Surprise!

Surprises are definitely a part of life on the farm.
And I'd have to say that chicken surprises are at the top of the list.


Yesterday morning while I was changing chicken waters and cleaning
their houses, I witnessed this:

Surprise!!
I truly thought we had no roosters in this last batch of chicks.
This fellow sure did take his time in revealing his true identity.
It's almost as if someone placed a rooster in our henhouse overnight.
I swear I never saw him before!!


Perhaps he had a sudden surge of testosterone overnight...
and quickly morphed.

One rooster to 34 hens is not a bad ratio at all.
Hopefully he remains well behaved.

I'm not sure if it is my perception or reality...
but, it seems to me that we have had an extraordinarily beautiful summer.


And with Autumn just a gnat's breath away,
the spectacular weather continues.


I've been riding my bike on a daily basis...
anywhere from 5 to 20 miles.
Yesterday, I set off by bike to the meat market for a whole chicken for dinner.
Because it was frozen, I knew it would be fine in an insulated bag
while I took an even longer ride.


It's been fun to watch the subtle changes in the land as I ride past familiar fields.
Roadsides that were populated by thousands of butterflies just last week
are much quieter.
However, the road, itself, is now dotted with wooly caterpillars
in white, yellow, brown, black, and russet.
Grasshoppers and praying mantises are also on the road...
the grasshoppers hopping up and hitting me on the legs as I pedal by.


The sun remains warm, but there is definitely an autumn feeling in the air.
My tires crunch on dry leaves that have fallen,
and the fields are now a true patchwork of brown and green.


I pass farms with pumpkins for sale....
giving me the inspiration for fall decorating.

I have found that my endurance is increasing, so I meandered through the countryside
just enjoying the vistas.
By the time I returned to the farm, I had ridden 23.7 miles.


Ready to usher Autumn into my home,
I drove to a nearby farm and picked up some pumpkins.
Several were placed on the driveway fence...


and the rest in the wooden cart by the barn driveway.


You might notice that the Profusion zinnias that I had planted early in the summer
are now looking more like mums.
That is one of the reasons that I love this flower so much.


This flower transitions perfectly from summer to autumn,
with no need for mums (which never seem to last very long.)

In the house, I changed out the summer dough bowl arrangement...
for more pumpkins and gourds (not real, however.)


The mantle got a make-over...


as well as other spots in the dining room


and kitchen.


On the kitchen counter are:
pinky-winky hydrangeas from the garden and an autumn candle.



In the blink of an eye, the house is transformed to its autumn look.
Oh, how I love this time of year!!
Now it's time to get busy and make some pumpkin-flavored yummies!!

Comments

littlemancat said…
Oh those beautiful blue skies! Good for you with all that exercise - and the fall decorating looks great.
Sorry about that rooster, but only one (hopefully) sounds ok.
Mary
kay saylor said…
We too had a surprise rooster in the sexed chicks we purchased this year. The former Penny is now Pennington. Ours has been well behaved when it comes to humans, but our older girls are not terribly happy with him. As long as he isn't injuring them he can stay, although my neighbors may feel differently. ;)

With as many hens as you have, my guess is they will be fine. Just make sure he is good with people since you have little ones around often.

LOVE,LOVE, LOVE all the decorations & flowers! Sooooo beautiful!
Anonymous said…
Like your fall decorating and impressed with the cycling!
Phyllis
This N That said…
The house looks wonderful. Fall is the best time for decorating. Did you name your rooster yet? LOL I bet somebody put him in there. He would not have missed him this long . I would think that all that mileage would burn more calories. Loving these cool mornings! Xxoo
Dee J. Hartman said…


























































































































Bev, your hubs is such a lucky man to have a wife like you with all that energy that you use to do so many creative, thoughtful and wonderful things on a daily basis!








Beautiful. You aren't the first person to be surprised by a rooster after a long while. Keep sharing your photos. I'm living vicariously.