I have a picture of Buddy's nest with 19 duckling eggs. (It's on the previous update)  Once the babies were hatched and were running around we counted 12 ducklings and 6 unhatched eggs.  Where is # 19?  We may never know.  Did a bird swoop down and pick it up as it was first leaving the nest following after mama?

So okay, we have 12 little ducklings.  Buster (papa duck) is not so nice to the babies.  He bites them and tosses them. Over and over.  I put him into the duck yard and closed the gate, so he flew back over to join the Mrs - and to pick on babies again.

Wednesday morning we noticed that two of the 12 ducklings were limping.  Broken leg?  We were both leaving for work so we decided we'd tape them up at night to give them some support.  I had a late night out with the girls but got a text from Kevin saying we only had 9 of the babies.  Two were completely missing and one had part of it's face pecked away.  Buster doesn't have that kind of beak, so I don't think papa did it.

We have hawks, owls, crows and lots of other wild birds that fly over head.  I think it was one of them.  

So what do we do?  How can we protect the babies?  If we put them into the chicken coop, the chickens would peck them to death. That wouldn't be any better.  We don't have an enclosure in the back yard to put them into.  So Kevin put them in the dining room...
 

He pushed the table against the wall.  He put heavy duty plastic trash bags down on the carpet.  Put hay on top of that and a pet exerciser (cage) on top. In went the ducklings, mama duck, food and water.  

The spacing of the wire is large enough that the babies can go in and out, but since Buddy is in there too, they stay within the confines of the cage.  Ideal?  No... but it works.  Kevin's first thought was to protect the babies. Protecting the house wasn't even a consideration.  I love this man!  

Anytime we walked by - which was frequently as that's where the patio door is leading to the back yard, and also it's next to the kitchen - Buddy yells at us.  She pulls her head in, hunches her shoulders up and Quack! Quack! Quack! She goes.  

Bo is fascinated with the babies.  He just sits outside the cage watching for hours.  Max is fascinated too, but he has maternal instincts that have kicked in.  Remember that he mothered Scraggles our cat when he was an orphaned newborn.  Max wants to mother these guys too.  

Kevin let Buddy outside to frolic with Buster this morning while watering the garden for me.  All the babies came out of their cage through the wires and were lined up along the patio door calling to mama to come back.  Max took that opportunity to play the role of mama.  They all got preened and licked clean whether they needed it or not.  When mama came back in she had wet babies, 3 of which were soaking in dog slobber.  

I think it's really cool that our pet's natural instincts to hunt and kill don't extend to those animals here at home. How does Max not gulp down a baby duckling?  How does Bo, who is a Brittany (bird dog) know not to hunt our birds?  Toby who brings home gophers on a regular basis hasn't even touched the babies.  Scraggles lays in the middle of them every chance he gets and then pretends to ignore them.  They ignore him in return.  In reality he just wants to be around them.  And Patch could care less.

We truly have gentle animals.

I posted pictures of our new hens on the last update and said that one came with 7 eggs she was sitting on.  Wednesday morning as I went to feed and water the hens before going to work I noticed 3 little chicks.  I didn't have time to investigate further, but was very excited.  Two black and One yellow.

Thursday morning, still rushing and not too much time, I noticed 2 more chicks.  5 of the 7.  Mama hen is still sitting in the nest, maybe hatching the last 2 eggs?  I hope so.  

They are in the rabbit cage and I figured that they will all be safe there.  Of course they fit through the bars and one fell out.  Kevin found it and put it back in.  I cut up a cardboard box and put it on the inside of the cage all around the edges.  Hopefully no more will get themselves lost.

8 hens... we are still only getting about 2 eggs a day.  Lucky ducks! Or chickens I mean - they don't have to do anything much for their supper.  You don't lay an egg, no problem, you can still live a happy life here at our place.  No pressure... but it sure would be nice to get a few more eggs each day. 

So it's now later in the day than when I wrote just ahead of this paragraph...  6 of the 7 eggs hatched.  The last egg looked like mom may have pecked at it to help the baby escape, but the hole was tiny.  I looked, there was nothing inside.  We ended up with 4 black chicks and 2 yellow chicks.  Sadly when I went to feed everyone in the evening, one of the babies had drown in the water bowl.  We had watched them earlier and they were able to get out after climbing in, but maybe this one got tired and sat down?  Very, very sad.  I went to the feed store and got a proper waterer for the babies.  Mama Hen can use it too with no problem, but no more open bowls of water until they are full grown.

As the chickens got older (I know, I should update more often) They became crowded in the rabbit cage, so I put them into the dog cage - when that became too crowded I decided it was time to let them out into the coop with everyone else.  Mama and one of the Americunas fought for top pecking order - all the books say this is normal, let them go.  But the next morning the Mam was dead.  This is the 2nd time the Americunas have killed another hen.  They are currently locked up in the dog cage.  They are sweet to us, just not to the other hens.

