Time to relax

With the harvest over and the semester winding down, I had a fun and relaxing weekend. Pat, Nancy, and Jane came for dinner yesterday for a late celebration of Nancy’s birthday. Pat and Nancy picked out their Christmas tree, and Terry cut it down for them. They don’t plan on putting it up for a week or two, but they cut commercial Christmas trees in October! Terry instructed them to put the trunk in a bucket of water and leave it outside until they were ready to decorate.

I noticed yesterday that Bella has now lost her tail. Poor thing. 

Bella without her tail

I expect it was Juanita's fault again. She seems to be the biggest bully. Lupita looks awful, with large bald spots on her chest and back end. I was in the coop one day when Juanita and Lupita were in the corner. Juanita pecked at Lupita, and Lupita just stood there and took it. “Lupita!” I said, “You don’t have to be a victim!”

I also noticed today the Bella was hanging out separate from the group. When I put the carrot peels in today, nearly everyone came a-running. (The only one missing from the photo besides Bella is Rosa Dolores—she must have been in the coop.) Bella approached slowly but was hesitant about coming forward to the treats.

Almost all the chickens enjoying their Sunday carrot peels and celery leaves

I made a loaf of sourdough bread for the Thanksgiving dressing. It might seem like wasted effort, but I like a good robust bread for my dressing. It holds up to all the fluid without becoming mushy. Some people probably like mushy, but I am not among them. The bread is now cut in cubes and drying out.

The loaf of bread destined for the Thanksgiving dressing

The sky cleared up about 10:30. I went for a lovely walk. It was nice to get outside in the sun, even if it was cold. I made sure to wear my blaze orange stocking cap because it is deer season.

The whole family went out to the MCC Concert Band and Choir Concert at 3:00. The band has overgrown the stage at MCC, so the concert was held at Woodstock High School for the second time. At least on this occasion, we knew which entrance to use and also that we needed to get there way early to get one of the very few handicapped parking spots. At the last concert, Terry and I wandered all over the school looking for the auditorium.

We went for an early dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant in Woodstock. It was a nice afternoon.