In my Dreams!

So Katie says I need to start writing down my dreams because she finds them hilarious. I think it may have to do with our choice of beverages but we shall see.

Two nights ago I dreamt that my brothers ordered a baby king cobra on line. For some reason they decided to keep it in an old cardboard box of Lego's. After a few hours they got tired of it so Tim tossed it down the stairs (jerk!). I Of course was totally exasperated and tried to explain WHY you can't just toss a baby cobra down the stairs into the living room and expect it to be ok!

So I go to find it and put it someplace safe, like a nice terrarium (I love terrariums). Of course it was out of the box and slithering around the room, so I'm looking under the couch and moving stuff around and I spot Tim's old amp. It's open in the back, so I tip it up to look and BAM! Cobra bites me in the EYE, my left eye, BTW. I still have a totally clear memory of it striking me in the eye. It gets my lower eyelid and scrapes the top part of my eyeball. I could feel the pain of the bite and the venom starting to numb and burn my eye.

Was I terrified? NO! I was just so pissed at Tim. "SEE??!" I say this is why you CANNOT throw a cobra down the stairs!!"

End of an Era

I have had my driver's license for 10 years. I don't speed (more than 5 over) I'm careful about obeying all laws. Well, ok I have accidentally run a few red lights, but not on purpose mostly!

Last night Katie and I were driving home from Ty and Dave's. We pulled onto 55 after a police car. Katie mentioned she was glad he was in front and not following us. Almost as soon as she said that he put on his blinker and pulled to the side of the road, when we passed he started following us. I wasn't too worried, I knew he was running the plates. It was close to 1:00 AM and I'm sure he was looking for suspicious characters. I drove normally and took my turn onto Rolling Hills and he pulled in after me and sure enough, turned on his lights.

Oh crap, so much for my 10 year streak! I'm glad Katie was with me, she found the insurance info and I got out my license, so exciting! He came up to the window and all I could think was, he looks like Jeff Krotzer, how am I supposed to be afraid of him??

He says, "The reason I pulled you over tonight is your tabs are expired". I might have gaped a little I had NO clue. He asked if it was my car and I said yes, he took my license and went to run it. At that point I remembered that the car is NOT in my name and waited for him to come back and billy club me. I guess that little discrepancy -or the fact that it's in dad's name, same last name- didn't bother him because he came back and just told me to get new tabs.

Nice, no ticket, no nothing.

This morning I told mom and she said oh yeah, I forgot about that, we need new tabs. Thanks Ma.

The wholde incident did kind of make me want to be a cop, but I think they frown on the sort of vigilante justice I would bust out. Oh well.

First Snow

We got our first snow of the season last night! On my way to bed last night I looked out the window and saw snow flurries like glitter falling outside the window. So pretty.

This morning I went to let the chickens out, usually they're all camped out in front of the door waiting to run outside. This morning the only one out was Jack. Pumpkin must have kicked him out of the coop, poor guy. It's not any colder than it has been, they just really don't like the snow on their feet.

With the bright sun this afternoon they're all outside basking in it. Winter is coming, but it's not here just yet.

What I've been up to?

Sipping cocoa now. It's been so cold and rainy here, and I've been out in it everyday for hours, harvesting and washing vegetables. It seems kind of silly to stand there in the pouring rain with a hose in my hand scrubbing vegetables, but what can you do?


It's been a busy summer. I'm taking over more and more of the farm work. It's almost easier to do all of the harvesting, washing, and bagging of the veggies, than to deal with mom. Luckily the season is almost over. We had our first frost a couple of weeks ago and are looking at our first freeze this weekend. Still a lot of veggies out there, but we are winding down the season.


The chickens are all doing pretty well. Had two outbreaks of a respiratory problem with Ella this summer. I think it's the same thing that Apollo had. There were a few days when I though she might not make it, thankfully she did recover and is back to 100%.


Most of the chickens are molting right now, losing all of their old feathers and growing pretty new ones in preparation for winter. It looks like someone was murdered out there with all the feathers blowing around the yard.


I've reintegrated Pumpkin into Jack's flock. He, Jack and Leif are now co-existing, not really happily, but there is no more bloodshed. The fights were showy but not nearly as violent as they were this spring. This was mostly posturing, very little actual damage done. It was tough to watch them fight it out, but worth it to have the whole flock in the big coop for the winter.


