Miller Farm Friday Archives - Page 21 of 48

26 07, 2019

Lost and Found

By judythemorgan|2019-07-23T08:04:43-05:00July 26th, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

One of the chicks I brought home from school disappeared last week. I looked everywhere and didn’t find nary a feather. I was concerned mostly because I was afraid the kids at school would ask about the chicks and I would have to confess to losing one.

The other morning Max was very intently looking at the pen where the chicks had been staying with the rooster. He started growling and I figured there must be something there.

I hesitantly entered the coop fearful that I would encounter a snake. I saw a bunch of white feathers under the coop and realized they were attached to a bird.

I carefully lifted the coop, thinking the bird was surely dead. I was wrong. The poor chick wiggled out from under the coop and stumbled over to the water.

I was pleasantly surprised. I kept an eye on it and made sure there was plenty of water and food. It seems to be none the worse for the experience.

I’m glad Max was insistent. He gets credit for saving a chicken. He only needs to rescue 6 more to replace all the chickens Bella has caught over the years.

And now I can honestly report that all the chicks are doing well.

19 07, 2019

Not Quite Empty Nest

By judythemorgan|2019-07-18T08:47:29-05:00July 19th, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Rachel recently moved to Huntsville to be closer to graduate school. After she left I discovered she had left some things – like the incubator. That made sense because her research was dealing with horses and they don’t need an incubator. I figured we would pass it on to another young chicken lover.

Well that is not exactly what happened. Beekeeper Brian filled the incubator with chicken and duck eggs. I was a little frustrated at first. I thought we were done hatching birds.

Then the first baby duck hatched.

It was so cute and I remembered how much I like baby birds.

Rachel was in town for a doctor appointment and stopped by. She thought the baby duck was lonely so she put a stuffed animal in with it.

It seemed much happier.

Another one hatched today so now there are two. Eventually we will also have chicks.

So much for an empty nest!

12 07, 2019

Memories

By judythemorgan|2019-07-10T08:25:30-05:00July 12th, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|5 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Times are changing on Miller Farm. It’s just Beekeeper Brian and Chicken Wrangler Sara in the house now so we are painting and rearranging rooms. In this process we have made some interesting discoveries.

Behind the lawyers stack, for example, were some posters. Most were disposable but one brought back fond memories. It is a large poster with Sara Lynn carefully written in it in large bold letters. It belongs to a long ago time in my life – my junior year of high school.

The senior class was holding auditions for their variety show and my group of friends decided to do a humorous skit about Julius Caesar. At the last minute everyone backed out leaving me alone at the auditions.

I had been taking piano lessons all my life and always had a song ready for performance. So, without any plan or preparation when it came time for my group to audition, I sat down and played a Tarantella.

As it happened, my piano performance was chosen to represent the junior class in the variety show. They asked for the name of my act and all I could think of was my name.So, they put my first and middle name on a poster that I have managed to hang on to through three children and two countries.

The experience of performing in the variety show was actually very lonely. I sat by myself at the rehearsals and even won a patience award. This should have been my first clue that performing was not the career for me. I much prefer being surrounded by kids making music in a classroom. This is especially true during the summer when school is not in session.

5 07, 2019

Unlikely Coop Mates

By judythemorgan|2019-07-01T17:01:08-05:00July 5th, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

The chicks I brought home from school have grown considerably. I had them in their own pen but one of them kept getting out. Then they all started roosting on the chicken wire.

Every night I would go out and put them all in the coop so they would not get eaten by whatever was hungry for chicken at night. Then in the morning I would open the coop and let them out into their pen.

Eventually they all followed the chick with wanderlust and began exploring the larger pen with the big hens. They seemed to do fine so I stopped locking them up at night.

One morning I found all four chicks in a pen with one of our roosters.We had separated the roosters to prevent them from fighting. I was initially concerned about the safety of the little chicks. Apparently this rooster does not consider them a threat and is leaving them alone.

So once again my plan for organizing the flock is undermined by the plans of the chickens. Oh well, as long as everyone is happy and safe.

21 06, 2019

Gertie the Great White Whale

By judythemorgan|2019-06-20T10:43:15-05:00June 21st, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A Blog By Chicken Wrangler Sara

Beekeeper Brian and I were married August 15, 1987. In November of 1987 we purchased our first car – a 1987 Honda Accord LX. We named her Gertie the Great White Whale, or GGWW.Gertie carried three babies home from the hospital. She and Curtis the Camel Car were our means of transportation until we moved to Mexico in 1997.

