The Riley Factor #65

The Riley Factor May 31, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 31 -- Memorial Day Weekend -- the holiday weekend at Rock Creek Farm was wild & wacky, primarily owing to bizzaro guests Pauline, Barbara Lacroix Semanie, Ames and Debbie.  Friday night's barbecue featured prime steaks and half gallon bottles (jugs) of Western Mass local beer, all courtesy of Ames.  Saturday was spent at the Annual Amish landscaping and crafts auction.  Mohawk Valley Auction Center was abuzz (non-electric buzz, of course) with auctioneer yodeling and cries of "Sold, a bargain".  Such prized items were acquired as a child picnic table (Barbara), quilt (Barbara), giant beer stein (Pauline), personalized key chain (Pauline), lucky horse shoe (Pauline), stuff (Susan) and tiny 3-drawer cabinet full of bullets (Chris).  What a pile.  Uhhh, of treasures.  Ames won the award for Most Amish Food Consumed, by a Non-Amish Entity.  Ames and Pauline also met several of our Amish friends.  By day's end, both were asking, "Where can I get me one of those straw hats?"

On the Fowl Front -- The 50+ Jersey Giant chicks and 16 French Jumbo Guinea Hen chicks are out of their incubators and now each flock has its own coop (stall).  One chick found a way out and was found strolling the midway at 7AM when Susan and Barbara entered the asylum (barn) for Sunday morning's feedings.  The male Jersey Giant chicks (the roosters) have started separating themselves -- you know, chest bumping, smoking Lucky Strikes, driving too fast, chasing the little chiquitas.  The Herd of Five enjoyed all the extra attention over the weekend, and spent much time bumping their noses into the new and exciting visiting rear ends.

Trail Side Wanderings and Wonderings -- Barbara was maniacal, zooming around the trails on an ATV (her first time) while Susan led the way and Pauline and Chris played Rangers in the Ute (well, actually Chris drove in the role of Ranger and Pauline sipped wine in the female role reprise of Dudley Moore's Arthur).  We did see a deer a couple of times trotting along the back Deerfield Trail.  Barbara and Susan saw a pair of turkeys walking off the oats field.  During the course of an hour's ride, Barbara morphed from, "Which lever makes the ATV go and which makes it stop?" to "Can't we get some ATVs that go faster than 50 or 60 MPH on these trails?  Where can I leave my helmet -- the added weight is slowing me down."
 
Riley -- Riley's newest favorite pastime is finding huge, deep and messy mud puddles and rolling in them.  Which, of course, requires follow-up with a swim in the pond before being allowed back into the house.  Over the weekend, he was seen eating (or at least chewing on) two birds, a frog, a mole and chicken poop.  And he did carry around the yard at least one squawking chicken like a cat carrying her kitten.  No harm, no fowl foul.