Excuses, Excuses, and my July TBR

Somebody Get My .22

It is a very sad day here today. A female coyote, with the appearance of one that has just had a litter of pups, came into our yard. She strangled 3 of our 5 roosters, killed my sweet little baby Orpington that we had specially ordered, and also killed my little Rouen duck. There is another duck that is still missing and I pray she is simply hiding somewhere. That would be our Black Swedish. 

It comes as a bit of a shock since we haven't seen any coyotes here for almost two decades. What's more, she came into our yard around eight o'clock in the morning. Our dog, who is obviously getting too old to pull his weight, was taking a nap. He had been woken up early when my mother got up to go to work. So the dog who can hear a chipmunk two counties away slept through the entire ordeal.
There are still some small blessings in this massacre. Blackie, the biggest rooster's lady friend, Stripey and Pinkie were all spared. These are the boys' favorite hens. Unfortunately Tomato, our big barred rock rooster, did not make it. He was a favorite of the entire family. He was a huge but gentle rooster.
The remaining ducks were found huddled in the coop and they refuse to leave even though I moved their pool into the chicken yard again. The stupid remaining chickens refuse to stay in the safety of the chicken yard. I had left the little window open for them so if there any still hiding they could find their way back to safety. Instead the ones who were already safe went back out. Frustrating, stupid things. The Orpingtons that were not killed refuse to be captured and will not return to the coop until evening. They may be excellent layers but they're dumb as rocks.

New Duckies

Why did I go into the farm store that day?

I can't exactly remember. 

But do you see these adorable ducklings! I couldn't resist. Can you blame me?

Dealing With Ducks

There are some city folk among my kin…well honestly, we come from the city. We moved out to the sticks when I was in middle school. But even those family members who eventually followed us out to the peacefulness of the forest don’t  quite understand why I don’t mind dealing with duck doo and the bird-brained chickens. Well I do mind, sometimes. Ducks are messy and constantly draining their water supply. Keeping their living quarters tidy is a chore. Livestock takes up a lot of time, which means there is even less time for me to write and market my books. So why? Why do I put up with the ducks? Well for one thing, they don’t argue with me. I can bring them tomatoes and squash and they worship me. And, more importantly, it is all part of a grander plan. It is my husband’s dream to have a farmhouse restaurant…one of these days. So, in my “spare time” while he’s off working 15 hour days (that’s not a hyperbole), I am gardening and tending the poultry. We’re starting very small so we can learn what we’re doing. Good thing it will take us years to be ready to start up our own restaurant! We have a lot to learn.

…So I put up with duck doo to support my husband’s dream. Because I love him and have had a crush on him since I was a freshman in high school!

To support my dream you can either buy Filter as an  ebook or wishlist the paperback (should be out next week!). http://www.amazon.com/Filter-Von-Strassenberg-Saga-1/dp/1461053005/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303916462&sr=8-2

You can also find me on goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8853655-filter