Unsettled Weather (Of All Sorts)

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

That was yesterday evening, to the southwest.

It's indicative of the weather here: near 70 one day; rain and sleet and slush and snow the next, then back to warm temps that seem cold because the winds are too damn high.

The rest of life here seems to be taking its cues from the weather.

Yesterday, I came outside to find Ice and Shade knockin' hooves. Shades in heat, and Miskwaki's been trying to chase Ice out of the pen for days. Now that it comes down to it, Shade's decided on the newer guy. Fortunately, he's [mostly] voice-responsive. Theoretically, at least, he shoots blanks, so there should be no worry about offspring, but with her lame forehoof, Shade doesn't need the extra weight bearing down on her body right now, even if she thinks she does.

Also, while everything was just fine and dandy yesterday morning, I came out around noon to find that Topaz, one of our yellow chickens, was dead on top of the coop. She'd been running around with the rest of them the day before; absolutely no indication of anything wrong. I couldn't find any trace of an injury. We have had a bullsnake around, though, as well as assorted rodents and insects, so my money's on something with a toxic bite. She's laid to rest by the Carter's blue spruce, across from Stormy.

In the afternoon, a pair of small flocks of medium-large-ish birds flew overhead, calling in apprehensive tones to each other. Gray-white undersides; brilliant blue backs. Scrub jays. Entirely out of season; they're fall-to-winter birds. More skittish than usual, too — they wouldn't allow me a single photo.

The chokecherry birds returned to the feeder this morning. No time for photography, though. An early-morning appointment for Wings, and then multiple errands together in town. I knew we should've shut the gate when we got home.

Unfortunately, we didn't. And so we wound up with sudden visitors, dropping something off, but really wanting to drop broad and thoroughly unsubtle hints about appropriating what is not theirs. Openly colonialist conversionist stuff, and after Wings's politeness didn't do the trick, I had to be a little more blunt in making it clear that they needed to step off.

They won't. 

This is the norm. 

And so, we went about the rest of our day unsettled from the invasive attempt to mine what was not theirs. I'm still entirely irritable from the encounter. Of course, my health issues and what's going on here in recent weeks only aggravates that, but it leaves me annoyed and snappish.

No thunderheads tonight, nor a real sunset, so no looking at clouds for therapy.

I guess that leaves chocolate.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.