Chickens love watermelon

Chickens love watermelon, with a passion. These were just our leftover rinds, with only a bit of red. Last year we bought an over-mushy melon by mistake, and they ate the whole thing: chicken heaven.
I had figured that the black and white chickens were Dominiques, but now I'm not so sure. Dominiques (or Domineckers, as they are called here) have a rose comb, and these don't appear to be headed in that direction. The female on the right as a lot of whitish feathers on her front, but the others don't. The feathers on the back of their necks seem to be changing from black-and-white to brown-and-white.
My husband says they're probably all just mutt chickens. The three remaining excess cockerels haven't made it to the stew pot yet. They're not fighting, or even crowing, so far, but it's just a matter of time. For now though, they are helping decrease the insect population in the yard. This little flock roams further afield than others we've had.
I hate the fact that after the cockerels are culled, we'll have one tiny flock of two chickens and another tiny flock of three. "Can't we all just get along" is not a sentiment that's shared by chickens, apparently. The older birds just won't have anything to do with the younger ones. They treat them as if they were another species entirely. I wonder, if one of the older ones dies... will the remaining one prefer to spend her time alone, or will she try to join the younger flock? I'm guessing the latter.
The one on the right is lowest in the pecking order. The other chickens chase her from the food at times. But I've taken a tip from some people and started offering bugs that I find in the garden to the chickens. This gal is the one who comes running the fastest, for her caterpillar treat. Now she runs to me, expecting bugs, every time she sees me. I'm tempted to buy mealworms to keep in my pocket, so I won't be such a continual disappointment to her.

Canyons

Was planning to write this posting last evening, but had big issues with the wi-fi here in my motel. I hope it stays connected enough that I can get it done this morning.

Sunday was the time to start heading towards home. Early up and mostly packed in the room in Jackson, Since I had not eaten any solid food Saturday, I started with a full breakfast at the Virginian. Good food, so=so service. The server could not understand that I wanted my "go-cup" filled with ice and then topped with water - NOT filled with water with some ice in it. Oh, well, there was some king of "local resident" discount. I looked like an tourist, but was there when the restaurant opened. Many she thought only locals would be in at 6:30.

Checking out of the motel, I stopped in downtown Jackson - scoped out goods for sale and stopped in at the visitors center. Mostly had to use the rest room! Headed North for Moran Junction. Did my final "Good-bye" to Grand Teton, heading for Buffalo.

My route took me (on purpose) through Wind River Canyon (upper photo), Had discovered this canyon during a trip to Yellowstone in the early 80s, The canyon ends near Thermopolis, WY. Did not remember the large hot spring at a state park there.

Up to Worland then East to Ten Sleep. This was my second scenic drive of the day. US 16 through Ten Sleep Canyon was called the "Cloud Peak Skyway" (see lower photo).

Found my motel in Buffalo (stopped in a convenience store for directions - they said they did not have a Days Inn in Buffalo!) The motel had changed name in May. Anyway - the frustrating evening started.

Could not get a reliable wi-fi connection from the room, The staff at the motel was mostly worthless. One person came to the room and verified the problem and rebooted the router. Never saw him later.



Waiting the router to re-boot, I was going to head to dinner at Winchesters (recommended by the desk clerk). Winchester's Steakhouse was closed for 5 days - over Labor Day weekend! Saw Bozeman Trail Steakhouse. Like breakfast, the food was good but the service was lacking.

After dinner, the internet was in the same condition. Keep telling me there was not problem - even though I was having the same problem on my tablet and laptop. Finally I gave up the internet and just processed my photos.

Calmed down and got some sleep. Should get ready for the day, soon. Devils' Tower and Black Hills today.

Winter's Day on Mt. Rose

Went for a snowshoe hike up Mt. Rose today. Man, it was beautiful out there! What a delight tromping through the woods with a foot of fresh, light and fluffy snow! Today we had beautiful blue skies and a warm 30 degree temp with no wind... TERRIFIC day to be outside!

Writing in books

I was well into my thirties before I could sufficiently suppress my upbringing, and dare to write in a book. Even now, it's almost always for practical reasons. Notes in field guides: how to distinguish similar birds, where wildflowers grow. Corrections to genealogies.
Maybe it's because it's not my habit. Maybe it has to do with being forbidden, or that it's hidden away beneath the covers. But I get a secret thrill every time I find someone else's handwriting in a book. All kinds of handwriting.
Straightforward: AUTOGRAPHS
Many Things Have Happened Since He Died and Here Are the Highlights
This wasn't an early printing. Someone -- I picture a tightfisted typesetter grumbling about the price of ink -- chopped the legs out from under the title of this lovely book.

What a fun surprise though, to find an autographed library book. I wonder about 14-year-ago Elizabeth Dewberry (Vaughn at that time), and what brought her to sign it.
Did I miss her reading at Springville Road, my old library? She grew up in Birmingham. Was she bored enough on a trip home to sneak between the stacks and practice guerilla signings? Maybe she just donated the copy.
And why does it say "teen readers"? It wasn't in the Young Adult section, and it certainly didn't strike me as a teen book.
Perfectly acceptable: GIFT DEDICATIONS
Holiday Tales
I'm not Jewish, but I enjoy reading about religions, so I was bound to gravitate towards this book.

