The chicken stays outside!

It's been a very busy couple of weeks.  Once I got home from my travels I seemed to be overwhelmed with things to do. 

One is a very hard deadline with work.  It's a self imposed deadline, since I'm the head person on this project, but one I can't miss.  Unfortunately three other people I've given this deadline to have been just as busy.  They may miss the deadline.  Their alternative is to make 50 copies, back-to-back, three-hole-punched for everyone taking this upcoming class.  I also want a copy of their presentations.  That will probably be given to me ten minutes before their lectures start.  Two of the other instructors, neither are state employees, will have their presentations and their paperwork to me on time.  Too bad I can't dock the others or do something to get them to keep the deadline.  I've been trying to get this class really smooth because if I leave (aka retire and take a different job somewhere else) I want it to go smoothly for the next person. 

Home has been hectic.  Mrs. Bug-out renter spent a week with us.  She had a doctor's appointment and found a dial-a-ride to bring her but it wouldn't go to the bug-out place so it was scheduled from my house.  Having to pick her up and drop her off in my spare time meant she stayed over a week.  She was well enough behaved this time, and although she drove me crazy, she didn't drive the grand kids crazy.  She decided that each day after I'd leave for the office she'd go around and make beds better.  I'd come home and my bed would be made nice and a pair of PJs would be laying out for me.  Too weird...

I tripped over the electric cord and broke the lamp in the home store.  Even though it's dark in there I know where everything is so I can go in and pull stuff out without a light.  I will need one to put more food in, in order to keep it organized, but it's a good test right now to just know that I know where things are in the dark.  Can you go to most cabinets or closets and pull out what you want if you couldn't see because there weren't any lights?  In most closets and cabinets I can, and I can pretty well direct someone else to the location of just about everything.  But then again, I'm the one who puts everything away.  If there were two adults here putting things away would it be as organized?  I don't know.

Trying to find Mrs. Bug-out renter an apartment, now that Mr. Bug-out renter isn't around, is proving difficult.  The rents are too high unless she's put into some gang area, which I don't want to do...and it has nothing to do with not wanting to lose my renter.  I keep trying to get her family to pitch in but they all say that they have no money.  One of her kids is in the military and while I don't have his email, the rest of the kids do have it.  They've decided not to contact him while he's overseas so the only person who can provide some money doesn't know about his mother's need.

My garden is almost worthless at this point.  The only thing left is the eggplant, tomatoes, and a very bug attacked but still trying to hold on zucchini.  At least that makes for a great meal!  The rest died when I was out of town and it was over 100 for over a week.  In our neck of the woods, or flatland, we don't get summer rain to keep things watered.  It's a good thing that we don't have to depend on our garden for survival this year. 

On a lighter note, the chicken that hatched almost two months ago is a tame little cock.  He is lonely because the rest of the chickens are either in the coop or out in the front pasture.  He's not big enough to fend for himself in the front pasture so he just hangs out in the back yard.  He sometimes gets into a crowing contest with the rest of the roosters.  It's really funny because he's too young to really crow well, but he sure tries.  Each morning Yip-yip comes over and the two of them love to run around together.  Before we had the chicken Yip-yip would come over to play with the big dog, but now, she has someone her own size.  We had to teach her not to put the chicken into her mouth!  Now she just licks the chicken and tries to smell him in the wonderful way that dogs get to know each other.  She doesn't know that the chicken isn't a dog I suppose. 

Poor chicken though.  When it's hot out big dog and Yip-yip will both come in the house to lay down on the cool floors.  Chicken wants to come in too.  He can't.  We don't live in a barn.  Or at least I try to pretend we don't. 

I have a bunch of things to do to get ready for fall, which is hard when it's 95 out.  I have so much travel in the next two months that I will be gone as much as I'm home.  And that's if the state stays disaster free.  Or at least the southern part of the state.  Earthquake swarm STOP! 

Army daughter called today to complain about the high food prices.  She's worried that they will starve.  Perhaps they shouldn't eat what they do since I could feed her family and mine for less than what they spend.  Nevertheless, I converted her into a prepper while she lived here.  She is still fairly armchair prepping but she's willing to learn some more.  Tomorrow I will go over to her house to give her a few more pointers...in exchange for lunch.