The Riley Factor #55

The Riley Factor April 29, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, April 29 -- Much activity since last week's edition of The Riley Factor, although not too much of it Riley related.  The young Golden Boy has been let outside alone, unleashed, a bit to roam free.  He typically stays very close to the house and wants re-entry to the covered world in a few minutes.  He has taken to splashing in the lower pond whenever we take him near it or whenever he and Gabby wander there -- no swimming yet, just a lot of wading.  Today, Ephraim Blank is out in the back barn welding the recently acquired cultipacker and old sharpening wheel.  Aaron Miller from E&A Fence is out back around the greenhouse putting latches on the three gates that accompany the new electrified (solar) fencing installed around the greenhouse, shed and garden area.  Riley and Gabby love roaming and playing around that area, especially when Susan and Nancy are out there gardening.

Last weekend was the Fort Plain social event of the year -- the Annual Fort Plain Equipment Auction, staged only a mile from Rock Creek Farm in the large hay field at the intersection of Clinton and Cherry Valley Roads.  Susan, Nancy and Chris were there from 9AM until 7PM, and picked-up such valuables as a small hay wagon, a tractor back blade, hay rollers, the aforementioned cultipacker (heavy ridged rollers for running over planted seed to drive it into the earth) and varied and sundry other valuables for use in farming, gardening, playing and relaxing.

Tuesday was bad news day at Rock Creek Farm, as the now infamous red fox made a return.  You may recall that a week ago, on a Tuesday, the evil red demon caught and killed a chicken at 10:30AM in bright sunlight, only 30 feet from the driveway.  Nancy caught him mid-act and he dripped the chicken and ran off.  Susan chased him toward the back pasture fence and he ducked into the south circuit trails.  Well, this past Tuesday, he returned and killed six more chickens (a true tragedy of epic proportions), leaving only one fowl corpse behind.  Sad day for the egg industry.  Vice President of Eggs Nancy commented that those six Mrs. Cluckworthy's will be sorely missed.  Since all the chickens look identical, it is tough to say who survived and who headed to that great hen house in the sky.  A hunting party to be convened -- report to follow. 

This coming Friday night is antiques auction night in downtown Fort Plain, black tie optional -- way, way optional.  No doubt, another event to be remembered.  And May is chicks season -- on schedule for early May delivery are 20 New Jersey Giants (black chickens), 24 Royal Palm Turkeys (white feathers with black tips) and 15 Guinea Hens (also called Keets), which  look like gray pheasants or giant pigeons, and eat exclusively insects, with ticks being their food of choice.  All these May deliveries will be one or two day old chicks.  More on those topics and events your the next edition of The Riley Factor