11 - 1/2 Inches

That's the amount of rain the Compound has had in the last 30 days. I'm guessing there are some folks in Texas that would like some of this rain! It's times like these, we wish we had another pond. It would be overflowing too. What a difference a few months can make! It wasn't that long ago we had to haul water to the Compound for the Hooligans and to water the garden. Now, I have more than I can handle, and won't even think about getting my garden ready until things dry out a bit. It's a giant mud puddle at this point.

Hooligans

Here's the General crowing, and Scarlet hogging the screen.


I thought you might also like a photo of Lucy, my fashionista. I love her comb, tilted over to the side!

Lazy, good for nothing...

Well we started the weekend late on Friday with high expectations of what we could get accomplished. We placed an order earlier in the week for the final materials to complete the screened in section of the deck. While we were in a holding pattern, until we knew for sure Irene would pass us by, we finished our game plan.

Other than offloading the materials, nothing else relating to the deck/porch was completed. Could you call us lazy, slouches, good for nothing bums?! NOT

We mowed the yard one night earlier in the week, shouldn't that count? We spent Friday night, washing down the tiki hut, and all of the outdoor furniture. Saturday (topped out a 97 degrees) feeding and cleaning up after the Hooligans. We also spent considerable time picking up all the palm fronds, and branches, Mother Nature decided to puke up on our lawn. The Moose started a fire, and we burned it all. I finally put away our kitchen dishes and supplies in the newly cleaned cabinets.

Then the rain came, and did it rain! A dog and a cat, as an old friend of mine used to say. I wish I had my video camera going. Those Hooligans can sure run when they want to. They made a straight line back to their coop. The Moose and I decided to deal with the rain, and lock them in for the day. Actually the Moose looked out the window, and stated; "it doesn't look too bad". Yeah, right! By the time we got them in and settled, and back to the camper we were soaked through. I felt like a kid again, even for a short time.

It's now Sunday morning, should I feel guilty? I don't think so. We still have plans to finish the deck, and it will get done, just not this weekend. Besides, it's the Moose's birthday Monday, so we're off to lunch to celebrate today. Now, that sounds like way more fun, than building a deck in 97 degree heat...

Moose's Little Helpers

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind, arms, back, and legs to it! Boy did we get alot done Saturday and Sunday. We worked from dawn until dusk each day.

It's so much fun letting the Hooligan's out of the run for the day. It's like watching kids at school, being let out to the playground.

The Hooligan's spent the morning being the Moose's little helpers. The Moose worked on a run of electrical from the camper to an outpost for the generator. It helps keep the noise from generator as far from the camper as possible. He made the connections, ran the electrical through gray pvc piping, dug a trench to bury it all in. The Hooligan's helped him by scratching up some extra dirt and eating bugs from the trench. Scarlet, the nosiest of the bunch, worked over his shoulder giving him direction on how to connect the wire/cable. I didn't get that in a photo, but did get these;

I finished painting the bathroom and closet inside the camper. It looked so good, we decided we'll go ahead and paint the kitchen cabinets (that's for another weekend). We also got another start on the deck. We worked as long as we had materials to keep going.

Sunday, we stopped at the hardware store for more supplies to finish up the deck. We spent the morning offloading our purchases, feeding and cleaning up after the Hooligan's, and then kickstarted the completion of the deck floor. The Moose also took care of a 3' long pigmy rattlesnake. We put up with most things around the area, but not a pigmy rattlesnake in the area of the camper and the Hooligan's.

As you can see, we finished the base of the deck. I stained/waterproofed the floor boards, and basically ran out of daylight to finish the posts and side panels. We'll get to that next weekend, baring of course Hurricane Irene. She's expected to come up along the east coast, which may put the Compound and the Hooligan's (we're about 20 miles from the coast) in harms way. Keep us in your prayers.

Ouch!

Take a look at this photo;

Need I say more?! The poor Hooligan that laid this huge egg, must have suffered..

I spent the morning Saturday, mowing. The Moose spent his getting started on the camper deck, and playing referee to the Hooligan's who kept wanting to search for bugs in the holes he was digging.

Boy was it hot Saturday, upwards of 97 degrees with the heat index nearing 110 degrees. Needless to say, we took several breaks inside with the a/c. It was another long day, but we're about half way done with the base of the deck. Next weekend we'll likely finish the base, and waterproof/stain it. Then we'll start the sides with screening and the roof. We look forward to the convenience of a screened porch with easy access to the camper, and the view from the deck is awesome!

I also need to get started on seedlings for the garden to be planted in September. The garden this go around will be smaller and more manageable. We've been working at a dead heat for over a year now, and need some time to regroup, refocus, and find some more projects..

Ruler of the Roost

The General, aka General Patton, aka Crabby Patty. Take a look at this guy! He's awesome, and there is no guesswork involved when looking at the Hooligan's, who is in charge! So far, he's been very pleasant. He holds his ground, but so far he lets the Moose and I come and go as needed. We'll pray that it continues. I've heard horror stories about roosters. Here he is with one of his girls;

We spent the night at the Compound, so the Moose got up at dawn and let the Hooligan's out for the day on Sunday. I wish I had it on video! They were so excited, they swarmed him on his way back to the camper. They are getting braver each time they are let out. Busy exploring their free range. The Moose went back a bit later to collect an egg or two for breakfast (we've collected 19 eggs to date), and the Hooligan's were up by the front of the camper scratching for bugs. Here are some photos:

Otherwise, the weekend was spent doing much of the same thing; feeding and caring for the Hooligan's, and working on the inside of the camper. My Mom and Dad came for a short visit, and we got in a card game of "Hand and Foot". Great fun.

Finally!

Well, it's been 18 weeks on the mark, and we have our first egg! I was so excited Friday night! We had another 2 eggs this weekend.

Another milestone for the Hooligan's was letting them run loose on the property. It's like sending your kids off to school for the first time. You worry way too much. They had a blast scratching around the yard. It was fun, looking around the yard, trying to keep up with their shenanigans.

We spent the weekend at the Compound, finally burning the brush pile (it's been way too wet lately to think about getting one started), setting up the new furniture inside the camper, cleaning out the chicken coop and nesting boxes,and mowing the acreage.

While I was out adding fuel to the fire, I noticed Lucy leaving the scavenging group and heading to the coop. I was wondering what she was up to all on her own, and I had a thought she might lay an egg. You see, I'm really a city girl. I never grew up around chickens, only saw them on t.v., etc. So I decided to follow her and see what was up. Lo' and behold, she was in her nesting box! I could hardly contain myself. I'm sure the Moose thought I was crazy! About 5 minutes later, there it was. No announcement on her part, just quiet chatter. But her best pal Mildred came in and made a fuss. The Moose said it was because I took Lucy's egg. I think he was pulling my leg..

Speaking of legs, I took a spill on some loose gravel, landed on my right knee. I was out of the equation Friday night, through much of Saturday morning. It looks like some new vogue artwork, but it's intact and functioning.

We're very close to being done with the inside of the camper. Only a couple of projects remain, and then it's on to the deck/screened porch. The Moose announced this morning, he's hoping to have it all done before the Labor Day weekend. As long as the weather cooperates, we should be able to meet the deadline.

Have a great week everyone, and thanks for following the blog. It's nice to hear from you!