I haven't had time to do almost anything with the little horses this summer. In the time I have spent out there Candy and I have gotten to know each other better. She's such a sweet little girl, she just wants to know you're in charge. If I go out there with the right attitude I don't even need a halter or lead rope, she will follow quietly beside me, stopping and turning when I do. I hope we have a mild October/November so I can spend some more time with her.


Got a chance to do a lot more canning and pickling this summer and I am so glad! Katie and I have been baking too, pies, muffins, and cocktails. We've had some fun evenings!

How did that happen?

It looks worse than it feels.

The weird thing is I don't remember how it happened. Best I can figure it was when I was carrying 7 dozen eggs out to the fridge in the garage. There was stuff piled in front of the door and I had to open it with my elbows and knees, but I don't remember hitting it.

Layers

I started out with 26 pullets (female chicks) in March of 2003. Of those original 26 only 2 are still here. Over the years I've lost 24 of them. When I realized that I was shocked. I remember every girl and what happened.

A few simply fell asleep and never woke. Many more of various genetic factors. One died under anesthesia at the vet while being treated for a large gash in her side.

Most died of reproductive issues and cancer related to laying.

This is not surprising considering chickens, like other birds, were only meant to lay 10-20 eggs a year. The average hen today lays between 200-300 eggs per year.

Hatcheries all over the country raise and sell purebred chicks of hundreds of different breeds. These chicks may be all different breeds, but they have one thing in common, they are produced in massive numbers. Many hatcheries are the equivilent of puppy mills and just like puppy mills their first concern is on producing large numbers of animals for sale. The health and wellbeing of the offspring is of secondary or no concern at all.

The result is tens of thousands of birds with genetic and reproductive issues. This is not a problem for most people. Laying hens are kept for only 1 or 2 years before being slaughtered and replaced. Hybrid meat birds live only 5-7 weeks before being slaughtered. They are literally still chicks, not even into adolecence. With such practices all sorts of problems can be passed from generation to generation without ever surfacing.

It's people like me who deal with them.

There are breeders out there who are breeding for more than just numbers. Dedicated people who are devoted to their particular breed and try to better it through selective breeding. More and more people are breeding for their own needs. Combining different breeds to make a chicken specialized for their location.

I started doing so 2 years after getting my first chicks. Of my first hatch six of the nine I hatched were males. I shuffled them around, trying to keep as many as I could. Two were culled for extreme aggression, I still have a scar above my eye from a rooster named Oliver.

Despite all that it became very difficult for me to give them up. To try to find a home for them where they wouldn't be immediately slaughtered is nearly impossible. And after incubating them, watching them hatch and grow I couldn't stand the thought of sending them off and not knowing if the person doing the slaughtering would be quick and as gentle as possible or...

So I'm back to ordering small numbers of female chicks from smaller hatcheries every few years. I don't like supporting the system, but I'm not principled enough to stop. :/

Zoo Day

Tim, Dave and I spent a day at the Minnesota Zoo last month. Here are some highlights.



We saw wolverines humping- how cool is that?!





Otters are always adorable!



While we were looking at the gibbons they started singing. After their song I overheard a mother say to her son, "Can you believe something that little could be so loud?"

I can. I heard her kids screaming just a few minutes before...and after.




From children to something a little more pleasant- the zoo's Komodo dragon!

This little guy was only born yesterday, but was already cruising around at top speed.



The lynx was relaxing in the shade, undoubtedly dreaming of snacking on one of those screaming kids.

Giraffe are unbelievably beautiful. This guy was begging for food.

I wanted to ride the takin, but Tim said no. Then for undisclosed reasons having nothing to do with me jumping in the tiger enclosure and rounding them up to make an unholy army of the night we had to leave.

So that was our day at the zoo!

Oscar DeLaMew

Oscar was born just down the road. His mother and another female gave birth within a few weeks of each other. He grew up in a garage with nine other kittens to play with and both females looking after him.

Once they were old enough the kittens were offered for free to anyone coming by. Gradually all were gone but him and another tiny orange kitten who was still too little to be away from mom. On Wednesday June 3 we stopped by looking for a black and white spotted kitten Katie had seen the week before. The spotted kitten was gone, but Oscar was there hiding under a car.

I remember how shy he was, running back under the car the second anyone moved. But after we were there for a few minutes he relaxed and started playing around. He moved with such a swagger for a little kitten and I remember him walking in front of Tim and flopping on his side. I knew then that he was going to be a fun little kitten.

