Hennery

2009-05-14T21:07:00.005-05:00

On May 8th, we had what some people are calling an inland hurricane. It brought a large tree down in our yard that landed on our deck, near enough to hitting the house that it pushed the sliding glass door in the dining room open. The tree had 3 huge trunks and all three came down in one instant into our back yard.

It flattened one of our duck houses. Shown here looking to the base of the downed tree, showing all three trunks of the tree with the middle one crushing the duck house.

Nearly every home in our area suffered some kind of damage. Our claims adjuster came by yesterday. He said that his company processed twenty total losses this week. I suspect the other companies had many more. Our power came back on Thursday. We were without power for 144 hours. Six nights. I'm beginning to restock the freezer, but right now after throwing out all that meat and frozen foods, I can't quite stomach buying very much. It doesn't seem very appetizing. I told Eric yesterday that we're becoming something like "normal people" eating out every day!

After this experience, a lot of our neighbors and friends are getting generators. We won't be getting one. We've decided that the best preparedness is having lots of fresh water in storage which we had for this power outage. We also already have a camping stove which we put to use. The other thing that we should get is a kerosene heater. The weather after the storm was gorgeous, but if it had been chilly for those 6 days we could have been miserable.

Orchid Show

2009-02-25T15:23:00.007-06:00

Here are a few photos from our visit this month to the Orchid Show...

Hunt for the White ones

2009-01-06T17:56:00.004-06:00

This is one we found in Olney, Illinois several weeks ago:

This one we found in Kenton, Tennessee last week.

2008-12-26T07:35:00.002-06:00

This is the result when you ask a certain 12 year old boy to snap a photo. I kinda like it! This is me and my dear hubby.

We've had some beautiful sunsets this month. It was hard to pick a favorite.

2008-12-10T17:27:00.002-06:00

Optimum maximum

(Thomas Brooks, "The Unsearchable Riches of Christ")

Christians serve a wonderful Master.
They serve Him who is . . .
all ear to hear them,
all hand to uphold them,
all power to protect them,
all wisdom to direct them,
all goodness to relieve them,
all mercy to pardon them.

They serve that God who is optimum maximum
—the best and greatest. God has within Himself
all the good of angels, men, and universal nature.
God has . . .
all dignity,
all glory,
all riches,
all treasure,
all pleasure,
all delight,
all joy,
all beatitudes.

God is . . .
goodness,
beauty,
power,
wisdom,
justice,
mercy, and
love itself!

God is one infinite perfection in Himself!

"He has all—who has the Haver of all." Αugustine

2008-11-02T17:36:00.003-06:00

Lake on the Campus

Road in front of our home.

Campus Lake

2008-10-30T19:02:00.002-05:00

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Autumn Photos

2008-10-21T13:54:00.006-05:00

2008-07-16T09:17:00.003-05:00

Good morning!!! How are you?? It's great to see you today.

When I sit quietly in the morning, the sun brightens the room and this is how I see it through the east window by my chair.

And when the sun goes down...this is what I see...

Good night. Sweet dreams! Thank-you for spending a few moments with ME!!

2008-06-29T06:54:00.009-05:00

Well! Look at you, still faithfully looking at my blog even though I haven't posted anything for the whole month of June. You're too good to be real. These are some photos from me and Eric's recent walks around Campus Lake at SIU. We especially enjoyed seeing the young buck lounging by the side of the lake. He never did seem to catch a whiff of Gretchen, who was walking with us. He was relaxing and enjoying the cool breeze coming from the Lake. Gretchen never saw or smelled the buck either.

I hope you're enjoying your summer!!

