Forgetfulness

It has its perks...

...Such as this gladiola. Or these gladiolus? I'm not sure how many are there. I don't remember planting them and I'm pretty certain they weren't there last year. But I'm happy its there now.

Also, every once in a while, I will have a conversation with someone who reads my blog. I tend to forget that I have an audience and am immediately suspicious that they are stalking my chickens... and then I remember I wrote about it and shared it publicly.

 

Eleanore

(That's not really true. I know if anybody is stalking my birds, it's a critter that wants to eat them. But I have been caught off guard a time or two - What? How did you kn...Ohhhhhh right.)

Twist and Shout

I picked my first cucumber the other day. I used the same method I use when picking zucchini or squash: grab the veggie and twist up near the stem of the plant. Sometimes I come accross a pricker, but they are nothing compared to what is on a cucumber before it is ripe.

Hence, the shout!

Good News

"Good news!" I told Aaron after returning from the coop to find Kathy and Eleanore unharmed, "the gun turret won't be necessary."

After I told Aaron about waking up in the middle of the night to the sounds of predators making a ruckus, he suggested adding a gun turret to the impenetrable fortress.

It was one of those times where I was not sure if I woke up because I heard the noise or if I heard the noise because I woke up. Either way, it didn't sound like dogs and I was worried for my flock. (if you can call two chickens a flock).

So I am happy to report all is well on the mini-farm.

Humbled

I was having a fat day Saturday. If you are male, you may not have experienced this. However, if there is a lady in your life, you've probably been around it. If you are female and you don't know what I am talking about - lucky you is the nicest thing I can say.

I started my day in Lycra and spandex - not really materials that make me feel my best. (My sister-in-law and I were going for a swim and then a bike ride.) I was grumpy leaving the house and kept tugging at my top which would ride up over my hip fat and reveal the pudge.

After my shower I put on a shirt that I swear didn't use to fit like that. Amazingly, I didn't tear it off and throw it across the room. I did some house work - probably complaining to myself about how I hate doing dishes and wondering how long those leftovers had been in the fridge...

Later in the afternoon my mom and I went out and about and stopped for a light dinner at a fast food restaurant. I know what you are thinking. "You're having a fat day and you went to fast food? No wonder!" (We had salads thank you very much.)

While we were there an older couple walked in with winter coats on. They both had gray hair and seemed frail. They sat in a booth next to us just going on about their day. I tried to see what they had ordered without really staring. It didn't look like much.

I went up the counter and asked the cashier if they came in often. She said they did. "Do you think they are homeless?" She said she thought so, but that they drove a car. I asked if they sold gift cards and stopped whining about my ill-fitting exercise-wear and the chores to keep up my air conditioned home.

Matters of Size

I took waaaay longer than necessary editing this photo of the giant zucchini and pint glass. Probably anytime spent at all would have been too much for the point being made: Look at the size of that Zucchini!

But I enjoyed every minute of it.

Zwiebeln

Zwiebeln - the German trasnlation for onions. It is one of the few words I remember from our trip to Switzerland. If I remember correctly, it should be pronounced like this: ZVEEbeln.

This is the result from the half of an onion I threw in the lasagna garden compost and then transferred to the worm box and then back to the lasagna garden.

We didn't eat it. I don't know if it was ready to pick for eating. But it was falling over and starting to uproot, so I pulled it up and took a picture.

Oyster Shells

Oyster shells, the answer to all of your weak shell problems.

Ah ha!

"Thin egg shells are observed when calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D3 are not provided in diets at adequate levels. It is more often observed during periods of hot weather because calcium is conserved and retained within the hen's body less efficiently." 

- Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station


I had a bag of oyster shell gravel that I occasionally mixed in with the pellet so I mixed some more in. I was under the impression that the shells aided in digestion, but I guess they are more of a calcium supplement. So far so good.

Coping

A couple of weeks ago, my mind was put at ease. No, sadly Violet did not reappear. However, I am glad to know and report that she was loved. At first I was skeptical. I believed that my neighbor's dogs were miserable and needed to be saved. The truth is they just weren't as spoiled as I would have liked. Charlie has no idea how good he has it.

There is a small memorial in the backyard. A circle of stones around a plant, and a home made, hand drawn card. The picture is of Violet in the shade of the tree on a clear blue day. Inside, scrawled in crayon, it reads "We love you, Violet" along with all the names of the family.

I cried telling Aaron about it.

