The Other Two!

Tuesday
I brought home three hens.

Wednesday
One was torn open by a raccoon.

Thursday
The other two are still alive.

Between worrying about the car and hens, I slept little.  The car issue is bothering me so that my colon reacts.

Neighbor friend got things out the car today that I could not lift. Another friend, one who mows for me, is coming to see if he can see how the raccoon got in the pen.  I will have him carry the trap back there and set it.

I am very relieved the hens are okay.

There are two can for trash that has to be carried to the road each week. Then, I have another three. All three of those were in chicken pen to keep them from blowing away or having to be moved for mowing. Of the three, one is for chickens to sit in under the table to protect them from wind or rain or cold. The other sits outside the pen for trash. That leaves one new can, the only one with a lid.

One of the three in the pen was near the door and on its side. When I opened the door to feed them yesterday, the other yellow hen was hiding between the can and the chain link fence. This is perfect for raccoons. They reach through the fence and grab the immobile chicken and rip it limb from gut. So, yesterday, best I could, I removed all the cans from the inside perimeter and put them toward the middle of the pen.

I attribute the hens being alive to the moving of the cans from the walls. Otherwise, they would snuggle up to the fence behind a garbage can. Today, the cans are all where they need to be.

The last hen, Dominique, knew her chickenly duties and performed them well. She scratched here and she scratched there. If I were in the pen, she made sure to scratch dirt all over my feet and onto her food I just put into as clean container!  She scratched dirt through the chain link. However, she only scratched it through the door, never the walls! Consequently, dirt piled up right outside the chain link door. Eventually, the door would not open. Well, I could not force it open, neither could I shovel it away.

My friend today shoveled the mound of dirt in the heat and humidity and in a long-sleeved shirt. Now, I can get the door open. Before, I could barely squeeze through, snagging skin and clothing. The mosquitoes are so thick and fierce that I wore a heavy sweat shirt over my summer blouse and with long pants and feet in sandals sprayed with Cutter.  It was like an oven out at 8 am, but anything is better than being blanketed by blood-sucking mosquitoes. My friend was looking very hot. He was on his way to work, but he knew what I needed.

So, other than stress about the car, I am a happy camper today.