Coffee Clutch with Dutch Henry: juncos

Showing posts with label juncos. Show all posts

Monday, November 26, 2012

SILLY THOUGHTS OF A CHILLY MORNING

Howdy Folks,

We set out into the sun. It was a lot colder than I'd figured. Shouldn't have been surprised for when I finally a moseyed to the barn yesterday for Coffee Clutch, everyone's water was frozen. All the chicken waterers, and Kessy's too. I've heard the weather this year described as "Bi-polar,"

The Juncos have begun to gather and follow me as I scatter the chicken scratch and call, "Her chic, chic chic." Darling little black birds, do you suppose they begin to think they're chickens? Well they followed along and dove right in to the cracked corn, they usually enjoy about a minute of free dining before the first of the Bantams saunter up and claim the territory.

Yesterday morning, the Junco/Bantam dance was pretty much the same. Saturday's Coffee Clutch temperature had been 42 … Sunday's 22! Yea that bi-polar thing … That 22 degree aspect caught me off guard. I'd been so absorbed in the delightfully pleasant days I never took care of the water heaters! And as I said, everything was frozen.

Wrapped in insulated coveralls, earmuffs, winter hat and a blanket on my lap, I watched the Coffee Clutch crew and sucked down a few steamy cups of Pumpkin Spice coffee. Kessy munched her hay, Saturday, wrapped in his blanket-coat tried to climb on my lap, and the chickens were … frustrated.

After they claimed the feeding stations from the Juncos, squirrels and Doves they, as is their custom, wandered to their waterers, of which there are three. Although yesterday, all the waterers were frozen. They put on a delightfully funny show. Almost single file they strutted to the first waterer, found it frozen, tried again, looked skyward then waddled to the next one and repeated the routine. After checking all three waterers each chicken (and I use chicken to refer to chickens and roosters alike) eventually made their way to the puddle I maintain for Kessy's puddle phobia treatment. (It hasn't worked for that, but since the chickens, wild birds, squirrels and rabbits love it so I never had the heart to let it dry up) … I'd broken the ice earlier and dumped a bit of warm water in.

About Kessy's frozen water … Well I went to the house and brought out warm water and she was good to go. And yes, by mid-morning all the water warming devices were in place and functioning correctly.

Then I saddled up, and Kessy and I rode into the sun for a chilly but beautiful ride through a forest of chirping birds and frosty trails. I should have worn my insulated boots ... It wasn't as cold Sunday as the time my friend Connie Bloss and I went to Woodstock Vermont one January a number of years back for a 25 mile Competitive Trail Ride ... that day it was one degree when we set out in 28 inches of snow. Ah we had a delightful time on that adventure! … But I'm older now and 22 degrees seemed to feel the same as one did back then …

Stay warm, enjoy a cup and have a perfect day!

Gitty Up

Dutch Henry

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Juncos are here!

The Juncos are here, and the white throated sparrows and red breasted nuthatches. Robbie and I have been on the road a lot the past few days and every now and then I thought I saw juncos on the roadside, sometimes mixed in with cardinals,chipping sparrows and bluebirds, but had not seen any here at the feeders yet, so I wasn't sure, they were here yet.

I'd scarcely settled into my "coffee with Kessy chair" this morning when I saw a small bird land in the branches above the chicken scratch, then another. I suspected it would be juncos, and sure enough when it hopped down to dine on cracked corn, barley and wheat it was indeed a tiny "snow bird." Along with it was a single white throated sparrow ... Two pilliated woodpeckers flew over calling "yak, yak, yak," and a small flock of cardinals swooped into the chicken scratch with such gusto it scattered the chickens!

Gone are the hummingbirds, although we still maintain a single hummingbird feeder as the latest a migratory hummer ever drifted by was Nov 15, so we figure we'd best keep a refueling station at the ready, just in case. Gone too are the phoebes, although I thought I'd heard one two days ago at coffee time.

Ravishin' Robbie was the first to spy the red breasted nuthatch at the black oil sunflower feeder yesterday morning. Then, before we hit the road, I went to fill it and didn't that tiny blue, black and russet bird land on the feeder as I held it in my hand! For a second we were inches apart, eyeball to eyeball … What a treat! I called Annabelle to share with her all the bird activity. She loves to hear all about it ... Says it gets her out of the nursing home room.

I'm reminded of last winter when I'd be calling the chickens as I scattered their scratch how the juncos would gather in the trees waiting to dive in and dine before the chickens waddled in. Today there was only one junco, I wonder how many days before the whole flock checks in?

Have a beautiful day!!

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Welcome to the Coffee Clutch

Welcome to the Coffee Clutch, a happy place to visit. I write uplifting stories about a wide variety of subjects from horses to birds and nature, to love and family and friends. Sometimes I'll post excerpts from stories I've written for Equine Publications. Sometimes I'll post about writing itself. Coffee Clutch got its name because I often write while enjoying my morning coffee in the barn with my mare Kessy, and all our critters. Join us here for fun conversation and stories I promise will make you feel good.

It's For The Horses

This is not a book about riding, or training horses. It is a book on my thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how folks might find the joy in doing things for the horse, with the horses’ point of view as the leading guide. My hope is to help as many people as possible learn to hear the horse, feel their spirit, and in that way help horses everywhere. Over the years I’ve met and worked with remarkable people and horses who taught me about their feelings, their joys, their sadness, and their spirit. As a horse advocate everything I do is from the horse’s perspective, including this little book. Every story, idea, suggestion and thought on these pages will be to suggest and share thoughts and ideas on how to maximize a relationship between horse and human—from the horse’s point of view.

Tom Named by Horse

The only man ever to offer Tom respect is Red Cloud. The only woman to give him love is Red Cloud’s granddaughter. Struggling with his own personal demons, Tom finds himself wedged between honoring that friendship and staying true to the depths of his conscience. Amid a backdrop of tumultuous social upheaval, he finds nothing prepared him, the woman he loves or Chief Red Cloud, for the changes about to thunder into their lives, sweeping them helplessly into the tides of human conflict and historical drama. Available on Amazon.

From The Banks OF Little Bear Creek

The Tom Named by Horse Saga continues. Three years after the death of Tall Dog, Tom Named By Horse and Soft Cloud have turned the little soddy, the lands granted them by Red Cloud, and the lean-to barn into a thriving horse ranch, fulfilling Tom’s dream. The Plains Indians Wars, or Red Cloud’s war, is mostly behind them, and the lands have had their transformation as Red Cloud’s vision had warned years earlier. Trailing horses from the ranch to Denver city has become an annual event for Tom, Buck and the rest, and this is the story of that trail. In the spirit of a good old John Wayne movie, vengeance, cattle and horse thieves, a dirty sheriff and corrupt mayor, and a wedding make this year’s drive a ride you’ll want to tag along on.