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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Animal Love

On my walk up to the coop this morning I noticed Kathy and Eleanore were hanging out on a perch in their yard. They started talking a little bit as I got closer and when I opened the access door they were on their way in to the coop to see me and wish me a good morning. That is what I like to think anyway. Maybe they are smart enough to figure out that I bring them food and water or maybe they just enjoy my company.


This scenario is probably along the same lines of how loved and adored I feel by my dog when he sets his drooling face in my lap at the same time I am eating something that entices him.

If I knew that I could buy a car and get a hug from a grateful polar bear as seen here... I'd be cruising around town in my new Nissan LEAF.



Monday, January 24, 2011

Coupins!

When I was little, one of my favorite things to do was help my mom clip coupons. She told me that I would sit and cut with one hand until it got tired, switch the scissors to the other hand (non-dominance!) and keep on going. All the while my tongue sticking out part way to aid my concentration.

When my sister was in town last weekend we went to a presentation about how to Coupon. Yep, another noun has made itself a verb.  (How is it really pronounced anyway? Is it Q-pon or Coo-pon? I say Coo, but I used to say Q.)

Melissa is really into this. She is very good at it. I didn't think I would be too interested, but I would see what it was about. Jenny from Southern Savers was the spokeswoman. She was full of money saving facts and anecdotes. It was almost as if I went to see a comedian and learned how to use coupons as a bonus.

Jenny was very convincing, although she didn't have to be. First of all, anything to make grocery shopping more bearable, like a challenge - I'm in. Secondly, I am easily persuaded. (Not always a good thing, but I am on week 2 of my 6 week trial and I think I am doing pretty well.)

Achoo

Have you ever heard a chicken sneeze?

Eleanore was so thirsty the other night that she got her head right in the stream of water as I was refilling... thus up the sinuses causing her to sneeze. I never thought about birds sneezing before that happened. It's pretty easy to recognize though.

Kathy usually perches on the edge of the basin and just waits. Sometimes I have to nudge her off so I can rinse out the "chicken soup".




Here is some sideways footage to enjoy. Just the ladies in their almost natural habitat. If anyone can tell me how to rotate a video - please do. (Sorry about flipping directions on you... something about not having a dominant hand... I'll save that for another day.)

*** I was going to add another video but this one took so long to download last night and I just realized this post hasn't posted yet so there is only one sideways video for now. The other one is rotated clockwise 180 degrees though, so maybe its better this way.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Frozen Egg


 
 


Compliments of Aaron and his fancy, new phone.
A close-up of the grime.
This looks cleaner than I felt.

Makin' Bacon

Did I mention that we have a pig?

Not this pig:



Aaron loves this commercial. I cannot figure out why.

I came across our pig doing some Christmas shopping. Brought it home and told Aaron how cute it was but I would probably return it since we didn't really need it. But he said, "If it makes you happy, keep it."
So I did.



Are you ready to meet her?







Whoever said "Money can't buy happiness", never laid their eyes on this pig.

Monday, January 17, 2011

A Girl can Dream

Friday night I had a dream that someone was trying to give me a jersey cow.
Jersey cows are my absolute favorite.
Amazing picture from Macboozle's Flikr
 For some reason I kept turning it down.
Even as her heavy bovine head was in my lap while traveling down the road in my Mazda 3, I said "No".
(It's a pretty small car - I don't know how she got in there. Don't worry, I wasn't driving.)

I blame Billy Crystal for my love of Jersey Cows. 
"Norman... Hello..."


This is not a Jersey cow. This cow hails from Switzerland.
When else would I get to use this photo though?
Trip to Switzerland made possible by Rahel <3

Friday, January 14, 2011

An apology

Did you get it?  Earth, Wind and Fire/ Earth, Wind and Tired. I wasn't sure. I just asked my sister. She got it. But I was really tired yesterday, wasn't really running on all cylinders or whatever that phrase is. So, my apologies.

Speaking of my sister... She is here. This weekend is my birthday present from her. A husband-less, child-less visit. Is that too selfish?

Melis helped me collect the egg tonight. Yep, that is right. Egg. Somebody is slacking. Though if you saw the state of the coop, all fingers and wings should point to me. This is where I list my excuses:
  • It is cold 
  • It is dark
  • Ummm. Ummm... 
I need to go work on more excuses. Sorry Kathy. Sorry Eleanore.
Everybody have a nice weekend.

