tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43191102863829014982024-03-13T22:58:30.582-04:00Brood AwakeningsThe Projects That Keep Us Running at Quigley Bend Farmmeandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-39372338209822725812011-04-05T21:47:00.000-04:002011-04-05T21:47:42.656-04:00The Chicks Are Here!<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJK2FAjQKr5E8myYTRRGVNp2i7mgka1v2jIeG8Mw_M7HZ1SvbGVjgGBMMSwcEouutNHv4B-Y2_jcLz0hvEcRoDQnOj4EPIKuKnoY6Z-Rm5V_uCFp2jiA1zuXd8ke4sC2lmP8aV7pMPpP0/s1600/IMG_2184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJK2FAjQKr5E8myYTRRGVNp2i7mgka1v2jIeG8Mw_M7HZ1SvbGVjgGBMMSwcEouutNHv4B-Y2_jcLz0hvEcRoDQnOj4EPIKuKnoY6Z-Rm5V_uCFp2jiA1zuXd8ke4sC2lmP8aV7pMPpP0/s400/IMG_2184.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Our new chicks arrived today! We picked them up at the post office early this afternoon. I wasn't expecting them until Wednesday or Thursday of this week, but today worked out well because our oldest, C., was home sick. (Probably more like a mental health day, but she complained of tummy issues. Nothing a delivery of new chicks can't fix!)</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">But first let's back up a bit and talk about preparations.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPr6cSCsuDA83Mb-8AxGAebmoQurkRJqyUrseYnhNFaBvof1L1LiVuXGztTKIpXio74QMu_R2pFeJwLOJ_qUhbtDeIiRTZUJCd15gX6ZeEuKNfqcXtogjMsdA_cSd857uAiijpWSjG54/s1600/IMG_2173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPr6cSCsuDA83Mb-8AxGAebmoQurkRJqyUrseYnhNFaBvof1L1LiVuXGztTKIpXio74QMu_R2pFeJwLOJ_qUhbtDeIiRTZUJCd15gX6ZeEuKNfqcXtogjMsdA_cSd857uAiijpWSjG54/s400/IMG_2173.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">This weekend I had my two younger assistants wash out the waterer (above, in two parts) and the chick feeder, which is a metal base that screws onto a quart jar. I also got out our clip-on lamp with a 100W light bulb (not fluorescent, you want the heat). We also have on hand a 25 pound bag of food, specifically, medicated chick grower mash (meaning powdery, like corn meal).</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Late last week I went to Home Depot and asked the nice greeter there for a BIG box (holding my arms out wide). He directed me to the moving box department, and I said, "No, bigger, like what a grill comes in." When he gave me a funny look I had to 'fess up and divulge what I wanted to do with such a big box. He shrugged when I told him I wanted to start chicks in it. He's probably heard lots of strange things to do with boxes, this being on the tamer side. I think it helped my cause that I had my cute youngest assistant with me. The nice gentleman in receiving hooked me up with a box that is probably 5 feet by two feet and two feet tall with nice flaps. It is a little narrow, but it will do, especially since it was free!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I taped the bottom up with packing tape and lined the floor of the box with newspapers. Extra points if you can find a photo of your favorite politician to line the box! For the first few days we put down a layer of paper towels, because the newspaper can be a little rough for the little chickies' feet.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm443dFxSDO2KySqitoDl9CiXVHoMJtWIu1hIvdxI1sZ_jPKWan06j40bd3N3AZl6txTQK7w8jO8cB57ZluJlervKNaszcgNZDAKWHHvIKd0jlqI2ryTG3BG4_hxp-OwghFQhDxqsoFLE/s1600/IMG_2186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm443dFxSDO2KySqitoDl9CiXVHoMJtWIu1hIvdxI1sZ_jPKWan06j40bd3N3AZl6txTQK7w8jO8cB57ZluJlervKNaszcgNZDAKWHHvIKd0jlqI2ryTG3BG4_hxp-OwghFQhDxqsoFLE/s400/IMG_2186.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What you don't hear from these photos is the little "peep-peep-peep" emanating from the box. It makes you smile.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPmts_VD_uEx2yY1ok7B0bFzDgehcbyasKtKGIy8uR8YFL2Lz0ax5qGUxW0k1AIYWwA7VMkZ6zgSrtqBrD93fYbPJCYl92SO8r7bD2U7UQnWPX1z_EZCizoL4I1KrXHJUh0h5gxhmL1M/s1600/IMG_2187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPmts_VD_uEx2yY1ok7B0bFzDgehcbyasKtKGIy8uR8YFL2Lz0ax5qGUxW0k1AIYWwA7VMkZ6zgSrtqBrD93fYbPJCYl92SO8r7bD2U7UQnWPX1z_EZCizoL4I1KrXHJUh0h5gxhmL1M/s400/IMG_2187.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are five chicks in this delivery, one is hiding in the back. The white packs in the front are little heat packs. Day-old chicks can be shipped in the mail because for the first day or so they live off their yolk sac that they ingest right before they hatch. These ladies must have hatched out late Sunday and early Monday, checked to make sure they're females (I ordered all females) and popped into the box for overnight delivery. They just need to be kept warm, and the more the merrier in the box. <a href="http://www.meyerhatchery.com/">Meyer Hatchery</a>, where we got this order, has a minimum order of 3 chicks, and many hatcheries are catering to backyard flocks by facilitating small orders like this. <a href="http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html">Murray McMurray Hatchery</a>, where <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/marthas-chickens">Martha Stewart</a> gets her chicks, has a minimum order of 25. That's a lot of eggs. By the way, you don't need a rooster if you want <em><strong>eggs</strong></em>. If you want <em><strong>chicks</strong></em>, you need a rooster!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUujN7w_kPS8CJFIkmDaMXZ034q-rAjuruvBwDS5EHZJXlJ5M-TY5Y0xBE0NA5tBCp4D0LRzCw628H2hJOfBc-E8mS6BnWNDSEopuYez7WQXUIOQTDvDw7m_4fMUhjLlq3-VCl89N8M0/s1600/IMG_2191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUujN7w_kPS8CJFIkmDaMXZ034q-rAjuruvBwDS5EHZJXlJ5M-TY5Y0xBE0NA5tBCp4D0LRzCw628H2hJOfBc-E8mS6BnWNDSEopuYez7WQXUIOQTDvDw7m_4fMUhjLlq3-VCl89N8M0/s400/IMG_2191.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All loaded into their new home! When I first put them in, I dip their beaks into the water so they know where it is. We got 5 different varieties this time. It is so hard to choose! From the top going clockwise, the light yellow chick is a <a href="http://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?session.category=Chickens&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT%5fID%20%3d%20%27BUOS%27">Buff Orpington</a>, the reddish tan one is a <a href="http://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?session.category=Chickens&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT%5fID%20%3d%20%27RIRS%27">Rhode Island Red</a>, the next darker tan is a <a href="http://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?session.category=Chickens&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT%5fID%20%3d%20%27PARS%27">Partridge Rock</a>, the black one is a <a href="http://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?session.category=Chickens&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT%5fID%20%3d%20%27PARS%27">Barred Rock </a>(like our first batch in 2007), and the tan striped one is a <a href="http://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?session.category=Chickens&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT%5fID%20%3d%20%27AMAS%27">Ameraucana</a>. They all lay brown eggs except the Ameraucana, which lays tinted blue, greenish and brown eggs. They are all supposed to be hardy for our climate and good layers at about 4-6 eggs per week each when they reach egg-laying age at about 5 months.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RxSYgcyeyP3z0ZynQmiksldfwr52zly-7YounT-muBrg_w4YAWYcUPMInY9T1JI74bqT4x_TuMvBy3_VNYbFGIv522uYOrHwSEniX39xxVTgDcgszk6fSvzl5TtWEdxECHvz04D88lY/s1600/IMG_2196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RxSYgcyeyP3z0ZynQmiksldfwr52zly-7YounT-muBrg_w4YAWYcUPMInY9T1JI74bqT4x_TuMvBy3_VNYbFGIv522uYOrHwSEniX39xxVTgDcgszk6fSvzl5TtWEdxECHvz04D88lY/s320/IMG_2196.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They found the food pretty quickly and dove in, sometimes literally! I put some chicken vitamins in the water for the first few days, which is why it looks like Mountain Dew in these photos. I had to reintroduce them to the water after they found the food, and they caught on to drinking quickly. Soon the paper towels showed evidence of a working digestive system, a good sign. It's all very cute now but it gets a little messy for a cardboard box in a few weeks.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIYkMw6BD3zFqX2k97chwy9YMKFJhWOjegqWjQXjO7end8F7a8-XvUsWL9ucnKmZmI9b0GfA5FogeCySWlTUr-1FpT2TQGgrjYiAleZUsmXSaALGXNjibVftFAuiIG8EAEMY7fRGR-VA/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIYkMw6BD3zFqX2k97chwy9YMKFJhWOjegqWjQXjO7end8F7a8-XvUsWL9ucnKmZmI9b0GfA5FogeCySWlTUr-1FpT2TQGgrjYiAleZUsmXSaALGXNjibVftFAuiIG8EAEMY7fRGR-VA/s400/IMG_2217.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hey chickie!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-9361241375529502762011-04-03T00:52:00.000-04:002011-04-03T00:52:40.388-04:00Spring Awakening <div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYTYGOzQiR46M2x9xinZ5G7YQ5WpKUEJ_rPY3sLj6F1YLbrxTPmOPCTZr7I2QIRgH5GwSbWGYPbW6gbg-XTrOyphY3svG9SOLvE59gxZGoL7zj-6JhPNLJXrOD8tzJCX5Lzf0ylZGkLk/s1600/gIMG_2170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYTYGOzQiR46M2x9xinZ5G7YQ5WpKUEJ_rPY3sLj6F1YLbrxTPmOPCTZr7I2QIRgH5GwSbWGYPbW6gbg-XTrOyphY3svG9SOLvE59gxZGoL7zj-6JhPNLJXrOD8tzJCX5Lzf0ylZGkLk/s320/gIMG_2170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally! Some decent spring weather. The snow has melted (the second snowiest on record in Connecticut this year), and today was the day to get outside and start digging in the dirt. The four raised bed boxes next to the garage we put in a few years ago, and John "refreshed" them with two tractor-scoops of -ahem- rotted manure we had delivered in the driveway last week. It was my job today to spread it around to all the boxes. </div> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvH3_QuVcZ5hgGV4LtkX5SXGNkuWTuGF7FuqrE8rSyydRPC6RJr_-R4rDNgJ-TlDYcpPgSxshhEzDPVya_aC-TgaM_3s86V6_SKKQo7KgSBbVkHNih4R9drGTPkmXxSU9GdkKqhZjzOo/s1600/gIMG_2155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvH3_QuVcZ5hgGV4LtkX5SXGNkuWTuGF7FuqrE8rSyydRPC6RJr_-R4rDNgJ-TlDYcpPgSxshhEzDPVya_aC-TgaM_3s86V6_SKKQo7KgSBbVkHNih4R9drGTPkmXxSU9GdkKqhZjzOo/s320/gIMG_2155.JPG" width="320" /></a> Peter's scarecrow that got 2nd place at the Durham Fair last September kept watch all winter and served as a snow gauge. At one point his head was buried. </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RlhkGikgo6Bi9okNzIWNg4tcut6nJDV_JfsT7CqQ2yTAEehdh01AwLSey9xKRp4WH14ufzRahzOYJpSr1qd0-8K82gb1C3SGCpBWVDNZW9QGcIgyABPbSrITV8oBJ7Oi9A_jvWFNImk/s1600/IMG_1948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RlhkGikgo6Bi9okNzIWNg4tcut6nJDV_JfsT7CqQ2yTAEehdh01AwLSey9xKRp4WH14ufzRahzOYJpSr1qd0-8K82gb1C3SGCpBWVDNZW9QGcIgyABPbSrITV8oBJ7Oi9A_jvWFNImk/s320/IMG_1948.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm coooold!