Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share the goings-on 

here in our Piedmont homestead.

This will be short and sweet,

as I am still having difficulty loading pictures

onto the computer from my phone,

and I don't have the first clue how to fix that.

The good news is...

the monarchs are back in FULL FORCE!

We are absolutely crawling in caterpillars,

and you won't hear one complaint from me.

Making it even sweeter, is the fact that I 

didn't plant any milkweed this year,

these are all volunteers!

By the time this is posted, there will be many

caterpillars searching for a cozy spot

to form their chrysalis to make

the transformation into the beautiful

orange and black butterflies we love so much.

What a thrill to see all of these

critters devouring our plants,

knowing that there will be a few more beauties

in the world.

There were more pictures to share,

but it's so frustrating trying to post them,

that I only added a few.

Have you seen any monarchs where you are?

The other not-so-good news,

is that our dear Saffron is dying.

She took sick suddenly,

as most chooks do.

Chooks are known for hiding illness,

lest they be preyed upon by other animals,

or even their own kind.

I did everything I knew to figure it out,

and treated her with several natural remedies.

I finally found a vet that treats chooks,

but they were not available for 5 days.

When they finally did come,

the vet told me she thinks it might be

a tumor that is affecting her internal organs.

She gave us some pain meds,

and we've been treating her daily.

To her credit, I really didn't expect her to live this long.

She was on death's door just a few days ago,

so I will do what I can to keep her comfortable.

I'm happy to report that yesterday,

she took a walk in the woods with her sisters,

and seemed to be breathing easier.

I know we don't have long with her,

but I'm glad to know that at least

I did what I could and that she's had a good life with us.

Her buddies have been keeping her company,

which just melts my heart.

Sorry for the short post,

there are some things to report in the garden,

but along with the technical issues,

I haven't much been in the mood to chat.

I hope your weekend brings you all good news...