And the Rains Came

To say that it poured last night is an understatement. In fact, I was about ready to build an ark.

I love thunderstorms though. Something about the rolling thunder is soothing.

Unless you have chickens.

We started putting the doors on the coop this weekend and didn't finish. In the process, the tarp, which has been their makeshift door, was taken down and there was nothing to stop the rain from coming in if was blown that direction. And the staple gun isn't anywhere to be found so I can't put it back up.

That said, at least we didn't get the hail or high winds they'd predicted all around us. Or if we did I slept through it. And I might have. I slept through hurricane Ike.

So I was thrilled this morning when I went to check on them and all my chickens (and ducks) were dry and fluffy (and very happy to see me).  I was in my happy place, just about to sit down and put a chicken in my lap and relax...

Until I looked for Red... and then I freaked out a little.

He was laying on his side in front of the hay bales, soaked through, and he looked like he'd had quite a night. In fact, he looked every bit as close to death as he did the day he got stuck behind the support beam. So I hurried and got a towel, wrapped him up and he sat in my lap for the next couple of hours while he warmed up and started to dry off.

After that he started trying to move around (he likes to be held but eventually gets restless) so I put him back in the coop with a big scoop of food in front of him, which he eagerly started to gobble up. I think he can dry out the rest of the way out there and be happier with his little harem.

There were six little chicks that I put him with when he was first given to us, and they love them some Red. They all settle around him to sleep, they pick at his feathers - not in a harmful way, more like 'you've got a bug there, let me get it for you' way. And every once in a while, if he's sleeping with his beak in the dirt, one of the wyandottes will give him a little peck to make sure he's still with us.

Poor bird, he has some trials and tribulations in his life but he has a lot of love too.

Back to the storm... the last time I remember waking up was around 6 am and it was still pouring. And the sewer gases had made their way up the pipes again... far more motivating than coffee to get out of bed... though I was so wiped out that I still managed to go back to sleep once the windows were opened. 

These pics are probably six hours after the rains stopped.

Past a certain point, our road is not in good shape. There are all kinds of hollows now and it's spongy. Right at the creek bed there is probably close to a foot of mud (my foot sank into at least six inches of it).

So much for clean shoes.

Usually there's little or no water in the creekbed. Today it was full.

That little fork to the right is part of the road we use to cross... but not today.

This giant rut (not to be confused with the giant rut that has always crossed the road closer to our house) was not there before.

It's all crumbly and muddy. Which doesn't necessarily make me sad. I hate when people use our road. 

There will be tons of blackberries this season.

Backwater Stills is starting to feel like a real business.

I had my first flash sale on Monday and Tuesday and that led to my first customer! It is a friend, which doesn't make it less significant, quite the contrary. I feel more pressure to have a good product when it's someone I know, which is hard to imagine because in many ways I'm a perfectionist. I also sold a postcard at the local shop and had an interview with the local paper. Monday was a good day.

My next collection is pretty much done and it will be hard to wait for this sales cycle to finish before releasing it, but I will wait because that's how the game is played. In the meantime I went from four people on my email list to 12 (a couple that I don't even know). And in addition to 13 friends and family who like my Facebook page, I have 59 strangers! Somehow people are finding me!

I bought a new lens on Ebay to celebrate. Got it for $22. It's a 300mm so I've really got some zoom now (double what I had before). And I bought an adapter so I can use The King's 200mm lens as well. Gadgets are the best.

Since the website (BackwaterStills.com, shameless plug) is pretty much complete and my social media is on autopilot, I am going to focus on the Step Back in Time Shop... figuring out how to brand everything and display prints that I don't actually have on hand... although I did order three more. And that will be my goal for the day.