Saturday, January 7, 2012

Murder and Mayhem on the Farm

I regret to inform you... that we lost our 3 beloved chickens night before last.  I heard coyotes when we had just gone to bed.  I asked hubby to check on the chickens and so he did.  He didn't see anything.  But in the morning when he walked the dog he came in and said.. the chickens are gone.  ::sigh::  I will spare you the details.  But I am really upset and sad about losing them.  Before we get new hens, our chicken house and run will have to be beefed up security-wise - and made predator proof.  I will miss Betsy Ross - the Ameracauna who laid mint green eggs, Bella the Rhode Island Red and Rose, the Buff Orpington.  And now.. a moment of silence.  RIP my feathered girls.
I'd taken these photos on Wednesday morning.. before the tragedy -- it was foggy but there was a ghostly glow of the sun at the top of the hill behind our house and so I grabbed my camera to try to capture the surreal image.  Below is the light fog in our woods, up through the top of the trees. 
And looking down at the barn and the pasture.. the trees beyond are hidden in the fog. 
Yesterday morning was the "event".  But I had to buck up as we headed out at noon for a lunch at my older sister Roberta's house, our brother, (her twin) Robert and his wife would be there and also my younger sister Denise and her husband Steve.  I kept the story from them as if I'd talked about it I would have gotten too upset.  


Roberta made a wonderful meal of pot roast, potatoes and carrots.  We brought salad with cherry tomatoes, sliced olives, bleu cheese crumbles, dried cranberries and we made Uncle Dan's dressing which is sour cream, mayonaise with herbs and garlic in the mix.  You should try it.  My brother brought artisan bread and sparkling cider.  Denise made some amazing brownies made with peanut butter and Nutella. They were some of the best brownies I've ever had, so she sent me the recipe this morning. 
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Peanut Butter - Hazelnut Brownies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder (non-alkalized)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup hazelnut-chocolate spread

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

Melt the butter over low heat; when melted remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, and mix well.

Mix the peanut butter and chocolate spread in a small microwave-proof bowl, and heat in the microwave until it reaches a runny consistency. Stir the mixture into the batter; then pour it into the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
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We also got invited to dinner at our son Travis' house and he'd also invited our other son Shawn's family.  So, we went straight from a great time with my siblings to our son's house for a great evening with our sons, daughters-in-law, and 4 grandsons.  I asked him what he was making for dinner.. and he said.. "Pot roast"!  LOL!  So, we brought our leftover salad and shared that with them and had a bit more dinner.  The kids were having a ball... the energy and noise level was amazing. :-)

I hope you're enjoying the new year.  

((hugs)), Teresa

23 comments:

  1. I'm SO sorry Teresa. I know that was devastating for you. I know the new chickens won't replace the ones you lost. On a happier note, the pictures are beautiful and what a funny coincidence about the look alike dinners!
    Blessings,
    Betsy
    http://Betsy-thesimplelifeofaqueen.blogspot.com

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  2. Phew, shudder...I am so sorry...what horrible news! I can only imagine how I would feel. I am glad it has not put you off getting more hens though...I know how fond of them you were. Your photographs are very dark and sinister too. Very fitting for this tragic post. xxx

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  3. Teresa, I am so sorry for your loss. Those girls were very special to you and I will miss your posts about them. The cycle of life really stinks sometimes. Love and hugs to you as always,
    Meredith

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  4. Oh my gosh, Teresa. That's just awful. I'm so sorry. That just stinks. Bless your heart.

    Thanks for the brownie recipe. Nothing like a little chocolate to soothe the soul, eh? It's a little comfort at least.

    Been downloading apps and playing with the hipstamatic a little bit. That was a booger to figure out. Still not sure I know what the heck I'm doing! I will get the hang of it soon. I finally went to the website and it helped a little but not much. I thought I sent my pictures to Flickr but they never showed up. Hmm...I finally just downloaded them to my computer and looked at them that way.

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  5. I meant to tell you I loved those foggy, ghostly pictures! Very cool.

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  6. I am so very sorry to hear about your girls. I have had the same thing happen on my farm. It was a sad, sad thing. I still haven't replaced my flock.

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  7. So sorry about your chickens Teresa. We have the same problem here, tho the coyotes haven't gotten ours yet. They are locked in at night, and we've seen the fence pushed in at coyote nose level many times.

    Thanks for posting the brownie recipe, it looks delish! I'm going to try it.

    Love that picture of the trees and fog.

    Take care,
    Nancy

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  8. So sorry about your girls, but thrilled about the recipe....nom, nom,nom

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  9. I'm sorry about the loss of your chickens-I used to take care of some at a Bed & Breakfast. Hope you can come up with a solution to any further coyote intrusions.
    Your fog photos are delightful!
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  10. Teresa, I am so sorry about your hens. I know how attached I am to mine, so I sure do understand! Were they kept locked? How did the coyotes get in? So sad.

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  11. Teresa, I'm so sorry to hear the sad news about your chickens. To me, animals kept as pets, whether they be dogs, cats, chickens, goldfish or whatever, really are part of the family and I know exactly how you must be feeling. Hugs xoxoxox

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  12. Hugs Teresa!!I know how sad it is!!I loved the fog photos, especially the first one has a very eerie feel to it!!

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  13. Oh I am so sad to hear about your chicken friends...extra hugs to you!

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  14. I'm sorry for you and your "feathered girls".

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  15. Poor you, what a horrible thing to happen. I am so glad that you have your family around to give you a way to spend your time while you get over it, I know that our feathered and furry friends hold a special place in our hearts.

    Hugs.

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  16. Oh Teresa, I am so sorry to hear about your feathered friends :( ((hugs)) x

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  17. Oh Teresa I am so sorry to hear about your girls :-(

    Sending you a big ((hug)) Joanna xx

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  18. Hello Teresa I am so sorry you lost your lovely hens, what a horrible shock to wake up to. Your photos today are wonderfully filled with that grey and misty atmosphere, and I especially love the one with the red barn. Thanks for sharing the brownie recipe....brownies are one of my favourite treats and everyone else around here seems to love them too!
    Helen x

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  19. Hi Teresa, I am really sorry to hear that your dear hens got taken... in this country it's the foxes which do the same. I hope you manage to beef up your security and get some new ones soon. I would love to keep chickens but my stamp sized garden would never suffice! Your ghostly photos are so atmospheric...I could almost hear owls hooting there. Hope you have a happier week ahead.
    Jane x

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  20. Hi Teresa, Really sorry to hear of your loss of your feathered girls. I do hope you are able to get more at some point because I know how much you enjoyed them. Your photos were so spooky and mysterious. I actually love a day like that sometimes.
    Do hope you have a better week and know that I am thinking of you, xoRobin❤

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  21. My heart goes out to you. I know how close you must of been to those hens. I can't believe that fog. That's the fog feeling I was talking about, like pea soup. Are you going to get some new ones, once you are coyote proofed.

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