A Might Hectic

Yessir, life these past 7 days has been just a might hectic. Our days go something like this: wake up early, throw on (usually already dirty) work clothes, do a very abbreviated version of morning chores, pack food and water for the day, and head up to the property. Work all day and evening, arrive home after dark, maybe eat something quick for dinner or not (last night I had rice - the refrig is bare!), and fall into bed. Sleep quickly and repeat. I don't recommend this sort of lifestyle for very long, let me assure you! But, on the up side, SO much has happened up at the property, and it's all actually falling into place!

I'll pick up where I left off - at Thursday. I didn't get any digital pictures taken because it was a bit more insane than usual. Tom had spent the night up at the property due to (safety regarding) the burn piles, but part of the crew had had to drive Tom's truck home Wednesday night, so he didn't have wheels to get back home to work (at his paying job!) Thursday morning. So, I had to be up at the property to pick him up at 7:00 a.m. - by which time the other part of the crew was already at work! (Let me tell, you, aside from taking Sundays for their own lives, they don't let up!) On the way home, we saw a silky, very long-legged black bear pop into the woods.

Maisy hadn't been feeling well, so, in between yet another morning trip to the property and our regular afternoon/evening work, I took her up to Canada to the vet. It was 94 degrees up there, but, ever so thankfully, there wasn't a drop of humidity in the air. So, the heat felt just fine. (Not so when I returned home to h-i-g-h humidity at 84 degrees.) Anyway, Maisy got taken care of, and is feeling MUCH better now, we're happy to say.

That night, Tom and I worked late into the dusk hours - battling the horrid blackflies who'd come out when the sun went down - staking out and squaring the house pad. I don't think I got home until 11:30 that night. Tom spent another night at the trapper cabin to watch the fires which had been kicked up again by the high winds, but I had two very close encounters of the moose kind on the way home.

About 3 1/2 miles from the property a HUGE bull moose scared me half to death when he came crashing out of the black woods right in front of me. His rack was about 3 feet from tip to tip and in full velvet. I wonder what he'll look like this fall?! Then, about 1 1/2 miles from home, another bull came right out of the side of the road straight into me. Had I been driving a smidgen slower or he running a smidgen faster, he would have run right into the car. The passenger side window was open because of the heat, and he was so close to the car that I could hear the grass underneath his feet!!!

And then, only about 1/2 mile from home, a fox darted out in front of the car with something that look suspiciously like a chicken in its mouth. And audible, "Oh, no!" escaped from my mouth as I stepped on the gas and punched it to the house and my chickens who still, obviously, hadn't been closed up for the night. But, all was well. My March hatch of chicks has finally morphed into chickens: no more peep-peep-peeping (actual clucking now), and I think I've heard another cockerel attempting a measly crow.