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">These boxes on the other side of the driveway get lots of sun and usually the tomatoes go here, hence the cages. Finding sunny spots on our property that aren't in the middle of the yard has been surprisingly difficult. But it's a little chilly to plant tomatoes today, so we'll return to this spot later.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztYRetMBH_o2C9omhq1c6RnIxTIU6gUUKypSiLsjT0GlcP_n8vP8DMHNBpOJ7Yer3-Eb3TlaU1EGB54_XlLrzL-KL00_pjBpYdRFwi5_qQptynzQq8O8SlAYB6fwyIpLYNU3YScf0b2c/s1600/gIMG_2156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztYRetMBH_o2C9omhq1c6RnIxTIU6gUUKypSiLsjT0GlcP_n8vP8DMHNBpOJ7Yer3-Eb3TlaU1EGB54_XlLrzL-KL00_pjBpYdRFwi5_qQptynzQq8O8SlAYB6fwyIpLYNU3YScf0b2c/s320/gIMG_2156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspvcd-CyBTyFepJqyx8ILiKwxnyOtZ-fQxPkuqosgcRvGpk25oage8T_3llkORznLJGV-UNexUSCoYq65O5BtZyJf-sg2IdqQBwGQlO2NlIigyiEMcov0B7rY2Z_yuifG963-UAFa0O4/s1600/gIMG_2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspvcd-CyBTyFepJqyx8ILiKwxnyOtZ-fQxPkuqosgcRvGpk25oage8T_3llkORznLJGV-UNexUSCoYq65O5BtZyJf-sg2IdqQBwGQlO2NlIigyiEMcov0B7rY2Z_yuifG963-UAFa0O4/s320/gIMG_2159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So while doing the grocery shopping today I picked up a lovely package of snow peas. Mmmm. However, they were something like $5 for 1/2 pound and had come all the way from Guatemala. Ack! I can wait for snow peas, so I picked up this package of seeds in the floral department. The package says I have to wait 68 days. Early June maybe? (Like my new gloves? John ran over my old ones last fall with the mower on the tractor. Oops.)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_70K3_wvMCogEMj1eQsU15_VBanlecYnp835E0XmupQlduVBnU7G9YI31Cc-0tiXAe4c605R2agyz77q7KlY4xtlhFEe0dny4WP-myotUWtQEA8Z_SshSZDv6v7R5qG5DM2ZuUekkWo/s1600/gIMG_2161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_70K3_wvMCogEMj1eQsU15_VBanlecYnp835E0XmupQlduVBnU7G9YI31Cc-0tiXAe4c605R2agyz77q7KlY4xtlhFEe0dny4WP-myotUWtQEA8Z_SshSZDv6v7R5qG5DM2ZuUekkWo/s320/gIMG_2161.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In they went, down the line, with a piece of cattle fencing propped against the garage wall for them to climb up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhL6R7IO3yyVxLGpOY_m9Zil-bsYtCYV0gk6kn_TWlLkN75H4ZF0Ij91C3cs6qFStylSaxs0T-oSSoBWk3K17FdbvvekVB_tXlvTke7iNBvfrGSFP_hyphenhyphenDJDrlgydiwluLxIlZwyUkBZSA/s1600/gIMG_2163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhL6R7IO3yyVxLGpOY_m9Zil-bsYtCYV0gk6kn_TWlLkN75H4ZF0Ij91C3cs6qFStylSaxs0T-oSSoBWk3K17FdbvvekVB_tXlvTke7iNBvfrGSFP_hyphenhyphenDJDrlgydiwluLxIlZwyUkBZSA/s320/gIMG_2163.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And look at this! The garlic I planted last fall survived, doing its thing under all that snow. I've never planted garlic before, so this is an experiment. So far, so good.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuv-xKFHTB4whsHdO4c8tprM9giWcQSsB83ehiflzoKoKjZkX7wJUywtY3r2XoSDGCvaXAxQon34yybS3och2kdNnjb_eqhPWuylsXLs8O1I_1UbnHN-6m7rzBMgQkfwnrmXPlbkH2jvs/s1600/gIMG_2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuv-xKFHTB4whsHdO4c8tprM9giWcQSsB83ehiflzoKoKjZkX7wJUywtY3r2XoSDGCvaXAxQon34yybS3och2kdNnjb_eqhPWuylsXLs8O1I_1UbnHN-6m7rzBMgQkfwnrmXPlbkH2jvs/s320/gIMG_2164.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last box is the herb box. Chives, tarragon and oregano are coming up. There's room for some other things, maybe dill, parsley and what else? The small kitchen garden is my area. I enjoy having it close to the house so I can run out and pick some veggies for dinner. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_1EigUo_8PKf9_aPcVvrsb289fpYjF1DmVW6zJnHQjqEJ_5X9z-qKKJFVEvx4R923MBvis7Nhs4oG7uo_dLYSzMUt9xJnc5jAnMgRNZhrqGttgR69gi-4Wmlr0ecidrSfXKD3QAPHBA/s1600/gIMG_2165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_1EigUo_8PKf9_aPcVvrsb289fpYjF1DmVW6zJnHQjqEJ_5X9z-qKKJFVEvx4R923MBvis7Nhs4oG7uo_dLYSzMUt9xJnc5jAnMgRNZhrqGttgR69gi-4Wmlr0ecidrSfXKD3QAPHBA/s320/gIMG_2165.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">John, on the other hand, has had bigger plans. And of course it involves power tools and a tractor. And burning stuff. Last year he cleared some trees on the top of our hill and made the garden behind him here. We planted pumpkins and gourds last year, which worked well because the vines could spread all over, didn't need irrigation or much attention, and in the fall we had a great harvest:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg472l6weju_XyvrsXrcOHgqvYMIjH88THwdaXRspbD4MeMh4EGOXwm6-Eva3hZE7Ena1bKsAtLojbnEVldiBcF-VaZo0XLWrGFB-izkrWJgg0LNjKwGgM-VgCWztM7qeE1eN9czTcFarI/s1600/IMG_1150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg472l6weju_XyvrsXrcOHgqvYMIjH88THwdaXRspbD4MeMh4EGOXwm6-Eva3hZE7Ena1bKsAtLojbnEVldiBcF-VaZo0XLWrGFB-izkrWJgg0LNjKwGgM-VgCWztM7qeE1eN9czTcFarI/s320/IMG_1150.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But despite taking down several trees, the remaining ones made it a little shady. So over the past few weekends he took down some more trees and made more garden:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUITJMSnAf-y2OjkHKbcC9hlrrQZ6bS3gkTKuC4LJMOpbtdAA97UwO0xHbp0wtT-kJfFpe_t66lGje5PSEbMjXBYpyWR-rN09wTpwH9fLM2A_22rzDMlkvYdTK_Iv7HYxHCw0cygqHwAc/s1600/gIMG_2167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUITJMSnAf-y2OjkHKbcC9hlrrQZ6bS3gkTKuC4LJMOpbtdAA97UwO0xHbp0wtT-kJfFpe_t66lGje5PSEbMjXBYpyWR-rN09wTpwH9fLM2A_22rzDMlkvYdTK_Iv7HYxHCw0cygqHwAc/s320/gIMG_2167.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Last year's garden has the rows going straight back. This year's garden addition has rows perpendicular and behind the stakes back there. I think he doubled the size of last year's. The dirt pile on the right is the remainder of the cow manure pile that was in the driveway last week. He only put the "good dirt" in the rows where we'll plant stuff, not between the rows where we'll walk. I've seen a few ideas of what he's going to plant here, and he's bought some seeds, but I'm not sure of the master plan. There are some raspberries planted in a row left of center, and on the far left I planted about 25 feet of potatoes last week. Too early? I hope not.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRs4IK5J-YtN7ZSJOqJ9RMi9gBA85EO6gO0BYJgZgFbPGX9qkijy7EVcnt2eciMv7bom5XDomKSfcVc8_XqBRWVuv2L6z6UAAENY1iRrxXsWQZi92LqrWVr6CTgN2wvNwA1cp74MBYaqk/s1600/gIMG_2171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRs4IK5J-YtN7ZSJOqJ9RMi9gBA85EO6gO0BYJgZgFbPGX9qkijy7EVcnt2eciMv7bom5XDomKSfcVc8_XqBRWVuv2L6z6UAAENY1iRrxXsWQZi92LqrWVr6CTgN2wvNwA1cp74MBYaqk/s320/gIMG_2171.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I was all set to plant the 5 pounds of Red Norland seed potatoes in one of the big garden's 50 foot rows, until I read the directions and realized that they should be cut up into smaller pieces and let the cut pieces dry a few days. So, planting will be another day. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-38907747840527996642011-03-02T22:28:00.001-05:002011-03-02T22:32:19.366-05:00RelaunchNew design. New projects to document. It's time to dust this thing off and restart. Stay tuned.meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-17431675458515387272008-12-19T15:28:00.003-05:002008-12-19T15:34:16.317-05:00Smile (Mostly) During the Holiday Rush<div>It's been crazy around here in advance of Christmas. I hope everyone else is keeping their head on. It's snowing here-- 8 to 10 inches expected -- and my husband is flying back from a week in California today. Right now I think he's sitting on a runway in Houston. Yippee.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Anyway, here is an out-take from our Christmas card photos. This <em>almost</em> made the card, but we decided to go with something a little more traditional.</div><br /><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281601654639745970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oyHHDtUpuaxP1cgD2i9ZJekjulVca6cqzvReo1Y4TqQHsQt5pPYdPgKH2mk0vaZznd9sl3bqI6ZgEcvRT1_9Af5sU8ZHNi_g1ZL2ktLjO0vh-xZPFmMleOrGr3j_iZpx5mx7uSA2YHY/s400/happy.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><p> </p><p>formatting courtesy of <a href="http://www.despair.com/">Despair.com</a></p>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-31327112950611213742008-11-30T21:47:00.004-05:002008-11-30T22:46:12.998-05:00Thanksgiving 2008: A Somewhat Local Feast<div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqh1XhZ9lw4fGTYJzb6kRI2-BK0W-jhr_MnVokiSxYw5kijdQ6IirQXLfP3R7GgBtPTLBwu9QZuPPisnaDylGC9UyUwpEI7IXGyiya868z7qSvnBHZyVQlo9cvEDqmQpKnRJZBXE_yeM/s1600-h/IMG_3334.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274661616217807794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqh1XhZ9lw4fGTYJzb6kRI2-BK0W-jhr_MnVokiSxYw5kijdQ6IirQXLfP3R7GgBtPTLBwu9QZuPPisnaDylGC9UyUwpEI7IXGyiya868z7qSvnBHZyVQlo9cvEDqmQpKnRJZBXE_yeM/s400/IMG_3334.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><div>I didn't realize I was so on the cutting edge, but this Thanksgiving I decided to try a heritage breed turkey for Thanksgiving, and when visiting the <a href="http://www.cityseed.org/">City Seed Farmer's Market </a>in New Haven in October, I jumped at the chance to order a local turkey from Northfordy Farm in Northford, CT. Peter the farmer said his turkeys were Narragansett. Perfect!</div><br /><div>Then, City Seed's weekly email highlighted a recent article in the New York Times about Connecticut eaters flocking to local food sources, especially for Thanksgiving turkeys. I'm glad I got my order in early! <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/nyregion/connecticut/16dinect.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">Read the article here.</a> (It even lists a farm stand on Daniels Farm Road, the road where my grandfather grew up in Trumbull, CT. The road is all housing developments now, but apparently there's still some farmland. I'll have to check it out soon.)</div><br /><div>Last year I ordered a turkey from Gozzi's in Guilford, and their birds are the standard white breed. I didn't notice much difference in taste from a supermarket turkey, but I did take comfort in knowing where my food came from.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herb-Roasted-Turkey-with-Apple-Cider-Gravy-108793">Last year's recipe </a>involved brining the bird for a day ahead of time. It was very good, but very involved. First, a turkey wing poked a hole in the brining bag, so I had salty spiced iced water dripping into the cooler I had decided to put the large bird in. Fortunately I had the foresight to figure that a bag with a turkey and a few gallons of salty water would not fit on the bottom shelf of the fridge. But I worried about keeping the turkey cold enough in the cooler in the garage when the outside temperature wasn't very cold. That was last year.</div><br /><div>This year, I went with <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/roast-turkey-with-brown-sugar-and-mustard-glaze?autonomy_kw=mustard%20glazed%20turkey&rsc=header_1">a simpler recipe </a>from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. We picked the 17 pound turkey up on Wednesday, so brining was out of the question. The mustard and brown sugar glazed turkey was moist and delicious!