SLW enjoys a sunny winter NC day.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
'til we meet again NanoWrimo
Well, November is in the rearview mirror of 2006. So long Thanksgiving, so long age 33, so long tofurkey. And so long NanoWrimo deadline. Unfortunately, I didn't join until mid-month, so tackling my first novel was that much more arduous. To obfuscate matters more, Jove also experienced roseola from fever, to rash, to the neediness only a young toddler elicits.
I did find a nice writing program along the way. It allows the writer to divide words by chapter, employs a handy word count, and breaks words down by usage. Not to mention, it's free. It's by Spacejock Software and can be found here.
Fortunately, I look forward to November 2007, when I can once again try my pen at the 50,000 word goal. And by the month's close, I will wave goodbye to number 34!
I did find a nice writing program along the way. It allows the writer to divide words by chapter, employs a handy word count, and breaks words down by usage. Not to mention, it's free. It's by Spacejock Software and can be found here.
Fortunately, I look forward to November 2007, when I can once again try my pen at the 50,000 word goal. And by the month's close, I will wave goodbye to number 34!
Friday, June 20, 2003
It's hard to believe we've only had "the girls" for 7 months. It feels like it has been much longer. It feels as if we've been cleaning their house for years! I'm sure this is magnified for Soren, who took on much of the shoveling duties while my pregnant body passed out on fresh bales of hay. Still, I am the one who fits through the side door of the barn....even with only a month left to go before we add another human to our home. Sometimes it is the only way to get a stubborn chicken inside.
In this short time, we have sadly lost five hens. I'm not sure why. I have spent numerous hours scouring the internet and talking with Iowa folk at feed stores. I have guesses, but I am not positive why they died. Right now we have two girls who are not 100%. Remarkably, they are still hanging in there. I have noticed them to be weak, slightly thin, and a bit jaundiced. I started one on milk thistle seed, and she seemed to benefit. She's tired of milk thistle now. So, I let her be and she can usually be found resting under our porch. Thankfully she no longer lays eggs. Perhaps that will keep some stress off her little chicken body.
The other chicken seems to have the same problems as "Sweetie Pie". She, too, is a bit jaundiced and weak. Still, she's holding on and we hope they will at least enjoy the rest of the summer as free range birds.
And we hope they will be able to ward off three very ambitious roosters!
In this short time, we have sadly lost five hens. I'm not sure why. I have spent numerous hours scouring the internet and talking with Iowa folk at feed stores. I have guesses, but I am not positive why they died. Right now we have two girls who are not 100%. Remarkably, they are still hanging in there. I have noticed them to be weak, slightly thin, and a bit jaundiced. I started one on milk thistle seed, and she seemed to benefit. She's tired of milk thistle now. So, I let her be and she can usually be found resting under our porch. Thankfully she no longer lays eggs. Perhaps that will keep some stress off her little chicken body.
The other chicken seems to have the same problems as "Sweetie Pie". She, too, is a bit jaundiced and weak. Still, she's holding on and we hope they will at least enjoy the rest of the summer as free range birds.
And we hope they will be able to ward off three very ambitious roosters!
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Thursday, November 21, 2002
CHICKENS ARE 'POULTRY IN MOTION'!!
We have one chicken I call 'One Eyed Chicken'. I think other chickens pecked her eye out in her previous living quarters. Probably when she was but a little chick. She is so cool. The first hen to really come around and show affection for human beings. When I visit the girls, I notice she likes to stand under my legs. She also stands next to me when I sit down in their house. I think she looks to me for protection as she is still picked on by the other birds. When I pet her, she doesn't crouch like her friends. She is the cutest one-eyed chicken I know. Ok, the only one-eyed chicken I know.
Unfortunately, we are down to seventeen birds as two have died since we acquired them. I am not positive why, but I believe at least one of the deaths was due to problems with egg laying. I have since gone to the feed store to inquire about food that will decrease production, but of course, no one is interested in that around here. I keep researching, though.
Aside from chickens, I am going to get a t-shirt that says "I went Trick-Or-Treating and all I got was this lousy kitten". How many people do you know who could take a six year old out for candy and return with an eight week old fuzz ball who was hanging out at an intersection on one of the coldest Iowa nights this year? I think this cat may be the reincarnation of Murphy. She definately acts as if she has been around for a long time. I don't think I've ever met a kitten this confident. She chases Luna and Olivia around the house and attacks their necks. I think the beagles like it, too. These dogs won't even look a cat in the eye. I think they believe they will turn to stone if the do. But, they seem to like playing with the kitten. And Olivia has even been known to chase the kitten in retaliation. She plays with her like she plays with her brother.