Since moving back from Mexico we have owned many cars of many makes and models. The three babies have grown up and learned to drive. Some of the cars have gone to live with our children. Most recently Catherine and Caleb purchased the Honda Fit I had been driving. Brian and I began the hunt for a new car for me to drive.

Rachel has moved closer to where she is attending graduate school and Bill has graduated from high school, returned to China and will attend college in Denton. This means that Brian and I are once again alone in the house.

The car we purchased to replace the Honda Fit is a 2017 Honda Accord LX. Brian named it Gertie the Great White Whale Take Two or GGWWTT. We have come full circle.

7 06, 2019

Another Children’s Book

By judythemorgan|2019-06-06T09:17:28-05:00June 7th, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Blog By Chicken Wrangler Sara

Rachel has worked as a personal assistant for a woman named Jane who is visually impaired and has somewhat limited mobility. Rachel takes her the places she needs to go and helps her around the house. Last April Rachel and I took her to see the Texas Tenors for her birthday. Jane enjoys music very much and in fact we sit together at Bible Study so I can sing alto to her soprano when we sing the hymns.

Before we even went to our seats, I stopped at the merchandise table. This is usually a bad idea but in this case there was a newly published children’s book entitled Ruckus on the Ranch. It was a gift we could all enjoy.It tells the story of two horses, Wyatt and Ruby, running amuck on a ranch being chased by all the farm animals as well as the cowboy and cowgirl. They eventually get tired and lay down to rest. All is quiet until… Wyatt gets stung by a bumble bee.

Of course, there is a song sung by the Texas Tenors that goes with the book. At the part where all is quiet, the three men sing “Oh what a peaceful ranch” in beautiful harmony. It is my favorite part not only for the music but also because when I play it in my music class, all the kids lay quietly.

Then when Wyatt gets stung, they all jump up and start galloping around again. It is the perfect song for when the classes need to get some energy out – like the month of May. It also gives me a workout as I gallop around with them.

Sometimes on Miller Farm the chickens run amuck. Then I put food out and they all get quiet. In that moment I hear in my head “Oh what a peaceful ranch” and hope no one gets stung by a bee.

31 05, 2019

Circle Dogs

By judythemorgan|2019-05-29T21:00:32-05:00May 31st, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

My collection of children’s books includes one with the title “Circle Dogs.”It begins “In the big, square house live the two circle dogs” then goes on to trace a day in the life of two dachshunds repeating this line at the end.

I could write a similar book.I would have to change the first line to “In the not-so-big square house live the six circle dogs.”

17 05, 2019

Smart Chicks

By judythemorgan|2019-05-16T20:40:22-05:00May 17th, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Several classes at my new school hatched chicks recently. It has been fun to check on them especially during the stress of the last weeks of school. I think “chick therapy” is a great thing.

This morning the 2^nd grade teacher told me she had found homes for all but three of the chicks. Being a Chicken Wrangler, I felt compelled to wrangle them to our house. When I went to pick them up, there were actually four that needed a home.I figure since these chicks were hatched at a school, they should be smarter than the average chicks. My only question is will the ones hatched in the 6^th grade class be smarter?

10 05, 2019

Disappearing Flowers

By judythemorgan|2019-05-09T16:07:15-05:00May 10th, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

We have had the prettiest yellow flowers in our yard this Spring. I am sure they are in the dandelion family and so should be considered weeds however, they are cheerful each morning and they make me smile.

Therefore I will leave them alone.

The bees really like them. Therefore Beekeeper Brian will leave them alone.There is an interesting phenomenon, though. When I come home each afternoon, they are gone. I thought at first they had all died but the next morning they were back. They remind me of morning glories only they are yellow. Between the storms that have come through our area each week, Beekeeper Brian mowed the yard. Now the flowers are not even there in the morning.

I’m hoping they will return as the grass grows. Everyone around here needs a cheerful greeting in the morning.

3 05, 2019

The Early Duck…

By judythemorgan|2019-05-02T21:37:09-05:00May 3rd, 2019|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Now that the ducks are in their new space, we have settled into a new routine on Miller Farm.

Each morning I feed the chickens their fermented chicken feed and give the ducks cat food. I haven’t found a specific duck feed and the cat food has the calcium they need so it is all good.

I also retrieve the egg that Lucy lays. In the afternoon I throw some feed to the chickens and ducks and gather chicken eggs.

On Fridays I empty the “duck pond” i.e. wading pool, and refill it with clean water. Last week when I turned it over to empty it, there were many worms underneath.

Lucy thought it was a feast.

Ricky was a little slow so he missed out.

I guess it is true – the early bird gets the worm – even if the bird is a duck.