Simply Sunday

Snapshot Saturday - The Goddesses are 16 weeks!

I has been a beautiful day here at Our Haven - clear blue skies and just enough of a breeze to keep thinks cool. Temps only got to the high seventies.  SO, how did I spend my day - doing curriculum work on the deck with a FABULOUS view of the  river.  Every so often the Goddesses or Dingle Twits would come by for a visit.

I'm really torn between letting them free range and having to hose down the deck every morning or afternoon before I can use it, but they seem so miserable when I don't let them out.

Today's Snapshot Saturday is in honor of the Goddesses - they're 16 weeks today and really beginning to look like grown up hens. 

Artemis at two weeks

Artemis (now) with the ladies enjoying some water and Greek Yogurt (a special treat)

at a week ish

Ariadne at 15 weeks

at two weeks

Hera at 15 weeks

We had to put Eris in "chicken jail" at least 4 times in the first few weeks.
She's finally settled down - only causes chaos for the Dingle Twits now. 

Eos, above, heading for some shade.
Persephone below, having a sit.

 You want to sit here? 

Never too far apart from eachother - 

Ganymede on the perch
 I can hardly believe I used to be worried  because she was half the size of the others.

Not anymore . . .

Now she's as big as Hera. 

I caught this one just in time: 

 "You won't BELIEVE what the Dingle Twits did next."

Did you guys say something? 

The last two photos were too good not to post. If nothing else, keeping chickens is good for lowering the blood pressure.

Wishful Wednesday

I really, REALLY wish the Dingle Twits would figure out they are supposed to go IN the run/coop at dusk. 

Monday, both flocks went in the coop without preamble. Around 7:30, I walked over to check on their food and water and the next thing I knew I could hear chicken feet running behind me. When I got to the coop/run I opened the door and in they all went.  They were perfectly happy to stay, so all I had to do was come out and lock up when they were all in the coop in their spots.  

If I miss that dusk time, the Goddesses tuck themselves in, which is great. The Dingle Twits can't seem to figure it out.  I'm told when the Wyandottes get bigger they won't be able to achieve as much lift, so hopefully that will help. 

THIS (image below) is what I found tonight.

The four on the lower branches were reachable, but boy did they squawk. The fifth one, up top, decided that she wasn't coming down and climbed to an even higher branch while I was putting the others away. She squawked and squawked - was having none of going in. 

  I shook the tree and sternly told her it was time to go and reminded her that her friends were already abed (I know, talking to a chicken like she'd understand).  Well, the next thing I knew . . .

SHE STOPPED SQUAWKING, FLEW DOWN, and walked into the run on her own.  I just stood there, shaking my head. 

To Do List Tuesday - still working on that sign.

Remember this? 

I've been doing a lot of curriculum development most days, so I haven't really touched it since last week.

I took it down, sanded it and gave it a couple coats of "chalkboard black" spray paint.   When it was dry,  I hung it back up so it would be like working on the whiteboard in class (and hopefully better for my handwriting than trying to do it laying down). 

The next thing I had to do was pull out my math brain to figure out where to put the lines ( how far in and down, etc. ). Once that was figured, I marked it on the sign in pencil. 

The writing is all free-hand, which is obvious from the lettering. 

I used silver pastel pencil by accident, but it was a brilliant error - it let me just wipe away my mistake and start anew. 

The image below is where I am now. The scroll has three coats of "Whitewash White" and the top line has two.  I ran out of daylight today, but I'll finish up in the morning.  

When it's done, I'll remove the landmark lines and box around the scroll. Depending on how it turns out, I may sand it a bit before doing a tea-stain seal. 

I chose this passage as a reminder to stop and breath - - In. Out. Let go. Repeat. 

If we can remember to do just that small thing, we open ourselves up to find those small quiet moments of joy. 

Mystery Plant Monday - two for one challenge, sort of.

I've been waiting to see what came out of this barrel since we moved in.  I inherited these lovelies from the previous owners when they left an overgrown wine barrel on the back deck.  I was curious to see what was inside so I let it overwinter and waited.  

