I forgot to mention that duck disappeared about two weeks ago. We couldn't find any evidence of a crime scene, and the neighbors said their dogs hadn't brought home any duck pieces, so we are hoping he just decided to find some place less stressful to live.

The chickens are doing fine. I still only have the two that are laying good eggs, but that is plenty for us for now, as we haven't gotten into the habit of eating them regularly.

I was rather pleased with myself when I realized I could rake up the hay left from bush-hogging to use for the bedding in the coop. The first small pile I obtained in flip-flops with the wheelbarrow. (I don't recommend working in flip-flops as a rule, although I find myself doing it frequently and usually end up regretting it.) As I raked I thought of the old-school days when there were actual haystacks that people burrowed into to escape blizzards.

I quickly realized the wheelbarrow was not the most efficient way of carting hay, so the next time I endeavored to gather some hay, I donned shoes and pulled out a tarp. After raking the hay onto the tarp, I towed it to the stable with my mower.

They say pride comes before a fall. I was so pleased with myself that I decided to take my mower on a little adventure and attempt to mow a nice go-cart track through the north fields. I didn't go far before a hidden rock caught a blade, the force of which sheared the metal piece that held the blade to the mowing deck. Oops.

Thankfully, I was able to drive it back to the shop. We decided the deck wasn't worth fixing, so the next day, Chris removed the mowing deck, and I still have a nice little work tractor. Chris had mounted a hitch ball to the back, and the previous owners left a nice little wagon with a tilting bed that I can tow behind. All we had to do was fix the flat tires.

This morning, I counted six wild turkeys wandering around the property. I can see some of them now, strutting along the fence line. I suppose we could have a nice Thanksgiving dinner if I knew what to do with a dead bird.