Smokey Mountain Breakdown

Greetings everyone.

I haven't been a-blogging in a while, but am picking it back up in a more traditional formatte. The original stories are still being edited and expanded in hopes of being published someday. Things just keep happening in my day to day existence that I know seem odd to the outside world. So, I'll try to keep a running tally of these, along with some of my musings. I need the discipline anyway.

Today I planned to burn a pile of slabs. Those are the outside bits of trees once the sawmill cuts the good bits into 2 x 4's and such. I need to burn this pile because every summer, since I've been here, I've nearly gotten bitten by copperheads while trying to gather eggs or just basically mind my own business around the property. I really want a snazzy big gun to strap on my thigh to blow the snakes away. This seems fun and sexy to me, though I think the reality will be sort of rednecky and awkward. Anyway...it's too windy to utilize my burn permit today.

Shadow killed one of the young roosters. Actually, I pulled him off of him before the roo died, but it was too late. The rooster's comb was cyanotic and I'm pretty sure he's had a heart attack. I slit his throat and hung him on the back porch. Looks like there will be real Coq-au-vin for Sunday lunch.