Snowy Slow Day

4/28/10 - It hailed today so hard it looks like it snowed and now it is hailing again... thunder and lightning. Weather is weird. Chickens are ok. Kristine went back to the doctor and got antibiotics this time. I'm getting better... just want to sleep all the time.

Hope I will feel like reading blogs and writing a post soon. Hope everyone is healthy and enjoying Spring weather. Spring must be happening somewhere.

Thank you for all the good wishes!

4/19/10 - A nurse said it is the three week cold from the hot place and that 3 out of 5 people have it. Bad news. My throat has pretty much stopped hurting which is one improvement. I really don't want to itemize the rest. Kristine sounds like she has pneumonia. Snow is gone. Rain tomorrow. The Buff is back out with the other chickens. Thank you for checking in and leaving such great comments!

Quick update: 4/13/10

Still sick, weather bad, snow, rain, thunder/lightening, power outages. Will post again when I feel better. I know I'm sick because I don't want to read blogs or post. Kristine went to class today and missed part of it because she was coughing so much she had to leave. The Buff is healing. Thank you for all the kind words!

Three or four inches of snow.

The snow is already melting because of the rain.

I will add to this post when I'm feeling better.

Happy Easter

Rain and even puddles!

We may get snow today. I guess we will have to wait and see because the forecasts keep changing.

Kristine and I will be staying home while Tom visits with the family.

I'll add to this post later...

it's later... a big storm has blown in with noisy winds, but not much rain yet.

It is snowing!

Kristine and I are feeling a little better. I made chicken soup.

Peek at the Past

(March 4, 2009)

Easter last year.

(these 2009 photos will enlarge if you click on them.)

[3 eggs today]

~:>

Smile

Cranberries And Pickle Juice

Morgan is ok now but she was sick last night pacing around the house wanting out for urgent business, drinking water, keeping sick Kristine from her rest. I had my turn at taking Morgan out.

It turns out that yesterday when Tom first let the wet soggy Morgan in the house she spent some time in the entry area eating chicken feed and straw that the recovering Buff Orpington had pushed out of her caged area.

This was not a good thing for Morgan. Or us. We didn't get much sleep. Kristine is trying to fight off whatever the fever and nausea is leading to and I'm fighting off nausea and sore throat. Pickle juice helps.

I'm making cranberry sauce for Kristine. She has made her vinegar with mother, lemon and honey tonic. We'll see if any of this does any good.

Peek at the Past

(March 3, 2009)

Another summer project to finish.

[10 eggs today]

~:>

Smiles

Rain And Puddles

I was out in a light rain collecting eggs and taking photos. Morgan was having a ball and wouldn't come back in the house when I called. I decided I would check on her after I put the eggs away and see if she would come, but then I forgot she was out there. Bad me! She got soaked. Soaked but happy.

The little trench I dug is working quite well to divert a lot of water away from the chicken pen. Although the chickens don't seem to mind the rain since they stand in the pen unless there is heavy rain.

Kristine said she sees the hens on the ladder early in the morning when she is getting ready for work. The chickens are never on the ladder when I take a look. I think they can hear me opening the door and they hop off and gang up ready for the great escape when I open the coop. Well, when I used to let them out. Poor chickens.

I would like to think that the rain washes the chicken poo off of the leaves and that the mess drains away out of the coop since the coop is on a slight sloop. Well, it's a nice idea. The poo probably just sinks under the leaves and stays there.

The wood ash foot dryer entrance box thingy is working well. I only got one muddy eggs today. I was late putting the chicken feeders back in the coop so the feed got a little wet. I'm in hopes the chickens will eat all the wet feed today. I'll check tomorrow.

While typing up this post I had a glimmer of a memory of a recipe called Muddy Chicken. I did a search and did find one recipe that is really just for browned steamed chicken. I think I will try this out because it will give me an excuse to use my dutch oven. I love mashed potatoes.

The new Google editor was acting up so I switched back to the old editor a few days ago. The photo on this post would not allow any text next to it... only above or below. So I looked at some HTML code on another of my posts that had text next to the photo and copied that code and replaced the code around this photo's code. Now it works! I would like to learn the new HTML but I need an editor. I know... I could still start learning the code, but it is much more fun to actually try the code out and see how it works..

Peek at the Past

(April 2, 2009)

Stew sounds good, but I made tacos tonight. The tacos were extra good because we had organic corn tortillas. Only trouble there wasn't enough so I had some lettuce tortillas. I used a large lettuce leaf in place of a tortilla. Pretty good. But, the organic corn tortillas were the best!

Kristine came home sick and has taken the day off tomorrow. Good move. I sure hope she is not getting some horrible cold. Working in the library she is exposed to lots of germs.

Chicken update: The top wound is almost healed and looks closed. The bottom wound is still open, but looks to be closing.

[7 eggs today]

~:>

Smiles

Snow On April 1st

April Fools! Just kidding... well, kinda... it is supposed to rain later today through Sunday with snow on Saturday.

I found a page here about California's contrasting weather patterns that range from the Death Valley desert to the Shasta Cascade alpine climate.

Sometimes it seems like a desert here in the Gold Country during part of the very hot summer, but that will change in the winter at times when we have more snow and rain. Rain is a mixed blessing because more growth in the forest means a higher fire danger in the summer. But the state needs the rain for irrigation and drinking water so I am always happy to see rain and snow in the forecast..

I was surprised to find some blossoms on the cherry tree, but with more rain and snow coming I don't expect to see any fruit set.

The sun was out and dried up some of the leaves in the driveway. I raked them, bagged them, and dumped the leaves in the muddy chicken pen.

There is a white feed bag behind Morgan. The bag makes it look like she has a bump on her back. With all the space available I have to wonder why she ran through the leaves I raked.

The chickens were very happy to have a layer of leaves to scratch through. I was happy they were off the mud! More rain and snow will turn the leaves slippery and wet, but at least not muddy. I filled up their wood ash entrance box again. (wood ash to dry muddy feet) The hens had filled the box up with bedding.

I made Kristine steak for dinner and I ate a small piece. Tom had meat loaf. There were carrots, broccoli and artichokes for the veggie part of the meal. For starch there was bread. When I was a kid dinner always included bread in some form. French bread, sliced white bread or biscuits were common at the table. I have taken to usually only cooking a meat and veggies for dinner. (and not having any bread)

Peek at the Past

(April 1, 2009)

[9 muddy eggs today]

I don't know if any coop is bear proof if the bear has time to spend breaking and entering. I would have put washers on the outside behind the head of the bolt so a bear didn't pull the head through the wood. I would think a grizzly or big black bear might eventually split or work a board loose. Bears dig. I wonder what he did to keep the bears from digging into the coop? And I wonder how he secured the door.

My coop wouldn't keep out a determined bear but thankfully most bears are out for an easy meal and won't work too hard and will move off to find easier pickings. I need to put a dead bolt on the white steel door. The door frame has moved and the door barely latches.

~:>

Smiles