost has arrived early this year, usually we expect it the first week in October.Georgia my barred rock likes to follow me around while I'm working in the garden. I secretly feel she stays close so she can be the first in line when I hand out treats. See, I told you chickens are not dumb. Those blueberries can be very persuasive. For the first time on Saturday I picked her up and carried her around. Her sisters came honking as if to say "pick me, pick me" all in good time girls. I am going to miss the colors of summer, we wait so long and work so hard to keep our flowers and gardens going. I guess I'm going to have to rely on my feathered characters to keep things colorful around here. I am quite certain they will not disappoint!

SWEET EMMA LOU

EMMA LOUThere is a quietness to the house without Pinky Larue.
Her collar bell has been silenced. I spoke with the shelter yesterday and they reassured me Pinky was settling in and seemed to remember some of the shelter's attendants. Emma wears a look of relief and her sense of calm and safety is begining to return. I know I made the right decision.

HEN CHATTER

Okay, so my beautiful girls have not begun to lay eggs. I have not heard a "cluck "or a "crowing" but they do tend to "honk". They are unique unto themselves. For instance while free ranging they might decide to opt for a sunbath. A warm sunny spot in the lee where they cluster together and begin to purr in sheer happiness. Yes, that's right purr. Who knew?

Often when I visit the coop at night there is usually some quiet chatter going on.

And if I decide to visit for a minute, the girls start vocalizing their opinion. Barak-barak-barak, no "clucking" just barak.

So it took me awhile to catch on to "what" they might be voicing. Now I have been told chickens are not very bright. I beg to differ. I think barak refers to President Barack Obama. The girls have been voicing their opinions in regard to the state of the world and health care reform. Who's got egg on their face now, chickens dumb? Ha! Maybe I had better listen more carefully- the girls might just come up with something useful. It couldn't hurt, could it?

MORNING RAMBLE

Have you ever noticed how some of your most interesting thought's come to you in the middle of the night? I've read to keep pen and paper by the bedside so you can jot these thoughts down. Great idea, however, if you are of a certain age like me, you can never locate your glasses. I have told my husband on my gravestone I want the inscription to read "honey have you seen my glasses". Have you noticed when you get to this certain age words of wisdom from elder family members start to come true. For instance, "the older you become the faster time flies". True. How about that face you see in the morning, "mirror mirror on the wall I am my mother after all". True, and not always a negitive thing. You require less sleep as you age. True. It's really your body begining to dysfunction, it can now go from hot to cold in thirty seconds. It's no wonder we can't sleep. Liver spots, what exactly is a liver spot?I say sun spots. I have earned them from working thirty years bare handed in the garden. I enjoy the feel of dirt between my finger's. How about this, you look over at your husband and think to yourself, who is this person I married! Oh right, I have been married thirty-one years. The white in my hair, the wrinkles that now appear on my face and body I wear as an earned rite of passage. Aging is not for the faint of heart. I rise every morning take my fish oil, turn Imus on the radio and be very grateful I have lived to see another day!

WELCOME FALL

FALLWinter is an etching, Spring a watercolor, Summer an oil painting and Autumn a mosaic of them all~Stanley Horowitz~

Pinky Larue

PINKYIt was with much sadness and regret that I returned Pinky to the animal shelter Sunday. I keep the words that my friend Debbie wrote " think of your home as a foster home till the right placement comes along". I will hold on to those words.

CAN WINSLOW COME OUT TO PLAY?

This afternoon as I was in the kitchen deciding what to make for dinner, I heard a tap-tap-tapping sound at the front door. Winslow heard it as well and went running to the door and instead of barking he just sat down. Highly unusual for Winslow. I looked out the door and then went running for my camera. This is what I captured. Well hello ladies. These girls are becoming a little too brave for their own good.

Yes, that's Winslow Homer and yes, he is a dog. Okay, he might be a little funny looking. Does he want to come out and play, hmmm?
Well girls, I'm not sure if that's a good idea, remember the feather incident. How quickly they forget. No ladies I think Winslow Homer is better off on the opposite side of the door.

Now it's not nice to tease, he can't help the way he looks.

I swear I could here those girls snickering.

And look who's keeping an eye on all the action. Yes Pinky Larue still resides at Dog Trot Farm.

DAYLIGHT

The shadows in the yard appear earlier and earlier. Today, two hours and fifty-five minutes earlier. There is a crispness to the air.
Final cut of the season.

No matter what time of the year the sun always shines on Winslow Homer!

SEPTEMBER 11th

GOD BLESS AMERICAWE WILL NEVER FORGET.

"PINKY"

"Pinky" is the cat I adopted at the beginning of June. She was a victim of a house fire, thus the burnt nose. Her family was left homeless and Pinky was brought to the shelter. When I visited she had been at the shelter seven months. After hearing this sad story my heart took over, not my brain. I had been searching for another cat to befriend our sweet Emma Lou, who was our only kitty. When Emma was adopted into our family she joined a menagerie of 4 cats, 2 dogs, a pair of steers, 3 hamsters and a bird. The rabbit ran away. Over the years our menagerie has dwindled and I felt Emma was lonely and needed a friend, a feline friend that is. Enter Pinky.

Pinky aka "Edythe Larue" has lovely bedroom eyes, a beautiful coat, rolls of fat and is lovely to look at. However, she can meow and hiss in one breath, does not like to be picked up, and is just now warming up to my husband. The big problem, this is where I should have listened to my brain, Pinky has huge paws with claws. These claws have attacked sweet Emma , who has none. Emma who is sixteen and not as agile as she once was. These claws have dug deeply into our furniture, and now are shredding our pine door jambs. Initially, I gave her the benefit of the doubt, and time to adjust. I have come to the conclusion that Pinky should reside in a home with a single female, be the only pet, and should remain inside. I do need to say Pinky has bonded with me. She waits at the top of the stairs for me at night, purrs, is friendly, sleeps beside me or on the windowsill by the bed. But in order to keep peace and Emma's safety Pinky resides upstairs. Oh, she can sneak down and attack, even with a bell on, but Winslow will hear all the commotion and chase her back up. I should also reveal that Emma, who received a brain injury last year after hitting an inside window, has seizures, and these attacks from Pinky can trigger one.

So, enough said. I need to decide whether to keep her or return her. I keep hoping this situation will improve, however, I just don't think it will. I am listening to my brain. And yes the shelter will take her back and is a no-kill facility. Your input is greatly appreciated. Oh by the way, my husband wants to keep her.