More Adventures at the Hennery

2008-05-30T08:52:00.002-05:00

Always excitement with all our fowl. The excitement ranges from a stalking fox, new birth, death and even romance. As for the romance: we introduced a new rooster to our flock of widow hens this week. He'll probably be given a Russian name because of the way he kicks his legs out straight when he walks, like a Russian soldier. We used to laugh at the way Jeff ran, but this guy is hilarious. He gallops, or maybe it's a skip--whatever--it's makes me laugh. God is good to provide us with crazy beasties to make us laugh, even on our gloomiest, saddest days. Everyone should be blessed with a Hennery! Henneries work like Prozac for depression! There are dangers with Prozac as well as with Henneries, like the other night when I flattened a wire cage when I fell on it in the dark---owie!! That danger wasn't mentioned in the "insert" when I got started with hens! Our new rooster has Japanese heritage, the farmer says he's a mix. I'll post a picture someday---it'll keep you coming back to check for a photo!!

Concerning the people who live here at the Hennery, we've been busy! Eric went away for a few days to help his mom. We'll be happy to see him home today. Last weekend Eric and I celebrated our twenty-second anniversary---this is the best year yet! We had an enjoyable get-away weekend without the kids.

Isaac's high school graduation ceremony is this evening. He made it! The baccalaureate ceremony was scheduled for Sunday, but the town was hit with tornado warnings and so it was post-poned until last night. Only a third of the kids and only a few handfuls of parents attended. I didn't find the sermons all that inspiring. The choir sang beautifully--that was the best part. In closing we sang a hymn together. I was surprised by their hymn selection: "I'll Fly Away." Is that an odd selection, or what? I thought it strange, but Becky and I enjoyed standing next to each other and belting out this fun song from our childhood.

Miracle in my front yard

2008-05-21T15:12:00.006-05:00

God's plan is to turn these pink flowers into juicy blackberries.

The bees are here as part of the miracle. There are lots of bees, lots of pollen, there has been plentiful rain. There will be fat juicy sweet blackberries.

Jeff

2008-05-21T06:59:00.005-05:00

We have very sad news here at the Hennery. Our beautiful Rooster, Jeff was hit by a car. My nephew blames it on a teen-aged driver, though I doubt that anyone actually saw the guilty party. Not a happy day. Our glorious, sleek, protective, wonderful rooster, dead. His bright red head, suddenly pale and lifeless. His hens now scattered without their leader and cranky with each other, though they don't understand why. I shall declare that he was the very best rooster ever. Never fear, we're in search of another grand leader for our flock. Beginning interviews today!

These photos have nothing to do with Jeff. I was out buying a new camera when Jeff met his end. He wasn't so picturesque by the time I got my camera home.

Here instead are three of our four kitties. First, Nakita, then my blind kitty, Brit.
And the last one is Sylvia, our soft and cuddly huggable kitty that everybody loves.

I'm still learning how to use my new camera. I've made a lot of mistakes, but that's part of the fun of a digital camera. I may get so snotty about my beautiful photos that I might refuse to post them for fear someone might steal them, ha ha! I'm not that snotty yet!!

Happy Mothers Day!

2008-05-11T08:43:00.003-05:00

Candid Camera

2008-05-10T07:15:00.002-05:00

I am so naughty for posting this photo. My oldest son and youngest don't like to have their photos taken and I can never get them to cooperate so I can get all three in one photo. I took this photo with a digital zoom from the same kitchen window that I caught the grosbeak earlier this week. I think this photo is precious. I don't know why they were lined up like they are, each with a chicken, it looks like they're up to some mischief, doesn't it?

They're all standing in the duck pen where I think the hens were getting inside the duck house (quacker box) bothering Ping and her 3 new Indian Runner babies. I think they are uniting to rid the hens from their improper place. I couldn't resist capturing their unintentional pose!

The way they're standing makes me think they're thinking about a chicken flying contest or something.

Left to right---Isaac, graduating from High School this month; Niel, finishing 5th grade home school; Quinn, Sophomore in college.