I still miss her.

Crack Under Pressure

Have you ever held an egg in one hand and just squeezed?

You know how it doesn't break?

Well this one crackled as soon as I touched it.

It is also a lighter color than any other egg from Kathy and Eleanore.

I went to throw it in the woods, it cracked some more before it left my hand and then, instead of following a nice arch through the sky it just kind of fell.

I'm not real sure what this means.
I'm looking into it.

There just aren't words...

...the things that find their way to my inbox...

Zucchini by Candlelight

Amusing myself during a power outage... which by the way, is out again.



It's too bad I can't rotate this now. I'd really like the top left to be the bottom right. Or maybe not.



Which one of these is not like the other?

So. That's my produce.

(and an interesting/decent shot of tea lights if I do say so myself)

The Coop Remains

Although I had imagined that I could turn this:

into this:

I am happily surprised by the robustness of the shanty. It is standing as strong as it was when I first brought the ladies home, even through this rash of high wind, heavy rain, storms we have been getting.

However, I just happened to come across this beauty.

So, given some time and more motivation than should be necessary, Kathy and Eleanore might see this in their future.

ConsumptYum

The battery charger for my camera is still packed in the backpack we took to New York City. Otherwise, this sentence would be a nice picture of home grown produce on the kitchen table. Zucchinis and Squash to be exact.

Aaron fixed dinner last night (that is a pretty regular occurence) and decided to throw some zucchini into the mix. At first I doubted the tastiness of the combination, but it turned out great. (We were having carribean jerk marinated chicken and pineapple if you were wondering. )

All of my eggs...

...in one basket.

My memory isn't real clear on this, but I am pretty sure this fine wire basket came with the house. As in, it was left behind. My mom thought it was pretty nice and encouraged me to put it to use. Most of the time I just carry the eggs back to the house in my hands or whatever empty vessel I happen to have with me after dispensing food/water. Sometimes they end up in a pocket.

When my mom was taking care of Kathy and Eleanore she used the pocket method. Since she often walked over with her dog, she needed to be able to hold the leash. Apparently, not every egg made the long voyage unharmed.

This morning, donned in my polka-dot boots, I collected 4 eggs and carried them home in the wire basket for the first time. I don't think it will be the last. It certainly was easier than juggling eggs and a door knob!

Squarsh

Just felt like throwing an "R" in there.

Oh man! I forgot to get a picture of the foliage on these zucchini and yellow squash.

It is incredible. One leaf could completely shade, say, a rabbit!

Actually, one rabbit tends to flee from the squarsh jungle every time I water it.

 Just a couple more days until Zucchini Bread! Mmmmmmmmmmmmn.

I apologize for the hurried manner of the photographs. I took them this a.m. before work and the battery in my camera was running low. I just felt the blog needed some pictures, it has been a couple days.

The Economics of Eggs

I just returned from Tractor Supply, where I bought my 3rd bag of layer pellet.

1 - 50 lb bag costs $16.45 after tax, tag and title. (Ok, just tax)
2 - 50 lb bags cost $32.90.

Guess how many eggs were laid with just 100 lbs of feed?
About 330 since the first egg in November.
That is a little over 10¢ an egg.
So for a dozen, $1.20.

For a dozen "cage-free" eggs the price is around $3.00.
And just to let you know, I am never so cruel as to cage my eggs. What?! I suppose you are expected to infer the hens are not kept in cages, but that is not what the name suggests.

Dwight charges $1.50 for a dozen of eggs from his flock.  (He used to charge $2.00.)

I don't charge anything, but I don't turn down baked good barters either.

I have no idea what a dozen large, white, grocery store, house name, eggs cost anymore. They never make it on the grocery list anymore.

Fill-in Farmer

While Aaron, my dad, and myself were on vacation, my mom took care of the mini-farm.

Kathy and Eleanore were very pleased with her attentiveness to their food and water. They told me themselves.

The plants in the yard were also very grateful to her for watering them. You should see the size of the zucchini plants now! The second round of cucumbers are coming in nicely too.

Thanks, Mom!

Charlie dog spent the week with Eric, Olivia, Ally and Myles dog.

Pretty much everything seemed to be in order when we got home.

Sadly, I have not seen my girl Violet. Maybe I really was the only one that loved her...

Checking In

 Last Thursday, Aaron, my dad and myself got in the car before dawn and started driving to CT. This is the house we stayed in while there. Beautiful New England. (Thanks Dan and Marianne!)

