Whiteley Creek Homestead

I hired Tom Dix from Wood Spirit Gardens in Backus, Minnesota to tighten up the stone walkway leading to my front door. He moved chunks of stone closer together and filled in smaller spaces with rocks. As he worked, my hens were becoming a nuisance. The freshly dug soil was an invitation to scratch. That's what chickens do.   

My eldest granddaughter, who was visiting from New York, had a solution… a string strung between two sticks and a twig sentry to stand guard. Notice the sentry's skirt and flowing head covering that she made of leaves secured with pliable strands torn from a freshly trimmed dwarf Korean lilac bush branch.   

Yes, that ought to keep my hens at bay. As a backup plan… a few sprays of water from the garden hose worked like a charm, too.