Our Khaki Campbell Ducks

We were given a few duck eggs by Teresa and Ivan Harrison. Linda brought them home and we moved an incubator of Regina's from the ostrich shed to our garage and placed the eggs in the incubator. We set the temperature at 93 degrees and had the fan running to circulate air inside the incubator. We also placed a cake pan inside with water to keep the humidity higher as per instructions found online. We set the switch to on to start the wire baskets rocking back and forth to 'turn' the eggs as the directions stated. A little over 30 days later and the first egg began hatching.
 
I noticed the egg first and told Linda and Stacey to come out and see the duck as it was hatching out of the egg. We left the little duck in the incubator for a few hours longer until the down was fluffy and dry. At that time, I told Linda to come out and take the duck out of the incubator, but she refused. I had to get Stacey out there to take it out so I could take a picture of the baby duck. Stacey wasn't too happy about it and wasn't sure of what to do with the duck. Check out the expression on her face!
 
We placed the little duck in a cardboard box and waited for the next one to hatch. We left it in there and went to town to eat and when we came home, we heard a cheeping in the garage, but couldn't find the little duck. We finally found the duck and figured out the duck had climbed out through the handhold cut in the side of the cardboard box. Linda and Brent named the duck Houdini because it had escaped from the box we were using as a pen.

It took another day or so before other baby ducks cracked their shells, but overnight there ended up being two more hatch, for a total of three. That was all the eggs that ever hatched, so after about two weeks we ended up tossing the rest of the eggs into the garbage. The little ducks were cheeping like baby chickens and we found out that we could feed them chicken feed, so we bought a 50 lb bag of 'Chicken Starter Food'.
 
They gobbled up the chicken feed and started growing. Soon, Linda bought a inflatable kids' pool and then we had baby ducks swimming around in the garage. They continued to grow and their feathers eventually took the place of the baby duck down.
 
If you noticed that there were three and now there are only two, here's what happened. We put the cage outside the back door and the second night the ducks were outside, something came on the porch and ate the yellow and black duck inside the cage. There was mud on the porch, on top of the cage and tracks all around. We moved the cage back inside the garage, and now the ducks go to the garage door and wait for us to open it for them to go in the cage. This happens every night as soon as it gets dark. A funny part of our duck story is, we named them Bobber and Houdini, both male names, but they both ended up being females. Each duck was laying an egg a day during the summer so we were getting two a day, but this winter we have only found one egg a day.

When you come to our farm, beware, we will feed you duck eggs for breakfast!

Khaki Campbell Ducks 

Snowing In KY

Pauline and Brent came over last evening about 7 PM with their dogs. We chatted awhile before going to bed about 10 PM. It rained a bit during the night and was still raining this morning. We decided to go to town for breakfast and as we were loading in the truck it had started snowing. We ate and took a short trip to the 'Traces On The Cumberland' gift shop, then went back home.
 
The snow was coming down fast but the ground was still warm enough that it wasn't sticking. It snowed for two or three hours with no accumulation. This was the second snow we have had this season. While it was snowing, Brent and I worked in the hay shed putting together some steel to make shelves across the back side of the shed.

Flight Tests

The day began when I made coffee and started a fire in the stove.There was snow on the gound and Pauline and Brent were here. Linda fixed breakfast and we were watching a few shows recorded on Tivo and just piddling around. Brent decided to try flying the airplane Pauline had given him at Christmas. Brent had bought batteries for the controller yesterday while we were in town and this morning he hooked the battery for the plane to the 12 volt system in the Mule. Pauline and Brent had taped the wings on the plane and they had checked the controls. Everything was ready, but it was cold, so Brent and I put on sweatshirts and the girls watched from inside. We stepped out the front door and it looked like a good place to try flying the plane, as we were already about 30 feet above the ground down in the front yard. I was hoping that would give us enough altitude to fly without crashing to the ground.
   
