Getting Ready

I think it was Henry Ford who said that if you chopped your own wood you warm yourself twice. Well, this year, Tom, ordered in some wood all ready to be stacked in the woodshed, but he did get a workout carrying and stacking all the wood. Looks like he will be getting some more wood or he has plans to use some of our wood and split it with the splitter John left.

Some years the wood was delivered and dumped in a pile and left to dry over the summer. Other years, Tom, cut trees, split them, and stacked the wood. A few years we left the wood in a pile and covered it with tarps before the rain and snows. It is a lot nicer going out to the woodshed and getting wood than fighting with a tarp, especially if it is wet and has puddles or snow. I like that "squirrel storing away nuts" feeling of getting ready for winter.

The old dog food and chicken feed bags are full of kindling and the straw is there for me to use to freshen the hens nest boxes. Once in awhile, Tom, finds an egg or a broody hen in the shed when he is working out there, but the chickens don't make a habit of hanging out in the woodshed because it is usually shut up tight. The metal panels come off the back and the side behind the wood, so we can access the old wood and use it up first. Good thing, because it is the driest and burns best. We wait to have our first fire until we are having a heavy rain. I worry about sparks setting alight the dry forest and we for sure don't want any forest fires!

My brother built this shed originally to hold building supplies when he was building this house. Then he divided it and fixed this side up for a horse for his daughter. The other side is for feed and tools. There is something really neat about a woodshed stacked full of wood ready to keep us warm through the winter. Nice cosy feeling.

[4 eggs today]

Smiles

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Rain And Chicken Feed Shouldn't Mix

It was hot and humid today and I was feeling sleepy, and then I heard rain? My first thought as I hurried to get the camera was to get a picture, but the rain doesn't show up at all in the pic.

Like I said I felt sleepy and it took awhile for my brain to start working and remember I had put the chicken feed out in the pen earlier. Yikes! I don't want the feed to get damp and moldy and kill the chickens. I ran back out to the pen and put the chicken feed inside the coop. Things are still a mess in there from the skunk episode, but the smell is going away. The chickens were out under the trees and didn't care at all about the rain.

A few of the girls came to see what I was doing in the coop. I'm sure they were checking to see if I had a plastic bag. They know I carry veggie bits to them in plastic so they will come running and will jump and peck at the plastic when they see it. They are not such dumb birds after all. Poor girls. I think they are pretty smart.

Later I came back with a veggie treat. I didn't even have to call them today because a few spotted me and started sounding off and that brought the other hens running. I had to hurry to stay in front because I didn't want to trip over them and then we had a mad crush to all get in the pen at the same time. What was I thinking? I seldom bring the treats out to the pen. It must be the humidity.

The girls were in a hurry to grab a piece of veggie and take off with it, so by the time I got the camera working they were each off on their own. They eventually came back and finished off the squash bits and the zucchini. I wish they had some greens to eat in the woods, but everything has dried up.

I spent some time playing with my blog divvying up the sidebar blogs I like to read into like topics. I left a lot of the blogs under the Neat category. Those blogs are just really neat and fun to read. I put all the farm blogs together. I spent some years on my Uncles dairy farm and love and miss the farm life, so I enjoy reading the farm blogs very much. I put the quilting blogs together. I am a beginning quilter and learn a lot from them and enjoy reading all they share.

I'm still learning how to use blogger. So, once in awhile I check and see what I can add. I wish google had a counter I could just add by clicking on Add a Gadget. I don't like to mess around with pasting code. I'm afraid of messing it up and the blog would go poof.

[5 eggs today]

Smiles

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Memories

This box comes with memories of the girls drawing pictures and coloring in their favorite coloring books. It says it is a crayon box, but on the end it states, "one gross, dustless crayons, American Art Clay Company, Indianapolis, Indiana." So, it most likely held chalk. I think I must have picked it up in an antique store somewhere to use as a container for the girls crayons. What you see are crayons, pencils and even some chalk from when the girls were young. I found this box packed away and decided to keep it for the grandkids to use when they visit. And I get to use the colored pencils when I have the need. I like the tin. Kinda cool.

Whenever I would visit Mary and Daddy, I would usually end up telling Mary how much I liked the old Pyrex Flame Ware she used to cook dinner. They were old enough that they had turned blue. Well, I think they turned blue. The detachable handle is still clear, so maybe it is newer than the bowl/pans? I loved the old handle and the nesting glass pans. She gave them to me when she moved so I have the handle and three or four pans of different sizes. This is the smallest one. She would use one for vegetables, one for rice or potatoes, one for gravy, and make jello or salad in the other. They make great bowls for mixing scrambled eggs, pancakes, or making french toast. They came with lots of great memories.

