Childhood Wishes and Poultry Dreams

Every once in a while I will have a dream involving my chickens. But instead of just having 2 chickens in a coop where they are, I either have uncontrollable numbers of hens and chicks all over the place, running and hopping around in filth, escaping from a poorly constructed cage or other forms of poultry including ducks, turkeys... and still just running amuck. I think there may have even been a crocodile once.

In these dreams I am completely overwhelmed and feel terrible about the living conditions and dissapointed in my care taking ability.

During my waking hours I really don't feel stressed about keeping chickens. They are rather low maintenance and I feel like I do an ok job.  They are however, a bit of a reality check. If the area we lived in was zoned for other types of livestock (and Aaron was unable to talk sense into me) I could see myself as borderline animal hoarder. Not as extreme as scenarios on the news. But I think it would get out of hand pretty quickly.

Maybe all kids do this, but whenever I was at a zoo or an aquarium, I was convinced that I could take care of an otter or a dolphin and that Grandma Churchill's pool was an acceptable and comfortable place for it to live.

Today I see an animal to adopt and have similar thoughts - minus the pool. Those pigmy goats would love it in our back yard! A miniature cow! How can we live without one?! Oh, a cat. Every farm (even a pretend one) needs a cat...

Alas, that is all a lot more poop than I want to deal with.

Birthday Girl

My grandmother, Gramma Bitter, had a birthday Saturday. And 82 others before that one. She and I share the winter birthday party conundrum (i.e. the weather is terrible and nobody can make it). She is a smart lady though, so she doesn't let any weather stop her. Nope, sometimes she gathers her friends and family and celebrates 6 months earlier (or later I suppose).

Here is a condensed time line of the some of the things that have happened during her lifetime. And this doesn't even include what happened to her, with her, close to her - like marriage, children, grandchildren, teaching, crafting, learning how to swim, vacations, adventures, choir, community band, painting, NY, FL, NC...

1929 - Great Depression begins, Museum of Modern Art opens, 1st class stamp $0.02
1938 - Invention of the Ball Point Pen and First Xerox copy
1939 - World War 2 begins
1940 - First McDonald's opens
1947 - Invention of the Microwave oven, Chuck Yeager breaks sound barrier
1949 - Debut of cable television
1950 - Charles Shulz starts Peanuts, first class stamp $0.03
1957 - Sputnik launched
1958 - First class stamp up to $0.04, Elvis joins the Army
1959 - Alaska and Hawaii join the United States
1960 - Listening to Patsy Kline & John Coltrane, Reading To Kill a Mockingbird
1964 - US Surgeon General affirms cigarette smoking causes cancer
1967 - PBS is created
1969 - First walk on the moon
1970 - Floppy disk introduced
1974 - Nixon resigns from presidency
1975 - Saturday Night Live premieres
1977 - Star Wars hits theatres, Elvis dies, first woman priest ordained
1979 - Three Mile Island meltdown scare, First class stamp up to $0.15
1981 - MTV goes on air
1986 - Oprah! airs
1988 - CD's out sell vinyl records
1989 - First class stamp $0.25
1990 - Cold War ends, Persian Gulf War begins
1992 - World Wide Web available to the public
1996 - Another cloning milestone; Dolly the Sheep
1999 - First class stamp $0.33, Y2K scare
2001 - Terrorists attack United States
2004 - Gay marriage legalized in Massachusetts, Martha Stewart goes to prison
2006 - Pluto is demoted from "planet" to "dwarf planet"
2009 - First class stamp $0.44
2010 - BP Oil Spill

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

My chickens are really messy

It is like they were raised in a barn or something.

Actually, they aren't that messy. (Nevermind if they were to step foot/talon into the house right now - oh, the judgements that shall be passed.) But keeping their water-er clean, whatever form it may be in; basin or fountain, is a bit of a chore - especially when it is 30 degrees and dark.

Unfortunately that isn't even much of an excuse seeing as how the temperature hasn't been that low for many days this winter. At least the first 29 days of it. However, I have heard several times in the last couple of days that the last winter this area has seen a similar weather pattern was in 1993.

Oooooh.

Now, if you ain't from 'round here you probably wouldn't know about the blizzard of '93. Apparently it was a doozie. I was not yet a southerner in '93. Though I do know that Connecticut had a pretty mild winter that year.

Where was I going with this?

Birds. Dirty. Right...
I guess I will spend some time in the coop this weekend trying to "design" a watering hole that I won't have to scoop clumps of damp hay out of. And while I am there, might as well figure out what can be done to blizzard-proof. Just in case...

Much ado about Egg Cartons

Remember how I mentioned that I liked to use reusable bags, and how reusable bags are reusable and thus, shouldn't need so many of them?

Same concept goes for egg cartons. Since our dealings with carton-less eggs began, people have been ever-so kindly donating cartons. Perhaps for a fill-up or maybe just to be friendly. Regardless, there is no shortage on cartons at the Myers household.

We have several kinds:
Styrofoam - not a fan, will probably just throw those away
Carboard - as long as they stay clean, they can go through many cycles
The tri-fold clear plastic ones - pretty durable and easy to clean if need be

So today I did some research with my pal Google. I said, "Google, just what can I do with all of these cartons?"
Actually I didn't say anything. I typed a couple of phrases; repurpose egg cartons, egg carton crafts.

