August 11, 2010

Well, the vigorous pumpkins I was talking about so happily in the last post have succumbed to squash vine borers and almost overnight have turned into a patch of droopy vines with half ripe pumpkins on them. :( Little by little I'm trying to let go of all expectations for this year's garden. I'm thankful for every bit of delicious food I get out of it and thankful as well for the grocery stores and farmer's markets that keep me fed when my garden luck has let me down. :)

The bad garden luck must have spread past the fence and infected the chickens. About a week ago, Reynaldo, our rooster of several years, got snatched in the night. I think it must have been his bad rooster karma (for recent attacks on my young niece) catching up with him. For some reason one night he was being stubborn and wouldn't come into the pen. Usually he is the first one in, but I got tired of waiting for him, so I figured a night outside would teach him to be more prompt the next time. The following morning there was no crowing and only a pile of feathers beside the pen. It was sad to see him go, but at least we don't have to worry about his recent aggressive streak growing and spreading to other victims. I'm hoping that Chickadena will step up and fill the role of head rooster, but I haven't heard him crow a single time since Reynaldo disappeared.

Meanwhile, another one of our guinea hens hatched out a bunch of keets (I just learned via wikipedia that this is what a baby guinea is called) a week or so ago. There have been several losses of baby guineas. The original batch is now down to 10 and the new batch is down to 7, last I counted. I also just learned that a group of guineas is called a rasp. I guess this means my flock is getting raspier?

2 comments:

canningmama said...

Amanda, I must say, your blogs have had a bit of gloom and doom in them lately....no rain, kitten died, squash plants and broccoli plants got eaten, guinea babies died, reynaldo died, pumpkins died. sheesh, please don't post next that Joe died! : ) : )I'm just giving you a hard time; of course homesteading is always a hardship and I love reading your blog always. : ) xoxo

missamandabeth said...

Jenny, the good news is Joe is alive and well, but you maybe shouldn't read my new post....that's the way it goes sometimes.