I took the plane in my hand, Brent hit the throttle on the control, and I tossed the plane into the air. We were surprised, it flew, but what we hadn't thought about was how windy it was, the wind caught the plane and caused a loss of control and a crash. It looked bad, but when Brent picked up the plane, it had survived fairly well, with just a dent in the nose and the windshield had popped off. We tried another launch and the results were a little better, but still ended in a crash. After retrieving the plane, Brent gave me the control and he launched it for my turn. I flew the plane out towards the road, where it seemed to lose radio control, but I managed to turn it around and head back towards the house, but the wind also caught it with me in control and it flew into a tree, where it stuck about 20 feet above the ground. Kind of reminded me of flying a kite and getting it hung up somewhere. Brent climbed the tree and dropped the plane down to me. We went inside to warm up and take a break. After we were warm and had ate lunch, we went down to the hay shed and finished the shelves we started yesterday. It didn't take long, and we went across the creek to the hayfield for a few more test flights. We parked close to the hill, so it would block some of the wind. I launched the plane for Brent and he flew it around for about a minute before crashing into the side of the hill. Lucky for us it was near the bottom, but bad for the plane, as when it hit the trees, it broke a wing off. We went back to the house and fixed the wing with a 'hot glue gun'. It worked to hold the wing on, so we loaded the girls into the Mule and took them back across the creek to watch the flight tests. Brent gave me the controls and told me it was my turn. I think he wanted the girls to laugh at me when I crashed the plane, and I did crash it, after about a 30 second flight. It was the end of our flight tests for the day as the wing was severely damaged and probably going to need replacement. The people that made the plane knew this would happen because there is an extra set of wings with the kit. I guess we will wait for better flight conditions for our next set of test flights. We watched a movie before Pauline and Brent took their dogs and headed back to their house about 5:30.

CCHS Panther Basketball

Linda has been working part time at the Cumberland County Schools. She used to work at Warren East Middle School. Several weeks ago, she noticed the basketball schedule had a game between CCHS and WEHS on Feb 7th, which was tonight, so we decided to attend the game since it was in Burkesville. We went to the game and started recognizing some of the fans from Warren County. Linda and I remembered several of the kids in the cheerleader squad, and we also knew some of the kids on the ball teams. It was funny to see the kids and how they had grown, because the last time we had seen some of them, they were in the middle school playing ball. Stacey enjoyed watching the CCHS Girls win their game. One item that was odd, a player in the boys game was hit above the eye. The coach came out on the floor and we noticed Dr Rice walk over to the boy, place a towel on his head and lead him out of the gym. Later a friend of Linda's told her, Dr Rice took the boy to his office and placed 5 stitches in his head, then brought him back to the school and the kid returned to the game. The WEHS Boys won their game.

Another Snow In KY

Last night we were watching a Pacer game on TV when we noticed it had started snowing. The Pacers ended up winning the game against the Portland Trailblazers. Stacey went to bed happy about that outcome.
This morning we were checking the WBKO Polar Report to see if Cumberland County Schools were open. They were, so Linda had to work. I had to take the garbage cans down to the roadside for pickup, so I took the camera with me. I drove across the creek and took a couple pictures.

     
After returning from setting the garbage out for pickup, I went up the hill and drove around our 4-wheeler trail and took three more pictures.
     
The tracks are from the ground melting the snow, not from the 4-wheeler I was riding. By noon the only snow left was in the shadows, the sun had melted the rest away.

Building Our Farm House

I have been working on adding web pages that show the construction of our house. I've placed them on the web and you can view the pages by clicking this link: Building Our Farm House or the link in the right column of the blog's front page.
   
The pictures show the construction process from the very start on April 8th 2003 to when the contractors finished their work and turned it over to us on September 15th 2003. There are a few taken after that showing the finished work and us starting to move things in the house.
The pictures are small so they will load quicker, but there are a lot of them.

Snows are coming closer together!

Last night we had a winter storm warning for Cumberland County. The snow started about 6:30 PM and it was still snowing this morning when we woke up. There was enough to cover the grass, but the roads were wet but clear.
   
The snow was coming straight down with no wind blowing. The creek was nearly ripple free, it almost looked frozen, but as I drove across in the Mule the water rippled away from the tires and I could tell it wasn't near freezing. I drove on back in the woods and shut off the Mule as I set by the little rock ledge and listened as the water trickled down over the rocks. Every now and then a clump of snow would fall out of a tree and on to the top of the Mule and startle me with a loud thump. The sound of the running water could almost make a person need to go to the bathroom.

   
On the way back to the house I shot these pictures of the barn and house.

