What We've Been Up To the Past Few Days

A storm's moving in...finally, some moisture. It's raining tonight, but we're supposed to have snow tomorrow. 

We'll see.  Meanwhile, we've been:

Watching over our beloved Abby.  After months of off-and-on health, she has been growing steadily worse the past few days. We don't expect her to last the night.

She has had a long life. (13+ years) All the same, it is sooo hard to see her struggle for breath. If need be, yes, we will put her down. Poor puppy.
     One of us stays with her, petting her and telling her what a good dog she is. She is blind (we think) and no longer responding, but I can't help feeling that she knows we're here.
   

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Processing chickens. 
    Eight yesterday, three today. Got them done just in time, before it started raining.

The chicken wire-encased library table the Brick cleverly turned into a 'chicken run'

Little do they know...

The big kettle is actually a turkey fryer -- it holds boiling water to dip the feathers (easier plucking this way)

One of the final eggs...plus a decoy. We actually got three, which is highly unusual.

Most of the chickies were not carrying eggs inside -- ironically, today's last three all were. Would they have kept laying an egg or two, if we'd kept them on? We'll never know.

The neighbors and the girlies are enjoying fresh, naturally-raised chicken...and we put a few in the freezer, too. Chicken and rice soup for supper -- but I couldn't eat much. It takes a few days for the "urp factor" to die down when we process any meat -- something my Grandma Cumings would find hilarious. She had a large chickenyard and devoted customer base. The Mama said she could butcher, pluck and clean a chicken in 15 min. or so.

Charley the dog is confused by all this -- the chickens were his to protect, so why are we doing this?
 He is also worried about Abs. I wish I could explain everything to him. 

As the Brick says, "It's the end of an era."

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The Christmas cactus is blooming! Just a few blossoms, but they're lovely.

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Dogsitting Luna:

And Dabbey...who I call "Dobbsey." He gets the same wild-eyed look and enthusiasm of his namesake in Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Their 'folks' made it home in time, before the rain started, thankfully.

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