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274657476884529698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzFH7HqGZpsSb4jA0Cz0iJuOLNb9_Ab0w3CAr0AruqMopmrmgUs622uCksH1fy5qbJAqW54bMuAw5l7Wysxwl4fOhwVAI3dgY_Xj9T-z-wwaDDVTMqtkKERC1l3v_7A1WcdM2fUxRybc/s400/IMG_3329.JPG" border="0" /> </div><div>The heritage breed tasted "turkier" than supermarket turkey--the white meat wasn't as white and the dark meat was pretty dark, but not gamey.</div><br /><div>Not everything was local, but we tried:</div><br /><div>Pleasant Cow Cheese, Sankow's Beaver Brook Farm, Lyme, CT</div><div>Goat Cheese, Northfordy Farm, Northford, CT<br />Heritage Breed Turkey, Northfordy Farm, Northford, CT</div><div>Potatoes, Maine</div><div>Apples for homemade apple pie, <a href="http://www.lymanorchards.com/">Lyman Orchards</a></div><div>Rhubarb for homemade rhubarb pie, Olde Gate Farm, Wallingford, CT</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274661625942596818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5R4GRZ67SWFzNLn02S_nbHuIQ1grr82VOepahV9_rXpteG1UMEB-HoFgsDTrG-Mw3lMnJzMaW1wVpNb8971ukPJudrR0p3pHpXNKjqDvKIlspQx0c8Rg-CE8Z4U5QPA9nvdwwr-1Rc4s/s400/IMG_3336.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>We didn't have a big group this year, just my husband's parents and brother, but it was a lovely and relaxing day.</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274657466782222898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gqBBzO17QfqN0NYKOy1cmdZOOf-f8tdnzcFRI_uX3dB29q_ul-Acq9YnQump2DixTmMjscXUydKBmMO1qZVgjeuFxxftxS9JkLgEQGVjTOdkE9B5LPSDHpcUvcotjDQdOn8uu8S5WjU/s400/IMG_3328.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><div>I think a good meal was had by all, from oldest to youngest.</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274657500640278034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNo7soZe1x76rpHShBcGGjMelAif_pqq0__cqgPz2Dm6xmGTaV81yCCjzMwBjxMS0geL6CJdjVOGx9QyIGyths1AN5gM2wfPq4-tLCR1nos6htdjxEx1PMxGMg4n8Nq94I1GPjfsbnGfE/s400/IMG_3333.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p>And by 6pm, the guests had left, the dishes were mostly done, and the beginnings of turkey soup were simmering on the stove.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274661634442849218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl0OStxL1dQzo7-ScYAhqwRQ8QHild3IisddTwQgkdmMR3g4xCCEAYQ1M2vr_r5u0raCXyL1Byty1I_RlbmEgaMzBoDntzm3BXLEb1vIaaAuH9qxw33-SuwMvY1QqeEYf9Q6bXtw8oJc/s400/soup.jpg" border="0" /><br />And by the way, the turkey enchiladas we had tonight (with another batch in the freezer for another dinner) were a good way to sneak the leftovers upon those who protest, "Oh yuck! Not turkey AGAIN!!"</p><p>How was your Thanksgiving?</p></div></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-16820102546493606402008-11-19T22:10:00.002-05:002008-11-19T22:18:40.408-05:00And Then There Were 4A hawk got another chicken this morning. I saw it alight on a maple tree branch at about 10 am (and its legs had a pinkish hue), looked at the chicken coop and there were lots of feathers outside the enclosed coop area. There were feathers inside the coop, too, so I think the hawk went in the coop, dragged out the chicken and had a snack. A hawk leaves most of the body alone, preferring the neck.<br /><br />We've gone 18 months with 6 chickens, but now <a href="http://broodawakenings.blogspot.com/2008/10/our-friendly-neighborhood-raptors.html">our neighborhood raptor</a> has learned where and how to snack on them. Our 4 remaining chickens will spend their days in the covered coop for a while. I'm researching baffles and other types of hawk protection. Bummermeandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-41389080754194364422008-11-14T23:37:00.003-05:002008-11-14T23:45:48.676-05:00And Then There Were 5<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3lKm_JK-_A3Wa35CF4gOa38UT13u0i0zI7_RiW9itD3su1-B7RgGA6mZ1zoKLQkEpYf4gHfw40zP9yjGEhvCCjCOE0LxRstnVtpfqtfL53lPhtPLre0Wf85IGmEUe1k2rB1ZQFtgJXk/s1600-h/IMG_3001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268738821624303490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3lKm_JK-_A3Wa35CF4gOa38UT13u0i0zI7_RiW9itD3su1-B7RgGA6mZ1zoKLQkEpYf4gHfw40zP9yjGEhvCCjCOE0LxRstnVtpfqtfL53lPhtPLre0Wf85IGmEUe1k2rB1ZQFtgJXk/s400/IMG_3001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Sad news to report--on Thursday morning when Charlotte went to open the chickens, she found one dead under the house part of the coop. This was "Baldy" so named because she was at the bottom of the pecking order and had a bald head from being picked on.<br /><br />We're not sure what happened. Maybe it was a hawk, or maybe her friends ganged up on her, or maybe she was sick. I was filling their feed hopper on Wednesday afternoon at about 3pm and didn't notice anything unusual, so I was as surprised as Charlotte to see one dead Thursday morning.<br /><br />Sad, but as our wise blogging friends over at <a href="http://www.osage.net/~themillers92/SCFBlog/scfblog.html">Sugar Creek Farm </a>remind us, "If you're going to have livestock, you're also going to have dead stock."meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-47516077181510830742008-11-01T17:00:00.001-04:002008-11-01T17:00:00.478-04:00It's a Lot of Work to be a Baby<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3NapxlYFxnUz5lZvqUX98-8GoO5zZUm7jvWis2r7jOc-rxuYk-EL07wiX10-1fHPWsVlHDhyphenhyphen_kcDFk8RKaph2Wk952E0Q1fJQnd7XP3MVOW-nMzD7Crv6nkabBHg-cC2U6i7iTSBWIw/s1600-h/IMG_3067.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259790467239952626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3NapxlYFxnUz5lZvqUX98-8GoO5zZUm7jvWis2r7jOc-rxuYk-EL07wiX10-1fHPWsVlHDhyphenhyphen_kcDFk8RKaph2Wk952E0Q1fJQnd7XP3MVOW-nMzD7Crv6nkabBHg-cC2U6i7iTSBWIw/s400/IMG_3067.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />"Spike" hasn't had much blog facetime in his seven months. That could be due to the fact that when he's asleep I find it is easier to run and grab the camera when I'm doing something with the other two kids and might have an extra hand to snap a picture. <div><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263535206587860290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a4KJolvnMDtp5y-gwjTes0M8X0RAgvDyxrbn6eZyEB6zXdU3Np6S7VPnClOm6RIbt2Oo0a_SDwiV5CgWzoUCQCmM97Yeggo0gNfQ9GMsio3hgJKp2z3vT6R5UBrm0wAbJyEzq_TyQQo/s400/henrymirror.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>Or it could be because when he's awake he's waaay to cute and fun to put down so that I can grab the camera and capture the memory.</div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259790476185629362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwvqQwPzQAhdxSs1Lwn75JqDt6tBZjro9chmc5Z0LdG28ogYwiEg7xg5oDu3r9VDYS1r_kzDRfcWFVQrJtGJswG53YXr_Xb0O-ISEOnk_-O3nTKM9RFBmyGCXM0nYN8QZXDyPhpI1l4o/s400/IMG_3085.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><div>But I wish we could bottle this babyness.</div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259790460174688130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1dgM954Q06V5TIjrnJ1c9Q_AK5vKjYKwjDjU5ud_JrLIIqbQFTXHCWlEPgSrwJd1uBoznD1jEs_GuH7WG_O3zNX_UNsOdjg7LyF9IzVpspT3yMayWPk46CuKIbov1viHW-Mmwz6ACiw/s400/henryprofilebw.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><div>Oh, but his look is high maintenance. Look at those lashes--do you know how hard it is to get an eyelash curler on a baby?</div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259790446957298514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKmsSALqZe1frgo0yALW7-CIKWCX1y5AABvsOprfHWS2b7RzD5UKwyv10IJq_T-ZMpF1SCCnE_547I1hRIvmPbHoWXftl53RbxQVtD0Bosy2_nvX0VjILCeEiOmsiHAHIifRfYojkni4/s400/henrycloseup.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><div>And what's the secret to baby-soft skin? I find a regular application of yogurt keeps it soft and supple. </div><div><br /> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263535203909344946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7CB_lQLE-xnSTULpi4qHfp_02i4Tc3YGbfh9fuP9J31tlKRvQpZWvow_EU6IL6t5pO2gHvivRuH3aBND5d3DMhX6f6x-8IYFH4ulq9f4Zpwe1IyKf-Z7s9gWUYnMGzi1wu19QZXQUUc/s400/henryyogurt.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-30575607500031153352008-10-31T23:12:00.005-04:002008-11-01T00:16:21.823-04:00Happy Halloween!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcevUjG6AyAibzatgkC82ldunzmPrnrKd5ITN2Pl2eCPZPCq4HEIqvYbPyN5w_5fXzEGTrNvgGIk-ZqD7FDHHxrl9YR3ybYSbBduNQn1TW8fNHTMWG-jQg6CkMov2dSNuekkDD4AzUBGA/s1600-h/c&poutside.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263524616797566898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcevUjG6AyAibzatgkC82ldunzmPrnrKd5ITN2Pl2eCPZPCq4HEIqvYbPyN5w_5fXzEGTrNvgGIk-ZqD7FDHHxrl9YR3ybYSbBduNQn1TW8fNHTMWG-jQg6CkMov2dSNuekkDD4AzUBGA/s400/c&poutside.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A Friday night Halloween works well, don't you think?</div><br /><div>When my two brothers and I were growing up, apparently Halloween was not my mother's favorite holiday, although I was shocked when I learned this in my early twenties. When I think back, this explains the trusty paper bag costumes that Mom pulled out of the closet for my brother and me (I don't think the bags lasted to my younger brother) and dutifully taped up each year after a night of Halloweening. </div><br /><div>[In my family, somehow Halloween became a verb--you go Halloweening and the people at your door are Halloweeners. How did this happen?]</div><br /><div>I remember having the choice of an orange lion with a yellow mane or a green alligator. They were clever paper bags that would cover a child from head to knees with a hole for your face and holes for your arms. And large enough to wear a warm coat underneath. But no kick pleat, therefore the obligatory taping.</div><br /><div>Fast forward to now--three kids age 8, 3 and 7 months. Dinnertime, darkness, excitement. Funny clothes, cold weather and flashlights. </div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263524631562623746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWKzOxhJjEZvsqQbc8dfHGXIHtYD2RyoZzkK7sYzWxt4PDJtASpIX2DSUu1PnHmCok2371VWkpthUgEoCS698NQOeoqCaoUKsKzHFn3rTsqwTPOiU-alW_hq7HArMbX1hyphenhyphenE155U_o2ww/s400/henryoutside.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>Decorating involving scooping the guts and seeds from a large vegetable and cutting with sharp knives. I am beginning to know where my mother was coming from.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>This is a tricky holiday with kids. </div><div> </div><div></div><div>This holiday is a treat for kids.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>You get to cut up a humongous vegetable and your mother doesn't even want you to eat it!