2008-05-07T16:34:00.002-05:00

Last week on May 2nd we started seeing this Rose breasted Grosbeak at our feeders. He and his mate are still hanging out around here and today I caught him with his finch and cardinal friends in this fuzzy picture. (I don't have a zoom lens and this is taken through a rain-spotted window, that's my excuse.) Today I pulled out my bird book and found a note to myself that on May 2nd 2007 there were four Grosbeaks in our yard. That's pretty amazing to me that they know our calendar! Smart birds. Also on that day last year I noted that a flock of Indigo Buntings arrived. Last year on May 18th we noticed a pair of Scarlet Tanagers who ended up building a nest in the pine branch above the van parking space. We're hoping they return this year too---they were fun!

2008-05-01T15:40:00.002-05:00

Good Girl, Scare Snake!! This black rat snake was outside the duck house this morning waiting for Niel to let him in to have some eggs for breakfast.

The pictures below are Ping on her nest with Fred her constant companion guarding her. If you can see a brown chicken egg in with the white duck eggs beneath her, we didn't put there. Evidently one of the hens thought Ping wouldn't mind at all as long as she's sitting.

The other photo is the three guineas that the boys gave me for Mother's Day. The lightest chick will be pearl colored, the medium is supposed to grow up to be "purple" and the darkest one is supposed to be a typical brown guinea.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-30T13:13:00.002-05:00

2008-04-22T18:50:00.003-05:00

This is the third year Ping has set. The first batch completely failed. Last year she hatched the twins, Fred and George. This year her eggs are due to hatch on May 3rd. Today Mr. Blacksnake raided her nest and now she has only 5 eggs left to hatch. If we could figure some way to keep the snakes out she would appreciate it. After the twins hatched last year we were able to put them into a snake proof pen, but it's a little hard to manage after she begins setting.

2008-04-15T16:04:00.000-05:00

The tulips are blooming!

2008-04-10T19:27:00.002-05:00

It's a lovely day. . . if you're a duck.
Unless you're a sick duck and have doctor's orders to stay indoors!

Niel found poor little Vidi in her duck house (quacker box) in distress this afternoon. Poor thing couldn't stand and her teeth her chattering. OK, they weren't her teeth, her beak was clattering. Niel told me she's probably egg bound. He reads about these things and turned out he was right. First thing he did was look up on the internet what to do for her: Keep her warm and put some vegetable oil on her bottom to facilitate the stubborn egg. Our personal vet is off on Thursdays, and no one in his office knew what to do. I called Debbie who is a Veterinarian by education, but now works as a stay at home mom. She recommended a couple doctors and I was able to reach one by phone.

The kind doctor told us to bring her on over and she'd see her right away. They were all very kind and were excited to see a duck in an office that primarily sees cats and dogs and an occasional ferret. The office staff gave us special treatment and didn't make us wait in the waiting room with the dogs. The doctor wasn't able to feel the egg, so she recommended an X-ray. $95, she said. Eek! Vidi sat nice and still for her x-rays and they got lovely films. I'm wondering if we might be able to use the films for when Niel shows his poultry for 4-H. That would make his poultry more interesting, to have an x-ray with a big egg stuck in the pelvis. It was very home-schooly and educational. The doctor talked a lot to Niel about the x-ray.

Vidi didn't cooperate as well with the needle getting stuck in her side to empty the egg of its contents, so they had to give her gas to make her sleep. I'm thinking--whoa! Eric's going to be upset about this vet bill! We went home for the hour that the procedure lasted and I picked up some fresh brown chicken eggs for the doctor---I was feeling very James Herriot.

Well, the good doctor really IS a good doctor. Not only is Vidi feeling much better now, but she charged us the price she'd charge if Vidi had been a wild duck that we had brought in. I sure appreciate that. It was still a big bill, but there was no charge for the x-ray or the sedation. Whew! Thank God!

Vidi has to stay inside tonight. She's feeling a little weary, but she's ready to get back outside and enjoy her favorite food: MUD PUDDLES!!

Veni, vidi, vici!