I found this little book ( here ) in a used book store when the girls were small in 1978. The book was copyrighted 1902 and an inscription, "Dorothy, November 1st, Nineteen hundred and three," is on the front fly leaf. That link should take you to a copy online at google books. I loved the illustrations and the stories were interesting to me since they were so different from the stories I was reading the girls. The girls were not really very interested in the stories, but that was ok, I enjoyed looking through the book, and imagining, Dorothy, happily reading. The book lives in the hoosier and they make a match being of about the same era. I just like the book, and it comes with the memories of the girls siting on the rug in the used book store going through stacks of childrens books looking for book treasure. For not too much I could get them both 5 or 6 books or more. I found books too. We were all happy!

I remember, Tom's Grandma Lillian, used this bowl to make her special beans. No, she didn't chop the beans. She would have this bowl full of parsley and then she would chop bacon into the parsley until they were all blended and chopped fine. ( I can't remember if she chopped onions in too?) Then she would add the chopped mixture to the bean pot. Wow! Those beans were sooo good! She would make them for the weekly family meals when the extended family would all show up. Good old Italian family. Hard to beat all that family love and togetherness. Lots of memories there too. When I got this bowl it was in perfect condition, but it flew off the counter during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and it now has a small crack on the rim. I have been afraid to use it since then because I don't want to cause the crack to grow. I used to enjoy chopping up stuff in it. Worked great!

Mary gifted me with this cornbread pan because she knew I loved it. I think that you can go to the store and buy a pan that would look just like this, but this pan, this pan, had been in her family and used for many years. I think it might have been Nan's? Maybe? Anyway, I really like it, especially since it has made cornbread for the family for many years. Neat!

Memories - I remember with respect and pay honor to those who died, or suffered and endured 9/11 and its aftermath. I'm not good at all expressing my feelings, but I will say that I feel a love and gratitude toward everyone who was swept up by the immediate and consequent events.

I am guilty of keeping memories in the form of things. Tangible memories are fine as long as I don't accumulate too many of them. I am pretty good about getting rid of stuff, and just keeping the memories. But sometimes, especially if it is something I can use, I enjoy having the thing around. I was originally going to post photos of old stuff I found around here, but I decided to just post some photos of things that I especially care about.

I locked up the chicken feed again tonight. Gee, two nights in a row. I'm getting better at remembering. Tom said that he has seen two skunks on the property when he is out at night walking Lucky. So,I'm also counting the hens and making sure I'm not locking up the little skunk in the coop. The hens didn't mind the skunk at all, in fact, for awhile the skunk disappeared under about three hens and they were fine. Buddies. I wonder if I've been locking the skunk up in there and it was the skunklet who was eating the eggs?

[5 eggs today]

Smiles

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Thirsty Myrtle

Since it is supposed to be up in the 90's this week I broke down and decided to water the myrtle along the driveway. I watered it once this summer when it got into the 100's and it has struggled along and survived fairly well. But it is looking poorly and I think it needed a drink to make it until the rains ever get here. I try to only have plants that are drought hardy and can make it through the summer, but sometimes they need some help. The hens seldom come down this far and I don't remember ever seeing them in among the myrtle . I'm very glad they don't eat it! I think I've said before that I read somewhere that plants that have purple flowers are not something that animals usually like to eat. Works for me.

Tanya (her blog) posted a photo of her kitchen awhile back and she had a wire rack over her sink that I thought was neat and something that I would like to use. I hardly ever get off this mountain to look for the item she has, so I thought I would try and put something together with what I could find around the place. I found two long racks that I used as cookie racks. I hauled them out and positioned them over the sink only to find that they barely reached from side to side. So, I positioned them so they overlapped in the middle and are supported on three sides. It works! I especially like how I can keep the wet cleaning things up so they can drip and dry. I can even dry eggs there!

[4 eggs today]

Smiles

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No Egg And An Attitude

I was doing a little bit of my continuous building/sawing/drilling and oops fixing (fixing carpentry errors) today and got to crawling around in the back of some areas under the island I put together (that's another post) and found my goat. I must have put it back there a few years ago because I had forgot it and wondered where it had got to. Yuk! After washing off lots of dust I put it up and hung some kitchen stuff on the hooks. There used to be a kitchen cupboard on that wall, but it stuck out so far and made it dark, so I took it off and built it into the island. I would like a few shelves on the wall where the goat is to hold glasses and cups. I figure I can always move the goat over. I used to have it holding dish towels in the Santa Cruz Mountain house. We had dairy goats then and I was very happy to have found this little tin goat in a gift store, so, I bought it for me! Nice me! It used to have a sticker on it that said it was made in Haiti. I think that was it. I remember the clerk said they had lots of goats on the island. Anyway, it's cute and it makes me smile. I miss the goats, but I don't want to worry about them up here and bear attacks. I'm chicken. :)