P.S.  I put a cracked egg in the freezer. I might just put it outside. I want to peel it and see what I get. I'll keep ya posted!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Earth, Wind and Tired

EARTH
I ran in the dark Tuesday night on streets and sidewalks covered with patches of ice. I think I am going to do it again tonight. (Apparently this kind of activity is called "training".)


WIND
I got nothin'.


TIRED
Aaron was on Chicken duty for me last night. He reported the ladies made a nest in the water basin. They are crafty like that.

Last night I slept on an extendable sofa - not to be confused with a fold out couch.

Today I look like I slept on an extendable sofa last night.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Hotter Water

Kathy and Eleanore are handling the cold much better than I anticipated. They actually seem to enjoy pecking at ice that forms on the sides of the water basin. I can hear them before I even get to the coop.

Tap tap tap. Peck peck peck.

The other day they didn't stop pecking when I gave them some fresh, non-frozen, water.  Usually they look at the basin, look at me, back at the basin, back at me... until I am done refilling. Sometimes Kathy (I think) perches right on the side of the basin and waits (insists) for me to fill it up.

Since it has been so cold I have been taking hot water up to the coop to try and get a couple more mintues of drinkable liquid to the ladies.

It is kind of neat to watch chickens drink. There is no slurping. No sipping. No guzzling. It looks a lot like eating. But, I guess when you have a beak for a mouth there aren't a lot of options.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Baby, I's COLD outside.

...Cold enough that one of the eggs I collected this a.m. cracked when I brought into the house.
Unfortunately, this is not what I discovered inside. This is a resin mold that someone made as a prank.
Although, while looking for a picture of a frozen egg, I did find some neat eggs-periments to try...

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Y'know... Snow

Charlie actually loves the snow...
I don't know why he looks so dissapointed...
probably because I was taking a picture of him instead of playing. 

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Name Game

Sorry to leave you hanging...
de aqui



Why Kathy? Why Eleanore? Actually,  it is a package deal. One could not be named Kathy without the other being named Eleanore and vice versa.

Back in the summer, when I was not as busy being held down by blankets, I participated in a couple of sprint triathlons. Word got out that I  - used to be/ sometimes am/ am trying again to be - a runner. Kathy and Eleanore, two very nice ladies in the Fleet Feet Knoxville circle, asked me to join them for an Olympic Distance Tri relay and I agreed. Kathy swam. Eleanore cycled. I suffered ran.

Relay teams get to pick a team name so the race directors can call out one name instead of three when handing out awards. I just made that up, but it seems plausible. Regardless, Eleanore registered us as "Two Hens and a Chick."


So, there you have it. The mystery is over. And now for the name game:


But first a note from Wikipedia : Playing the game with names such as Alice, Dallas, Tucker, Chuck, Buck, Huck, Bart, Art, Marty, Mitch, Rich, Richie, Maggie, Ruby, or, in British English, Danny or Annie, results in profanity or rude language.

Chickens Chickens Bo Bickens
Banana Fana Fo Fickens
Me My Mo Mickens
Chickens!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

New Year, New Names

I thought somewhere I had written about names for the chickens... I can't find it. I did try to name them. I thought about naming them after queens; Elizabeth, Victoria, Latifah... On Columbus day I was a total nerd and tried to name them after the ships the Nina and the Santa Maria... Anyway, nothing really stuck. Ok, well, two names did stick - for a while at least.

In the beginning of this adventure when I had 3 chickens, there was one lady who was particularly dominant. Her name rhymed with Itch. And that fateful day I returned home to find an unexpected survivor in the driveway (as a friend pointed out it was as though she had returned from the dead) she earned a name that rhymed with Please Us. 

More often than not, they are referred to as "the ladies".

Not this year. This year they shall go by Kathy and Eleanore.

Friday, December 31, 2010

December's Digits

2 
Chickens
0  
Traumatic Events
24 
Days of frozen water
61 
Eggs for the month

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Cracked Corn

I was asked if my chickens were going to get stockings for Christmas. "Of course," I said. "Except they are shaped like talons."


I never did get around to make those stockings, so I bought a bag of cracked corn instead. The Queens were ok with that. See how happy they are?

