Happy times, henpecking and hay

We had a great afternoon at the beach yesterday. Went to Neskowin first, where we enjoyed good scenery, no wind and fun romps with Jackson. (He is such a good beach dog!) After eating our picnic lunch, Rick wanted to try somewhere else, so we loaded back up and drove north to Pacific City. We didn't know there was a Dory Festival in progress; I don't think I've ever seen an Oregon beach that crowded! Reminded me more of my childhood visits to the Southern California coast! Although the sun was out the wind was brisk, so it was colder. We walked to the leeside of Cape Kiwanda, where my MIL and I settled into the warm sand while the boys climbed the sand hill (slowly) and eventually ran back down. We took the scenic route home (not that there's an UN-scenic route home from the coast) and enjoyed a supper of pesto-zucchini pasta (first zukes from our garden) and fresh picked berries.

When Rick and I did chores, I noticed that Lucille, she of the cast-less broken toe, was feebly moving towards the door of the henhouse where most of the girls were already at roost. I went in to see why she was getting around so much worse, and discovered a terrible case of henpecking. So of course I scooped her up and installed her in the straw-bedded dog crate with fresh food and water (I'll spare you the close-up of her raw, featherless head).This morning she looked worse, with one eye swollen shut; this evening she looks a little better, so I think she'll make it. Chickens are easy to like - but easy to hate, too, when they show their vicious side. Men joke sometimes about being henpecked, but they have no idea of which they speak!

We've been working on tracking down second- or third-cutting orchard grass hay for the sheep (horses, too), and located some big 3'x3'x8' bales in central Oregon that even delivered were an attractive price. We were set to commit this morning when, almost by accident, Rick stumbled on some local irrigated second-cutting orchard grass with about 25% alfalfa - the same price, but in easier-to-manage small squares. We got the 7 1/2 tons the man had left; we'll probably need 2-3 more tons (third cutting if we can get it) to feed horses and sheep until next year's haying season. I was down to the final flakes of sheep hay, so getting hay today was a big relief, if a big job.

That's it for now from . . .