</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263524723097629346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvfX5ccv_OWYmOcN7Gre3Faw-yE1QvAaMSO3nKxKUcg9UapDog_YhSYJDz_ggBYjDayOM-lFjtW3qsBC5s2I3RIBG9fv13l9pptpwm0w5_33Xzc_CxlELU7uc7Kl1pJjqPU7m-jszfho/s400/peterpumpkin.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>You get to collect and eat LOTS of candy that is normally not allowed:</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263524624294244546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLIcqc7SQ39AdC4CaSq3EHImfbpWpLUxb_x0JxTBDcoSwPTZmNuR6lvCcp7uPdJkmhJy6SawyEleWoscCWI-P9WKPgvKL_DOF4XQnsI7hYju9lkJS92S3sQ2RC4-KA_bDTVrI8XoW4Qo/s400/charlotte+candy.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>You get to wear outfits are out of the ordinary and you might even get to draw on your face. What's not to love?</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263524636422178786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7mguo5iJsM6ay2MpL4SWGHsMxKGPCP592bFquOhyd-us_-jTAJ_R-y1zkvThuAziL5MNf6zK7Guza78_VjUGJBX-qGl6pXyBBVpPSaVQV9e-gRP6-ofzznGQ04NUDbcU_Zxo1Wz_wPg/s400/charlottecat1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />We hope all you Halloweeners had an excellent time Halloweening!<br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-89872939908649498982008-10-21T21:08:00.003-04:002008-10-21T21:31:32.747-04:00Frosty<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOtDF3XyIycZE0jrXlbrdXSh6cdggBp_B_U9hXIof8tZ7prIpnE44fq73zgvKXRuAwS8u2qC8ifbijw1mI370p5A-fmIVuUV9qrUhBfQOc1FDa1K9eD4_EIlrwEghAuTnM1OY57g_WlA/s1600-h/IMG_3169.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259781193678132898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOtDF3XyIycZE0jrXlbrdXSh6cdggBp_B_U9hXIof8tZ7prIpnE44fq73zgvKXRuAwS8u2qC8ifbijw1mI370p5A-fmIVuUV9qrUhBfQOc1FDa1K9eD4_EIlrwEghAuTnM1OY57g_WlA/s400/IMG_3169.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Stick a fork in the growing season--it's done. We had a frost Sunday night and it was cold again last night. I hope we'll still have Swiss chard for a while since it doesn't mind the cold too much and I've covered it the past few nights.</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259781177779743506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9iQEuwtxtUC7xU8eGF2Ixe-hAV9n7oi_taaq3NVT8sgqbBxH1GXIx-zzZ1fNdvq_ELprza7B9BnIKk5c-3LXNao0GW3yXVOLexpbn_LZYHmoVSRK25jVoUwaS773NIGpy15LvgCZ9Ls/s400/IMG_3172.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>I love the hoar frost on the plants in the morning. Have to be quick though--it doesn't linger in the early morning sun.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259781201100427698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_cstxR6ANnvL7tUsusygDmQkPj6enUlEfogXPMvr0d0s2Y2yU_8MfEHpb-mo9Lz_iAfzA4g2Lg1aGrm843t4EaNrq69w39wbtKSGNKCv7ivnrq9cx4QkD68wnGNCmL2K26MYL8XALMI/s400/IMG_3171.JPG" border="0" /></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-31443136786100019792008-10-20T20:00:00.002-04:002008-10-20T20:00:01.264-04:00Working Hard or Hardly Working?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLP4sO0eiSt01soaQisFOY8CCCS5vHmEmyeZnXmq3KMDmnVo28CBowKd_bX-Nayt4-oc3NhnscuIB19sMCovj95xs4yUsj1-I383E4hss2a3MNlChdSRsQBZes3CBAs8zaVmtMHA3c5FE/s1600-h/IMG_2847.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259055388774635682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLP4sO0eiSt01soaQisFOY8CCCS5vHmEmyeZnXmq3KMDmnVo28CBowKd_bX-Nayt4-oc3NhnscuIB19sMCovj95xs4yUsj1-I383E4hss2a3MNlChdSRsQBZes3CBAs8zaVmtMHA3c5FE/s400/IMG_2847.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We've been working hard on house projects this fall, due in large part to the fact that John--no, MacGuyver--had a month off between his recent monumental job change. After 14 years at his former employer, he has embarked upon a career at a new company. They were so happy to have him that they sent a potted plant! He has now started at his new job and loves it.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>But anyway, one of his projects during his "vacation" involved a large load of gravel, which showed up about day 5. I happened to be on a <em>very important phone call</em> when this truck showed up. It is hard to have a <em>very important phone call</em> when a ten ton truck is dumping in your driveway.</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259055397594469618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kmx27kaantEbfxyGNcfhi-gNUMY1JMh4W9FGAGJAhfvDxsV7p7Tdj0Cca-ROitHzjG_okzJZQ2CQcHtPaNfZktIrUafLsGlt_7hNuk2gC7RMgPagHOlM-P3o10kwWuXdekF3vhHpAMQ/s400/IMG_2887.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>And when there is a large load of gravel in the driveway, one must get out one's digger to move it:</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259055401555985682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMCMxw_SNVehHjmtBWJnT442LSh3r5knlDiX8YzMOqsSrUvCoVYitb7cqA91gg6z5qyqAK4oBzjFccWhT17xBshKAzE97JbjhyEAw9zMgfPTpSSd-AYmraxqWlXZgLyzTNbekzm8cwgs/s400/IMG_2902.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259055413427408130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhex0ftkxQ48IGn9AJU-1hLvBzKec4jUHbGn-Ktw5BfCvAUtcT7EhtXQSTDrMtxhud7cBx7vR6WyDu3Rk4wm3RL_XiBcMVlLwEjOgzFfjuakR9Wvq9IzPOL32PplwRZmJGTk0cEfTkTgSI/s400/IMG_2907.JPG" border="0" />Yeah, it took a while....<br /><div></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-80462029145546546092008-10-19T21:33:00.004-04:002008-10-21T17:33:13.291-04:00A Paris Egg Man<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEplkuC8szP7sa3NWocQVtX-U3Houe_zaA1aWEDtAPJwl9plk10HBo6xvK_jzhboyREqM4R2wrdE-_9rclHQLoa-lIFqStBuw_wkxEME6NrGbf-Iqus-v4b1l5ExLLT9HY4e3pyhFoV_o/s1600-h/IMG_3009.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259047033694192898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEplkuC8szP7sa3NWocQVtX-U3Houe_zaA1aWEDtAPJwl9plk10HBo6xvK_jzhboyREqM4R2wrdE-_9rclHQLoa-lIFqStBuw_wkxEME6NrGbf-Iqus-v4b1l5ExLLT9HY4e3pyhFoV_o/s400/IMG_3009.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>One of my favorite blogs, <em><strong>In the Kitchen and On the Road</strong></em> by cookbook author and chef Dorie Greenspan, the other day talked about getting <em>extra-frais</em> eggs from her egg man while she stays at her pied-a-terre in Paris. (Yes, she leads an interesting life)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It turns out the French classify eggs as <em>extra-frais</em> up to nine days after they are laid. My fridge is packed with <em>extra-frais</em> eggs because I'm the only one who eats eggs around here not baked in cakes or otherwise hidden. I give at least a dozen away per week, and I get nervous if I know I have "older" eggs that are getting on to be a week old.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/dorie_greenspan/2008/10/eggs-and-the-eggman-fresh-and-fresher.html">Check out Dorie's post</a>. You'll want to leave for Paris on the next flight.</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259047022966573970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIh4ojlNT2NhbWg3V6-Ly-3EAy9h58OrN8492y0Dei7CjjiXmdaEU_Cp4DAOrG5iy_sfCsLxITxrHPHW5y8FMd3UYnIAiYRmY_LOTl-LM_N3mUrbU_OLxaFjPBgaQeZ4YMjDLNGiBAAPw/s400/IMG_2543.JPG" border="0" /></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-40157853396608623632008-10-09T22:52:00.000-04:002008-10-09T22:52:00.322-04:00I Can See Clearly Now...I've found the solution to cleaning windows--get new ones!!<br /><br /><br />Well, not really, because the new ones don't come in especially sparkly.<br />Let me explain.<br /><br />When we moved in five years ago, the first house projects we tackled were the downstairs hallway and the two rooms off the hall--the living room and dining room. This included John completely replacing the older windows with new Pella windows. Very nice.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253870868675455778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCtIzE0njU0MGwOvrOFrq2woHasNPCt253NNwE_-rNSk3YJD2mNzjYoRusPGyN6c8yZNXRn22lLsAru1K0gZNMK-PfoYiaKV6wqag_Yq4BUKfsUeGOHVE7coa2er87wMjvQmOgJpcci8/s400/P1010050.JPG" border="0" /><br />Each window took about 8 hours to completely rip out and install the new one, including fitting the siding around the window trim. This was such a big job that he then took a few years off from window replacement.<br /><br /><br /><br />Well, he did install the big 7 foot triple window in our living room, but that was *just* one (BIG) window.<br /><br /><br /><br />The upstairs windows were nearing the end of their useful lives. The muntins that divide the windows into panes were constantly falling out and breaking, the sills were rotting on some, and I never cleaned them because I knew we were going to get new ones. Well, if I knew it was going to be five years, I might have cleaned them in year 2. But don't hold me to that. Hindsight is 20/20, right?<br /><br /><br /><br />Anyway, this summer we bit the bullet and ordered 7 new windows for upstairs. Five across the front and two on the side. And John --gasp!-- agreed that life would be smoother if we paid to have them installed. Painful, especially for him, but worth it to me that we wouldn't live in the Land of the Blue Tarp Over The Windows while he worked his way around to each window.<br /><br />So last month, they came, they ripped out, and installed 7 weathertight, non-rotten, pristine new windows. All 7 in 8 hours! With three guys, of course.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253876004514120642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJpPvUna50sIm2x-3odiX4D_fWKXzW6yBE3r7dXMix9VWdHi7v3SLp6O5Tl0nJW-iLm_SHoE3mDFKEMP2Q52hAYEwa-ZWkJ7v_E60NRpPC6vxOKWAnfzH0wUs1ZAlMXTD7xtd806QHe8/s400/IMG_2924.JPG" border="0" /><br />The rooms were very open and airy with the windows out. It also was a beautiful, bright, clear, breezy day. The type of day that makes you think, "Hey, windows are over-rated. I like this breezy openness. Maybe we don't need windows!" Then I remembered that I don't like snow in my bedroom. Nor lots of bugs. And I hate 95 degrees and 95% humidity. And I really don't want to constantly worry about little people falling out of windows.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253875989453658738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8wxYLOjisc6fQZNKmlaKKf0BUm3bMFxnKDDuE_AqlEsI9-sgcBNyCTORsIyXcP0vwjCNsiMYHAFy8zQV7OfzWlPq2rwvTLNNZ_jWCL9sSi3i-e5-CEDlx_oRtnJzUkYM1vzPqEFltR4/s400/IMG_2916.JPG" border="0" />So I kept my bright ideas to myself.<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253875994836462866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8C1lK5-IJYoPDvnxknQbxhU7TR3gdtWTA76gH9Cs4v2JlqancpT2Sfw3WvmkcMO_qkL0Z6iRaxAVs9MZfOVUZ5eAMLm_XGszKXILA5FaHYd4Haz8MObw8dCdMjMOEDOWROXAxJglmdw/s400/IMG_2920.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253875998699456146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4pAYzjpj8jNBC2WKsKooWSFIVx6YJbL1xsOhm_ZfL-vsyez60CPf7IqEw5ESOXhlWtuhZF4BaTmI-aM310o8jYbZDarhde1oJyzsItpVQbes-aojvTwQgtvfmWKCRDSlDKypWersA6Y/s400/IMG_2921.