The other morning Pumpkin, our orange, young, beagle - shar pei mix picked up a new friend out in the barn yard. Most of you know Pumpkin, she is energetic, friendly, talkative, bossy and orange from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail. If there is something to be gotten into Pump is there. No job is to small for our little Orange-Inator, Monster from the Orange Lagoon, Orange Demon, Yappalina, Princess of the Orange Collar of Shame, your getting the picture now. If Timmy fell in the well, Pumpkin would be the first one to know and run right back to tell us.
Well back to the other morning, there was a small tragedy with one of our young birds, Clucky. Clucky was a young white chicken, that didn’t make it through the night. Bruce found her in the barn, stiff as a board, being the ever vigilante, caring husband (remember I was ditched home alone with a broken ankle) he tossed Clucky into the barn garbage can. Now I’m sure he was going to retrieve her after his chores for a proper burial but we do have at a foot of snow outside, it may have slipped his mind.
Anyway Pumpkin was there, as always to assist with chores. She likes to race through the barn hoping to startle any “mice” out of their hiding places for a good chase. Then its over to the mouse traps where she assists in the mouse removal and disposal out in the field for us, after thorough taste testing. Pumpkin then races back into the barn, bolts upstairs demanding to view those closed off sections of the barn for safety reasons (vermin patrol). On each of these many trips back and forth through the barn at high puppy speeds, the garbage can will get a sniff examination. Hey you never know what might pop up much to her orange delight?
Well as you already know, this is one of Pumpkins lucky days, there is a prize in the can. Okay, its a prize only to Pump but we wont tell her that. The sniff check confirms Pumpkins suspicion. If any one has ever heard a shar pei sniff, you know that they snort when they use their sniffer. Pumpkin being a half breed has the most incredibly loud snorting nose with a sweet beagle face that will crack you up. She also has a very long reach for such a short stubby dog. Her main hobby is “counter surfing”, when she isn’t out searching for dead things.
Back to Clucky, who is now charging out the barn door, in Pumpkins mouth, at high puppy speeds. This incredible prize, a new best friend for Pumpkin was to important to be deposited in the field or anywhere out of her sight. Proper beagle burial was not a option with the ground frozen and a foot of snow. We did however have a few snow banks that did seem to qualify as temporary cold storage/burial places for Clucky.
As the day progressed it slowly became obvious these snow banks and temporary burials were going to be a problem for Pumpkin and Clucky. Clucky actually didn’t seem to mind though so the problem was really for Pumpkin. Every time Pump stuffed Clucky somewhere safe, she went into the house for a nap. Its a tough job to be a farm dogie. When Pump close her eyes all she could see was Max, Jake, one off those bossy cats or dog forbid a beaky faced bird stealing her Clucky away.
Pumpkins eye flew open, she jumps up with a whining grrrwow and runs out to retrieve Clucky, saving her from a fate of being in the clutches one of those other farm animals! This goes on for hours, eventually Pumpkin now driven to wandering the cold, blustery snow covered yard, realized she can never part with Clucky again. It is not worth the risk of losing such a good new found friend. She must find a solution soon or she and Clucky would surely freeze!
Later that day it dawns on me that I have not seen my faithful orange demon for several hours. This little dog does not let me out of her sight for very long if I’m home. She would bound into a room and give a grrrwow, mommy where are you??? I would respond “in here Pumpy” and off she would happily go knowing I was safe from the perils of our farm (except those geese). For my little orange girl to not have checked on me for many hours, something is out of place. Thats when I hear my girl, barking grrrwow from the top of the stairs, in the hall way. Whats up with that, I had no idea she was upstairs?
I get my crutches and hobble to the hallway, I call to Pumpkin “whats up girly? come on downstairs”. She immediately turns waging her orange tail sideways, bolts down the hall to my bedroom. I can hear her jumping on the bed, then off the bed, bolting back down the hall to the top of the stairs. There Pumpkin stands proudly, tail wigwagging, with Clucky in her mouth. She had finally found a safe place to keep Clucky!