There were no fresh laid eggs for my breakfast this morning. This Buff Brahma lady is holding out on me. Imagine? I had to use eggs from yesterday. I fear the days are fast approaching when the hens will decide it is time to stop laying and take a vacation. I'm not too sure what the girls are up to? Kristine said they did full body molts last year and did it late. Yeah... I kinda remember. I don't/didn't want to remember, so I didn't file much of that info. I really don't like looking at "naked" chickens. Poor things! Maybe they will just do a light molt? I'll talk to them about it.

[5 eggs today - late afternoon]

Smiles

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Ouch!

This is a pretty Buff Brahma that I have been finding in the top old nest box. She has made a nice cozy nest for herself and I have been finding her there for about the last week. I guess she is broody or the cooler Fall weather has caused her to look for a warm spot. She lays medium dark brown eggs that I especially like for my breakfast. That look says go away I'm busy!

My brother built this house in the 70's and I guess there were no flush boxes made then for the heater control in those days. When we first move here I used to have something hanging over this box so I would notice it and not bump my head. For some reason I took it off and I'm sorry. I was looking somewhere else and crashed my forehead in to the side of it. Thank goodness I didn't hit the corner or that would have really caused a problem. A little ice pack and I'm fine, but...

I went and found something to hang over it again. These little pigs can do guard duty. Makes me feel like such a clutz.

[5 eggs today]

Smiles

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Henny Penny?

Kristine asked me if I had seen Henny Penny. Well, she asked me if I had seen the Wyandotte with the duct tape. No. I hadn't noticed her for awhile, but then I hadn't been looking. So, this afternoon I went looking with my camera for the four Wyandottes. I can't tell Henny Penny from the other three. I found this Wandotte in the bottom old nest box. She looks pretty. Nice feathers!

Click this photo to find

the hen with fluffy feathers on her back.

Then I spent a long time calling the hens in the woods back to the coop to check out the feeders I had just filled. The hens gradually straggled in and were very happy to collect around the scratch feeder. I did have to herd in the one hen that was "stuck" on the other side of the fence. A Wyandotte. She either couldn't remember how to get in the coop or didn't want to?

I finally got a photo of the three Wyandottes in the pen. I think the top one is Henny Penny because of the fluffy feathers on her back. She didn't have any feathers on her back when I put the duct tape on. The way the duct tape is supposed to work is that the duct tape will fall off when the feathers grow in. Well, the duct tape is gone. If anyone is interested you can find out about Henny Penny and her duct tape episode by putting Henny Penny in the search box.

I also got a photo of Hen-Roo and she doesn't look any better. She still has her duct tape and her feathers look terrible. Kristine said she was always small and puny looking. I hope she gets some good looking feathers after she molts. She thinks she is a rooster. Poor thing.

[5 eggs today]

Surprise!

Smiles

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Good Morning Chickens

I like to have our fresh eggs for breakfast and in this case I'm having a veggie scramble. Depending on what I have around I will heat olive oil in the pan and make a mix of onion, peppers, tomato, corn, potato, whatever and then beat up some eggs and pour it over and stir and cook. I usually have one yolk and three whites and toast. Yum!

Morgan is helping me let the chickens out of the coop in the morning.

Then I look for eggs.

Sad.

Only three eggs this morning.

We are on a flyway, but I don't usually notice the planes because they fly very, very high. I didn't remember there was a plane passing until I watched the video.

Smiles

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Grandma Herding Chicken

I passed this table on the way to lock up the chickens and liked the look of the leaves that had appeared overnight. I could have picked up some prettier leaves and added them, but these are the ones that fell from the roof or blew up there. I like the table and the leaves add a nice touch. It feels and looks like Fall is really on its way. Kristine is even working on a cold. We usually get sick when the seasons change, especially in the Fall. She gets exposed to the public at the library and now at college. I hope her immune system stays strong and she kicks the cold this weekend. There were two Light Brahmas wandering

around outside the pen, so I resorted to

chicken herding. This is the second Brahma I "walked" to the pen. The first one was much louder and more vocal in letting me know I should go away and leave her along. And it took much longer to get her to the coop. This hen probably didn't want to be out by herself anyway, so moved along fairly quickly and didn't fuss too much. I should spend some time and train Morgan to do this.