2008-04-09T19:31:00.002-05:00

"Hey! You're a mammal aren't you? Could you open this barrier for me so I can get in?"

Sylvia looking out, Edith looking in.
Edith is the chicken who is also known as "People Chicken". She was hand-raised as a companion for a lonely duckling, she never figured out if she's a human, chicken or a duck.

Spring!

2008-03-26T07:18:00.004-05:00

Spring is here!! I lived through another winter. The forsythia and daffodils are in bloom. The wild birds and frogs are frantic with desires.

I never got around to deleting my blog, so here I am again, chronicling the season with pictures.

The next pictures are from the orchid show at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. On March 16th Mom and Dad went with Eric and me. Mom and Dad are doing so well that we had trouble keeping up with them. We all enjoyed the Botanical Gardens and the trip to St. Louis together.

Last but not least, a photo to record the huge rain we had last week and the way it swelled Lewis Creek that runs alongside our road. The creek went over the road in a couple of places, but it didn't last long, as it was rushing on it's way to the Mississippi and its flooding.

2008-01-30T06:28:00.000-06:00

Hello! I haven't dropped off the face of the earth or anything like that.

I think I will be deleting this blog in the next few weeks, with dial up internet connection it's just too hard to do much with and it takes too much time. But it was fun to show off my pictures and then actually have friends pop in to look!

Someday maybe I'll restart another blog. I'd probably use blogspot again, it's very easy as far as that goes and I'll try to use the name Hennery again if I can.

I wanted to post one more time to say one more hello to anybody who might peek in like Krista! or Donna! or Judy! or Ebtihal (I met some more people who know you!!) or Kathy! or Jo! or Dani! or my lovely niece, Stef! I love you all! If you peek in, please leave a comment before you go!

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-26T07:09:00.000-06:00

Couldn't have asked for a lovelier Christmas. We had a wonderful day together.

We gathered at our house. Eric ended up having to work an overnight double and had to go back in to work right after lunch. My cousin from St. Louis arrived late because she had difficulties that I can't go into. Other than that, the dinner was great and I had such fun decorating the house for guests. It has been a long time since I've enjoyed preparations for Christmas this much.

Our weather was gorgeous. I'll take a sunshiny Christmas over SNOW ANY time!

I love this photo my niece took during our after Christmas Dinner walk. She got a perfect shot of the giant coming out of his lair, right as he snatched my sister's boyfriend, and before he crunched his bones! Well, that part of Christmas was a little gruesome, but we were thankful it was the boyfriend and not somebody important.

Please try to ignore the fact that the giant looks almost identical to the gentleman in the photo from the madrigal below. Pure coincidence.

Madrigal

2007-12-15T20:48:00.000-06:00

We had a very fun evening. Isaac was in the Madrigal at the high school. The performance was lovely and the food was good.

Isaac was the guy who announced the food (?) I think he was called a surveyor. He was a very handsome Lord.

After the Madrigal we found that it had started snowing---our first snow this winter. I was thinking of posting a photo of our snow, but it's kinda whimpy, so I'll post the non-whimpy sunrise we had recently instead.

December

2007-12-01T15:01:00.000-06:00

These pictures illustrate what I feel about December. Dreary, cold and harsh. It normally doesn't snow much in southern Illinois until January, so until Christmas or snow, my photos might look depressing. Can't wait to post photos of little crocus flowers and daffodils coming through the soft spring soil.

Memory Lane

2007-11-23T07:23:00.000-06:00

Here's a trip down memory lane. This photo is taken under the same yellow maple tree in front of the old house. First on left is my mom, then my sister Ruth, then Becky, me (with my kitten) and my granny and grandpa.

2007-11-03T15:55:00.000-05:00

My mom and dad on the road in front of our house.