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>But we (read: John) still have some interior trim to do. No way could the installers do that to John's specs.</div><div></div><div>Before (August, 2003):</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253870867349179618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4REm9FjiVfVuEhyVZkDbTcY9tGKU_Jn6KAmscDmLWJNcO-SYqe9UJpBP4DxwwynsiF1XzgKguGmx11LGuH5hIxG_0fyTiq4uXwk7yFf8WmODRuqew4CSH8mU506amPTXNueRaPZGPCY/s400/P1010096.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><br /><p>After (September, 2008):</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253876008380506642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9ObtWEl3u87Q0shr9qVyf2BMtomnOkRN0kJYhWnT92xDuxZrtOHPrk1gkcBEmelxfpJd-Hri0to29fFrA-Wvg1jNPJvoVe4Sx5KJTtu_LxXQuAvY1tknHkWYFwplqDMrTUckLC_-V3I/s400/IMG_2988.JPG" border="0" /></p>I've gotten used to the house without shutters, but it looks kind of bare. What do you think? Should we put some shutters back on?meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-14715327330187857432008-10-08T22:02:00.004-04:002008-10-08T22:51:53.378-04:00Garden Ghosts Ward Off Jack Frost<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7V5exZaIVaJlkKJLPNoGiaih_1tRWErMlRbHndTJw-Cb8er1mPQn8Uw_O6j5Fq_yf6KLQdyW5CKetptBzqQu91bgiTzi0sdbxVkmcU8Dhma6gL-8mJLCk8U-XEEVvKEZ_dYGoEnOTro/s1600-h/IMG_3057.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254977055894651394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7V5exZaIVaJlkKJLPNoGiaih_1tRWErMlRbHndTJw-Cb8er1mPQn8Uw_O6j5Fq_yf6KLQdyW5CKetptBzqQu91bgiTzi0sdbxVkmcU8Dhma6gL-8mJLCk8U-XEEVvKEZ_dYGoEnOTro/s400/IMG_3057.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Booooooo.... Boooooooo..... BoooooOOooooOOOooo...<br /><br /><div>For the past two evenings our county has had a frost advisory, so each night I've dutifully covered the plants worth saving in the garden. It's not much, just the beans and swiss chard and a few tomato plants that I'm hoping the last few green tomatos will ripen on the vine.</div><br /><div>Well, each morning I've pulled damp sheets off the plants and everything is still growing just fine. I guess my garden ghosts we're pretty intimidating! Only down to 34 degrees last night. And the zucchini plants are still going, can you believe it? There are a few small zucchinis on the plants but I think they need more warmth to get bigger. Maybe I'll pick them and put the plants "out of their misery" this weekend...</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254978971813540098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltZSx1ItkP-qmxzI4yDg1QZrYwNJSWGX-ceZagE-LXVI7csbgrq1XHy7bweJoQANqxrU9iIkLXSKYlWzFxOIKyP2vZ0-O3BW01ntFRohkzDXlEy8xHPA_54h7yei3GQJJ32mfPE4s8hA/s400/IMG_3059.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>Let's take a tour of our fall garden. There are still a few things in bloom....</div><div> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254977061527885778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUViWASQv9eYHAPXHuArkE6sqQF-Kl4jV61clt7IAQGF_DOD8bWd7F2m4au-fmQWE5EfISFm0I1uvfjD0oAcwhUPmxCdeI36DnHiZXMOAQ8jrDSei9OtUPTn1NoF61HdfbCp1tKkoRvvg/s400/IMG_3049.JPG" border="0" /></div><div align="left"><div>This is my <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=fy3JX1SCiAwC&pg=PA156&lpg=PA156&dq=montauk+daisy&source=web&ots=Ytw1xBvwzm&sig=NCv_6kajn3-DFy3D1ie1frLOQmw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result">Montauk Daisy</a> with a late blooming Brown Eyed Susan mixed in. All the other Brown Eyed Susans are done, but for some reason this one was late to the party. That's ok with me! This is the third year for my Montauk Daisy. I trimmed it back last year at the end of June, but I must have clipped off most of the flowers because I didn't get much bloom. </div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254977063974411666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDkYcQ1mJE3g_mecW1udZYjjA01UO4sN41mwYjBK2a734uhJpA_6rtEjcOxhTrnSyHBzH0Q2XR3WM6HmPVk-HN_ShWT51OURFx24Uyb7_MJI0gLmoyMMUZ_BXE7YgpHrUbylm0kkZ4JQ/s400/IMG_3044.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><div>I love the daisies in the fall and look forward to its Columbus Day weekend show, but it is a gangly plant and I have it in the front of the garden, so all summer I have to look at its gangliness. I would like to move it someplace, but I don't have a good place yet. Plus since I have less room than I think I do, and I always plant things too close, my irises (that's Clarence there, how could you NOT love a plant named Clarence?) have invaded the Montauk Daisy. It will take some surgery to separate them. I haven't had the heart this year.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254977069853268258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtsFeerc7OiH5lnb96cfyS38-HjXwk9TCWGWrB7Ei_Nf3BlXZZjb4Jg0vd5Q_LMosZX1VxyR8CF0O4xYNBkrB3x7xV_lIUPHep1wuNx_Y_9gEv5nCXwX1YHJkkDow3zI4tT7zuxyazaU/s400/IMG_3054.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>These are my <a href="http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/TRMHS.html">Tricyrtis (Toad Lilies). </a>I have a few varieties, two plants have been doing well, and I don't remember what varieties they are. They like the moist shade among the hostas under the flowering cherry, and I look forward to their fall blooms. Aren't they interesting? Definitely different than mums!</div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254978969935963490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJP0nkE6UD_-tt9gS6H2xBAXgxR5iV7tVApdIBX0icYLHoLIrwq5VfQuHGVukM1rVXrtZsS8-XLwnyi32pJZIAR8OVNIDduo6CDdq0diHgQBigpGOH1DZzwQLHs-lsFb7e5uQ3Mkq-mVI/s400/IMG_3056.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>There are even a few blooms still coming on my blue Endless Summer hydrangea and the white Annabelle hydrangeas I planted this year along the barn. I'm not ready for a frost yet. Are you?</div></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-42859891899272407132008-10-07T22:36:00.000-04:002008-10-07T22:36:00.640-04:00Our Friendly Neighborhood Raptors<div>One day this summer I heard a slightly different sound from the chicken coop -- not necessarily an alarm sound, nor very loud, just different. I looked out the window to see this sitting on the gate:</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253866907619322706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTGF9NQREZBVI2qpQFTd-SgfSkCA9hIFqgDEwi1mmfYgMYTIQTO0spWsjNOFi8rFfe3zFv9lZk73ZYTWE3qYptMVqpQnusAPr8CBSLxbp9EIeVBlQgcY4Sh2t6xd_vfF0d34WxuZOaVo/s400/IMG_2558.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>I think it is a sharp-shinned hawk. Anyone have a definitive id?</div><br /><br /><div>Half the flock was cowering in the coop, half was in the fenced-in area cowering. These chickens aren't very smart, though. As soon as I came out the door, they all came running toward the fence, nearer to the gate WHERE THE HAWK WAS SITTING, happily clucking in anticipation of the treat they were expecting from me. Arrgh!! I waved and flapped my arms and yelled for the hawk to go away, which it did in it's own sweet time.</div><br /><br /><div>The other day I came down the stairs, looked out the window next to the front door, and saw this:</div><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253866903938363202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WawRO73LJpmw2HeaRqwgUgubBC4y4p5_qaUst_JR4uOsWIEv_bOo8HJrlf-HXEwak59vNqDNHpDY-QmHW57PdU1kWgpht-SeRR1snkojP6137hELxBVvI7bEHmsh4jLzy431FLo00x0/s400/IMG_3023.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>What, is he expecting a picnic? He flew away as soon as the flash on my camera went off. I didn't mean for the flash to fire, it was a cloudy day. Oops.</div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-55210100708211628872008-10-05T22:35:00.000-04:002008-10-05T22:35:48.554-04:00Coop Round Up<div><div>All winter we had the coop right out the back door in the yard. It was in a great spot to watch the goings on while standing at the kitchen sink. And it was a quick walk to get eggs, close it up at night and open it in the morning.</div><br /><div>Plus, in January, it was right next to the ice skating rink. (Reason #623 why we don't have a manicured lawn.)</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214165723754859170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsZhK3MQZzbow_MyXRC_NvX0arJ4EAZdEoDtM9EtlSdEReEA_rycm9blG1ZRV2C-FedfjdGkChPjE6MNHROfG6yWfOMwkkMO7Yz6wllEy_BuZoRxZ8hYcOA1yFuOLnfiKLf_SLpTBdNo/s400/IMG_1380.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>But we don't have a big yard, and the coop's position really ate up a good chunk of it. So this spring we moved it across the yard on the hill that marks the end of the yard and the beginning of the woods. There is a flat area that was an overgrown garden when we moved here and John used as a place for a metal storage shed, which he moved further up the hill and in the woods. </div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253860293649315826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrFAUp6VYZu-xItN9rhqK96qCJrJ_WyivoMVLMcaCn994YKowYWUbPGqFSvQq-lhGB_CbCYGZ8k0SmE5f6bH6YwFp5K-SR1BJzivpVlHmcLHeQrjxCM_HZ0AMZad3L8SaXvyUI8uzx8I/s400/P1010183.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>The chickens have more room to roam, have some shade from the trees, and have a great time scratching around in the hay we threw down. This photo is taken from our upstairs bathroom window, and it is one of life's simple pleasures to watch your chickens as you brush your teeth in the morning.</div><br />However, our original plan of having the coop like a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tractor">chicken tractor</a>" that gets moved around the lawn hasn't panned out. It is cumbersome to move, the enclosed coop area isn't really big enough to keep six chickens happy, and they trash the lawn in about a day and a half. It takes much longer than that for the grass to come back. So the coop is parked.<br /><br /><div>But since the coop is on a hill, we had a problem with escapees. It took us a while to figure it out, but 3 chickens (are the others afraid of heights? Not as smart? Who knows!) consistently fluttered from the top of the retaining wall behind the coop to the roof, then walked down the roof and flew over the fence. Probably as close to soaring as a chicken will ever get.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253862020583448882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55vvEtias8YBdrAMC1Ya_cMb6G7t3kFGvAhjbwa-YSwrOHnIqWv02XeYnPjZEtWFkWhky7VgWDWU2UH5Z2DGnoGMK1eyDcxcXJ4sUo9SYQbl7AZjFZ78K12a1jePGkJOwzdwekxhzrG8/s400/IMG_1919.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>We didn't mind it so much in the beginning, but chickens scratch indescriminately, and never throw the dirt where you would like it to go. If there is a sidewalk nearby, they will ALWAYS scratch dirt and mulch onto the sidewalk.