But when I opened it up and found it already dedicated, to me, it sealed the deal.

I'm filled with questions about this other Karen. How did her book travel from South Africa to a thrift store in Boaz? She would have been almost exactly five years younger than me -- surely she's not dead. (So young!)
But why, after bringing it all that way, would she give up this book? Did she lose her religion? After moving to Alabama, was she overrun by Southern Baptists? Did she tire of musty old pages from her young adulthood? Or did she just lose it in a move?
Audacity: TALKING BACK
The Day I Became an Autodidact
I read updates on this author all the time. She's Kendall Hailey, who's married to Danny Miller, the blogger behind Jew Eat Yet. Talk about your fated relationships... before they ever met, her book fell on his head! I bought my copy from Ebay, since it's out of print now.

The previous owner liked jotting comments in the margins.

Rather smarty-pants comments, most of the time.

But he ran out of steam after my favorite one:

I'm assuming it was at this point that the scribbler decided he was funny enough to write his own book. Wonder what it's called?

The Heat is On

This morning I shifted to Summer routine. Was out grocery shopping at 2:30 this morning. It was 80 degrees!
Summer routine means bike ride starting at 6 or 7 am. This morning I was at the Wabash Trace trailhead ready to ride at 7am. Rode up to K-Mart and back on Valley View Trail.
Sunny, light breeze, humid with a temp of 79. Surprised with the high number of trail users (walkers and cyclists) out this morning. Guess I was not the only one trying to beat the heat.
While I was tired heading into town for my ride, I was feeling good during the ride. Logging just short of 11 miles in an hour and a minute. Rearranged clothes and headed to Panera Bread for coffee.

I Have ALWAYS Eaten Too Much

When Cocoa and Barley (http://the2mightybeans.blogspot.com/) came up with this tag, they may just have had a pup like me in mind. Embarrassingly, Sierra Rose has tagged me with the "OOPS I ATE IT" award, cause she knows my history (cough). Do you have the time, bloggie pals, to read my epic about foodables (not to mention non-foodables) I've lifted over a 2-year course of time? Seat your butts and/or bodies down into a comfy place while I spin the saga of Sammie's (stolen) and mostly ingested items.
Contemplating...
Okay... here are the rules to this award:"When accepting this award, you must blog about the food you have stolen when your humans were not watching. If you have never stolen any food, you must have been a really good pup! You can accept this yummy tray of cookies as your reward! Next, add the logo of this award to your blog (optional), then nominate at least 5 other furry blogs and let them know by leaving a message on their blogs."Well... I don't know if there's any "oops" to it, except mama's and dad's incompetence at catching me heheh! I weighed 64 pounds when I came to my furever home in May 2007. By the end of September, I had gained 18 pounds. Here's how:In the first week, I destroyed an alarm clock, ate half a warm gingerbread cake and a potholder, two duck stuffies and a goose one. I munched on the contents of all bath waste baskets, worked on part of a door (plexiglas); when my attempts failed, I knocked it out and jumped outside to freedom. I bit and tore at two screen doors for freedom too. Then I found some form of food on a hike that contained marijuana - later it was not a pretty sight and required emergency vet treatment. Ate back hall carpet, a down pillow, 3 training bumpers, Ozzie's food, both wet and dry, breaking a dish in my attempts to get at it. Ate 2 cardboard boxes where mom's manuscripts resided. I ate corners of blankets, 2 of my Dad's shoes (not a match), apples and plums from backyard trees (that's why there's a wire fence out back today). I uprooted all the garden carrots I could find as well as mom's strawberries and tomatoes. Back in the house, I found two nicely cooked turkey breasts on the counter (WHERE were my keepers?) - got 'em plus a pound of raw turkey meat later that week. I'm very, very fast, and by now, very fat.Ma put me on a strict diet, but that didn't stop me from trying on walks, trails and open space. I'd gobble any poo I could find - horse, deer, bunny or - at home, kitty roca. Disgusting but rare, any upchuck available. I will steal anything from mom's office waste basket that's non-recyclable. She has to watch what she tosses in there. Kitchen trash can is always a major target, but I really can't get to it anymore. I did manage to score three of dad's socks. But the peeps are watching me much more carefully and I'm very hungry, poor me. I think that's why I went for the G-L-O-V-E. What a fiasco that was. It was that event that really put me on constant surveillance. A dropped doggie treat, meant for another pup, or a grandpeep's carelessly held snack is my only fair game these days and it's been tough. However, I was back to a trim 64 pounds a few months later, where I've stayed for a long time. And that's the truth of my sicko crimelife. I need a program! I know that so many of you have posted about this tag, so please, if you haven't received this award, I'd love you to take it and blog about it! I will read it - every word, drooling.Hugs xoSammie Pee Ess: I must, however, tag three particular bloggers, cause I'd really like to hear about the ingestions of stolen foodables (or non!)Tucker and DaisyMason DixieThe Rocky Creek Scotties

Irresistible autumn

The blogsphere is full of autumn photos just now, so why not a few more to celebrate this loveliest of seasons.





Below, Rothes Old Cemetery. On the other side of the wall is a whisky warehouse, giving rise to many local quips about the 'spiritual' location of the cemetery.





The distillery itself, against a background of autumn colour.