Monday, November 2, 2009

Country Living at its Finest

Enough of the downside of kitty litter and chicken shit. I actually had a lovely, relaxing week in the country. Here's a photo montage for your enjoyment...

Taking a closer look...

I had to speak very s...l...o...w...l...y so the dogs would understand.
But they still didn't come when called.


Here's Hickory the Wonder Dog relaxing with his best friend, Sadie.



Enjoying the glorious colors of fall in
Upstate New York!



That's not a chicken coop you see in the distance...





It's a Chicken Chalet!


Inhabited by none other than Mr. Good Strut
and his harem of beauties,
his bevy of bantams.








(Vlad & I helped Shamra build the Chicken Chalet along with another friend, Tom, who designed it. It's a straw bale construction... for those of you who find that kind of thing interesting.)

Here's Strut at his finest:



Okay, so I don't know how to hold the camera upright, but you get the idea... Strut is very convincing as the ruler of the roost!

In addition to the Chicken Chalet in the meadow, there are bees.



They are very busy bees.... as you can see and hear...





There's also the pond... which makes for a very happy Wonder Dog!




(And a very UNhappy Sadie, who loathes water and considers Hickory an unruly lout when he shakes near her following a dip in the pond.)





So, as you can see, it was a relaxing interlude.
(For an even closer look, just click on any of the pictures.)

Tomorrow I'll introduce you to Sparky the Wonder Cat and give you a tour of the Faerie Gardens. Until then...

29 comments:

Lee said...

Slow dogs...as in not very bright?? LOL!

Moooooog35 said...

Nice.

Did you have banjo music constantly playing in the background as a soundtrack?

Cuz that's pretty much what I'm picturing here.

The Old Silly said...

I could so totally live there. LOVE rural country settings and lifestyle. Hope to retire to the country, perhaps even the deep forest one day.

Oh and the sign, "Slow Dogs"? LMBO!

Marvin D Wilson

ps - great photos!

Gone, long gone. said...

I wish I had bees.

Janice said...

Mr. Good Strut and the lovely shades of fall...perfect.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Lee: Slow like me!

Moooooog: Banjo music would be perfect!

Marvin: You mean you get to retire someday? I'm so jealous.

Maelstrom: Bees are good! I didn't have to feed the or anything.

Janice: I was lucky enough to be there while the leaves were at their peak.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Maelstrom: Make that "feed them or anything."

An Open Heart said...

Great photos of the fall color and beautiful grounds......

S

Jayne Martin said...

It's beautiful. My friend has a sign that reads: "Old dogs, young dogs, one really stupid dog. Please slow down."

Unknown said...

Beautiful area, and the leaves were at their peak!

Chick Chalet... hey, isn't that a fast food chain? :)

KaLynn ("MiMi") said...

You have such wonderful pictures! It is always such a delight to visit your page!

Gone, long gone. said...

Can you train bees to attack people?

The Peach Tart said...

Well the scenery was lovely

NJ Pigno said...

Strut did a great job. Right on cue.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

S: I just wanted people to know that I know how to appreciate the great outdoors on occasion, rather than sitting around moaning about kitty litter & stuff.

Jayne: I like it... although it would be hard to fit all that on the gate post. I just have the really old, stupid dog!

Jenn: I could open a Chick Filet at the Chick Chalet!

KaLynn: Thanks, my cackling friend.

Maelstrom: I'm still working on perfecting that... it's just so hard to smear honey on my frienemies backs without them noticing.

Peachy: Yes, it was. The smell of fall leaves managed to overcome the eau de animals quite nicely.

Nanodance: I made him practice a lot! (And withheld food from him until he performed... but don't tell PETA that.)

Me-Me King said...

Lucky! What an awesome place. Hell, I might not leave if it were me.

LMAO @ moooooog, Dueling Banjos!

nonamedufus said...

Ah, what a great way to spend a fall weekend. If you do it again, don't invite moooooog. He can be a pain in the butt.

Everyday Goddess said...

I would like that chalet in the family size please.

Nice tour of the country!

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Me-Me: I know... I'd love to live out there all the time. Hope moooooog brings his banjo along if he comes to visit.

nonamedufus: It was lovely. I don't know about inviting mooooooog, though... it does take two to play "Dueling Banjos" and my ex took his with him when he left.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Goddess: Vlad actually had his birthday party in the Chicken Chalet the year we built it... before the chickens moved in, of course! It would make the perfect writing retreat if the chickens ever decide to move.

Ann Imig said...

Slow dog...very funny. Looks like a lovely get away.

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

Ann: And the older they get, the slower they move... kinda like me. (I'll leave it to you to decide if I meant physically or mentally or both.)

Anonymous said...

Is that a big friggin frog leaping into the pond? If so everybody friggin out!!!!!!

Psst referring to bottom photo left!

Mike said...

I loved your pics! I noticed that as I came back south that the trees here are still green!

You have a nice cock! hahahaha!

Alli said...

What a perfectly delightful place. Looks like a relaxing way to get away for a little while! I love the dogs, even if they are slow.

Nanny Goats In Panties said...

Wow, that Chicken Chalet looks better than my own abode! But.... do they get cable too?

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

frigginloon: Hickory likes to swim/run after the frogs and turtles & snakes to see if they want to play. I'm still waiting for him to make friends with a skunk... that day will come eventually.

Bird Shit & Baby Caca: It was a shitty, but enjoyable week, so I knew you'd approve.

otin: It's a rather lovely cock.

NGIP: When it was first built, it was like a lovely fairy house... but now that it's full of chicken shit, not so much. I'd definitely run cable to it, though, if I lived in it... you can only appreciate nature so long before you need a media fix.

Eolist Petite said...

mmmm such a place to spend time. chicken shit and all.

MikeWJ at Too Many Mornings said...

Good God, that's just beautiful! The landscape, I mean, not the Chick Chalet. Although, to be honest, that is the most amazing chicken coup I've ever seen. I can't even imagine why you'd go to the trouble of building something like that for chickens. Plus, it's environmentally friendly what with the straw bale construction and all. Very impressive, indeed.

Related Posts with Thumbnails