There were caterpillars and flowers and strings of lights. My favorite idea was a seed starter. 

... should come in handy at springtime!

Livin' on the Edge

(Aerosmith anyone? Ha. I was going to put a link in here to the music video, but I just previewed it - Steven Tyler is all naked, half painted and holding his *junk*.)

Saturday night I let one particular 2 year old play with my phone - turned off of course - and have been sans cellular ever since. I didn't realize it was missing until mid morning on Sunday. I haven't missed it too much.

It is almost thrilling. What if something happens in the 22 miles it takes to get to work and/or home?! Guess I'll just have to wing it. What if Aaron needs me to pick something up while I am at the store?! We'll just have to wait and see. Yeah, I'm crazy like that.

At one point yesterday I recieved some information that I thought would be nice to share with Aaron. Had my smellular been on me I probably would have sent him a text message about it or called. I told myself to "Remember to tell Aaron when you get home". 

"I wonder if he remembered that I was going to go to the gym after work. I was a little wishy washy at lunch. He might start to panic that I am not home yet..." Like I said, crazy.

Anyway, when I get home, I have no idea what I was going to tell him. I remember that I was purposely trying to remember something, but what. was. it?  2 hours might have gone by until it came to me.
(The heater is broken in the pool and won't get fixed for a couple of weeks. The water is at 78 degrees.) Nothing really vital, but it made me realize how much I rely on forms of instant communication.

Oh and hey! Good news! I knew exactly where I parked my car :)

Rusty

Just thought you should know what he looked like. 

Handsome

Orange

Cat

Ain't No Sunshine

Sometimes I start to feel like I may never see the sun again after a few overcast and rainy days. I know that is really improbable, but it feels that way.

I think the last time I saw blue sky was early Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon it was raining.

Bleh.

I want to turn on all the lights in the house and burn candles in every room to attempt tp recreate the brightness. The flourescent bulbs at work aren't a very good substitute either.

I can't wait for the next day I step out of the door and my eyes hurt while they adjust to sunlight again. It's an odd feeling, but I love it.

...


Sadly, we have lost another furry friend in our extended family of pets; my mom's cat, Rusty.

There just ain't no sunshine.

Explanations and Exclamations

Explanation:

Eleanore is molting. That is why the plumage hasn't been looking its finest. Also, that is why the egg production is down.

Exclamation:

Eleanore charged me at the door and jumped out of the coop last night!

Explanation:

She was really thirsty and there was a basin of rain water outside the coop.

Exclamation:

Ha! I caught her on my first attempt!

Exclamation:

But when I went to put her back in Kathy started to storm the door!

Explanation:

Kathy was thirsty and there was a basin of rain water outside the coop. And, she is a follower, so if Eleanore did it...

Exclamation:

Then they both ran at me at the same time! But I was an impedence!

Explanation:

I am a terrible person and I let them go without water for a period of time.

Exclamation:

I'm sorry! It won't happen again!

Resolutions

I usually don't make resolutions at the dawn of a new year. If they are that important to make, they are too important to wait. Or if you can wait, maybe it isn't necessary to make the change.

About a month ago I decided that it was too easy for me to pass judgement on other people in the first 2 seconds I notice them. So I have been trying to cut down on snap judgements. Along the same lines of being too quick to judge I have decided to stop seeking things that irritate me.

What? Who does that?

Me. On Facebook. So I'm not going to do it anymore. Facebook that is, not just the stalking. I've never really liked the premise of it anyway. I could go on and on here but I won't. (You are welcome.)

So, there is that - being a better person, more open minded, less irritated by things I actually do have control over.

This next resolution I make on a fairly frequent basis. It sticks for a couple of days and then *POOF* I am wandering around a parking lot looking for my car because I have no idea where I parked.

Just yesterday, after yet again renewing my vow to pay attention and make note of where I am parked this happened:

I get to they gym early.
I park right outside the front door noticing how lucky I am that the parking lot is empty.
I think to myself - "This should be a breeze to remember! I never park in the front row."
After an hour or so in the gym, I am walking out carrying a conversation and overshoot the first row and a couple of spaces.

Anybody else resolving to make any changes or to stick with some oldies but goodies?

Tired and Feathered

Have I been lazy...  ever since last Thursday afternoon when I performed my "I'm on vacaaaaaaaaaaaaaaation" dance. It has been mucho enjoyable.

Speaking of lazy... the Egg Count for December: 33. Given the mild weather, I don't know what to attribute the low number to.

Yesterday, for the first time since buying eggs from the grocery store, we were on E. Completely out.
Aaron chalked it up to "egg spurts", aka times when we eat a lot of eggs as opposed to times when we don't eat a lot of eggs. But then we both laughed about egg spurts. Eggspurts. Experts. Ha haha ha. (It actually took me a minute to catch on though.)

So, anyway, not a lot of eggs. But feathers? Yes. It looks like Kathy and Eleanore have been having pillow fights. The hay is peppered with feathers.  I am going to have to do some research about this. To me it doesn't seem like December/January is the best time to run around scantily clad. 

Here is Kathy, looking sleek.

Eleanore's neck doesn't look like it belongs on her body.