Turkeys on Parade

We passed these handsome fellows on our way down the hill, while going into town today. The toms haven't been around here for awhile. We see the hens on a different hillside almost every day. These guys were preening and strutting their stuff, practicing for the day when they will meet up with the girls. We rolled the windows down and Nathan, one of our grandsons started calling to them from the backseat. The turkeys started gobbling back and really talking turkey. We couldn't tell if they thought Nathan was their competition or just one of them. Either way, we told Nathan, that meant he was a turkey.

Cold Weather Coming

Drained hoses, put faucet covers back on, checked foundation vent covers. Supposed to get down below 20 degrees by tomorrow night. The cats have already found a warm spot in the coop. One of the hens is in isolation - an old dog kennel filled with straw. She broke her foot a couple of weeks ago and can't manage to get up into the coop. She's getting better daily, but I'm concerned about how she'd fare in this cold snap. I'll probably carry her into the coop tomorrow night so she can get under the heat lamp at night.

I walked down the hill this afternoon to watch a Northern Flicker feeding. Such a beautiful bird. Gray-Black with a brown cap and red mustache, reddish orange under the wings and tail. It's the only woodpecker that feeds off the ground, preferring ant and beetles. Birds of Oregon field guide says it produces antacid saliva to neutralize the acidic defense of ants. It had better eat fast. I can see the storm clouds coming in across the valley. Snow won't be far behind.

An Early Spring?

Predictions on Groundhog day were for an early Spring. Here in Northwest Oregon we had some nice warm (over 60 degree) days in January. So when Punxatawney Phil forecasted more of the same, I was excited! Out came my seed catalogues, garden journal, seed planting trays, heat mats...An early start will make up for the summer that never came last year.

This year I'll put in lots more flowers to attract the bees, another Montmorency pie cherry tree (mmm, I can almost taste the cherry pie jam), maybe another row of raspberries, more rhubarb, a couple of extra rows of veggies for the local Food Bank. And since the weather is so mild, I can put my spinach, beets, sugar snap peas, lettuce and carrots in now.

Wait...is that really snow coming down? We hardly ever get snow, especially at the end of February. Good thing I cleaned out the chicken coop yesterday, because it looks like the girls will be spending a few days indoors under the heat lamps. And probably the cats, too.