I'm adding a few more autumn pictures because VICKI asked to see some autumn pics from So Ill. I am so disappointed that the photos don't turn out as vivid as real life, so I'm not posting many of my pictures. Eric and I were walking in the woods nearby recently and there was a magical golden glow because of the glowing yellow gemstones on the branches of the trees. Very pretty and little rectangular pictures do not convey the real beauty.
This next photo reveals my humble beginnings: this is the house I grew up in. The glowing yellow maple tree was planted the same year my sister Ruth was born, so it's only 53 years old. It's also the tree that collided with me when I was 4 or 5 when I prematurely lost my front tooth! It's been a good tree, provided shade for many drinks of iced lemonade. The house has been vacant for almost 20 years.

Thanks for looking at my pictures! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2007-10-31T16:40:00.000-05:00

Our Walk in the Woods Today

2007-10-20T16:28:00.000-05:00

Every spring and every fall a public road in the Pine Hills in southern Illinois is cut off from traffic. The road is called "Snake Road". In the fall, the road is closed off to allow snake crossing from the slough on one side of the road....

...to the bluffs for hibernation...

Today was a perfect day for hiking. The weather was clear and cool. Eric and I with our dog, Gretchen went walking on Snake Road. So did a lot of other people with cameras. Normally, we only see snakes if I am not carrying the camera. It was unusual for us to see any when I have the camera. We saw two snakes today: A little garter snake that didn't stop for a photo and this yellow bellied watersnake. I think that's what it was. Herptologists, feel free to correct me!

Along the way to the Pine Hills we took this photo of Tower Rock on the Mississippi. You're looking at Missouri across the river. You can see we're still pretty green with only two weeks left of October. In a week or so we should be seeing a lot more color.

2007-10-14T07:36:00.001-05:00

October 13, 2007. Happy 56th anniversary to Mom and Dad!

This is my son and niece on their way to homecoming dance with a group of friends yesterday.

And this is the water tower in downtown Western Springs where we visited last weekend. The tower was built in 1890 using Naperville stone. It's 112 feet high. It's a fairly impressive landmark and is now a museum.

It's Time to Post a Post

2007-10-01T14:41:00.001-05:00

My birthday was great! Thanks for all the birthday greetings.
I feel so loved. (big grin!)

Eric took me out for dinner at Fujiyama's hibachi grill where the cooks entertain while they cook your food at the table. Lotsa lotsa fun! The food was delicious...which reminds my tummy, there's some left-overs in the fridge that I think I'll go finish off now.

I have a few photos to share. First my flying-free pet dove, Diego.

Next, my kid in the same tree.

I'll post this last photo just long enough for y'all to see how good my mom's doing after her fall this summer. Then I'll take it off line...'specially since I don't have her permission to post a picture of her. This photo was taken just a few minutes ago when I caught her walking out to the mailbox. I'm 'specially hoping Stef will peek in to see Granny. (another big grin)

Another September Birthday

2007-09-13T15:02:00.000-05:00

My baby's eleven! Because he homeschools, I don't often get to see him next to kids his age, so yesterday when I dropped him off for soccer practice with those BIG 5th and 6th graders, it kinda made me sad. I'm not one (as Jo knows) to get sentimental about my kiddies getting older, but *sniff* he just seems too little to be so big! I have to admit that some of those 6th graders are jumbo-sized, just maybe somewhat older than the average 6th grader?

My boy is still a little boy. He was thrilled with his new pet dove which is the very essence of peace and tranquility. He's a very gentle caregiver for all his fowl (as well as for his pet tarantula and pet rabbit.)

Happy Birthday, Boy!

Watched From Above

2007-09-10T20:10:00.000-05:00

Down on my knees weeding the blackberries this evening, I looked toward the sky and there was a beautiful argiope spider. If I had been on my feet instead of my knees, I would have destroyed all the hard work she had put into her web today. Click on the picture and admire her beauty up close. She's really an attractive creature...and of course very busy keeping those mosquitoes out of my ears.