The problem was Tim was so disappointed about the spotted kitten that he didn't want Oscar, so we left. I went to do some errends all the while texting Tim and trying to convince him that Oscar needed us. Finally I wore him down so he said yes. I picked him up on the way home. He rode home on my shoulders, which is still his favorite place when he's scared.

Oscar is a spunky fun little guy with boundless energy and curiosity. He is all over everything and is into whatever is happening. But come bedtime he's all snuggles and wants nothing more than to curl up by your head and only stops purring when he falls asleep.

He's already completely charmed everyone in the family.



Who knows what mysteries he ponders while he sleeps?


How could you not love that face?

Stampede!!

I woke up this morning to my uncle yelling, "You have three horses loose!" And I was thinking, why did he say three? Do I have more than three?


When I woke up sufficiently to decide, yes I do want to put my jeans on and contacts in. I went out to the barn grabbed some grain, halters, and lead ropes, and mom and I started walking around the property looking for them.

At this point I'm not worried at all. The horses have escaped before but never went further than the front yard. They usually find a good patch of grass and just start grazing. That's all they want anyway. So it was very weird to walk around the whole farm and not see them anywhere.


Now I'm a little worried thinking where on earth did they go?? They don't know where any other horses live which is where they would naturally go.

So we hop in the car and head down the road. After talking to Pat the neighbor we went down to Horseplay Ranch to see if they found their way down there. We talked to a girl there who said she'd call the owner and go out to check the back pastures.


We headed home to pick up the other car so we could cover more ground. We split up, I went south and mom went east. Now I'm wondering how far will they go. If they followed Willow Dr. they could end up at Hwy. 55. I tried not to think about it.

Five minutes later mom called me and said she found them at the end of a dead end grazing in someones front yard. WHEW!


By the time I pulled up, mom had halters on Ben and Skylar but Candy was giving me that look like she was going to be a problem. She has issues with getting her halter on. She's a baby doll once you get it on her but she just has a block about getting it on, it's a holdover from her breeder days.

As I'm walking toward her a van pulls up and a woman and 2 girls hop out. They're from Horseplay Ranch come out to help us find the horses. The girls are really excited about helping out so one of them takes Ben and Skylar the other tries to grab Candy. Candy was super twitchy but finally I got a lead rope around her neck and she calmed right down.


After getting halters and leads on them we take a minute to let them settle down and graze some. Chatting with the lady we find out that Mary is the owner of Horseplay. A really nice lady, we swap stories of escaped horses and talk about all sorts of horsey things. She said if I ever needed anything she can hook me up. Very cool.

So the whole time we're chatting with Mary all I can think is oh my gosh the horses are dirty (it rained last night so they rolled in the mud) they still have some of their scruffy winter coats-especially Ben- and they need their hooves trimmed! I know she understands, it's not like they're in bad shape, it's just like going out without your makeup and running into someone you like.

They're home and safe now, locked in the corral until we can fix the electric fence. I still don't know what happend to make them flip out and run away.



The culprits.

The Host and The House Barn

What a fun day!

Due to a confluence of circumstances my turn to host book club came today as we're in the midst of the house barn remodel.

The book is The Host by Stephenie Meyer, of Twilight fame. It is a surprisingly good book although a little adolescent and feminine in it's scifi-ity. I REALLY loved it and recommended it, that's why it was at my house.

So anyway getting ready this for it this morning was very stressful, but after 3 glasses of champagne it turned into a very fun and relaxing evening with the book club girls.

But why talk? PICTURES!!

While I was partying, the guys got the carpet in and finished up the house barn. Move in day is tomorrow!

House Barn Makeover!

We are currently in the midst of an emergency remodel of the building formerly known as the Big Red Barn, now renamed the House Barn.

Like so many others, my unfortunate brother Tim lost his job last fall. Last month he hit a deer in his car. It was a minor accident but insurance totaled the car, so he and his wife have been borrowing various cars while fighting insurace and looking for a new one. Last week they learned they were going to lose their apartment.

So this weeknd we're pulling together to clean up the room upstairs that I use to start plants for the garden. It's like one of those home makeover shows but except with more drinking and swearing. Also there isn't any plumbing for a toilet so they'll have to come into the house frequently. Except for Tim, he'll probably just pee out the window or something. So not really like one of those shows at all... maybe a redneck version.