In other animal related news, I think we saw a mountain lion in our woods. For real. Soren and I were looking for Sandoz as we drove away from the house, and I spotted something on a log in the woods. For a split second I thought it was Ms. S, but I realized this animal was much bigger and tawny in color. Too big to be a house cat.....and the fur was not like a coyote or fox. It was big enough to be a deer, but it was NOT the face of a deer. We got out of the car and as I was telling Soren I thought it was a cougar, it got up to leave. Soren followed it into a field where it slowly traveled on. He said it was a feline....but I knew it was too big to be a tom cat...
He didn't think it had a tail, which would lead me to believe it was a bobcat, but the coloring wasn't right. Maybe a young mountain lion with an injured tail. But there are no mountain lions in Iowa, right?
Well, I just couldn't get it out of my mind, so I did some internet research. And there have been sightings since about 1997. They started in western Iowa, but as the cats can move sixty miles a night, I began to feel my suspicions may be correct. There is a bill in Congress that is trying to protect the rights of cats here in Iowa, but it was nixed last time around. Once again, farmers don't want them anywhere near 'their' land. There have even been lions hit by cars here in Iowa. They are back. I am supposed to report my sighting, but I feel that would only lead to the fall of this beautiful beast. Even if he does eat some cattle, it is no where as unnatural as how we humans have come to find our dinners on the table. My sympathy lies with the big cats. But I am happy we finally found Ms. Sandy-pants on our return home. She was on an adventure. By chance, we saw her cross the dark road a bit away from the house. Perhaps she thought she was a cougar, hunting in the prairie grass by night. I was just happy she was not cougar food!
We have one chicken I call 'One Eyed Chicken'. I think other chickens pecked her eye out in her previous living quarters. Probably when she was but a little chick. She is so cool. The first hen to really come around and show affection for human beings. When I visit the girls, I notice she likes to stand under my legs. She also stands next to me when I sit down in their house. I think she looks to me for protection as she is still picked on by the other birds. When I pet her, she doesn't crouch like her friends. She is the cutest one-eyed chicken I know. Ok, the only one-eyed chicken I know.
Unfortunately, we are down to seventeen birds as two have died since we acquired them. I am not positive why, but I believe at least one of the deaths was due to problems with egg laying. I have since gone to the feed store to inquire about food that will decrease production, but of course, no one is interested in that around here. I keep researching, though.
Aside from chickens, I am going to get a t-shirt that says "I went Trick-Or-Treating and all I got was this lousy kitten". How many people do you know who could take a six year old out for candy and return with an eight week old fuzz ball who was hanging out at an intersection on one of the coldest Iowa nights this year? I think this cat may be the reincarnation of Murphy. She definately acts as if she has been around for a long time. I don't think I've ever met a kitten this confident. She chases Luna and Olivia around the house and attacks their necks. I think the beagles like it, too. These dogs won't even look a cat in the eye. I think they believe they will turn to stone if the do. But, they seem to like playing with the kitten. And Olivia has even been known to chase the kitten in retaliation. She plays with her like she plays with her brother.
In other animal related news, I think we saw a mountain lion in our woods. For real. Soren and I were looking for Sandoz as we drove away from the house, and I spotted something on a log in the woods. For a split second I thought it was Ms. S, but I realized this animal was much bigger and tawny in color. Too big to be a house cat.....and the fur was not like a coyote or fox. It was big enough to be a deer, but it was NOT the face of a deer. We got out of the car and as I was telling Soren I thought it was a cougar, it got up to leave. Soren followed it into a field where it slowly traveled on. He said it was a feline....but I knew it was too big to be a tom cat...
He didn't think it had a tail, which would lead me to believe it was a bobcat, but the coloring wasn't right. Maybe a young mountain lion with an injured tail. But there are no mountain lions in Iowa, right?
Well, I just couldn't get it out of my mind, so I did some internet research. And there have been sightings since about 1997. They started in western Iowa, but as the cats can move sixty miles a night, I began to feel my suspicions may be correct. There is a bill in Congress that is trying to protect the rights of cats here in Iowa, but it was nixed last time around. Once again, farmers don't want them anywhere near 'their' land. There have even been lions hit by cars here in Iowa. They are back. I am supposed to report my sighting, but I feel that would only lead to the fall of this beautiful beast. Even if he does eat some cattle, it is no where as unnatural as how we humans have come to find our dinners on the table. My sympathy lies with the big cats. But I am happy we finally found Ms. Sandy-pants on our return home. She was on an adventure. By chance, we saw her cross the dark road a bit away from the house. Perhaps she thought she was a cougar, hunting in the prairie grass by night. I was just happy she was not cougar food!