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Coco

Coco is in the house!As usual this is a long story but as most of you do not know, I have been home for 3 weeks now with a broken ankle. So here it goes.Tuesday evening , Dec. 21st, the Geese ambushed me in the back yard. I know it was them, they spend the day hanging out at the water cooler, planning how to get out of their Holiday dinner reservations. Splashing, honking, snorting water all over that section of the barn yard, causing small ice slick of water run off across the barn yard. That evening while I was carrying and distributing grains for everyone it happened. I slipped on the slick and went down like a ton of poop, hearing a loud crunching noise. There they were, watching from the “water cooler”, having a gaggle of giggles, okay more like honks at my demise.After I was done screaming, I slowly got up, in denial that the loud crunch I heard was my ankle breaking. Continuing on into the barn, hobbling, there was another loud crunch. Thats when I decided I might go put up my leg with ice on it. I could not possible have broken that stupid bone when there was still so much work to be done for the Holidays! The next morning, when I tried to stand up, I finally knew something might be wrong, Duhhh. Luckily I have a “In” at the Bone and Joint center in Albany, who got me in immediately. Of course Bruce my ever caring and vigilant husband, went to work, left me home alone, with a broken ankle to fend for myself. Yes it is the right foot! Once again luckily my mommy was home and willing to take me up to B&J (I like the sound of that) for my X-ray. Of course with mom you always get two for the price of one, Daddy III must always accompany mom, everywhere. If you don’t know the Daddy’s I, II and III story’s, thats your tough luck! I can explain another time. Yes I’m cranky and bitter, home for 3 weeks, broken..... ughOkay so the good news is broken but does not need to be set, I did that myself in the barn! Bad news it is broken. I get a lovely black boot with metal and velcro. They don’t know me very well and let me out the door with out casting it! I get the this is very rare not to pin or plate the ankle, be careful, stay off it lecture To accessorize my lovely boot, I get matching set of shiny metal crutches. What more could a girl want? After all it is the Holidays?Ah, now I’m back home, the old folks literally ditch me inside the front door and take off. Once again, I’m stranded home alone with a broken ankle. Slowly I park my but in my work kitchen at my table, put the stupid foot/boot thingy up and look out the window, there are those darn geese, looking back at me. How the hell?? They all have reservations and will be picked up on Christmas Eve, along with several ducks and chickens, and it is Wednesday already! This is where Bruce’s misery begins. Each evening, the 22nd and 23rd, Bruce had to harvest the birds himself, deliver them to me and help with their preparation, which he hates to do. But of course, he still goes to work, stranding me home alone with a broken ankle. How many more times do you think I can fit that into this story? Wasn’t there snow also? I vaguely remember there being a snow storm that week, while I was home alone stranded …......Somehow, everyone made it to their Holiday reservation, each evening working like mad people. During the day I’m sitting in my window, thinking that I should start screaming for Norman to come take care of me, propping a stuffed sparrow on my shoulder. Then with all the snow, that makes it impossible to get around,I keep thinking this is how Yuri and Lara felt in Varykino. Sadly I do not like to sit around and I’m not one to watch TV. My window is the view of my world for now. Slowly all the birds have noticed me in my window and know where to beg. I do get a lot of feathered entertainment.One evening a few nights ago, Coco, my black frizzle, Cochin, bantam was marching back and forth in front of our back door screeching. What on earth is her problem thought while I opened the door? She, the once famous sun porch bantam “Coco” had decided the weather was to cold and she needed to spend the evening on her porch. The last time Coco has spend a night with us was last February, 2010 some time. This little miniature chicken remembered her porch, hopped up on the counter, climbed onto a duck cage and went to sleep. In the morning I was awakened to a ungodly screech that echoed through the house. All I could think of is Chester and Coco are not getting along. Coco may become a kitty treat.Slowly I crawl down the stairs, peak into the living room, there is Coco in the middle of the room looking back at me. She promptly turns and heads for the back door, it is time for Coco to leave the building!The ducks were all taken out by Bruce, that is another story and man do ducks stink! But they are all outside and of course there is a sick fluffed up chicken found in the barn, with a runny nose. So the stinkers are swapped out for the sick chick, who is Corny our Dark Cornish hen. Hey you try to find names for all those birds we keep as pets. Corny is set up in a clean cage and has special treats and water to perk her up. We hate to lose any one specially the pets not to mention raising them organic.Coco comes in again, it is another bitter cold evening and I forget to remind that Coco lives in her very own Chick Chalet outside our back door. On those very cold nights she can not generate enough heat to keep her warm all alone in her Chalet. There were more girls in the Chalet but the fox ate them. :(That evening, my mother actually peeled herself away from Daddy III to stop over for a visit, first visit in over week, while I’ve been stranded home alone with a broken ankle. Yes that is the sound of being tossed under the bus, no mercy! I proceed to mention how my Mother in law, now my true mommy has been over almost Every day checking on me. Mom loves Coco, how could any one not. She is soft, silky, friendly and very tame, if she knows you. I can hold, pet, carry her around like a kitten. I’m thinking the old lady cam to visit the darn bird. Coco see’s my mother coming, starts making a not so happy screech noise and gives the old lady the stink eye. God I love that bird! Now I’m actually up to THIS morning, finally. I crawl down the stairs, grab my snazzy crutches and go to see if Coco wants to go outside this morning. Never a dull moment around here. We have had more snow, of course and we all know how happy that makes me! Coco is waiting on her perch, she see’s me and hops down, running to the door to go outside. Slowly I open the door for her, the poor little creature looks up at me like I made all that snow. She gets to the edge of the door jam but there is NO way that girl is hopping into snow that is well over her head. Needless to say, she turns around and heads for her perch. I even tried to take her to the other door, thinking she may want to walk up the path where the dogs walked, joining her brethren. She is such a tame baby, I bring her over and go to put her out the door in the snow. NO deal, Coco jumps mid air, never touching the snow, landing on my arm, runs up, tucks herself under my chin, clinging to me as if she was being tossed into the snows of Siberia. I should have never let her watch Zhivago last winter. Back to the porch we go. Weather I like it or not Coco is spending the day!
-- A chicken doesn't stop scratching just because worms are scarce Grandma Axiom