Valentine's Day

Since the temperature had climbed to 55 degrees the only place there was snow left was in the shadows. Linda was feeling a little bit sick, so Stacey and I went to town. We ate at Subway and got a sandwich to take home to Linda. Then we went to the video shack, but didn't find any movies to rent, then over to Freds. After that we headed back home and gave Linda a small heart shaped box of chocolate for Valentine's Day along with her sandwich.
Later I went outside on the Mule and down to the hay shed, hooked up the trailer, put the chainsaw in the back and went up the hill to cut down a tree for firewood. I had picked a tree that had been damaged by the wind and was nearly bent over to the ground. It wasn't a real large tree and was fairly easy to cut the limbs off and move the brush into the woods. Then I cut the larger sections into pieces I could split with the log splitter. I loaded those pieces on the trailer and headed to the hay shed. I set the log splitter up and split a few pieces. The wood splits easy and will be good wood for starting fires next season. I went back to the house just before dark and fixed steaks for supper.

Wood Cutting

It was above 60 today and I talked Linda and Stacey into helping cut a tree this morning, so we took the Mule to the hay shed and hooked up the trailer and went across the creek.

I wanted to cut some of the trees along the creek bank to thin them out and they are good wood for starting fires. They don't burn very long, but will start and burn long enough to get the other wood burning. I picked out a couple of smaller trees and cut them down, then pruned the limbs off the trunks. I shut off the chainsaw and we all picked up the brush and tossed it on the creek bank. After clearing the brush, I used the saw to cut the trunks into pieces while Stacey and Linda tossed them on the trailer. Once we were done there we drove to the hay shed and backed the trailer in the shed.
 
I started the wood splitter and began splitting while Stacey stacked the wood and Linda unloaded the trailer putting the wood next to the splitter. We worked until the two trees were split and stacked, then we went to the house and took showers. We drove to town for lunch at Grumpy's and then back home. Stacey received a CD we had ordered from Amazon.com and all of us had a mag-a-nag (magazine) in the mail too. We took some time to look at those and listen to the CD, then Linda and I went back outside. She drove me down to the tractor and we went back to the creek bank. I used the scoop to push and pull a bunch of the debris off the creek bank, including the limbs from the trees we had cut earlier. Then I had Linda drive the tractor and I rode on the seat for the backhoe. I had Linda move the tractor and I used the backhoe to pull big piles of debris away from the trees. The debris was left when the creek flooded and limbs and brush were caught in the trees close to the creek.
 
We finished all we were going to do at that time, and drove around the farm a little before going in for the night. We noticed that lots of the daffodils are standing tall.

Train Show Trip

Stacey, Linda, and I took Missy with us to visit Pauline & Brent (P&B) to see a model train show at the Convention Center in Bowling Green. On the way over the weather was tough, it was snowing hard enough the road was beginning to be covered and the windshield of the truck was freezing over with snow and ice. We passed at least 5 snow plows that were spreading chemicals to keep the roads from icing. We made it to Smith's Grove exit and the country roads were completely snow covered. We noticed places where several cars had slid off the roads. Once at P&B's house we let the dogs play for a while and then headed to the train show. Inside the show were vendors selling lots of different items for the hobby of model railroading. Brent ended up buying a three piece Union Pacific engine and caboose set and several pieces of flex track. After leaving the train show we ate lunch at Mancino's Grinder Shop. They make delicious sandwiches on fresh baked loaves of bread. Then a trip to the BG Mall for Pauline to pick up contact lens she had ordered and a little extra shopping. Leaving there we dropped the girls off at Hobby Lobby and Brent and I headed to Best Buy for a couple of packages of ink and paper for a photo printer. We eventually bought two packs at Wal-Mart and then headed back to get the girls. They had shopped at other stores while they walked around the strip mall and we met them at the Party Barn. I then went to the Harley Davidson Shop and bought a new set of gloves while the others looked at the bikes and clothes. Then we trucked over to the new Sam's Club and Linda and Brent picked up memberships cards. That way P&B can shop there without us and Linda and I will usually be together when we shop there anyway. We walked through each aisle and it brought back the memories of when we lived in IN and would make day trips to Indy to the Wholesale Club on US 40. Later they changed the name to Sam's Club. We ended our shopping with two carts of merchandise, one for P&B and another for us. We loaded the items into the truck hurriedly as it was the coldest it had been this season. I drove back to P&B's house and we unloaded their items and took a break. Later we headed out and made it home around 9 PM.

Yet Another Snow

Last night the weather men broadcast another Winter Storm Warning for KY and TN. It didn't start snowing until after dark and quit before morning, but in the meantime it put down about two inches.
 
