Winter Island Chores

Greetings from the island everyone. I hope all of you are doing well and staying away from the winter sick bug that has been floating around lately. I know of so many that have been suffering from flu symptoms the past month. It wasn’t the flu, but I caught a very irritating cough a few months ago that simply would not go away. Finally, after about ten weeks, it stopped for good. I’m very fortunate in the respect that living on an island, I’m rarely around or in contact with other sick people, so I’m able to avoid those instances of getting sick.

I’m down to four chickens right now, and hoping to give those away very soon, just as I did the other twenty last month. After about 2 1/2 years, the chickens become very sporadic in their laying, so I find a home for them and get new baby chicks in the Spring. So in May, I’ll get 15 Black Star chicks, along with one or two roosters, and I’ll also order 8 baby Guineas (keets). I know they make a lot of noise, but I don’t care, having them reminds me of visiting my grandparents place as a kid, out in the sticks of the Pilot Grove community, outside of Yoakum.

I love having the eight tall palm trees in my front yard out here on the island. I’ve enjoyed watching them grow from about 16 INCHES when I planted them in May 2002, to being over 20 feet tall now. Palm trees just have that majestic look about them, plus when you have a place on an island, at least one palm tree is a must. Of course the fronds (limbs), occasionally need to be trimmed on all of them, so I spent a full day a few weeks ago and knocked out that task. A 40 volt telescoping pole saw made the job somewhat easier, thank goodness, because I cut over 200 fronds off those trees. There is always maintenance and work to be done in this harsh environment out here.

Corky has adapted very well to island living out here, loving to run on the beach and jump into the surf waves. That dog has so much energy. He went a few weeks ago for his booster snake vaccine shot, and weighed in at 62 pounds! He now will get the snake vaccine every six months, something that he must have out here with the abundance of rattlesnakes, especially during the Spring time months. At only $28 per vaccine shot, it’s a no-brainer to have it done.

I recently found a dead dolphin washed up on the island beach. It breaks my heart to find these lovely creatures that way. There were no external signs of injury, so I don’t know what caused it’s death, possibly just old age, as it was a large dolphin, measuring 7’ long. As I do each time I find one, I contacted an organization that keeps track of dead dolphins, in case an excess number of them are dying, so that an investigation can begin to determine why it is happening. The contact info to report a dead dolphin is Heidi Whitehead, 409-392-3797. If possible, a few pictures and GPS coordinates can be texted to that number, or simply call and report it.

The tides have continued to remain very low the past three weeks, preventing me from running in for supplies at my scheduled times. These instances are why it is important to stay stocked up on necessary provisions during the winter months, especially late January and into February.

Just a reminder to anyone that burns their trash outside in a barrel, which I do out here, is to keep a close watch on it. A friend brought out some discarded medical supplies to burn, including several small metal inhalers. I didn’t realize they would do it, but the inhalers created small explosions when they heated up, blowing embers out of the barrel and starting a small hidden fire behind the barrel, which thankfully my friend discovered before it could spread. Just pay attention and never leave the fire unattended.

Well, that’s it from the island for now; everyone take care and have a great day.