One Day Ends and a New One Begins

Everyone seemed to enjoy A Mouse Tale last week. I did have another mouse encounter, but this time it was my fault that the little guy ended up in the metal can containing Pop's pellets when I left the lid off. His extraction was easier and less traumatic for him-- and me as I placed the broom in the bin and he ran right up it and ran swiftly off.

Yes there are traps set loaded with peanut butter, but the mice don't seem go after it. We will look into different traps when the Head Gardener returns. Poison does rid them quickly, but with a cat and dog, we don't want to take a chance that our boys or the neighbors' pets might find a poisoned mouse. We also have raptors, hawks and owls, that feed on the mice and such poisons are very bad for them, too. So the battle will continue. Still adventures with the mice make for fun story telling and blogging, don't they?

We have had a very warm fall and very dry too, leaving us wondering when we will get significant moisture. The warm weather makes for very pretty sunsets and the glow shines on the autumn leaves still on the trees, making dusk a fun time to shot photos, even with the phone camera.

Evening photos in the barn make interesting shoots of the horses.

At the end of the day, the only thing Pop cares about is his supper: a scoop of low carb pellets with his pill for his auto immune disorder and a scoop of alfalfa pellets.

Feeding the boys is down to a routine: Two scoops for each and Sun Dance gets two flakes of hay. Done Now off to the hens, the same routine a scoop of scratch, check the water, and gather the eggs.

These girls are just the sweetest. They are always happy to see me, greeting me with sweet clucks and chirps

A new day, Sunday, dawns shrouded in fog and a thick cloud cover that lasted most of the day. The same garden spot now looks cold and dim; however, call me odd, give me a strange look, for I rather like cloudy, foggy days. We seldom have fog. I like fog. 

Sundance welcomes me with sharp whinny that sounds somewhat demanding. I wish he were as polite as the little hens.

             

Pop, too, lets me know that he starving. I will admit that I was bit late getting out to feed them this morning, but don't they both look under fed and neglected? Perhaps I did deserve a bit of a scolding.

Then we have Mo, just as demanding as his big brothers. He likes his water, fresh, cold, straight from the tap, please.

And look a this surprise beauty that I found first thing this morning, a dinner plate dahlia. Yes. I know. It is more soup bowl size, but I am thankful that it bloomed at all. We planted six dahlias late in the season, so they have been quite behind. But what a gorgeous color. I'll have the HG dig the tubers once they die back and save this beauty for next year.

And here is another little beauty. We celebrated Elinore's 10th birthday today. My how she is growing. I received a text from her mother this evening lamenting how fast the years have gone and I readily agreed, acknowledging that I had been there, too, but I am going through that same lament that the children grown up so fast for the second time with the grandchildren. The Genie in the Bottle was a great theme because as Ellie grows older, the Genie certainly is coming out of the bottle and won't be stuffed back in. And do you know what she wanted for her birthday gift? Office supplies. So I filled a bag with office supplies. She loved it.

Tomorrow I will pick Lily up at preschool at noon while her momma spends the day at the girls' school. I asked Lily what she wanted to do tomorrow and she said that she wanted to go to the library, so that's what we will do. 

Will you be handing out candy to Trick or Treaters? We seldom have many come knocking, but I will have a bit of candy in case some of the neighbor kids to come by. We are off the beaten path, so we don't get much traffic.

Head Gardener is  still harvesting. I hope he is home by Wednesday. Tomorrow is Boone's birthday and we won't get to celebrate with him until he gets home from the boarding kennel. He'll be 3.

And now a parting treat for you to help you get in the mood for Halloween tomorrow night: the last two stanzas of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"

“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting— 

“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore! 

    Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! 

    Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door! 

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” 

            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” 

    And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting 

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; 

    And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming, 

    And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; 

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor 

            Shall be lifted—nevermore!

BOO: Scary.

If you want more, read the full poem @Poetry Foundation.org

Thanks for visiting; it always nice to see you. I'll be linking with Maggie at Normandy Life for Mosaic Monday. Join us there tomorrow. 

Oh, and I'll be updating Ann's Dollhouse Dreams