Hopalong Hollow....

Hopalong Hollow, where the Blueberries grow sweet, and the moss feels soft beneath your feet.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

"Scratchin in the Dirt" Mavis Mudd gossip columnist for the Gazette

 
Mavis Mudd here, my dear  gossip lovers. Please excuse my very long absence. I have been sequestered up in the tippy-top corner of yonder barn writing my memoirs, "Confessions  of a Nosy Busybody". Finished at last! I expect to be on my book tour quite soon. But in the meantime, allow me to scratch up the latest dirt of recent goings on in Hopalong Hollow. Prudi, the little brown hen, had not been seen for at least 2 weeks and the Mistress had written her off as a goner. Then alas, as the Mistress was cleaning the barn, OUT POPS Prudi! She had been hiding in a deep plastic nail bin, and not just hiding, but laying her eggs as well.... on nails!!

 Prudi has never been known for her brain power, but even this egg laying spree defies ALL the rules laid out in my first book " Raising Baby Chicks By the Dozen".  Rule #1 "Find a comfy, soft, out the way corner to lay your batch of eggs" LEAVE IT to a dense bird brain to use a bed of nails as a nesting box.  Why, it was just a year ago that she laid her eggs in an equally unsuitable location, that being a muddy gully in the side yard. Thank goodness the Mistress discovered her folly and saved all the baby chicks from sure disaster!  RULE # 2 in my best selling book is "Do not lay your eggs in a community nest"
  Here is a perfect example of daft imprudence.. Just look at this mish-mash of eggs, all laid in the same nest!
Goose eggs, peacock eggs, a duck egg AND one HEN's egg!  Shame on you little hen, you need to read my book promptly! I can understand that OTHER birds would foolishly and lazily use the same nest... but not a chicken!!!!!
Think about this girls: what if someone decides to actually SIT on all these eggs and hatch them? Do you really want a goose raising your young-uns? Or a silly duck? Oh worst of all a PEAHEN???!
Speaking of which, remember these reluctant brides?
 PEA BRAINS, I like to call them. Well, with Springtime, love is in the air and the potential grooms have never looked more dapper and  dashing. Just look at those feathers! I suppose that tail would seem exciting and splendid IF you like flashy dressers and dandies.
 The problem is, the the Peabody boys seem a bit confused as to whom they are supposed to be impressing with their preposterous presence...
.
I, for one, am NOT impressed... well, maybe just a little bit...hmmmm. if I were just a little younger.. oh, forget I said that! Perhaps the Peabody boys will figure it all out eventually.

Do you remember Alice and Mathilda, the two goose gals that came to us last year?
  WELL, the Mistress has been flummoxed ever since she witnessed, what seemed to be, shenanigans in the creek.... between Alice and Tilly. The kind of shenanigans that should only be performed by a male and female goosey. This led the Mistress to believe that Alice was NOT an Alice.. but an Alex. The Mistress persisted in this belief after witnessing several more "party" sessions  and even began calling Alice, ALEX. And then, one day, she saw that ALEX had laid an egg....in the community nest! So, I guess  ALEX is an Alice after all.
Well, my fine gossip loving fans, I must keep this short as I  am in a rush to get my manuscript off to my publisher, Cackle Press.
 Alas, there is no rest for a busy and famous author such as myself. Yours truly, Mavis Mudd , (chicken lady extraordinaire).
P.S.
The Mistress will be back with you soon... she too,has been busy Scratchin in the dirt,

 Scratchin on eggs... ( She will show you how to do this next week, it's fun and easy)
  and making the BUN BUNS of Hopalong Hollow

 
 She will be back soon!
Happy Spring Y'all

21 comments:

  1. All looks wonderful at the Hollow. I am taking care of a clutch of turkens and one of the banty hens is sitting. I finally had to mark the eggs under her as others are laying theirs under her too. She's so small, she can't possibly keep them all warm.

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  2. Spring appears to be going boing with abandon down your way. xxx

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  3. OH MY WORD......Mavis, the Mavin of Mish-Mash Madness! You are finally back and the presses have never been hotter with good old-fashioned barn gossip! OOOOO.......Alex and Alice, what a story! Dang there are mysteries to solve! But the one that blows my city slicker mind is how that hen laid eggs on NAILS? HELLO? What kind of hen is she?Does she sharpen her teeth, sleep on a bed of nails, does she wear leather and chains? teeeheee......