 Aaron ran his first 1/2 Iron distance triathlon of the year at Rev3 Quassy. I got to finish with him.

Aaron and I took a train into NYC.

 

On our way back to TN, we stopped in Pottsville, PA to tour America's Oldest Brewery. (My dad smiled as soon as I put the camera down.)

One more stop in Glade Spring, VA to Giardino's. Amazingly, calzones and cannolis were spared by the recent tornadoes.

ArithMAYtic

46 eggs for the month of May. 

At first that number doesn't seem quite right. 

Maybe I missed a few tally marks here and there. 

This evening, though - no eggs.

It is HOT...

maybe Kathy and Eleanore just need to get acclimated.

I know I do. 

0 Traumatic events for the month of May.

That is pretty good considering the kind of weather we have been having.

As in: Stormy. Tornadic even!

8+ new visitors to the coop in one day.

City dwellers are particularly interested in how agricultural animals are kept within the city limits.

Reusable Bags

I came across this image today. I think it is pretty funny even though that is not necessarily how I feel. I do take my own bags to the grocery store. Although, once in a while if have to run in for just a couple of things and don't have them with me, well, we get poo bags. You know, for picking up messes Charlie leaves in other people's yards on our walks.

Between paper and plastic bags, my preference was for paper for their structure and handiness when tossing junk mail. (We recycle too.) One time I asked the lady doing the bagging if should could "throw in some paper bags too." As in: mix it up please, don't give me all plastic. She bagged everything in plastic and laid the paper bags in the cart.

Everytime Aaron or I register for a race, we each get another bag. Anytime Aaron goes to a conference for work, he gets another bag. Right now I'd say we have upwards of 20 reusable bags. I have already donated some to GoodWill.

Here is the thing about reusable bags- they are REUSABLE. It is not necessary for them to be created in such mass quantities. Almost every grocery store has its own line of reusable bags. Small. Medium. Large. Plain. Pretty. Beadazzled. I have seen reusable bags in department stores. They can be, after all, a fashion statement.

I started carrying mine (back when we had 2 or 3) because I wouldn't have to deal with all of the plastic bags overflowing from the plastic bag sock and remembering to take the excess to the recycling center. Also, because I have a tendency to be lazy, hauling 2 heavy (or really heavy) bags once appeals to me more than 8 trips back and forth to the car and kitchen with plastic loops cutting into my skin. But that is just me.

Maybe there is a way I can reuse my reusable bags not as bags. Dismantled and fit together they would probably make a pretty nice weed blanket, or a kite, grill cover maybe... Got any ideas?

Just 'cause

Hen on the loose!

Last week I was driving into the neighborhood from a different street than I usually take. Charlie was in the car with me. We were probably 3/4 of a mile from our house when I spotted a red hen beside a brick house very close to an intersection.

"Charlie!" I said, "Is that my chicken?"

A lot of internal dialogue followed:

That can't be one of mine.
How would they get so far?
Did I leave the door open?
It looks like one of mine.
That is such a long way though.

I made my way to the coop as soon as I was out of the car.
There they were, Kathy and Eleanore, content as could be.

(Why is it if one person is speaking it is a monologue, but if one person is speaking/thinking to themselves it is a dialogue?)

War of the Roses

For the last week or two getting in and out of my car at home has been a really nice experience. Usually, I don't really notice anything special or take time for reflection. However,since the honeysuckle has been in bloom the hurry-up-get-to-work routine gets interrupted by a deep breath. And the ok-now-that-I'm-home-what-pile-of-clutter-should-I-stress-about fades into ohhh-its-nice-to-be-home.

The majority of the delightful scent comes from where Violet and Ginger hang out. There is so much there, the fence is hardly visible.  Some of the aroma makes its way over from the neighbors on the other side. The honeysuckle over there has to fight for existence and potency, it is up against roses. It is so nice of the neighbors to share their blooms.

If at first...

something eats your seedlings...Plant. Plant again.

Zucchini and squash are by far not my favorite vegetables (although they are closer than beets). At this point though, that is all that is in the "garden". Zucchini and squash.

Maybe you are saying to yourself, "Why does she plant these vegetables if she doesn't like them?"
There is just something gratifying about producing produce. And besides zucchini bread is delicious.

I bought another seed starter kit yesterday along with cucumber and carrot seeds. I planted them last night while watching a movie. I had no idea how small carrot seeds are! At first glance I thought I bought a packet of sawdust.