Before (after preliminary cleanup):

First a tile backsplash:

Then a coat of paint (cranberry punch):

Then some pergo type flooring for the kitchen area:

Not bad progress for one day of work! Carpet's going in tomorrow morning. :)

Busy Week

It's been busy around the farm lately so here's a pictorial rundown of what's been happening.

Monday:

It's spring! Our tulips are blooming! My grandmother planted them 20 years ago and I love seeing them every spring.

Tomatoes are needing transplanting to bigger pots, haven't gotten to that yet.

Tuesday:

Tested a honey-chile glazed salmon with black bean sauce and jalapeno crema recipe. Served with rice, delicious! Learned a valuable lesson, honey-chile glaze when converted to smoke will make you cough like mad. Note to self: keep heat on LOW!

Wednesday:

Haircut and highlights courtesy Tonia's Salon in Chaska. The pic doesn't do it justice, it turned out really cool.

Thursday:

Went to Kohler & Dramm downtown to get flowers for Paul Spangrud's Memorial. :( Also picked up some gifts for my Old Sames, for when I host in three weeks.

Friday:

(Photo unavailable)

Planted potatoes in the rain, got in all the reds. They're so tasty. Then went shopping with Katie, got some super cute black shoes-should get a picture of those-I LOVE them! Then we smuggled a bottle of rum into Star Trek. Great movie, absolutely loved it, and that's not just the rum talking. :)

Saturday:

Flowers for Paul. Such a shock, his passing. So sad for the family, my best friend's Necole and Tim, Tammie and Katie. Their parents Mary and Verne, and his young son Will and wife Nancy.

The memorial was packed with well over a hundred showing up, so many good friends coming together to show their support, and many more who couldn't be there were very there in spirit.

So that was my week, full of new beginnings and farewells that will not be final.

Semi-typical Spring Day

It's Monday, I'm recovering from the weekend. Slept until 1:00 Got up, fed the horses, had breakfast: a bagel with peanut butter and a cup of tea. Met some guy who drove down from Milaca to see how our CSA works.

Pretty sure I told him (via email) not to come, we're a really small farm and aren't really doing anything this time of year. So instead he called and Mom and she told him to come anyway so now 'Sean' is spending the night in his van parked in our driveway...creepy!

I guess he's from California but moved to Minnesota to be with his fiancee. They're starting a CSA up there so he's doing a tour of CSA's around here to learn their secrets. He actually reminds me a lot of Kenneth from 30 Rock. So yeah, super creepy in a nice guy kinda way.

I'm operating under the assumption that serial killers out number regular people, and nice people are rarer than... well something really rare, like A class Malaysian Serama's.

So that's his cover story if we all disappear or turn up in various locations around the farm. Cheery thought, eh? Ha!

Kitty Makeover!

Safina got a haircut today (actually yesterday, but it sounds better if I say today) it's a yearly thing for her, for ever so many reasons.

1. Her hair mats if I don't brush it, and will rip out by the roots when the mats get too big *ouch*
2. She hates being brushed and will gnaw on my arm if I even try it
3. She gets overheated in the summer with that big old fluffy fur she has
4. She likes it!

She loves the sensation of the clipper and being able to groom herself without getting hairballs. Plus we make sure to tell her how pretty she looks and she just glows under all the attention. I swear she'd be blushing if she could. Of course we make sure not to mention that she looks like a giant gray squirrel, I don't know how she'd take it...


Relaxing during her 'spa day'.

She looks like she's giving me a disgusted look, but she's really in mid lick.

Nap time!

Farrier Fun

The weather was so nice today and the horses were behaving so well, it was a perfect time to trim Ben's hooves.

When I had the big horses I hired a professional horse hoof trimmer called a farrier to trim their hooves. It's a physically demanding job and takes a lot of skill and experience to balance them properly. The hoof wall on a big horse is about as thick and your finger and it's very tough to cut through even with the right tools. It's a really important job when you're working on a riding horses because besides carrying their own weight they have to carry a rider too. Hooves that are not trimmed correctly can lead to lameness or injury.

The little guys have much less weight to carry and their hoof wall is much thinner and relatively easy to clip. So I gave it a shot.

The tools of the trade

I rasped my hand in the process and Ben managed to turn almost completely around while I was holding his hind leg but they turned out really well!

I wish I took a 'before' picture. The 'after' picture is not so impressive without it. Just trust me they look way better now.