I don't know if it is the weather or if they are growing more fond of me, but they don't squawk and run/fly away from me like they used to. Now they just stand around clucking while I refill their food and water, thank them for their eggs and collect their days' work.

Debatable Inflatables

I am not a huge fan of inflatable "decorations". I tolerate them because they seem to make other people happy. I do, however, like them better than molded plastic Santas and snowmen.


 

In all of their glory (read: while they are inflated), inflatables -though seldom pertinent- are kind of fun to look at. I have to admit that this 8' penguin and his little buddy Snoopy livened up our neighborhood.    

Wait. What? Whatever do you mean, "seldom pertinent"?

I'm glad you asked...

My mom and I were at a large chain pharmacy a couple of weeks ago, perusing the aisles of stuff when I spotted an inflatable cow. I don't know about you, but a cow doesn't even make me think winter, never mind Christmas. I started to rant. "That is one of the most ridiculous things I've seen. A cow? What does a cow have to do with anything?" A stranger beside me agreed with a nod. Then my mom said, "It must be the Holy Cow!" The stranger laughed and left the aisle.


This is the part I really don't like. I don't like to see wads of fabric out in the yard like someone just got kicked out of their house. My husband, in an attempt to keep me linear, will set the timer so that I don't have to witness such carnage in our own yard when I get home from work. 'Tis the season after all.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Window Shopping

Aaron and I did a little window shopping at the petting zoo Tuesday night. Here are a few of the potential future inhabitants of Myers Mini Farm...

I think I'll call him Bunny.

Loving the 'do.

Check out that smile!

Sad pony. I just wanted to give it a hug.

Watch this kid's face.
 

There were also emus, more camels, a very sweet donkey, goats, goats and goats, some short animals resembling bulls, and goats. Aaron found a pair of reindeer that were just right though...
 
Ok. So we weren't actually window shopping. We were celebrating Christmas Part I - Myers Edition.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Winter Solstice

Happy First Day of Winter!
Do you realize what this means?
It is time to balance our eggs just because we can.
Solstice, Equinox... close enough. It doesn't really matter anyway - just jogs my memory.

The sun, nearing winter solstice, travels low across the sky, from sunrise, at left, to sunset, in this multiple-exposure made at the Marshall Point Light, Wednesday, Dec.  18, 2002, in St. George, Maine.
Thanks, National Geographic.

Cleanting

Yes, Cleanting.

Have you ever seen Diary of a Mad Black Woman?


This is one of my favorite parts. I highly recommend viewing this movie.

Anyway, when my chickens started laying eggs I was unsure how to clean the eggs. I had read about the bloom (a film that protects the inside of the egg from bacteria etc...) and how easily it can be compromised in the cleaning process. Some sites recommended cold water, some warm, soapy water, and even others a dry cloth or sponge to buff the egg clean.

One night when my mom was over for dinner, she decided we needed to get to the bottom of this and  call Uncle Allen (my uncle, her brother). Uncle Allen is a dairy goat farmer and also has chickens, calves etc... He even held the office of President of the American Dairy Goat Association. I am related to agricultural royalty.

Back to the issue at hand...  Uncle Allen imparted this wisdom on me:
"It doesn't matter what you do to clean the eggs, the bloom will probably be compromised. The best thing you can do is keep the nesting box clean." *           

So I do. And thankfully the ladies tend to keep their egg laying spot pretty tidy.




*(That was a lot of paraphrasing, I have a terrible memory as far as verbatim, but that was the gist.)

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Snowman Plate

Last year, around this time of the season, we acquired a plate full of edible goodies.
The plate is just the right size to reside in a stack of our everyday dishes.
It is hardly noticeable...


 until there are no more clean plates of that size...
and the snowman rears his jolly face and taunts my housekeeping abilities.

"It isn't winter yet," he says. "Look outside, the grass is growing and the trees are green. You should really do the dishes more often."
or
"Still not time! Can't you see the leaves have just started to change colors and fall? What are you so busy doing that you have run out of clean plates?"

Finally, it is cold and has snowed.

"Yes, now it is time. Allow me to be seasonably cute and hold your waffles."



So we are friends again, the snowman and me.

At least until the first signs of Spring.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Real v. Fake

They both start out wide at the base and end up pointed at the tip.
The fake ones probably require less maintenance.
I can't imagine they are as nice to touch as real ones though.
And real ones just smell better...