I'm struggling with this: "I had no idea how small carrot seeds are." Carrot seeds are still small even though my knowledge has changed... but using "had" suggests I should use "were". Mom, you're a linguist - got anything for me?

I suppose I could also plant fruits. It might be too late to start strawberries, but I could go crazy and try my hand at harvesting watermelon.

Ah ha! Would be. I can say "I had no idea how small carrot seeds would be!"

Stop! Thief!

Something has taken my

seedlings from the garden.

I think it was probably a

It looks like the

were spared, though.

Speaking of the garden. It is kind of in pitiful shape.

The method of

gardening that I was loosely following,

only loosely worked.

Go figure.

Good thing the

laying is left up to

 

Last installment - Little Known Facts

10. In Gainesville, Georgia, (the chicken capital of the world), a local ordinance makes it illegal to eat your chicken with a fork.

11. The waste produced by one chicken in its lifetime can supply enough electricity to run a 100 watt bulb for five hours.

I wonder if that is the lifetime of a factory or  free-range chicken.  Those lifetimes are years different.

12. China has the most people in the world, *and* also has the most chickens. There are over 3,000,000,000 chickens in China! (The United States has only 450 million.)

13. The longest recorded distance flown by any chicken was 301.5 feet.

14. The record for laying the most eggs in one day was seven.

Facts from: http://www.poultryhollow.org/chicken-facts.htm

Home Sweet Home for Sale Bittersweet Sale

The third house I lived in while I was growing up is officially on the market - again. There are some attributes  that you just can't see from the photos... you have to step inside to experience it.

Walking through the front door into the little foyer feels very comforting. It is like crossing the threshold from the porch into the house changes your status. If you make it past the welcome mat once, you are welcome anytime and this is where we will greet you. Unless of course we are already on the porch waiting for your arrival.

Even before I was commissioned for light demolition in preparation for a renovation, I could always feel a sense of history and longevity to the house. When we found newspapers from the late 1800's insulating the walls the history came more alive. The feeling of longevity may be that my dad was making it stronger and more durable with each renovation. It had been there at least one hundred years before we moved in, so why not one hundred more?

You have to be standing at the kitchen sink (which usually isn't that much fun) to appreciate how lucky you are to be washing the dishes surrounded by mountains.

The field beside the house is big enough to make you feel small. Small enough to recognize how much sky there is, even just in this little area. And although there isn't a welcome mat, the feeling is similar to the foyer. If you make it into the field - for a party, to walk your dog, to ride go-carts, whatever it is - if you aren't stopped at the property line (or questioned about your presence) consider yourself a friend and enjoy your time.

It was a little sad to clean out the last of my belongings, but I realized that the town wasn't going anywhere. The mountains weren't going to dissappear. I would still have my mom, my dad, my sister. The memories of our pets...  Change can be good.

Check out the house!

The Birds and the Bees

...and other flying, crawling insects.

A week or so ago - it may have been the same day as the encounter with the black snake - Aaron was at the coop with me and witnessed one of the hens snag a mosquito out of the air and enjoy it for a tasty snack. I have heard hens were good for that kind of thing, but had not seen it for myself.

Yesterday evening I was returning with fresh water. Before I set the basin down I noticed a bug crawling beneath some hay. I noticed one of the ladies was watching me and thought she might be interested in what I just saw so I pointed to the bug and tapped the wood floor beside it.

PECK! Peck. Peck. and that bug was gone.

That little bit of successful communication made me kind of happy.

(Which reminds me... I am no hen whisperer or chicken psychic. That whole Elton John song about plumage plucking - uncalled for. Apparently it was just a little grooming between friends. That also makes me happy.)

Dancing Queens

I got to witness the Fresh Hay dance again on Sunday. It certainly is a sight to behold.

Instead of separating out tiles of hay like I had done before I just tossed a stack between the feeder and the door to the coop yard, then stood back and watched the games begin.

I watched for a couple of minutes and then continued on with some yard work. By the time I went to collect eggs yesterday evening the place had been completely redecorated. They must have danced danced danced all night long. (Steve Miller anyone?)

April's Arithmetic

for the birds...
2 Birds
45 Eggs (that I remembered to tally anyway)
1 Traumatic Event - not my fault. Scary weather.

for me...
221 training miles logged
16 weeks of training
1 toenail lost during training
13.1 mile race
4Blisters formed during race
1finisher's medal