Lettuce doesn't last long in the garden.  Any time the temperature rises to something nice enough to enjoy, lettuce wants to go to seed.  It gets spiky on top and then flowers, then seeds form.  The problem is that the leaves get really bitter.  I pick lettuce leaves every day for salads, it's one of the great benefits of having a garden.  I'll miss it when it's gone.  Other things are coming into season, so there is still food, but soon, this favorite of ours will be no more.

Another prime example of how well our family gets along... if only we humans got along this well.

I'm so excited for Kevin!  He volunteered to train a few people to do a half marathon in October.  Word spread like wildfire and will probably grow before I can even get this update out.  From the original 4 or 5 people this started out to be, his running group has now climbed to 20 people.  This is fantastic!  He's such a wonderful coach, and loves to run so much.  Our friend Tereasa called it the "Quest Diagnostics Marathon Team".  It's a good name.

Funny story - Kevin says no one knows anything about him until they hear it from me... It was quite a few years ago - probably 6 1/2 now.  The American Stroke Association (Part of the American Heart Association) had come to Quest Diagnostics and gave a talk about marathons, how they train people to do them and how rewarding it is to raise money for such a good cause.  The organization for marathons was called Train To End Stroke (TTES)  Kevin, who had never even run in high school, signed up. He had the option to train to run a full marathon or a half marathon.  He chose to train for a full marathon.  It's the first day and he figures they were going to fill out paperwork, get information and go home.  Everyone else was in running gear.  One of his first questions was, "How long is a marathon?"  He had no idea what he was getting in to.  (26.2 miles for those who don't know.) Day one, half marathoners run 1 mile and full marathoners run 2 miles.  He thought he was going to die!  He had no idea how hard it was going to be to go a full 2 miles.  

Anyway, I decided that I wanted to be a part of that side of his life, so I signed up for the next round of marathon training... but for a half, not a full.  He was already leading the pack by then in the role as a volunteer, he had found his rhythm and was hooked. We went to Hawaii and did our marathons, a half for me and a full for Kevin.

As he was running we were talking on the phone.  He was dying in the heat of the lava beds as were a lot of other people.  I knew how hot and tired he really was, but as he came across others who were struggling he would match their pace and I could hear him encouraging them.  He went from one lone runner to a herd of people that he gathered up and wouldn't let quit.  I could hear him saying, "Come On!  We can do this! Let's stick together!  Together we will all cross that finish line!"  People believed him.  When they were at their bleakest moment.  When they thought they wouldn't be able to finish after all those hours of training, all that time and effort, along came Kevin Russell.  He was (IS) a breath of fresh air.  With him alongside you, your step is lighter and you believe in yourself - because he believes in you.  

The program "Train To End Stroke" is now called "START" and has undergone a lot of changes.  Kevin is no longer volunteering his time with them, but did for years and years, training others how to cross that finish line.  The people we met are fabulous and we still keep in touch.  Some of them even still run together.  

Kevin is in his element.  He is so good at making you believe in yourself that you find you can do anything.  If you are a part of his running group, congratulations!  Not only are you going to have fun, you will also accomplish something that you never knew was possible.  But be careful - some people become addicted... just ask Kevin.

We are up to (down to depending on the week) 31 animals here in our back yard farm, it's time to move to a larger area...  Somehow Kevin agrees with me.  

I drive all over kingdom come looking at houses before I bother Phil (my Realtor) with properties to actually see.  When I drive up to this place I called Kevin and said 'This is it, I've found our place'.  

I hadn't gotten past that locked gate, I hadn't been down that tree lined drive, I couldn't even see the house from this vantage point... but I knew with a knowing deep in my soul.

I got out of my truck and took as many pictures as I could from the road side of the locked gate.

So we are trying to buy this farm.  They asked for $140K initially, we settled on $119K.  It has 4.8 acres.  We are currently in the process of scheduling inspections.  They asked for 11 days, not the typical 17 days - and it's a holiday weekend. (Happy 4th of July) They don't have the money for the inspections, so it's on us - but well worth the cost since we don't want to buy if there is something that will cost many thousand to fix.  Or we can buy but pay much less...  

Sunday we are going there with Phil to see if we can find the corner posts so we don't have to hire a surveyor.  Tuesday is the home inspection - I'm going to be there.  If nothing too major comes up then on Wednesday we have the septic system inspection - for this Kevin will be there.  Then if nothing too major comes up on Thursday we have the well inspection - It's not a matter of buying the house or not but something we want to know about.  If we can rely on it for crops and animals it will make our lives so much easier (and cheaper). If we can't find the corner posts then we have to hire a surveyor for the next week.