... Oh, come on. I'm talking about Christmas Trees! 

Aaron and I have a twice handed down fake tree. As far as twice handed down fake trees go, I'd say it is pretty good. It is taller than I am, so that is a plus.

About 12 years ago (that makes me feel really old) I pointed out to my mom that I was taller than our fake tree and that it made me feel uncomfortable about my height. The next year she bought a real tree. It was great. So tall and full. It smelled great. Our cat really liked it. (Although, as it turned out, he used it as a more natural alternative to the litter box.)

I'm not sure why we haven't ventured into fresh cut Christmas Tree-dom yet. Maybe next year...

What do you have? Real? Fake? Pre-lit? Anyone have a tree that isn't green in color?


The late, great, Charles Schulz, of course.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Ice Ice Baby

At least once a day I have been making a trip to the coop to give the ladies some hot water. Their water has been freezing every day for the past week or so. They have been pretty thirsty.

Here is a video I made - a very rough draft. Aaron and I talked about cleaning it up a bit, but that was last week. So, until we get to that... Enjoy the unedited voyage to the coop.

If you listen closely you can hear a couple of things:

1. How out of breath I get from walking up a small incline steep hill.
2. Telling a hen she is a "good chicken."



All right... I just watched that again, but this time it wasn't from the back of the camera. Needs more work than I thought it did. I'll try again soon.

These Boots

 
These boots:
  • are an investment in Chicken Farming
  • rinse off easily
  • are actually quite comfortable
  • are reminiscent of a previous wardrobe (I was big into neon)
There is one outfit in particular... I have checked my albums and have only been able to find photographic evidence of a partial pant leg. I know it exists. When I come across it you can see for yourself.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Still Here

Cluck...





...B'caw...





Herrrrrrrrrrr...




I'm still here and I have things to type about... I just have to do it later. Thanks, my 9 readers, for your patience understanding.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Christmas Spirit

Another semi-related post brought to you by appearing busy at work...


Both of our (Aaron 's and my) immediate families have decided to do a group activity* for Christmas in lieu of gift giving to everyone or drawing names. Before these decisions were made, it had crossed my mind that I might receive gifts related to my new hobby of chicken rearing. I'm curious to see if anybody not in the immediate fam has that idea. I'm not going to say either way if I have a preference. We'll just wait and see what happens.

How are you spending Christmas or other winter holidays?
Will you be staying in your town or going away?
What is the gift giving scenario in your family this year?
Any dirty Santas out there?

*here  
or here
and maybe



Monday, December 6, 2010

Thinking Ahead

The Myers Mini Farm is currently home to 1 dog, 2 hens, and a variety of passers-through (turkeys, stray cats, rabbits).

Now that I feel reasonably confident in keeping laying hens, I have been toying with the idea of another addition. Goats come up in conversation more than anything else but I have briefly considered
 alpacas,
sheep,
cows.

We aren't zoned for agriculture so these considerations are mostly wouldn't-it-be-neat-if...
but, I think goats have the best possibility.

Of course, maybe I should see how I do with the queens through the winter.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Give it Away!

"What I got you got to give it to your Mamma
What I got you got to give it to your Pappa
What I got you got to give it to your Daughter...

Give it away Give it away Give it away now
Give it away Give it away Give it away now
Give it away Give it away Give it away now"




The Cinnamon Queens (the names just didn't stick) are averaging 2 eggs a day. In a week's time that is about 6 to 8 eggs more than we consume. I'll probably bring some in for work friends, give some to my mom, maybe even go door to door in the neighborhood. (Not all in the same week, of course.)

If you are reading and you want some - let me know. Eggs last a long time. And currently, I have a pretty constant supply.




I apologize if there is a misunderstanding in the title. There are no prizes to win for commenting. Well, nothing tangible - I'll be stoked!  Giveaways would be pretty sweet though. Definitely something to think about for the future of my blog.

(If you couldn't comment  before without a special account... that should be fixed now. It wasn't really broken, I just didn't notice that particular option before.)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

November's Numbers

Chickens


Traumatic Experiences



Eggs!


Also, it has been a week since I tried out my first poll. I'll try a different plugin next time, but for now...
The results:

  
 


Thanks for the feedback.