My, my, my-how time flies. The chickens have a coop and run and are a very good size. They're healthy and happy. We've seen the odd cat and fox prowling around the run and, once, a groundhog got into the run with the girls. No one was really thrilled about that situation. I thought it was very funny but only because nothing bad happened.
Last month was the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry and I got a few things spun up. My craft room is still overflowing with fibery goodness, though, and I'm not moving through it quickly at all. I spun a whopping 743 yards of 2-ply, 22-24 WPI yarn out of 4.2 ounces of merino/silk that I obtained from a fellow Raveler. I listed it in my Etsy but don't really expect that it will ever sell. I am working through 4 ounces of Finn roving that a different Raveller sent me for test spinning. I find it slightly coarse but still LOVELY to spin. I am not sure what my next project will be. I have over a pound of BFL to spin for a sweater. A Cormo fleece to finish flicking and then spinning-also a Merino. Then there are the expired braids from my Etsy. Maybe they'll sell better as yarn?? Probably not.
Last month began the joys of potty training two preschoolers. It progresses. I'm over that shit in a big way.
I finished one of my mom's sock pairs and I may have rediscovered my knitting mojo. I very quickly started the other pair (well, it is in it's fourth incarnation) and I think this one may be the final one. Toes are done and I'm into the foot (toe up, taat magic loop). I finished the Crest of the Wave tank that was begun last (2010!) April. I have a shawl started from the mohair/glitz blend that Jen sent me months ago and I spun in a denim gradient. Then plans for at least one more top before Winter sets in.
I started using Curly Girl method for my hair last month, too! I'm using Suave Naturals Conditioner plus intensive scalp massage for the wash, then Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition for the condition and a leave-in. Plopping in a t-shirt and air drying. Just today I added in Aussie Tizz no Frizz gel to hold the curl. We'll see what happens there. Three weeks ago now I went to Shear Madness II here in Warren and got an allover color (matching my natural brown) with blue streaks along the frame of my face. The blue STILL bleeds in the shower and right at the front has gone purple, but I LOVE it. As to the CG-three weeks later and my hair feels so healthy!
I had one gas station attendant laugh openly at me (The fucking NERVE! Jerk.).
I got new glasses (yay) with the help of the nine year-old SS. Optometrist told me that bifocals were in my future but not necessary at this time. Shit.
Going to visit my mother next week. Yay! Yes, I know it's all about her wanting to see the grands but I still get to see her and that part of my family :D
Thursday, May 12, 2011
The girls on 12 May, 2011. Frick and Frack are 4 and a half weeks old. Nan, Pippa, and Rosie are 2 and a half weeks old.
Three years ago the subject of keeping chickens came up. Right about then more and more people were looking for more self-sustainability, what with job losses and skyrocketing fuel prices driving up the cost of everything. We have bought our pork and beef shares so we wouldn't have to pay grocery store prices and because we liked the idea of raising our munchkins on food that we KNEW had no growth hormones and unhealthy lifestyles. I bought a bread machine. I was making cookies. I needed eggs. We all love chicken. So we started looking. For reasons I won't go into here, we ended up shelving the idea.
Fast forward to March, 2011 and the idea has come back in full force. We found two breeds that fit our needs (cold hardy, bears confinement well, heavy, docile, dual-purpose, but above all-FRIENDLY birds) perfectly. We built a chicken tractor. We decided (for the sake of space) to go with Speckled Sussex. Had a bit of trouble finding any "readily", however and ended up pre-ordering 3 pullets from Meyer Hatchery in Polk Ohio. There was a month wait and I developed chicken lust. Ended up buying two Buff Orpington pullets from our local feed store. BO also is a good breed for what we want.
So we've had the two BO girls for over a week and put them in the brooder we made out of Zoe's dog kennel. They adapted well and are friendly. It's endlessly amusing to watch the two of them and they're quite happy jumping on our hands and climbing up our arms when we stick them into the brooder. They seem to be happier having Scott pick them up than me, but he's got larger, warmer hands. I'm sure they feel more secure with him holding them.
The 3 SS girls spent the first night in the travel box but the next morning we put up a divider in the brooder box. They didn't have their feet under them yet and we were afraid the bigger girls would trample them or pick on them or smother them in their sleep. One of the times that I went down to check on them, I was fussing around with the cage trying to create some shade from the heat lamp when I realized that the tiny baby (I'm calling her Nan) had squeezed out of the divider and was roaming with the big girls. No one was panicked but I got the impression the big girls were sort of huddled into the corner with a "get it away, get it away!" sort of vibe. I picked Nan up and deposited her into the "nursery" and secured the divider to the side of the kennel so no one could squeeze in or out again. That was yesterday, Tuesday. This morning I went downstairs and found one of the big girls roosted quite comfortably on TOP of the divider and the other one down INSIDE. Everyone was calm and no one was being pecked to death. After putting the big girls back into their area I watched for a bit until everyone settled down to sleep. A couple of hours later I went back down and found both big girls down inside the nursery. No one was stressed. They all ate together and the three little ones were busily scratching and leaning up against the big girls.
