I opened up my window screen and leaned outside. I could see the small yellow lights on the ranch shack. I could tell that Duchess was running back and forth on something. My whole thought process was that she had cornered a wild pig. I had my rifle at my side and was trying to attach my red dot scope. At that time, I heard a voice yelling, not in English or Chamorro. It definitely was in Chuukese. Then I heard the cry of pain. I knew one of my dogs got whoever it was. I was laughing...I know...I shouldn't have...But it was funny!
From the sounds, I could tell this guy was running on the glass area, crashing through the trees, trying to get away from my dogs. Serves him right. He deserved all he got last night. I went back to sleep.
This morning, I got up to see the damage that was done. I saw Duchess just below the steps of the back porch waiting for me, wagging her tail. We got the herd out and pastured them, fed the rabbits, and moved the rooster pens to new grass. I walked over to the glass area. Okay, let me set the scene. The glass area is a part of the ranch on the south side that has piles of glass from World War II. That was left there by the G.I's. who camped in this area after the war. So I have bottles of coke and beer in one huge pile that covers maybe 400 sq. ft.
Anyway, I was looking around the glass area. I noticed bottles broken that were not broken before, broken branches, and the place where the intruder was brought down by Duchess. She must have did a number on him because there was no moss or leaves covering the ground, just disturbed red dirt. I wonder where he was bitten, legs, arms, or both. If he got stitches, how many? I praised Duchess who was next to me...hugging her, scratching her behind the ears.
So this morning, I was trying to peek across the street from my ranch into the neighbors yard at the duplex house to see who there was injured. I didn't see any injured adult, just the children playing in the yard. That was enough excitement for the day.
My mom decided that she would clean the goat kid's nursery pen this morning. I helped her taking the branches out. She raked up the leaves and manure into a nice pile for me to pick up and move to my sweet potato tire towers. The sweet potatoes/kamute (ka-mu-te) are doing really good. One tire tower is on it's third tire. Since the other two tires were not ready to receive compost. They still have sprouts. I placed the compost on the 3 trash can towers to get them ready for planting. I should have some really nice size kamute in March from the tire towers.
I have to make arrangements to get more tires from my friend Krystal's house. I am hoping to get them this Saturday morning. I'll have to ask one of the guys to help me retrieve them before I mark it down as a planned commitment on my projects calendar. The sooner I get those tires. The quicker I'll be able to plant more kamute, dagu (Chamorro yam), and U.S. yam.
This afternoon, I separated the two Guinea hens from the scratch pens. I had to secure the breeding pen before I placed one of the Guinea hens in it. My plan is to catch the Guinea roosters for each hen this week. So I can start them on breeding and getting eggs to repopulate my flock. That reminds me, I have to get my incubators cleaned and ready.
I'm doing the same thing for my grass pastured Bulik and white roosters. Trying to catch the hens for them to breed and grow back the flock. That includes, acquiring a Muscovy drake from another rancher soon. Have to get a companion for my last white Muscovy duck.
I placed a trap with some hen scratch feed in it, on the North side to catch the feral chickens there. I'll raise them up to fatten them, and then I'll feed them to my dogs as part of my raw meat program.
I'll be planting my cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupes, sweet onions, red onions, eggplant, green beans, melons, and hot chili peppers in a couple of days. I'm already looking forward to the harvest.
Work is never done on a Ranch.
Keep Smiling
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