Since I was painting I didn't collect eggs today until late afternoon and I found a surprise. Seven eggs!

Six eggs were laid in the top nest boxes. Three eggs in the left nest, one in the middle and two in the right side nest. I guess that makes the left side nest the most popular with the hens.

There was one egg in the middle nest box area next to the white crate. I also disturbed a Wyandotte who was bedding down early for the night.

There were also a few early to bed hens in the coop already up on the roosts. I love how the hens quietly cluck at me when I go in the coop and they are sleepy.

I like to think they go to bed early so they can pick out their favorite roosting spot.







See, seven eggs.
And some of my favorite things.
I love those old amber desert plates.






And here is the scary paint job.
I was running out of the tan paint and since it is water base I added a bit of water and just barely managed to put a thin coat on the front of the cabinets. I'll put on a second coat when I get another can of paint.

The shelves are painted and are drying outside on the porch. Tomorrow the plan is to only put back stuff on the shelves that we use everyday or at least once a week. I'm aiming to try and eliminate cabinet clutter. No more storing stuff on the shelves.

Peek at the Past

click here

(August 15, 2009)

[7 eggs today]

~:>

Smiles

Kitchen Cabinet DIY - Cut Trim

One brave hen laid her egg in the top divided nest box and the other egg was laid in the bottom nest box next to the plastic crate I put in there yesterday.

Here is a link to photos of the nest box set up I built that shows the doors to the nest boxes open and shut. I like being able to walk in the front part of the coop and open doors to check for eggs, but I think I have too many nests for our sixteen chickens.

The two ground eggs were laid in the wood shaving I put down under the roosts. I'll have to put a layer of dirt down over the shavings. I think the hens may get confused about where to lay their eggs?

The kitchen was dark and had dark wood cabinets. I thought I would try open shelving and paint the cabinets a light color. So, that's where I am... still in the DIY process, but nearing completion. The upper cabinets are the last step.

I was at the miter saw or in the kitchen all day getting the cabinets emptied ready to paint, and trim cut and nailed.

Trim? Oh! Good grief... I had forgot about the trim. I searched through all the scrap trim wood and it took pieces of four different kinds of trim to make it all the way around. Tomorrow I can paint!

I'm going to have to take a day or two and spend them at the computer catching up on blog reading and commenting. I try to do a few every day, but I am way behind.

Peek at the Past

click here

It's been a year since Morgan was hurt.

(August 14, 2009)

(4 eggs today)

2 on the ground.

I guess it will take time for the hens

to get used to the new nest box setup.

~:>

Smiles

Noisy Hen/Roo And Noisy Me Clearing Stuff Out

 Hen/Roo has been very upset today for some chicken reason known only to herself and her coop sisters. Kristine caught her in a nest box yesterday sitting on an egg. So, did she lay the egg or appropriate it from one of the other hens? We wonder? But we know Hen/Roo is the noisiest hen... rooster... ?

Click here for an article about a rooster who became a hen. So, it works both ways. I wonder if Hen/Roo could change back. I suppose it depends on why she changed in the first place.

Today I made a video of her squawking, but it wouldn't load. (I'm using the new editor) I did take this photo of Hen/Roo and click here is an older video of Hen/Roo in a post about my teddy bear chair. Her squawking has gotten louder.

There was some very loud squawking from several hens going on earlier that had me and then Kristine running out of the house to see if there had been a fox attack.

But, no, we  counted the chickens and they were all there. Maybe they have figured out that I give them scratch (so I can count them) when they make a commotion.


We should have believed Morgan because she wasn't upset. She knows chicken language and knew there wasn't a predator after the hens.

Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it. ~ Anonymous

I guess I am the only one who cares what it looks like under the kitchen sink. I'm glad I had already used some vinyl squares to cover the cupboard floor. That saved me some time because the vinyl makes it easy to wipe clean.

Well, as part of my cleaning/clearing out program I tackled the "stuff." I got rid of things (sorry no photo) I wasn't using, consolidated others (why did I have two boxes of Brillo,) and moved the salt and dog food to the new cupboard.

Earlier in the day I was noisy as I was dragging and moving "stuff" and clearing out a storage room and got it ready to paint tomorrow. But, first I will need to do some clearing away of monster spider webs. I can see me on the ladder tomorrow wielding the vacuum wand high over my head. Maybe I can get Kristine to steady the ladder for me. 

My next place to empty out is the closet next to the front door. I'm going to take everything out of the closet and only put back in things I'm using. The closet will no longer be a place to store "stuff."

There is some interesting stuff in that closet like my Dad's old fishing rod that is over 60 years old. I wonder what else I'll find? No spiders, please.

This corner cabinet on the end of the island used to be the upper kitchen cabinet over the counter. It is much more useful here. Sometimes I can't believe I tore all the cabinets off the wall and used them to build out the island. I tore down the laundry cabinets and put them up on the wall in the kitchen, took off the doors, painted and presto cheerful cabinets. And I don't have to keep fighting with cabinet doors. That's a plus.

P.S. Thank you to Marie Anne at In The Garden With Sow-n-Sow for the blog awards. She has a great blog about gardening and her chickens. And she writes! 

Peek at the Past
click here

(August 1, 2009)
I still use the pins.
I painted the table top.

[5 eggs today]


~:>
Smiles

Everybody's Happy - Especially, Morgan, Our Sweet Dog

Morgan and the chickens spent the day outside. The hens were happy to get out of the pen and Morgan was glad she didn't have to wear the t-shirt. I was happy I didn't have to worry about Morgan licking her bum.

Morgan doesn't have anymore problems and after spending yesterday sleeping all day she was active and playful. She wanted to nuzzle the chickens but they didn't want to play. They just wanted their scratch.

The chickens and Morgan followed me along a path I raked yesterday. I relented and came back to the shed and got some scratch for the hens. Poor Morgan didn't get a treat because I forgot... no kibble in my pockets.

I did some painting on the inside of the cabinets and some touch up where needed. I didn't put a door on the corner cabinet because I am always opening and shutting it to get at the veggies in the basket or the iron skillets.

I decided that getting some magnetic cabinet door catches would make my life happier. I have one cabinet door that always stays closed tightly when I shut it, but the other doors hang open to greater or lesser degrees. I have found that if I pull up a bit on the bottom corner of the door opposite the hinge then the door will stay closed. But the next time I open it the door is hanging open an inch or so.

Next I will move up and work on the upper cabinets. They have a coat of primer on them, but I need to add some trim work before I start painting. No cabinet doors up there... open shelving. My reward for finishing the kitchen cabinets will be to paint some walls. Painting walls are fun!


I thought I would add a photo of my solution to shutting out the sun in the sewing/computer room. I don't like curtains and since there are no houses around I don't need them for privacy. But, sometimes I need to block the sun from heating up the room and shining on the computer.

Kristine had some white foam boards around that she didn't want so one day I put one in the window. Works great! Blocks the sun and in the winter I have used the boards to block the cold when there is snow and cold temps outside.

The boards are easy to put in and take off and easy to store against a wall. Maybe I should have curtains, but I like the view without.

Peek at the Past

click here

(July 30, 2009)

I still have scraps to make into another quilt.

[6 eggs today]

~:>

Smiles