My patience was rewarded with: 

Yellow Daylilies and ??? Buds that looked like they're from the mum family but leaves that looked like daisies. 

 They turned out to be, gorgeous Mountain Daisies. 

The poor barrel is SO VERY overgrown that I will be dividing it into multiple containers at the end of the season. 



OK, now for the REAL mystery plant:

I'm stumped on this one.

This is the largest one, but I've got shrubs like this growing out of five or six nursery logs all around the property.  

Bark

 This one (above) you can see some raspberry leaves protruding through, grrr. The birds and my chickens love the berries. 


I think it's a Mountain Ash, but I'm not sure.  Like the Ash, it has pinnate leaf structure and clumps of 30+ red berries. The piece that's throwing me off is that it's not growing from one main trunk, but a bunch of shoots.  

I give on this one for now - I'll observe through the season and fall and see what happens. 

Simply Sunday

Snapshot Saturday - Our Haven

My first pot arrangement for spring. It really came into what I hoped and looked beautiful . . .

until the Goddesses decided THEY liked it just as much. They've been at a few of my colored spaces - not sure I like all the freedom of "free-range". 

I took a walk yesterday and was so excited to see the hydrangeas blooming finally. I was concerned that I wouldn't get any blooms since I pruned them pretty heavily when I did my first clean up. But . . . 

              

  This one's in the front by the water font - It's reading more pink-purple than how it's really coming up - which is a deep violet. I'll have to see if I can get a more true color image. It's really gorgeous. Can't wait to see it in full bloom. 

This one's in the back. The flower heads are everywhere - they start this creamy yellow and open to a beautiful sky blue.  

As I walked around the side yard to harvest some more raspberries I saw this little guy: 

and one of his friends. I watched for a while and discovered they have a burrow in the hillside right next to my vegetable garden. So far I've seen 4 or five of the tykes. Mrs. Mc Greggor's Garden anyone? 

Well, I finally made it to the berries. WoW - there are so many of them. 

They are absolutely yummy - right off the vine!  

They have been allowed to ramble and have invaded some areas I'd rather they weren't. So I'll have to work on containing them for next year. 

For now, I'm imagining a crisp, juicy, berry tart - yumm!

I leave you with one of my favorite things about Our Haven - the sound of the river.  

The first clip is from one of my favorite view points. The second is from the grotto - my secret hideaway. 

Fabulous Friday - a new recipe to try!

Things are gearing up for me - getting things ready for the  new school year and a grade change. I realized looking at my calendar that there isn't much time left and I needed to get busy. As a result, I've been a bit focused on school stuff and less on house projects - but I'm seeking balance. 

First, an update on the Dingle Twits. They've been sequestered to the coop and run until they figure out that it is their home.  So far it's been working - I've only had to go lock up - everyone's been inside. This decision came Monday when I went to close up: three of the Dingle Twits were sitting on TOP of the umbrella. A fourth was trying to climb up to sit with. The fifth was on a tree branch waiting her turn.  Just as I was getting close enough to take a picture, the fourth one made it to the top - and brought the whole umbrella toppling down. Missed the picture by seconds, but got one of them on the ground looking at it as if to say, "Well, THAT didn't go as planned!"  Too funny. 

I've let the Goddesses out everyday to give the Dingle Twits some time to get used to the run. It's been nice - by 7:30 the goddesses are all hanging out by the door, so I let them in. I have only had to go lock up at 9:15. Fingers crossed this keeps working. 

Now for the recipe . . . 

I mentioned that I've been pretty busy with curriculum work - the last thing I want to do is spend a ton of time in the kitchen making food.  My solution: Mexican Wontons

Ingredients: 
wontons
favorite nacho/burrito/taco ingredients


I lined a cupcake pan with three wontons (overlapping to make a cup because my pan makes large cupcakes) 

Then I added:
 a scoop of re-fried beans
some shredded cheese
some salsa
some chopped olives
Mrs. Dash chili lime seasoning

I topped it with another wonton and some cheese and salsa and baked it at 385 until the wontons were crispy and golden. 