[2 eggs today]

Smiles

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Leaves Have Moved

Looking good! I can see the path now that I have moved the leaves up against the fence wire. All this raking works out much better after it has rained. There is little or no dust and the leaves stay where I put them. But there was a little wind this afternoon and it was blowing toward the fence, which blew all the dirt away from me. Well, except for when the wind turned around and blew the other way. Tricky.
This is a view the other way of the back fence line and you can just see Morgan down there on the path. She is looking for squirrels.

This is one of the blackened dead trees.

I am looking forward to the rain and then

working cutting down dead stuff.

I bought this barrel to keep the bags of dog food in and it is finally get used for that purpose. I washed the lid and it is sitting there drying. I'm planning on getting a big bag of walnuts and filling the lid with them. The walnuts will cover the middle plastic part and when the lid is on the barrel it will look like the barrel is full of walnuts. Or? I could fill the lid with wrapped candy!

[4 eggs today]

Smiles

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Where's The Door?

I had to herd these two hens into the coop tonight. Everyone else was in the pen having their evening snack. But these two kept going past the door and running around like they had lost what little chicken minds they possessed. It took me quite awhile to get them inside and Morgan was no help. She just kept running past them and making them goofier. They would rather sit out here until it gets dark. Maybe they can't find the door until it's dark? Strange.

This is a little tea cosy that I made out of an old place mat. I cut it in half, covered it with some fabric pictures I made, and stitched it together leaving the original ruffles around the edges. I made the little heart on top for a handle. If I made another one I would make openings for the spout and handle. I recently broke my last teapot, so that will go on my Christmas list.

It keeps the tea pot hot for a long time because the place mat has some kind of liner inside that traps the heat. I don't know what the liner is, but it makes a rustling sound. I made the house to resemble a type of home I always would have like to have lived in. The girls did have a swing. It was fun to make, but not put together well enough to use in a quilt. I wonder if the zig-zag over the edge of the fabric would hold up to a lot of use.

[5 eggs today]

One egg was very thin and had a hole.

Smiles

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Dry, Crackly Woods

Morgan is way down the path waiting for me, or not, I can't see what she is doing. I walked back here to see what she was barking at, but didn't see any critters running around. I do need to come back here and rake these leaves off the path and up against the wire to stop the rain (we will hopefully get rain) from undermining the fence. Morgan has run out here four times today barking madly, so there must be something going on out here. Skunks?

More dry crunchy leaves and thirsty trees. I have cut out a lot of brush between the trees, but I can see that I need to thin out more of the small trees. Most of them won't survive anyway. They get some tree disease that turns their bark black or they just die from lack of water. As soon as it does rain I need to get back out there and cut off dead limbs and do some thinning.

This big White Brahma is very loud and the one I usually see on top of the slanty roof of the old nest box. Most of the hens are already roosting or are asleep in their nests. I had to shoo one Wyandotte into the coop tonight before I could lock them up. The hens cackling cracks me up. I don't know why she is making all that noise. She started up before I came out. Beats me. Maybe she was yelling at the Wandotte to get her fluffy butt in the coop?

I guess you have to be a farm girl to appreciate this but I think it is really neat. I love those sheep!

[4 eggs today]

Smiles

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Fire is Contained!

Yippee!!! The Auburn-49 fire is 100 percent contained.

Fire news here.

Welcome September!

The first day of Fall is September 22, well at least I think that is the correct date. I'm ready for cool days and some rain, but we may have to wait until October for Fall to really show up. I gave the hens their lettuce this morning after I called Morgan inside for her doggie treat to keep her from running around in the middle of the chicken herd. The hens are excited so Morgan is too and she wants to check out the lettuce and broccoli.

Then I went down the drive to take some September photos.

This is a view down the road as you leave our gate.

This is a view the other way toward our gate.

It is very, very dry. The trees and plants seem to just be hanging on waiting for some rain. It is amazing that anything can stay alive in that dusty rocky dirt. Soon there will be leaves all over the place and I will be busy raking. The woods have their dry dusty charm, but just wait until we get some rain and everything will look so green and alive. I want rain.

Kristine locked up the chickens tonight. Super... except she didn't check for eggs, so we went back out together. She held the light and I held the camera and we only found two eggs. See all the feathers in the nest box. There are feathers all over, so I think that means that the hens are going into molt and that explains the egg production slowing down. There were 5 hens in nest boxes, 4 on the ground, 1 roosting on the entrance to a nest box, 7 were on the roosts and 1 was on the slanty roof of the old nest box. These two hens were not happy to have me flash a light on them and roust them about looking under them for eggs. The skunk smell was a bit less, so maybe it is going to start going away. I hope!

The Auburn-49'er fire is supposed to be contained today, but the latest fire update says 80%, so I hope they can continue to gain control of the fire. The wind has calmed down, which is a help.

[2 eggs today]

Smiles

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