Mud

We are in full mud season here in Minnesota. Springtime here is a mess of melting snow. The chickens and horses take full advantage of it, stomping in the puddles, and for the horses it's the perfect time to try on a new coat color.


Candy has been wondering how she'll look as a grey. I don't think it's a great look for her but she just keeps putting on a new coat of mud everyday!


All the horses are a little scruffy looking this time of year as their winter coats fall out. Soon they'll be looking sleek in their summer coats and I'll get some good pictures of them.



The chickens on the other hand are just happy to be outside. The roosters have settled down a lot, although Pumpkin is still in his own spot away from the other boys.

Apollo has made a full recovery and is enjoying taking a stroll with little Paris. ^

So cute.





In other news I've started seeds for this summer. Peppers, onions, leeks, shallots, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, and eggplant are done. I'm working on broccoli, and cabbage.

Spring is in full swing now!

My Week (Part 2)

The rest of Wednesday is spent sleeping. I had a couple of crackers and some water and went to bed.

Thursday~ Well, I'm not throwing up any more but it's still hard to move and I have a pounding headache. I managed half an english muffin but had to have a nap after that great effort.

Went out to try to get everything ready, we're planning a weekend trip to Brainard leaving Friday. Cleaned and filled feeders and waterers and put stuff on Apollo's eye. He's no worse for wear thankfully.

Looking at his fence all the seams are weak. I remember from last year that the snow pushes at the fences and they need to be restrung, wish I remembered that before I let Apollo out yesterday! I think it was Monterey who whooped him, which is weird because he hardly has a mark on him. Roosters are jerks in the spring, stupid hormones.

Came in had a nap, an apple, another nap. Packed for the trip, looking back I think I was dehydrated, at least that explains the clothes I packed. Everything mismatched and for some reason I packed knee high socks, maybe I was cold?

When I went to put the chickens to bed I see Leif huddled in the corner covered in blood. At this point I may have screamed something that rhymes with mitt very loudly, who can say for sure? I brought him in and cleaned him up.

Leif only has one eye, he lost the other one to an infection after a fight with Pi (who went to live on a farm in Milaca) so I was devastated ~the dehydration may have made me over dramatic but come on!~ when his remaining eye was swollen shut. I put a cold wet cloth on it and prayed the swelling would be gone by tomorrow when we're supposed to leave.

My Week (Part 1)

Tuesday~ Poker at Dave and Ty's with Phia, Nate and Issac. Fun!

Tuesday night~ Puking my guts out every two hours. I will add as this point it had nothing to do with Tuesday. Dad was sick last Sunday, Mom got it on Monday, now it's my turn...

Wednesday~ Sick as a dog, I swear. The whole body cramps make my clothes feel like they're made of sandpaper. It took me THREE trys to get out of bed. When I did get out to take care of everybody I looked in the chicken yard and see a white mass of feathers in the mud. Which I quickly identify as a dead chicken. I will try to reproduce my thoughts as they happened...

"Oh no, it's Shawn! What happened??"

"Wait there's Shawn over there" relief immediately followed by heartbreak

"Is it?" Sees the broken fence to Apollo's yard

"It's Apollo?!?"

"No!"

I climbed over the fence and went to pick him up. When I touched him I was shocked he was still breathing. He's on his back and covered in mud only his belly is still white, his face is covered in blood. I take him out and put him on the grass, he can't hold his head up or stand but he's moving his legs and trying.

So I take him into the house and wash him off in the tub. He's steadily getting stronger. I take stock, he's still got both his eyes although he's squinting on one side it doesn't look too damaged. His comb is ripped up and there's blood everywhere but miraculously he doesn't seem to have any serious injuries.

By the time he's dried off he's preening himself and crowing!

Phew! Close close call, he's going to be ok. I have triple antibiotic ointment for his eye and stuff for his comb. He's really going to be ok.

I still feel horrible but at least he's going to be okay.

End Part One ~just wait my week gets better~ note the irony here.

Spring Cleaning

Ahhhh the coop is CLEAN! It took me three days but it's done. It's so nice when it's clean, it was getting pretty bad after about 5 months. I have cleaned it in those five months but not with bleach and water like I like to.

Maybe it's working outside or maybe it's the bleach fumes but spring cleaning always brings questions to my mind, like 'what the heck is that?' as I discover some hidden treasure the chickens have left. And 'how do they get poo on the ceiling!?' After I find poo, well, on the walls and ceiling. It's not even a particularly low ceiling, it's 6 feet. But perhaps those questions are better left unanswered.

