Thanks, @henless . Doing hospice care for my dad in my home now. Hardest job I've ever done in my life. But... God has prepared me for this chapter of my life. And, He is walking beside me through this time.
Today, I got out and dug a few potatoes. 5 ducks "helped". Ducks are much more polite when it comes to "helping" than chickens are. Went out at dusk to gather them up b/c heavy frost predicted tonight. Note to self: When picking potatoes in the dark... it's super easy to end up with some potato-rocks!
But, those potato rocks sure do last a long time. I have one that was harvested about 5 years ago. It looks like a magnificent Kennebec, complete with eyes, and proper coloring. Even has one spot on the side where it might have been nicked during the harvesting. I will often show it to unsuspecting guests, along with a few other varieties, inviting them to pick them up and feel the heft of them.
Today, hubby and I got out for a "date". I am oh so very thankful for our hospice team, as well as the Visiting Angels provided by Dad's VA coverage. Picked up some chicken feed, a few WM items, then rushed home b/c our time was up. Cold, wet rain here. Hubby has gone over and above in his acts of loving kindness, gets the hubby of the year award. He's been faithfully tending the animals in the morning, so I can get a bit of extra sleep and tend to Dad's needs. Hubby is SO NOT A FARMER. Yet, he does so w/o complaint. He's been working for the past week on building a CP duck house. I'm delighted with it, and it will be placed within 30' of the outdoor faucet, so I will be able to water them with increased ease this winter. It will make all the difference in my ability to overwinter them. I'm debating what to cover the house with. I could use a clear green house tarp. Or, I could use a white tarp. Or a more heavy duty dark colored tarp. I'm leaning towards white over top, and construction poly over the ends. This will let plenty of light in, while not producing as much heat as green house poly would. Perhaps, when this is all over, I might write a book, titled: "The Reluctant Farmer"!
I am thankful for my church family. A couple I just met a few weeks ago, and an other couple that don't even attend our church got together and processed 20 birds for me. Hubby. BIL and I rounded the birds up, carted them to the farm in Frankfort. BIL stayed to help until I got done with Hospice nurse, then I went to help finish up. So, tonight, I have a fridge full of expertly cleaned chicken carcasses + 2 drakes. My little duck flock is now thinned down to where I want it. I have 4 ducks (1 black, 2 blue runners, and one Welshie) and 1 Khaki Campbell drake. Bonus: the ducks put themselves to bed tonight. Apparently, with the 2 extra drakes removed from the flock, they felt more vulnerable... or perhaps felt that they weren't out-manned, so went in their tractor without being herded in! I have about 12 more cockerels/roo to finish. I should be able to process them a few at a time when this current batch is moved out of the fridge.