The hens and ducks were also close by while I was weeding in case I unearthed some nice fat grubs.

Eighteen Years Gone By

2007-09-06T09:03:00.000-05:00

My cute little sunshiny cabbage patch baby has been around for eighteen years now.

His birthday was Sept 6th. Now we have a household of 4 adults and one child.

This photo was taken by his English teacher when they were doing Hamlet. He's very much into literature and drama, so his Shakespeare class has been one of his favorite high school experiences.

Happy Birthday to you!

The Butterflies Mesmerize Me

2007-08-25T16:49:00.000-05:00

This photo was taken right next to my front door. I know these butterflies lose some of their enchantment on a computer screen, I can't help it, I just keep taking their picture and just keep posting them. And today I finally caught the tiger!

Giving credit where credit is due, this photo was taken by Niel, but I thought I should add another poultry picture. This is "Ping" and her offspring "Fred and George".

School Daze

2007-08-22T13:28:00.000-05:00

School has begun. I'm even taking a class this semester. English 102 on line to work on getting a BSN someday.

Quinn has started his second year of college.

Isaac's a senior in high school.

Niel is a 5th grade home schooler.

I'm kinda busy these days, even working an extra day each week, so might not get too many updates in bloggy-world here.

Here's a picture of what my college classroom looks like when I get up in the morning.

Hey, Jo!

2007-08-17T13:41:00.001-05:00

I don't have any new photos to add today, so I'll add an old one. This is one of baby me and my two big sisters taken the Easter before little sister was born. The field behind us in the picture is now the pine forest where Eric and the boys and I live.

I guess I can add that the sister in the middle is my sister who died of breast cancer in April. Did I show you this picture before? I'm getting old and forgetful!

Jo, I can speak to you personally here, cuz you're about the only one who peeks at my spectacular blog! I got your letter today and since you asked about my crochet I thought I'd tell you to take a look at the link on the left (that's your side with the tingling hand) named "my doilies" and you can see what I obsessively crochet. Useless items really and that goes along with being so hip and happenin' don'tcha know?

2007-08-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

As usual, I'm sharing a few new pictures from my garden taken today.
* * * * * *

With a heat index of near 106, my brother-in-law's nephew's girlfriend picked today to move. We got our work-out in the heat this afternoon and had to tease her that she could have picked a hotter day. Fortunately she's a single gal and so it was a cinch compared to moving a family of 5 or more, which I've done many times before and it seemed to be an endless task. The move today took less than three hours.

I was thinking that I'd so much rather be asked to help move furniture and boxes on a hot day than be asked to take somebody meals on wheels or to plan a baby shower. I always feel like a disgusting failure when I avoid womanly tasks like cooking for a pot-luck supper. But see? I'm not so bad. I enjoy being asked to help move.

2007-08-08T16:55:00.000-05:00

Yeah, it's another butterfly picture. We've had SO MANY butterflies the last few days. Yesterday there were four different types of butterflies on this small zinnia patch until I went in to get the camera and then there were none. Finally this lone monarch returned alone. I need some variety and don't know why it couldn't have been the tiger swallowtail instead. Or the Fritilliary.

See how green our grass is here in the middle of the summer?

Today 8-8-07 is Mom's 82nd birthday. She's still hobbling after her fall a month ago, but she says she feels some better.

To Begin With

2007-07-24T14:38:00.000-05:00

This little red hen is Elisabeth. Ya can't tell from this photo, but Elisabeth is the lowest hen in the pecking order, not counting the new barred rock pullets.

I like to bring Elisabeth inside the kitchen where I give her bits of food scraps and grains that she pecks greedily from the linoleum floor.

The reason I enjoy this is because it makes her more attractive and sexy to the Jersey Giant Rooster, Jeff. When she goes back outside, he dances around her and this boosts her self image and confidence. Another hen will soon take her place as the least beloved and then I'll begin bringing that hen inside. Their simple social ladder delights me!