The temperature has been below freezing for a couple of days, but the ground is not frozen solid. A high temp of 37 today and going up for the rest of the week is the prediction. I drove the Mule to the old wood shed next to the hay shed and picked up some wood for the stove this morning. Linda and Regina went to town to pick up some items for a Home Makers Party tonight. They came back to the house and Linda cooked the ham which I then sliced after it was done cooking. Linda left for the meeting, picking up Regina on the way. She returned home about 8:30 after the meeting was over and said that about everyone had attended which was surprising with the snow. People tend to stay home if there is the least bit of snow.

New Camera

While we were in Bowling Green the other day the USPS tried to deliver a package from Amazon.com . The postman left a message in our mailbox stating that we would have to pick up the package at the Burkesville Post Office. The post office was closed Monday in observance of President's Day, so I went this morning and picked up the package and while I was in town, I washed the truck at the car wash. It was filthy with salt residue and grime, but the high pressure water knocked off most of the sludge. I didn't do any actual washing, but it helped the looks of the truck. Once I was back to the house I opened the package and it was a digital camera and photo printer. It is a Kodak Easy Share with a Printer Dock 3. So, supposedly all you have to do is set the camera on the printer and select the pictures to print using the screen on the camera. It works, but it's not as easy as they make it out to be. It took me a hour or more to figure out the settings for the printer and camera. Kodak doesn't give a owner's manual, they make you go online to find out how to operate the devices. The camera is a Z700 4 megapixel digital with a 512 meg SD memory card that I purchased extra. It is easy to use as a point and shoot camera. I don't care much for the viewfinder not having a LCD inside, but that's one reason the camera was cheaper. It will work nicely for Stacey to use. The printer dock works nicely printing 4 by 6 inch pictures with a coating so water and fingerprints won't damage the prints. I'm impressed by the printer and the quality of the prints. I purchased two packs with matching amounts of paper and ink while we were in BG the other day. It figures out to 26.2 cents per picture. Not bad for not having to go to the store to pick up the prints. Another nice feature of home printing is the ability to edit and crop the pictures for a better picture.
   
These are a couple of the first images I shot with the new Kodak camera. The snow has melted most places that aren't in the shadows.

Rain and Fog Today

There was rain through most of the night, not a hard rain, but it lasted from midnight to morning. As dawn broke, the fog was covering the valley and it was hard to see the creek from the house window. Later in the day the fog thinned a little but haze still hung over the farm. Linda had a dinner meeting to attend in town and Stacey and I went to the Justice Center to take care of her receiving a letter for Jury Duty. We went to the Justice Center and walked through the metal detectors and then talked to the woman behind the counter in the Circuit Court Office. I explained that Stacey wasn't capable of serving on a jury, so we filled out the paper as told, gave it to the clerk and left. We stopped at Subway and ate lunch.
 
Later in the evening I took a few pictures as the fog was settling in along the creek. Then I rode on back and took a picture of the water running over the ledge in the brook. As I came back towards the house it was starting to rain a little harder.
 
After dark, Regina came over to visit with Linda. They made bracelets while talking about the upcoming Home Makers International Dinner.

Home Makers International Dinner

 
 
 
Above are some pictures of the annual Home Makers International Dinner. Each Homemaker’s Club from Cumberland County selects a country and then prepares food that is associated with that country. There are six Homemaker’s groups. Station 2 served Chinese, Krafty Kritters served Mexican, Hegira served French, Kettle served German, Co-Workers served Italian and the Mailbox club provided desserts. The admission was $5 for all the food that you wanted to eat and there were probably 100 people in attendance.. The proceeds are used to provided scholarships for local graduating seniors.

Today Was Beautiful

 
Today was a beautiful day as evidenced by the pictures of our house. The temperature was in the 60s and a gentle breeze. Linda was outside doing some flower stuff and when she came inside, we decided to go to Columbia and eat outside at Sonic. After that we came back to the house and walked around the hay field. Then we rode the Mule with the trailer alongside the creek to cut two more trees for firewood. We picked those up and left them on the trailer in the hay shed. I will split them on a rainy day, it was too nice to even work inside the hay shed.
 

Stacey and I rode around the area and took some pictures with the new camera. I'm slowly teaching Stacey to use the camera and we are working on picking out pictures after we take them and printing them on the new printer.