    Mavis dear, you have not lost your ability to scratch the best gossip - it is floating on the sound waves of the bleating sheep and bird songs. You have brought a bit of spring to me here in MINNESNOWDA and I thank you! And Miss Jeri Landers......those rabbits....you are one awesome artist. LOVE EVERYTHING YOU DO!

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    1. Anita you are so funny! Leather and chains, indeed. I guess those feathers are good protectants against sharp objects. I found another batch of eggs in an old spare tire, which would have been a good nest had the eggs not fallen through the tire hole and rolled beneath the tire.... silly hens.

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  4. Just delightful, Jeri! I've been anxiously awaiting an update from your beautiful garden. the weather down here has been so nutty, not much is happening in mine. thanks for a fun post with my morning coffee! hugs.

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  5. Spring Greetings to YOU Miss Mavis ~ from all of your Friends here at Notforgotten Farm!!!
    Miss Jeri, your egg-'scratching' is divine ~ as are your little rabbits…can't wait to see more :)
    Blessed be,
    Lori

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  6. ha ha ~ such fun! You (all) make me smile! Love that last shot of the peacock background behind the chicken! ~ I'm still mulling over the pile of bunny parts... made me quiver a little... but its' just stuffing right? *nervous giggle*
    I'll be looking forward to the egg scratching instructions~ :))))
    Happy Day to you!

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    1. Melody, Not to worry my dear, just polyester stuffing and mohair! Egg scratching instructions coming soon!

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  7. Good grief! She laid her eggs on NAILS? This is one for the books, that is for sure... Prudi, what on earth were you thinking?
    Egg scratching instructions is a ~must~ to see! Thank you for the update Mavis Mudd... and Jeri, those bun buns! Be still my heart... You are an artist with no limits! Beautiful work Jeri.
    Life in the Hollow is a never ending storybook... I love it!
    fondly,
    Penny

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  8. Jeri, you have me laughing! Loved your post. So I am not the only egg scratcher in the universe. The ones laid by the aracaunas are my personal favorite, closely followed by the buff orpingtons. Did you scratch these on buff eggs? Have you tried painting the scratches? (Guaranteed to use up a lot of time but so pleasant!) Love your photos, too, and the last one... WOW. Gorgeous. Happy spring, Jeri. I can tell it's starting out splendidly for you.

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    1. Sharyn, I scratched most on duck eggs because the shells are so thick. Those buff eggs are nice, but ours are very small. you need to tell me about how to do the color!

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  9. Never a dull moment on the farm! Your bunnies are coming along very nicely!

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  10. ON NAILS????!!! Wow, I have never seen that before. I love this post! I needed this laugh. Thank you.

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  11. How charming it is at your place. I enjoyed reading all about your fine, feathered friends! Thank you for sharing. I just love your felted bunnies. ♥

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    1. Thank you Martha Ellen, I hope you will come again!

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  12. Dear Mavis,

    Prudi may be just a misunderstood innovator--my best guess is that she chose a nail nest to discourage predators. Someone needs to investigate where Prudi's pullets lay their eggs--perhaps this behavior can be inherited.

    Of course it's possible that somehen keeps nipping at fermented crabapples. In which case that's just more fodder for your very welcome gossip column.

    Best of luck on your book tour.

    Sincerely, pogonip

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  13. Greetings to everyone in the Hollow. We have great hope Michigan will see Spring soon. It had been a long ,cold and not so healthy winter for me. I'm longing to see some green again.Love this post and all of you. Hugs

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  14. Oh those peacocks look SO lovely! And the eggs on the nails, LOL! But then, those will be some tough chickens!

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  15. Oh Jeri - I so enjoyed my visit. That Mavis was extremely entertaining with her tale of all the shenanigans going on in the yard. Glad Prudi decided to show up but honestly I have never heard of a hen laying eggs on a bed of nails. Such gossip kept me reading to the wee end. Glad your weather is allowing you to dig in the dirt. Hope you have a wonderful week - thanks for letting Mavis share her gossip with us!

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  16. Dear me Miss Mavis - I think if you include the nail nest in your book, people will think you are writing fiction - be sure to add that photo! Quite a lot of doings your way this spring. Miss Jeri is certainly busy as well. Her bunnies are looking wonderful and I can't wait to see them finished and dressed.

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  17. Oh what a FUN post on my birthday day! I love it Jeri! Most of all I LOVE THOSE RABBITS you are making! If you are going to be selling them, I know what my next yearly gift to myself from your shop will be!!!! Happy bunny dance!

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