For now I'm just happy to have the place clean.

Coffee

I love coffee. It's delicious and wonderful and as Victoria says it's 'the elixer of life'.

I think I'm going to die. I have been without it for a WEEK!

Last Sunday due to a combination of margaritas on Saturday night and coffee Sunday morning I almost passed out at meeting. I was having heart palpitations every few minutes all day long. That's when your heart beat feels like it's messed up. It's not really painful but it is extremely disconcerting and I felt weak and tired all day.

So I wisely decided to give up caffeine for a while. I went one whole day without caffeine of any kind. On day 2 I cracked and had a Coke with lunch. I've had a few cans of pop since then but no coffee, thus I have NO ambition. I swear I'm going to start seeing in black and white, colors are already starting to fade away. I don't know how long I'm going to last.

On another topic... Chinese buffet is NOT a good breakfast.

The Dish

So I had to get up at 7 (!) this morning because we're swapping Direct TV for Dish network. I am not happy. Early morning = bad.

It's March, right?

So why is it so dang cold?!

I cracked the windows in the chicken coop on Saturday. By Saturday evening they were frozen open. I could not get them shut! Crap.

So the chickies spent the night with the windows cracked open and the heater on. Can't wait to see the electric bill...

They all weathered it just fine, it was 50 in there in the morning. That is heaven for chickens all snuggled up together.

Eggs 101

With the increased daylight of spring we're seeing an increase in the amount of eggs the hens are laying. We're getting about a dozen a day right now. That just got me thinking about eggs and some of the myths and misconceptions around them.

1. Eggs are NOT baby chickens or chicken embryos.

A hen will lay an egg whether or not she's been mated by a rooster. Eggs that you get from the grocery store are from virgin hens, these girls have never even seen a rooster. Factory egg farms don't keep the roosters because they are unnecessary to the egg laying process.

2. Do those reddish spots in an egg means the egg was fertilized?

No. 'Blood' or 'meat' spots occur in unfertilized eggs too. It's a glitch that occurs while the egg is being formed. It can be caused by stress, but sometimes occurs for no discernable reason. At no stage in it's development does a chick look anything like a blood spot.

3. The yolk is the baby chick.

Not true. The yolk is the food source for the developing chick. The chick itself grows from the Blastoderm which is a round bullseye shaped spot on the yolk. Unfertilized eggs will have a barely visable white spot with irregular edges. Fertilized eggs have a more regular defined outline. Either spot is so tiny you woud never notice it uness you were looking for it.

That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed your ride through the crazy world of eggs!

Apollo

Apollo continues to improve, no signs of infection in the rest of the flock, so I'm hopeful.

Here's a vid of my snugglebug.

He looks just like his daddy Val

But is sweet like his mama Ella

Rooster News- for real this time

Unfortunately this won't be a particularly happy rooster post. For the past few days I noticed weird poo (I won't burden you with details) in the middle section of the coop. Apollo the rooster lives there with his hens Alva, Nora, and Wyn. I felt them all up, checked crops and bellies and looked them over, they all seemed fine... until Sunday.

Sunday I went out to do afternoon chores. Apollo was napping in a patch of sun in the coop, pretty normal, it was nice in there and they do love to sun bathe. But when he didn't greet me like he usually does I took a closer look. Poor guy was really sick. Lethargic, and slightly wheezy. I picked him up to get a better look and he hardly moved.

This is the guy who greets me every time I see him with a 'huck huck huck hoo' and a little dance. He snuggles up to me at every opportunity and whistles softly when I hug him. Of all the roosters in the coop he is the most affectionate. He's the one I'm kissing in my profile picture. I was there when he hatched. Even before he had a name I remember him looking up at me out of the incubator. I really love this guy.

So I put him and his girls on a really good antibiotic. I was preparing myself to find him passed away this morning. But he was obviously feeling better. So good news, the antibiotics are working, bad news, whatever he has may be contagious and pass to the rest of the flock.

There are five diseases that are likely causes. All can be fatal but if he gets over this he'll probably be immune to it in the future. I'm holding my breath and keeping a very, very close eye on the rest of the flock.

Time will tell how this plays out.

Hostage Situation

Well I'm stuck on the couch right now. Izzy came in from playing outside and decided my lap was the best possible place to nap. She is out cold! So I thought I'd do a couple updates.