</div><br /><div>So after several attempts at baffles (see the orange tape in the photo above) to keep the chickens off the roof of the coop, we finally resorted to clipping the wing feathers of any escapees found in the grass. It seemed to work, and now that their feathers have grown back, they seem to have forgotten that it is possible to fly out. Good thing.</div></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-24636085933984179382008-06-20T21:18:00.011-04:002008-06-20T22:15:57.740-04:00Why I Fell Off the WagonThanks to Mrs. F. at my daughter's school today (no, they are not out of school yet!!!) for prompting me to get back on the blogging wagon again. She was too polite to say it, but I knew she has been thinking it is pretty lame around here every time she's checked for the last six months.<br /><br /><br />So thank you for your checking persistence, and letting me know there are at least two other people (Mrs. F and her daughter) besides my husband who wonder when the next update will be. And I think my husband only asks because deep down he is a narcissist and likes to see himself on the web. Or maybe it is not so very deep down. But that is a bit of psychoanalysis for a different time.<br /><br /><br />Well, where<em> have</em> I been? At 10:29 pm on March 22 I looked like this:<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214141145175095794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlEEWftRGKNofWWHInV762MZ2V0LP00-q5gNOMMClxriW9et8B7zQNOt83jJQrpgDHJBVgpNBobduqUEle7IZGF_Ewlgr_phlHU5h3MpPgQyXZM2UizfeLwYdZJDcHE1rBCpwxi_sLmQ/s400/Copy+of+IMG_1511.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />And by about 6:00pm on March 23 <em>we</em> looked like this:<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214141152479120562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipj1yT5F6RGPW2gbs0fcW4AqWYyfgE1oKLVO5kKj0RHsUuLiBvc3ovF2lRHjQj5fo8ZB0iFXJY3PQIgyt2ImofPK8F_TOXhRYEkseAa4bhM_PpO7bYaGrI8aRxaeISK6lWZi5IEnvANfQ/s400/IMG_1514.JPG" border="0" /> Let's get a closer look at this big, healthy baby boy:<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214141158320282066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96Vhf8sFKlSzFhyphenhyphen8vhf0D9h7uxviW_VUaSFK7fK6GyuMONhM6wUFK0BAiqbG3wRo7eNjUj5nWKKP0OybROZpgdUCzoTRJCGLo7zGyRYvCUMliNaVTbIo35qZ_9V6Z8FJALqF6Xz0kSLc/s400/IMG_1525.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />He looks very much like his dad (cheeks, nose, mouth). But he still has my blue eyes. Aren't blue eyes supposed to be recessive? All our kids have them, and dad's eyes are very much brown. The blue eyes in my family must have especially sharp elbows in the gene pool because my brother's two daughters have bright blue eyes and their mom's eyes are brown (that's Nana in the middle there):<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214144081886194034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6ktbeHg1Q8KpAzZMMRACOrFz_T_Khr28h8odUjhn6J899_Eb2mqg61DIig2RacIW0vFwNf75mPwp3raVx7ZckPhg8fhUXL__Erj34ZnTqvZraYt9eycWVE9YfM31hA4QS68l34E9VVc/s400/IMG_1662.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />So his statistics are:<br /><br />born 4:51 pm March 23<br /><br />weight: 9 pounds 8 ounces<br /><br />length: 21 3/4 inches<br /><br />And at 9 pounds 8 ounces, he is our smallest baby! Yes, I have some birthing hips, I guess. The other two children were 10 pounds 13 ounces, and 10 pounds 12 ounces. We were managing for smaller on this one and it worked (everything is relative). No, I did not have a C-section for any of them. And actually I didn't have an epidural either. I'm blessed that they come in a quick and orderly fashion (but not too quick, we do make it to the hospital).<br /><br />However, I'm not one of those women who says she never felt better when she was pregnant. Blech, I felt nauseous, often. And I'm not one of those women who doesn't get stretch marks. Every baby makes their own. You won't see me in a bikini. Ever. Oh, and I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Bwhaa haa haa haa haa!!<br /><br />But where are the chickens?? Funny you should ask. While Dad and I were at the hospital, back at the homestead, big sister and big brother were waiting patiently for the Easter bunny (it was Easter Sunday after all):<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214147221286606818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn97nkghmskd0AlJPYCvdDgPhxy7SkFht-3zuNBvQsRc2Y58IEohAFfoMBPlx5kUCyUAhel3Wzz2BiPbD2ErZ8qquljOO6e94iFoUI-nSheeJDoBPbDZ0zahU6CgS8ZHdhk8zgWv9lfms/s400/100_0866.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p>Popsie, who is serving here as their comfy chair, isn't used to all the morning energy around our house. It wasn't that early, either. TIME TO GET UP!! Go earn your keep and check for eggs!<br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214148871645368994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4OMSJdfSK6ByhvyAkHvP3vmD21pSE6BY-DOJJyF793TpLq66six1-eaQMMOcXp1FeQ7ltQPEuIwPQ7tRyBrVUcapXbwDAhrp9WUkvDxkiqkRhz3E4_xYrUxJkxF3e8duAysAcTDylkM/s400/IMG_1506.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p></p>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-91650145102241828192007-12-03T21:36:00.000-05:002007-12-03T22:29:31.131-05:00A Record DayToday we collected 5 eggs from 6 chickens--the most collected in a day so far. Will we ever have a 6 egg day? Charlotte found 4 this morning when she opened their door, and I found one at lunch time.<br /><br />They still are using the nest they made on the floor of the chicken house, despite our putting warm comfy hay in their nesting boxes and putting in a golf ball. The golf ball is a ruse to get them to think that other chickens have laid eggs/golf balls in there, so it's real nice and they should lay their eggs in there too. Maybe they're smarter than I thought and we need a more egg-shaped decoy...meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-18861670976362199042007-12-01T15:52:00.000-05:002007-12-02T20:32:32.067-05:00The Terrible Thomas Tragedy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sqg1pfzXSBlVqySWftvfWRJB7YRl3WjQJgHmcQAaKq_yjNfQ5UQFJIAEazzxHAGgdUb9tEjPPq87beQixastxhfn16cBy6y2SSGxoRvY1oRAOCQEgmaEhDFqCI3ITZDq7mfvUICu5Ec/s1600-r/IMG_1236.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139113539852760514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4Ju-cNRnimGkQpW7QwFy9obMdwiyK3AIRmcRvkdn1LpcOBYhbBZv5A5fYmph1UgMjSa7AfMFxLtztuP6ya4V-lZ36XHuMiOFFYsQrYVNKrdUfUGafVmwrd5R6x_OLKiapHnp4iwvjx8/s400/IMG_1236.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Earlier this week I was upstairs, and I heard Peter crying a funny cry downstairs. He was upset. As he found me at the top of the stairs, I realized that his favorite battery operated Thomas engine with its rubber tires was firmly gripping a tightly wound strand of his hair. It was wound so tightly I couldn't see a good place to start unwinding, and it was so tight to his head I couldn't see where to get my scissors in to cut.<br /></div><br /><div>Oh great, I thought. Christmas pictures will be great with a chunk of his hair missing. Oh well, it will be true to his two year old image.</div><br /><div>The train was still on, so I turned it off and realized I could spin Thomas around and unwind Peter's hair a bit. But I could only go so far, so it was time to break out the scissors. I was able to cut close the train and farther from his head. Yay! Only a few strands of hair left on Thomas and unable to be seen by the naked eye.</div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-62577579256719113882007-12-01T15:35:00.001-05:002007-12-01T15:51:08.331-05:00Our Bounty<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY0897yYU_2SmiDnTiY_7AMoa0HpL2Ea8tkXdog8Lj-r6gMPGQ1zpDAiiFzoDLm4MAiPElp02HKzRaojdhWjx3AwAZxChHvumcvY6gR7xqzWetOOaq-hkytWdl9W9IUlO2iN-WE8ilrw/s1600-r/IMG_1221.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139106968552797570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlauLTl7ytGt6O-3BR55qbiCTz2moI4GDrYNz7m1MA8ur_n75bVSbzjLgvUxsXaYrYj3jC4tkng5FVkZxW9671jmOZ_LeZJHFLtp1xUdNpxjJf9Obbyxxd4kIscxfjZjpu2yjiLbNYCDM/s400/IMG_1221.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We're up to seven eggs as of this morning. Yesterday I had eggs for lunch, using one of my favorite egg recipes made in the savory version. I first learned it as "Two Eggs and Four People" for breakfast, but I've also seen it called an Oven Pancake, Finnish Pancake, and maybe as a few other things.<br /></div><div>I used 3 small, pullet-sized eggs for this one, but would have used 2 large eggs</div><br /><div>1/2 cup flour</div><br /><div>1/2 cup milk</div><br /><div>about 2 tablespoons butter<br /></div><div>some chopped up deli ham</div><br /><div>some slices of cheddar cheese, or whatever you have on hand and sounds good.</div><br /><div>Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While oven is preheating, put butter and ham in a cast iron skillet or pie pan. We have an extensive collection of Griswold cast iron skillets (the best because they were made in my hometown of Erie, Pa) and I used the #6 for this one. Mix the flour, milk and eggs in a bowl, get everything wet, don't worry too much about lumps. When the butter is melted, swirl to make sure your pan and 1/2 way up the sides is coated. Spread the ham out over the bottom. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. I sprinkled cheese on the top before I put it in the oven:</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139108888403178930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkxp2BLccDX3Pyyi_NyrFzUE7ObaLzkPVi0VKD_a0G5AQih-qVIsgqnWWJVUrRPDjgSvyFjVhYTBEjNlQn_08gG9gk5Y9XCgOj5A7yz_rMS6TXHKbpq4sLxmuUo5qxAY8js2Ar4Lh2b8/s400/IMG_1227.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>When your timer beeps, it looks quite impressive, but deflates a bit as it cools:</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139107041567241634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsF_bKBOmnjbxMijN-rm_Q4Dw8Pao8ev8_v0ykDa8q1U5ZumRXyYQayxOJdT_Mjf3WszCy4TaSFmiD_FsBq_j9Alv2NBq9yFJuxn4wXRSZHT23wftSz8iq5fv9juU821t3RFBRsPEL5D4/s400/IMG_1249.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>Serve for lunch or light dinner with a salad. </div><br /><div>Variations include slicing an apple into the melted butter, sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on top. Also can increase to 3 eggs, 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup flour for more people and a #8 or #9 skillet. Enjoy!