Computer crashes and other interruptions

I can hardly believe it's March already!  Where has the winter gone?  Don't get me wrong; I'm thrilled to pieces that spring is getting closer, but goodness, the time is slipping away quickly.

So, by way of excuses for neglecting my blog, my computer crashed in dramatic fashion in January.  I had been forced to keep it plugged in most of the time because the battery was going.  However, one day I thought, "You know, I should look into backing up my computer.  In case it crashes."  Yeah, just when I started to download the software to back it up, it shut down.  Completely.  As in, won't stay on for more than a minute or two before just giving up.

In the meantime, I've been using my husband's computer, but it's just not the same.  My plan is to get a new computer this month.  I'm not sure what I'm going to get, but I'm saving my pennies and hoping I can get something that works for me.

Also, I spent a lot of time getting ready for the Carolina Craftsmen Spring Classic craft show in Columbia, SC.  That was this past weekend and, although sales were a bit slow, I had a great time.  It has become a nice tradition for me to spend Friday with the wife of the Cousin-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.  She's a fellow homeschooling mom and I admire her courage in marrying my cousin.  She says we should have warned her, but I say, "No way!  We like you and didn't want to scare you off."

The second day, my daughter helped me in the booth.  She loves it and we had a fun day together.  Sunday, my sister-in-law went with me.  She can decorate a booth in her sleep and it looks fabulous!  Love to have her eye for detail!

On to farm news, Huey the Rooster is doing well.  I love to hear him crow.  He's gorgeous, a lilac Orpington.   We are also planning to add some new chicks this spring and possibly retire the older girls to the pasture with a chicken tractor.  That's not a plow pulled by chickens.  A chicken tractor is really a movable chicken coop.  That way, the chickens can have the protection of a coop while enjoying all the bugs they can eat on fresh grass every couple of days.

There are also two new baby goats in the pasture.  We were hoping for girls, but both are little boys.  They are just too cute!  I love watching them play and jump around in the grass.  We will probably buy a few girls this year, to help build up the herd. 

That's the quick-ish update.  How have you all been?

It can only get better from here, right?

Have you ever heard the saying "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day"? Well, I didn't eat a live frog, but I did have an unpleasant chore to do. My son came in from feeding the outside animals and said, "Mom, one of the chickens is dead. She's next to the waterer."

Sigh. My husband left for work an hour earlier so it was up to me. My sweet son kept me company and helped cover the grave with large sticks, to keep other critters out. It's not a pleasant chore, but it is one of those things that makes me feel a bit stronger when I've done it. Burying a farm animal is now one of the things I can do on my own.

When we got back to the house, my six-year-old daughter had made me a cup of coffee. She did a great job. She can add that to the list of things she can do on her own.

When Worlds Collide

Yesterday, the phones and computer were down for a while at my husband's office for a scheduled upgrade, so he helped out with chores at home for a while. Here he is, in his chicken-tending suit:

It was nice to have some company for morning chores and to have someone to lift the filled waterer. He's back at work today, and the children and I are at home, so things are closer to their usual routine. Now, if I can just find someone to lift the water bath canner...

Wordless Wednesday--Feather on My Floor

My Morning Routine

My morning routine is getting a bit of a rhythm to it these days. I try to get out of the house as early as I can since it heats up quickly. Abby is my companion for chores, although she can be fickle. Today my son came out and she left me to get a rub down from him.
First on the list is feeding and watering the chickens. I head to the coop and say good morning to the girls. There are 19 others, but these two ladies posed nicely for me this morning. The first one is a Rhode Island Red (RIR). The one below that is a black sex-link, which is a RIR cross. They both are reliable layers of large brown eggs.Here's the waterer, waiting at the faucet to be filled. Later, I'll turn on the sprinkler to keep the chickens cool while it's so very hot outside. Chickens can't take the extreme heat. Last summer, we lost two on one day, so this year I'm determined to keep them cool. Next, I move on the the goat pasture. There's a shocking lack of goats there. For now, I just refill Abby's water and food bowls. But as soon as the goats' shelter is built, there will be more chores to do up here.Last, I water my container plants outside. The lantana is enjoying the hot weather, both in containers and in the butterfly garden. At least somebody likes the heat!


Do you have a morning routine?

It's Chicken Run All Over Again!!

I went out to visit with the girls a little while ago. We have 22 chickens who live in a coop out back, with a fenced yard where they can scratch around. They have been falling down on the egg-laying job lately. I'm hoping that they will pick up the pace once the days get longer.

Anyway, here they are, gathering around and hoping for a treat. Sorry, ladies, I don't have anything right now.

This is a view of the back of the coop and their yard. See that hole in the back corner? I think they're trying to tunnel out.

We're not going to eat you, honest! Just lay some eggs!!

Nice Morning in the Swamp

Funny thing about chickens, they want fresh water and food. Every day. Rain, shine, cold, hot, it doesn't matter to the selfish little critters. So, some days going out to take care of them is not a pleasant experience. My hands get cold when I have to thaw their water and refill the container with fresh water. Rainy days are about as bad; have you ever walked around a WET chicken pen? Eeeeeewwwww. The summer isn't too bad, if I go out early enough, before the temperature gets too high.

But then there are days like today. The sun was just getting over the hill and peeking through the pines. The temperature hovered around 40F degrees, so, cool enough for a sweater but not cold enough to freeze the water. My nine-year-old son brought the waterer down the hill from the chicken coop for me to fill and return.

I filled the waterer and carried it back to the coop, escorted by Frodo the Wonder Yorkie. I tossed some feed into the yard for the hens and left them happily scratching around, clucking and munching.

These ARE the good old days.

Life and Death in the Swamp

We've had a bittersweet week here in the swamp. After doing well all last year in the outrageous heat of a South Carolina summer, just last week, two of our chickens died. As far as we can tell, the heat was just too much. My brave husband (okay, the least likely to cry over a dead chicken) burried them for us. No way we could eat a bird we raised from a day old chick. I know, some country-folk we are, huh.

We've since set up a sprinkler on part of their yard, to keep them cooler and provide a continuous fresh water supply all day. So far, so good.

The good news (depending on how you feel about kittens) is that the calico cat that showed up a couple of months ago, has four kittens. She kept them hidden for at least three weeks and just brought them for a visit last week. It's hard not to smile when kittens tumble over each other or pounce on their mother's tail as she tries to eat.

Aren't they adorable?

Small Town Life

I went to the feed store yesterday. I love going to the feed store. To appreciate just how strange that sounds, you need to know that I'm a suburban girl. I grew up in a quiet neighborhood, outside a not-very-big city. I didn't like to get dirty or, horrors, sweaty! Now I live in the country, with chickens and a garden (that needs weeding.)

So, now I have to go to the feed store on a regular basis. Chickens eat a lot. I think I like going to the feed store because it feels like stepping back in time. The owner is always there, usually talking to customers about what kind of seed would be best for their garden or which feed is best for their goats. In my case, it's whether I need the layer crumbles or the pellets. He remembers better than I do.

The feed store is a place where my grandfather would feel right at home. There's usually a cat napping on a stack of feed. Occasionally, there's a box of puppies or kittens looking for homes. There are pails on the floor filled with seeds that you can buy by the pound and several boxes of dog treats, also available by the pound. When my son went in with me one day, he came out with a treat to take home to our dog, no charge.

I've never had to load my own feed, although I did have to help get a square hay bale into a plastic bag so it wouldn't make a mess in my car. That's what I get for not driving the truck. I hope the feed store is around for a long time. The chickens don't care where their food comes from, but I do.

By the way, they eat the pellets.