Rink news!

I did finish the rink only a week or so after the last update about it. It was an unbroken pool of awesomeness and I skated my heart out on it. It was pretty sweet. Now however it's just a pool. The warm temps have not been kind to it, so let's take a look back at it in it's former glory shall we?

Nice.

Tiny horse update!

The mares are settling in really well, Candy has mellowed toward Ben and all three regularly eat from the same hay pile even though I always have more than one out for them. Watching all three cruise around the pasture is so much fun! No recent pics of them though, it's so muddy out there right now.

Well Izzy-bear is waking up I'll have to talk her into letting me go, I have stuffs to do!

Bloody Mary's and Doctor Who

What could be better on a Sunday evening?

Isn't it pretty?

The Return of Mystery Cat

The first time I saw mystery cat was two years ago in January, only a few short weeks after losing my sweet baby girl kitty. It was about 10 P.M. I was going out to put Safina kitty to bed in her luxurious apartment above the garage (it really is nice up there:). On the trail just in front of the garage was a cat.

I thought it was Safina for just a second, until he meowed and came trotting up to me. A gorgeous young tom cat. He had a short thick coat of silver grey, with a pretty tabby pattern and two white socks. But what really shone was his personality. He was the sweetest thing, with a tiny meow but big love. Rubbing all over my legs and when I bent down he hopped in my lap and arched against me, so sweet.

I walked him up to the horse barn where Sweetie's bed sat empty and her feed dishes stacked in the corner. I filled them and sat with him trying to convince him to stay and be a barn cat. He was lovey dovey with me but in the morning he was gone.

I didn't see him again for over a year.

Last October I was going for a late night snack about 11 P.M. When I looked out the front window I saw a cat walk past the car in the front yard. I grabbed the flashlight and hurried out. Walking down toward the orchard I was shocked to see Mystery Cat! Same gorgeous coat and sweet little voice, same friendliness, it was as if no time passed at all. I spent about 15 minutes with him before going in. It wasn't so hard to leave him this time, I had my little Izzy waiting.

Three nights ago at midnight I looked out the front window and saw the silhouette of a cat sitting about 5 feet from the front door. I opened the door and he trotted up happy as can be. A little chunkier, but the same guy.

Now dubbed Mystery Cat, I spent a few minutes with him thinking of all the mysteries our pets, especially the rescued ones keep from us. His owners have no idea about me, just as I have no idea of where my declawed longhair kitty came from before I found her in the woods 9 years ago.

Even though I'll probably never know the answers, it makes me appreciate the time I do have with the cats, horses and chickens.

Crocheting Daisies

Just sittin' with friends, crocheting and watching Pushing Daisies, which BTW is the best show EVER! Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but not by much. It's that awesome.

I am so sad though, because of the writer's strike and whatnot there are only 9 episodes in the first season and they didn't even air the last 3 episodes of the second season! This is one of those genius shows like Arrested Development. With clever writing and fantastic visuals. 'It's different in a quaint sort of way like dessert spoons.'

Check it out, it'll be your new favorite!

Another one bites the...snow?

The Corner has claimed another victim this weekend. Passed a couple of sheepish looking girls in a white Camry firmly wedged in a snowbank on The Corner.

Drive Safe everyone!!

Thought for the day

Why are some people so shocked at the idea of a pet chicken?


My theory is that we want to believe that there is some difference between the animals we keep as pets and those we use for food. Animals we eat MUST be dumber or in some way inferior to pets otherwise we wouldn't eat them, right? That's why other cultures are so wrong when they eat dogs, cats and horses. Cows, pigs and chickens are just different, right?


Yeah.... not really.


The animals we use for food have the same personalities, the same quirks that make us so fond of our pets.


My chickens rush to the edge of the roost and demand hugs under threat of pecking. They have complex relationships with each other, being able to recognize 100 different individuals and where they fit in the pecking order.


They have an extensive language of over 30 different calls with distinct meanings. They form friendships and rivalries and are acutely aware of their enviroment. They call out when they see a hawk long before I can see anything.


They're smart too. In fact, chickens know that an item recently hid still exists, a fact that's lost on small children. They're so quick to pick up on things, clicker training, such as is used to train dolphins, whales and other wild animals, was pioneered using chickens. They learn to associate sound with food almost instantly and can easily learn to perform tricks for food.