</div></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-33488633325963016292007-11-29T20:58:00.000-05:002007-11-29T23:11:11.040-05:00Looky, LookyTuesday morning I thought I heard funny squawks from the chicken coop as I was eating my breakfast, but later looked out and counted all six hens running around their yard. I ran some errands in the morning and didn't check on them until after lunch. When I opened up their back door, I saw this:<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138465735325027298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4NrAPCnGfEf0rqdMSA6SJOpVclPHivyq0Vr0y8eEv7ffViZUzDc20tqPV-wG53qvvX66tAIBn0hkCud4uNuoIxQ67OWHGqTIageTm9llKjDhruRmMCtAOpI3Kj1_dstdtBVv95PcU0E/s400/IMG_1074.JPG" border="0" /><br />See anything in the hay? And this hen was nervously strutting around inside the coop:<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138469149824027666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiW4FtoviDwW9DPXDILWQ4E2x3Y_SI7WO-zGRe_MKIVfq_HH2Tj_D6CeiB8BKefYJNTKbbe-IRhj2eSGmGqUK98JJ_iYHcTlV4YzRv4WCeU4i8EBBKZSewYbllNI-jEAr0xjpldMufqEw/s400/IMG_1071.JPG" border="0" /><br />This whole operation may look like a poultry exercise, but actually it is an economics lesson for our children. Lesson one is on Economies of Scale. Egg #1 is a very expensive egg. I think we'll bronze it. Isn't it beautiful?<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138465005180586962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZktJ_rQGutmyhVU2CxQrnQUW98IBP0chAP-YSc5j-7-qOEtmKyIsE5n1kzfGp3ip9YmWBBP16c8mRa86fMKJVqq8xf2nv7XLH3jyQ98dsCSiVYuDaPSoixywJZKLHDsd9LR3zS5TE6w/s400/IMG_1076.JPG" border="0" /><br />Here it is next to an officially classified large egg from the farmer around the corner for comparison:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138469978752715810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNbZsYkiyd5cEb82ukxL4_8NlmDOmi6FaSJhYPCxUmWdJTyd5BLxtZttLK-wooCI29K63eNzizSxW1FM7P7qZKZxuCImsl2yVf3XDVUERdAsp0VBIFDvkcJ06VTSmM-1q4VlcXa9xzTg/s400/IMG_1079.JPG" border="0" /><br />Hens lay pullet-sized eggs (smaller) for the first few weeks, then they get larger. I'd say they are about 75% of your usual supermarket large eggs.<br /><br />I called my husband at work to tell him the good news, starting with, "Guess what we got today? Something we've been waiting a long time for!" He replied, "My package came!"<br /><br />When I picked up my daughter at school for an after-school appointment and asked her to guess what came today that we've been waiting for, she answered, "Peter got words!!"<br /><br />Upon further prompting neither one guessed chicken egg until I made clucking noises. Yup, we're all on the same page around here.<br /><br />This morning I woke up right before sunrise to go to the bathroom, and I heard stressed squawking from the chicken coop. They have a light in the coop that is on for two hours in the morning to give them about 14 hours of light (so they lay eggs). I looked out, saw the light glowing in the coop window and wondered what kind of party was goin' down. I hoped it was an egg-laying party and not the chicken version of a Tupperware party.<br /><br />I was tempted to go outside with a flashlight, but my warm bed sounded much better. An hour and a half later I sprang out of bed and went outside to check on the ladies. I opened the back door of the coop and was greeted with 2 eggs! Chickens lay an egg every day and a half or so, and I suspect that hen #1 laid another egg and a new hen started laying. Another possibility is that hens #2 and #3 started laying and hen #1 is still in shock about what happened to her two days ago. If they keep to the day and a half schedule, we should get another egg tomorrow afternoon. We shall see....meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-54249677205716846612007-10-28T21:44:00.000-04:002007-10-28T22:37:39.553-04:00Chicken Update<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOWwPG1YYNH4UVBwVR5Yr56jIBiw0VMmMB49z788GfhyphenhyphenJVGc7B8zzxAj51okxfvTWL7H9iy6Le6an23a1926HZ7jFWOUjgxkh4KJgGlb2NNyC_2G2Mcx927emb4-2nDZGfZs60J6KlQU/s1600-h/IMG_0680.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126576941544097330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOWwPG1YYNH4UVBwVR5Yr56jIBiw0VMmMB49z788GfhyphenhyphenJVGc7B8zzxAj51okxfvTWL7H9iy6Le6an23a1926HZ7jFWOUjgxkh4KJgGlb2NNyC_2G2Mcx927emb4-2nDZGfZs60J6KlQU/s400/IMG_0680.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>No eggs yet, but we hope to have some in November sometime, even though it is getting darker and egg production goes down in the winter months.</div><br /><br /><div>The movable chicken house is more permanently moored in the back yard so we can easily watch them from the kitchen window over the sink. We were letting them out during the day if we were home, but they were wandering into the neighbors' yards a little bit, and although no one said anything and they didn't wander far into other yards, we don't want to ruffle any feathers. Lately we just let them out around 4pm, that way they don't wander far before they come home at dusk and they go check out their favorite spots, starting with the rhododendron behind the garage.</div><div><br /> </div><div>Also -- and this shouldn't be news to anyone who has been around large birds, including Canada geese -- chickens have big poops. When they wander, they poop on the front sidewalk, the driveway, the yard, in the garage if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">someone's</span> left the door open and wherever. Not fun to step in. And they scratch in the grass and dirt, usually not in the direction you'd like the mulch to fly, more likely throwing the dirt <em>onto</em> the grass or sidewalk.<br /><br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126576984493770306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAQrZSwVXJd8NJExC9piehQBznXEeYvjUo4bq5dp3TMG9xRR237z4PyFxCf_TQpNxSkx3LGsZ-kWVZFqOBhkyKNi25ynPdRoFHwZV6tUxZ4Di5gHpR0dKyTRdz5xV5hwOYcv0gbJta3U/s400/IMG_0696.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>Our yard is far from manicured, but we had to draw the line somewhere. We're planning to make a large fenced area for the chickens behind the barn, and as an experiment to see if they would fly over the 4 foot wire fence, John made a pen for them. One "flew the coop" their second day out, but then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering up and down the outside of the fence trying to get back with the rest of her flock. And one afternoon last week I heard a funny scratching noise out the window and saw this:</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126580055395386994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmpHJoXIqJT2fPatQJkKXZfhL4mnq968dmkNgHBWFrgWcS135FYDyaZC0qNRdcNq8VVglJctc_Ouo7byi2uyyzaC4zgaLJR8nb6XVRNyCgltbK_5-37Q_tlKtEdCctnR7HvUqTVo2kyA/s400/IMG_0695.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>Charlotte shooed her back into the pen. I think there is one adventurous one in the bunch. Overall though, the fence seems to be working.</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126577078983050850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXyIvYbtN0cLR4loJujXYblm4TJH-eTieS_ghWHwhQsfRYhT_vi3Uf7-aHN4-211cWEtnUxQb6O3KgQikL8UPRBbbp1FVKVravRJKwYy3uQD_MZGq9F5ZkL3gATF59QUbZOyx07WipK8/s400/IMG_0691.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>At dusk they go into their coop and like to perch on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">tippy-</span>top perch at the peak. Our 13 year old neighbor was taking care of them when we were on vacation in August, and he was alarmed when he checked on them one evening and they were nowhere to be found. He brought his dad over to help look for the missing chickens, then was quite startled when he stuck his head inside the coop and realized they were above his head. I've experienced this, and it is quite disconcerting because their feet are above your head at the door, and they poke their heads below the perch level, peering down at you like some kind of vulture. You know you're invading their space.</div></div>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-91253853073324585612007-10-21T15:15:00.000-04:002007-10-21T16:29:56.740-04:00And Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ok</span>, I fell off the blogging bandwagon. Went on a vacation at the beginning of August to visit my parents, then went to Maine on a family vacation, then school started, the computer went into rehab, blah blah blah. So any hope of developing a blog readership flew the coop, so to speak. But now I'm back, turning over a new leaf. I hope you one or two readers (hey, I'm optimistic) will return.<br /><br />The good news is that we got a new camera in August, a digital SLR, Canon's Digital Rebel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">XTi</span>. We didn't get the kit lens, instead opting for an L class f/2.8 24-70mm <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">kickin</span>' lens that was more $$ than the camera body. The thinking behind this is that one may upgrade the camera body at some later date, but good lenses work on any Canon camera. We're still learning all the features, but it takes awesome photos right out of the camera.<br /><br />At the end of September we went to the Durham Fair, which is Connecticut's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">largest</span> agricultural fair. Food, rides and animals galore, plus tractor pulls (small, medium and large, including the kids division pictured below) and horse/pony pulls.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123880063160952770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzg6vgotAVFmAwgDBWcanzan3votf85o1SC_6o0pyLzLsd5xVi0IDgctz0hiwQPS-rUAmezE6D4vackN4RjyqW8mPYdyKSuRj4bMqOzCU6wNP0Wp6fwmG7SLGDrTD2GQ91geWl-2uZgw/s400/IMG_0536.JPG" border="0" /><br />We we arrived on a beautiful Saturday morning before the bulk of the crowds. We first hit the animal barns, paying particular attention to the poultry. Our conclusion was that our Barred Plymouth Rocks were prettier, but we're not sure it's worth the trouble to exhibit them. So kudos to those who do.<br /><br />Peter liked the turkey which was at eye level for him.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123874200530593634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7d9be1jEmeSjAeMKJrTlE43DolS0LXYJ9QP7SQU5cS1RKXZntI-aI-cIgMmsVIp9OlPVMzVvEkAn9drlyiTeIXXMb0Ax8VJJVJHHZVRINy2i3athyqLHkE-J3OrFTZxT1kE2KUOSaaE/s400/IMG_0521.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Charlotte liked the bunnies. They make me sneeze, however.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123874234890332018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_euHFw-wu0c3xAG7XNdwwI4XT5Ha_KPO4Sqyuuj6i4OK1NkVsHGiwqggOTn1qm18E0FS1P-55LO33VhW0R2H8pHp6wJYlBa3AFW168aBDHWRkjbhZQj9j0uPLf05IirPQQVpGZ1QvmM/s400/IMG_0530.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Kids could pet this large rabbit specimen, I think it was of the French Lop Eared variety.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123874179055757138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iY6inxMWlzz-p8m2ic0KZ8nup95sAovm8jLYg_sRU7ENdXWTb-7HVvy-GBkoyVWgQmpcn6SvNZFLUOu9bJPW79BzwRCCSr_LOed7Dq0N0S-pbdurELFZeYiykFnFctEK-a2B_TKr-Fo/s400/IMG_0531.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><p>We spent a large part of the afternoon sitting watching the draft pony pull. Very impressive, as the winning 3 pony team pulled 7,800 pounds. Since we were sitting there, I took a million photos of the pony teams. The fair has a contest each year for a photo of the fair to use on the cover of their exhibitor guide. I might enter one of the ones below. Which one do you like best? Respond in the comments, please.