They popped right out of my silpat pans - and right into our mouths. Yummo! 

So many things to do - not enough hours in the day

My day started in the chicken coop -  now it's raked clean, wiped down, and smelling pretty. 

• I made an coop air freshener and I really like how it turned out. 

 4 ounces dish soap

 12 ounces water

 10 drops tea-tree oil

10 drops lavender oil

10 drops peppermint oil

10 drops grapefruit extract 

I put it all in a spray bottle, gave it a swirl, and misted the coop when I finished cleaning up - now the coop smells fresh and clean. 

• I tried a recipe for a chicken treat but I  think it will be back to the drawing board for this one - they barely touched it.  I used ingredients from the treat list I've been working through and the consistency was similar to the Chicken Pumpkin Pie recipe I came across some time ago but they turned up their nose  at it:

I had an avocado I needed to use or toss (bought some for making guacamole and had an extra). I combined the flesh of it with some oats and some Omega egg yummies.    I mixed it together and served it on a pretty plate. I'll make it with pumpkin next time -- I just didn't have any, fresh or canned. 

• I assembled all my materials for a Chicken First Aid box and placed an order for the items I didn't have (I found everything at Amazon which beat driving all over creation and at least 6 stores to find the items on my list.  I REALLY need to find a good feed/farm store around here. 

Ordered from Amazon (couldn't find them locally without going to 6 stores and driving all over creation)

1. Blu-Kote
2. Vetericyn
3. VetRx
4. Nutridrench
5. Kocci-Free

Pick up from grocery store or round up at home:

1. Honey
2. Cornstarch (stops bleeding)
3. Gauze pads
4. Q-Tips
5. sharp scissors
6. Tweezers
7. Saline Solution

I'm going to put it all together in a sealed bucket or galvanized tin and I'm all set in the event we need it.

• I made a self-feeder for my chickens. 

I followed a plan I found on The Chicken Chick and it all came together without too much fuss. 

I cut a 10 foot section of 4" wide PVC pipe in half  so I have enough for 2 feeders. 

I made a oyster shell feeder from one of the pipe caps

The only difference I had with my construction was the attachment. I used long zip ties and secured the pipe directly  to one of the 4x4 support beams instead of to a 2x4. It's holding quite well and the chickens took right to it. 

I made a open dispenser for oyster shells for the chicks too. 

I built a new perch for the run area of the coop.

This natural perch is by far their favorite - they were hopping onto it before I even finished putting it in.  I think I might switch out the other 1x2 perches we originally put it with more natural ones. Goodness knows we have enough branches about, I could make hundreds of them.   

I think I also need to switch out the 2x4 perch I put in the coop for a natural round branch - maybe that's why they don't use their perch inside much. We'll see. 

• I harvested some raspberries and blackberries - enough to eat as a snack or make a tart, but not enough for jam. There's so many more - I just can't get to them. 

While I was trying to reach the berries in the middle of the stands I got an idea for next season. When things go dormant this year I want to move them apart and anchor them onto an arbor high trellis that way I can walk down the middle and still reach everything. 

• I did some research on riding lawn mowers V. garden tractor  - - garden tractor for the win! 

Husqvarna GT52XLS (52") 24HP Kawasaki Garden Tractor (2013 Model) - I could buy 3 of these for the cost of the one below, but the Kubota  could be used for SO much more at Our Haven. . . 

So, I will be mowing the lawn by hand for a while some time more. 

• I finished the geography unit I'm designing for my 4th graders 

It has turned out well and I'm very happy with it. It just needs a few finishing touches, then I'm going to package it and offer it on my TpT store with a few other things I've been thinking of putting out there. 

Then it's on to the next thing on my ToDo list for the new school year. 

My dinner's in the oven and my "wish" now is to enjoy it with with a few boys - either "Mike" or "Jose"  Not sure wish.     ^.^