Watching them interact is a daily joy for me. They're silly and weird, affectionate and and just so much fun. Really everything you want in a pet.

So does that mean it's wrong to eat them? Well yeah... at least the ones with names. ;)

MIA

It's funny, whenever something big happens in my life I tend to shut down everything else that's going on. It's like I'm on overload and can't handle anything else. Even when the 'big thing' that's going on isn't actually all that big.

Since I got the little horses I've shut down. A lot of stuff has happened that I think is blog worthy. Like giving some guy the british version of the finger. Two of my young hens laid their first eggs recently. Been skating, shopping and crocheting like crazy. Plenty of good material there.

But no, horses have taken over my brain and they're not letting go! Must go muck stalls...

Home

The girls are home safe!

It was a scary drive in a homemade trailer but it all went well. Candy loaded right up, Skyler did NOT like the look of the trailer we had to back it up to a hill so the ramp into it was less steep. Then it took some persuation to convince her to go ahead, but we did it! She wasn't really scared she just didn't want to do it.

The drive went fine despite my paranoia that something bad would happen. Unloading them and walking them to the barn was a piece of cake. Ben was THRILLED when he saw them. He did his best to impress them with his speed and agility. They were less than impressed. When they all settled down I felt comfortable letting them in together.

It went as smoothly as possible with horses. A few warning kicks from Candy and Ben kept a respectful distance. He followed them around as close as she would let him. They did all get to sniff and walk around together. I'm very optimistic that they'll integrate really well, Candy is just setting herself us as boss. Once she knows Ben will respect that she'll relax, it's a horse thing.

Slight Delay

Sigh, my girls aren't coming home today. It's ok though, it's giving me a little more time to get things ready.

Dad has possible jury duty. For the next two weeks he has to call in twice a day to see if they need him so everything is very iffy. Frustrating timing.

We could have gone this evening to pick them up, but I don't want to trailer them at night in case something goes wrong. I don't want to deal with traffic. Also daytime will be warmer and easier to spend time with them to make sure they're settling in. So the new plan is for tomorrow morning.

But the trailer is built and looks great. It's nice to have a trailer, we never did. Even when we had the big horses we always just borrowed one if we needed it. This time dad decided to make one, well reconditioned really. We had the base, he put a new bed on it and made walls and a ceiling. It even has nice windows for light and ventilation.

Normal little worries about how everyone will get along and what could go wrong, but I'm still excited and happy. I want them to be home and settled.

BIG day!

Today was the day we went to look at three mini horses for sale. Gorgeous farm about 40 minutes north of us. I thought I had a pretty nice horse barn. Mine looks like a shack compared to this place!



So we walk in and she leads out Skyler, darling girl. After a quick introduction I was able to pick up each of her feet, no problem. That is so important, if you can't handle their hooves, daily chores are just a pain. Not only that, but she leads and stands and pays attention to you like, well like a perfectly trained little horse! She was just perfect, but since we're there why not look at the other two right?



So she gets Candy, she's a little smaller and daintier, even with her heavy winter coat you can see she's got great lines. Turns out Candy was rescued from a breeding operation where all she did was have babies one after another. No handling, no training, just breeding. So sad.

She was a little nervous about us being there. Not panicky or fearful, just kind of alert and worried. I took a little more time to introduce myself. She gladly snuffled my hands and face- definitely a good sign- I would be worried if she refused to look at me. That would tell me she's truly fearful and that leads to spooking and getting hurt.

Within the 15 minutes we were there she settled down very well and would let me run my hands over her and pick up her feet. When you put her on a lead line she follows quietly and calmly, so very nice. When loose in her stall we couldn't get a picture of her because she kept snuffling the camera. Dad went in there with her and she walked right up and wanted attention.

Oh what a problem! Do we go with the perfect, easy, and gorgeous blue eyed Skyler? Or the heart stealing but troubled Candy?

But wait, there was a third! She pulls out Diva. Diva is a pony, not a mini, so she's a full foot taller. She comes out of her stall like she owns the world and sets herself up like she's being judged. She could win anything, heck I gave her a 10 just for coming out of her stall! She's perfectly proportioned, perfectly balanced, and just beautiful. But she's also $1000. She is truly a world class show pony and she should go to a home where she'll be shown to her full potential, not my place.

So have I lost my mind? Probably. We went to look at three minis today...ended up buying two of them.

Skyler (left) and Candy. We're bringing them home Monday. I'm happy :)