New additions & storing up for winter

My oldest son, Tom, raises Indian Runner ducks. These ducks do not fly. They really do run everywhere they go. They are the funniest creatures. We have three. Two females and a male. They huddle in a group and they chat to each other. They bob their heads up and down and actually look like they are having a conversation. We listen to them and wonder if their conversation is about us :)

Mama duck has been setting on a large nest of eggs. Tom has been patiently waiting and today that waiting paid off. As of chore time tonight he has four baby ducks! They are adorable :) He's very anxious for morning chores to find out a total baby duck hatch. She wasn't thrilled about him taking photos of her new babies. At some point she had him right by the pant leg!

Runner ducklings

We managed to get another piece of ground fertilized and seeded today. It was fairly warm, 65 or so but very windy. A cold front moved in and hopefully it will rain tonight and tomorrow. We desperately need it. Tom and I put up three strands of electric fence around a nice pasture full of grass for the sheep. They were soooooo happy to get out in that grass!

My nephew worked on the winter wood pile and the kindling and dry soft wood is piling up nicely in the woodshed. We have an old fashioned cook stove in the dining room with a rocker on each side . A great place to warm up on cold, wintry days. We will put up about 4 cords of hard wood along with the soft wood for the upcoming winter. We run the wood stove everyday in the winter and limit the amount of time the oil furnace runs. Everyone has the same concerns, especially with oil prices nearing $4.20 per gallon. I know I'm very worried about my friends and neighbors getting by this winter. I would expect most eveyrone else is too. If not, they should be.

Tom's 1st Duckling