<br /></p><br /><p>Photo #1:</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123879101088278418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lWvKcuwukl3R52Trc6wzsRgxxTqSDKexy1jurGPmwFkI8Z6L0nMGo4aVDVDRvfIfC5PMo71H85T9Tr0g7_YUDzW16ywgPENTUwuWYWed-udD2AUdn1YCFaQ0UufVKdW7thyt-yGnvjA/s400/IMG_0554.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p>Photo #2:</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123879113973180322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7x6c0sbHYM8hMaG1-4Y091nwJLmW1yertUSd1zXZM5N26k8AkATZlRqxUulJE9yaAH2hBVoQQA_z7Q-998CA98e0saW5q7HyxzSriFbpWUrOAyO3pIltiFMOET2uEdhdIAtLuwkH4mg/s400/IMG_0567.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>Photo #3:</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123879126858082226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYNuS8AT1U1fJgxKKts_Q84yCJ0eUU24efSqL5WWKIXqOVcf2CGIrb6y4inVBfA4gBEsiyIKMCMVPJfzG20S06wv3rhqnWE-wyfxUND57WajJ0p5j6POsrbeyYADboiMrahU0sWAT7tE/s400/IMG_0584.JPG" border="0" /> <p></p>Photo #4:<br /><p></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123874256365168514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn2vNVu95058AOSKg66c6KbD03M49B8qcbGbBklGaBCqLf0iJn7UYVuPt4mvFrjiFwYiXgqvJhPwDE0u85asQlMe5MkB13KaRenhVIM0VStN9fyYR33yjxR8pEJPL-4ojtwHvV4fTOys/s400/IMG_0561.JPG" border="0" /></p>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-52165826659454897062007-07-24T22:30:00.000-04:002007-07-24T22:58:50.980-04:00Moving Day<div><br /><br /><div>Last Sunday John started moving some of his stuff out of our garage attached to our house and into the barn. The plan is that someday I'll be able to park my minivan in the garage. Ha ha ha, hee hee hee, ho ho ho!!</div><br /><div>I'll let you know when that happens, as it will be a first in our almost eleven years of marriage. Summer isn't so bad, but snowstorms remind me of the garages my parents always park their cars in. I suppose I knew what I was getting into. John's parents didn't park their cars in a garage when I met him (well, one was in a carport, does that count?) and John did say early on "Pshaw! What a waste of valuable space to park a <em>car</em> in a garage!"</div><br /><div>I'm always amazed at how my un-huge husband (just stating the facts, dear) can move things larger and much heavier than he is. Levers, come-alongs, pulleys, wheels, ropes, chains and ramps are all his friends. And he usually doesn't break a sweat when moving something 1000 pounds. </div><br /><div>Case in point: moving his milling machine from point A (the garage) to point B (the barn). It helped that the barn is downhill from the garage, but have you ever tried to stop a speeding milling machine? Neither have we, and let's keep it at that, thank you.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090959708120854754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB1WKTfGhmvw-sWJ0G11bxWSmkeX_STM9RF-rpKvGr8VTCQf63eSKAlRoRfLXNC98HjUIzL-a0xwsJcrR7SKfkGdxwVOyka2iVfeb67diyICwF44hwEQSA0iYbmqyvN4vGDZZS0E3Xc0/s400/P1010045.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><div>Step 1: Getting it out of the garage. I didn't have the camera around for that, but it involved a long length of chain and dragging the thing to the door using the tractor in the driveway, whereupon John tilted the motor back so it could clear the door. Then a piece of plywood appeared from somewhere and some 2x4 blocking. It was my job to slide the plywood under the machine at the edge of the garage's concrete floor. Some more tractor pulling, and the thing was out of the garage on its little sled.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090959695235952850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgja-FA0wRluomwyTIbOG4ce6LArorvif3NgVUaiZ4RAvmXlwAaLpM47ocsn_A0LszUa6MoTCxl9yTU3wFsCmvwa6JAg89Pm9czlNy5eXWKNKIGzPNh_UaWEXkau9eTuaizVgBGU9AkPQE/s400/P1010046.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><br /><p>Step 2: And they're off! (hum Lone Ranger theme for the rest of this)</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090959716710789362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbqY_rnQmDXYaeEjKseAPmN6ayEXB21N0oF17X-C4doIK-87xW2_nUKU-uQ3alu1G38I461AWgdfsvJTeXvJdK_1vZkpmUZsLRc3S29W2UBiAVXA_R2sef2Na37VV0qUW1bFHrd5m6CI/s400/P1010047.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>Step 3: Like a good little milling machine, it followed nicely down the driveway. Just ignore the scrapes. They came off during the next day's rain.</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090959733890658578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbAY7ydeXv_P8lh4XpW-uP1_gsh1zXsoy7Obucd5IWUeyobJQ5N96hO4pVLbdt5RAApO9QM1QjymtM0E8GJFkEq1eWIVQX2DNxsTzUhyphenhyphenBqQadW06_NXt6T5oYs1GSYxuOTNXUMiQ9WpU/s400/P1010053.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>Step 4: Pulling got a little rocky with the turn onto the stones in front of the barn, but slow and steady wins the race.</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090962392475414818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFH0TYqQmW0mR9Sv3alYZssaiHZT_S90Xm7-FXp_FRMi5FD14IOsaJf0lLG1GW8u3Nuv7SlU1b6JP1-59fYva9Bdd6ZguO8C1elgyBioXT9rMFEubdnNOp8YpgsDa8J9AwbcaCRl8njuM/s400/P1010059.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>Step 5: And here it comes into its new home. *Sigh* I guess we won't be having any more big parties in here.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090962409655284018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwmj_jzP8Qr06X0_isVNW6iDGj8OTcFF0SZFcCtcYa2cE8p0ymFkqtynZEA4-NcOkdMRmjfW9w8fs1_deuBnfoc4CbOgCDWmGxFmP7KterHg7jW2yDWT2GBlmyDeA4cAjr9JKi37L6MU/s400/P1010062.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>Step 6: Did you see him break a sweat? I didn't.</p>meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319110286382901498.post-33488150566897448622007-07-21T21:19:00.001-04:002007-07-21T22:37:48.936-04:00All Cooped Up<div>It was for my birthday in January this year that my husband John said he would build me a chicken coop. John is very creative and handy, and I expected this project to be banged out in a weekend or so. </div><br /><div>But first it required me to do a bit of research on how the chicken coop should look. So, I looked through my back issues of <a href="http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/">Backyard Poultry</a> magazine to see any designs or ads for designs. The <a href="http://www.omlet.us/store/store.php?cat=Eglu"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Eglu</span></a> looked interesting, akin to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">IKEA's</span> answer to a chicken coop, and it comes in colors, but it only held 2 chickens. John's comment? "I'm not having any <em>plastic</em> chicken coop!"</div><br /><div>The <a href="http://www.henspa.com/index.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Henspa</span></a> seemed to be the Cadillac of chicken coops (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">movable</span> on wheels, slanted <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">nest boxes</span> so the eggs roll back for easy collection), but starting at $1200 plus <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">freight</span>, it seemed a bit pricey. Plus John was eager to take on the challenge: "Pshaw! I'm not <em>buying</em> a chicken coop!" </div><br /><div>A British company, <a href="http://www.greenhilljoinery.com/assets/coops.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Greenhill</span> Joinery</a>, had some interesting coops also (run area sized for a human to walk in, elevated roost area to keep predators out), but seemed heavy on the joinery. John's response: "I'm not shipping a <em>chicken coop</em> from England!"<br /></div><div>We discussed the merits of all the coop examples we saw. John started drawing and planning, and soon he was buying wood. The project was most definitely <em>not</em> banged out in a few weekends, what with our barn project also taking priority this spring. But the coop was mostly finished by the time the chickens arrived last month, and was rolled out of the barn and housed the chickens during the daylight hours of the <a href="http://broodawakenings.blogspot.com/2007/07/barn-party.html">barn party</a>. </div><br /><div>So, here it is...the new coop painted <a href="http://www.childlife.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Childlife</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">swing set</span></a> green: (really it is for chickens. Just ignore the human in there.)</div><div> </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089839262822478018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglySsKCBpLhBcvZJnpfE8EGQVGbCQaQs5zLItAwR10LV1OETQuXekNdNoZZbdle-Ll4AV14oxGNb3MkJE_foWgEGjOf2zXODx13L9dGCT5luYN-NH_gSsB9YORTNqHIfunbTLD7RViKU/s400/P1010049.JPG" border="0" /><br />With a human door in the front and windows in the side of the roost to check out what's happening in there.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089839254232543410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LJb9J8HZ3CZ4Vkcpf3BqW2lpovTxGbXL3NvL5Qacm0j6v_UBOXHxfYd7EmGrAErtDfrL1TbyrNG34MGHpGwYYf35KRWiRLLiHB6pyKo84ylakjSJqNiJ3RUbHJDKtdSqCiafPjhh6_Y/s400/P1010051.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />Removable nest boxes.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089838700181762178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dBCfWmB2AO_YU4YchUKcM7XPZmzjNoqV-ThHh7RPGGhEF7BVWaoIvJdkUvSFJgepgH4QGFHOS1zsIWGNAkiPfxDAKSTgCi7_JtUt0TFtbTTUJMkkQYnHg71-ASE2Z6noBVEx7CgzcSg/s400/P1010050.JPG" border="0" /><br />Several perches and a chicken ladder for the ladies to access their evening roost.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089838751721369762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0AwCgJcTaVORspsNOkpi45-bI2ERG2VVDMBXHlRbPAnRFrve9I5LimVaUoJwgNFLBcDQHz1L6I5Ncv9GExg17nkJQP7-vPxFb0R5XXvbzxEVdkkYLqy-hCoFX80ma2SRkQfjP0HB7Jc/s400/P1010060.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089838708771696786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSePKwOtOqqtWVZsZMV5kthZI2Dpvgm7w12uXLsukjAQxlfu1Ir2WaTfiF4JsLthjac_njmxmI4PsYgjQ5qsJFc92Hak7vD5Cr4-fqr59ffGyesAveNYCtwLCYUJlfFFzGCl3o5HOOVc/s400/P1010059.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />And wheels on a scissors jack to help move it around, which you can't see very well in these photos.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089838678706925682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIJgowriDyVOhgIWCMCC1O4ckO5p1H2OaIenudy6Gc26QJHgIcblsPBFCayfqjoK33pq9HHs15_9gBiJJo8ZJCtDaQEyLq3y7aIaG8D4xtYNhMZsIKeleimpmM6LdLQdylxVRXyiWCjs/s400/P1010048.JPG" border="0" />meandershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16324758392180405729noreply@blogger.com3