Kevin is already asking about the property behind us - it's empty of any structures, and we're thinking maybe in the future we might want it for expansion.

As for the house we live in, it's paid for so we are keeping it and renting it out. It's a 3 bd, 2 ba with a huge garden area fenced in, a dog run and mature fruit trees (which I'm going to miss - avocados look like they are going to produce for the first time this year). What's not to love?!  It would be great for a family who wanted to grow their own food and have a dog or two ... any takers?

So as I said, I was looking at houses before I bothered Phil.  I got to a house on Old Elsinore Road and there was a dog.  Hmmm... is it friendly?  I had some dog cookies I'd made in my truck, so I decided to feed them to this one in the hopes that it didn't bite.  It took my food and went far away from me.  Cute house, lots of land, but the electric was torn out.  It was obviously abandoned and now the bank owned it.  

I looked at some more properties and then went to Starbucks for the internet access to review what I'd looked at and to see what else there might be to see.  I saw the picture of the property it had a kid's play set in the front yard and this dog.  

I freaked!  They abandoned their dog?!!!  OMG, it's got to be hungry - and I'd only given it dog cookies.  So I went back.  I had some more food with me so I offered more.  She took it from me and took off.  What to do? What to do? What to do?

I sent a text to my Realtor.  He contacted the listing agent and yes the dog had been there for months waiting for her owners to return for her.  I talked to the neighbors while waiting to hear back from Phil - she'd gotten in and eaten their chickens - all 23 babies. (She was hungry!)  

I couldn't get close enough to her to get her to come with me, so I went and bought food and water and took it back (three trips, one day).  Every day after I went back to feed her, I eventually got to where I could pet her when she was eating and then eventually I got a leash around her neck and forced her into the car. (Thanks Donna for helping lift her butt up and pushing while I pulled)

It's been a few weeks and she's adapted pretty well.  Her name is Lucky and she loves us, she loves our other two dogs (especially Max), she gets along great with our 3 cats, ignores the ducks and chickens - but Oh the taste of rabbit must still be in her system because they are not safe around her.  She wants to gobble them up. Maybe that's how she survived?  Rabbit and Chicken. ;-)  

We found 4 ticks on her, and gave her a shower the day after we got her home.  She's been to the vet, had her shots.  (Thank you Chris from Paws Pet Resorts in Lake Forest and San Clemente and Pet Project Foundation for helping us out with this rescue!!  You are the best.)  They guess she is around 4 years old. Has 1 tooth in the front that is missing, one in the back that is cracked, but no need to do anything at this time.  She had no worms, blood and fecal tests came back fine.  She's still scared we're going to leave and not come back, but she's learning (through watching Max) that all will be fine.

There was no way once I rescued her that I could give her up.  I'm not sure how dogs think, so I have to look at it from my perspective.  If I was saved by someone, and trusted them - then was given to someone else, I'd be more afraid than ever... nope, she trusted me, so here she'll stay.

So not only do we have a new house in the works, we have a new dog.  She still wont cuddle with us, but she greets us with a smile and tail wags every day when we get up, call her name, return home... And at the moment she's asleep on the bed beside me.  Kevin will be home soon and she'll have to get down... but he won't know about it until he read this prrrbbbt!  Ha Ha Ha. 

The lettuce is done and now going to seed.  I'm wanting to harvest them.  The potatoes have been harvested as have the garlic.  We are now in squash and tomatoes.  And on the trees, the plums are ripe.  Coming up soon (I hope) will be the nectarines and the onions - though I've been harvesting them as I need. 

The blue hubbard squash is taking over, but the watermelon is trying to find some sun and is pushing it's way to the top.  

I've re-planted garlic and potatoes.  

And it's HOT.  I don't do heat so well.  I try to work in the mornings and then do next to nothing in the afternoons... in the evenings I have more energy to do more chores.

If I'm going to have cows and goats, I need to use up the milk.  I'm thinking of butter, cheese and ice cream! YUM.  I made butter today to see if I could and below is a series of videos that show my failure, then my success... it was fun.

My friend Chris gave me her mom's recipe for Dog Cookies... they seem to be a hit with every dog I meet.  I've played with the recipe and added a beef or chicken flavored glaze to the top, I've substituted peanut butter for cheddar cheese.  I've sent them to work with Kevin to give out free samples... I think people took them home to their dogs, but you never know. 

Just yesterday some cellophane bags I ordered came in - let's see what I can do and how far I can take this.

Thanks Chris... Next fundraiser for Paws or PPF I'm there - Dog Cookies in hand.  Love you girlfriend.