CHICKENS ARE 'POULTRY IN MOTION'!!
We have one chicken I call 'One Eyed Chicken'. I think other chickens pecked her eye out in her previous living quarters. Probably when she was but a little chick. She is so cool. The first hen to really come around and show affection for human beings. When I visit the girls, I notice she likes to stand under my legs. She also stands next to me when I sit down in their house. I think she looks to me for protection as she is still picked on by the other birds. When I pet her, she doesn't crouch like her friends. She is the cutest one-eyed chicken I know. Ok, the only one-eyed chicken I know.
Unfortunately, we are down to seventeen birds as two have died since we acquired them. I am not positive why, but I believe at least one of the deaths was due to problems with egg laying. I have since gone to the feed store to inquire about food that will decrease production, but of course, no one is interested in that around here. I keep researching, though.
Aside from chickens, I am going to get a t-shirt that says "I went Trick-Or-Treating and all I got was this lousy kitten". How many people do you know who could take a six year old out for candy and return with an eight week old fuzz ball who was hanging out at an intersection on one of the coldest Iowa nights this year? I think this cat may be the reincarnation of Murphy. She definately acts as if she has been around for a long time. I don't think I've ever met a kitten this confident. She chases Luna and Olivia around the house and attacks their necks. I think the beagles like it, too. These dogs won't even look a cat in the eye. I think they believe they will turn to stone if the do. But, they seem to like playing with the kitten. And Olivia has even been known to chase the kitten in retaliation. She plays with her like she plays with her brother.
In other animal related news, I think we saw a mountain lion in our woods. For real. Soren and I were looking for Sandoz as we drove away from the house, and I spotted something on a log in the woods. For a split second I thought it was Ms. S, but I realized this animal was much bigger and tawny in color. Too big to be a house cat.....and the fur was not like a coyote or fox. It was big enough to be a deer, but it was NOT the face of a deer. We got out of the car and as I was telling Soren I thought it was a cougar, it got up to leave. Soren followed it into a field where it slowly traveled on. He said it was a feline....but I knew it was too big to be a tom cat...
He didn't think it had a tail, which would lead me to believe it was a bobcat, but the coloring wasn't right. Maybe a young mountain lion with an injured tail. But there are no mountain lions in Iowa, right?
Well, I just couldn't get it out of my mind, so I did some internet research. And there have been sightings since about 1997. They started in western Iowa, but as the cats can move sixty miles a night, I began to feel my suspicions may be correct. There is a bill in Congress that is trying to protect the rights of cats here in Iowa, but it was nixed last time around. Once again, farmers don't want them anywhere near 'their' land. There have even been lions hit by cars here in Iowa. They are back. I am supposed to report my sighting, but I feel that would only lead to the fall of this beautiful beast. Even if he does eat some cattle, it is no where as unnatural as how we humans have come to find our dinners on the table. My sympathy lies with the big cats. But I am happy we finally found Ms. Sandy-pants on our return home. She was on an adventure. By chance, we saw her cross the dark road a bit away from the house. Perhaps she thought she was a cougar, hunting in the prairie grass by night. I was just happy she was not cougar food!
We have one chicken I call 'One Eyed Chicken'. I think other chickens pecked her eye out in her previous living quarters. Probably when she was but a little chick. She is so cool. The first hen to really come around and show affection for human beings. When I visit the girls, I notice she likes to stand under my legs. She also stands next to me when I sit down in their house. I think she looks to me for protection as she is still picked on by the other birds. When I pet her, she doesn't crouch like her friends. She is the cutest one-eyed chicken I know. Ok, the only one-eyed chicken I know.
Unfortunately, we are down to seventeen birds as two have died since we acquired them. I am not positive why, but I believe at least one of the deaths was due to problems with egg laying. I have since gone to the feed store to inquire about food that will decrease production, but of course, no one is interested in that around here. I keep researching, though.
Aside from chickens, I am going to get a t-shirt that says "I went Trick-Or-Treating and all I got was this lousy kitten". How many people do you know who could take a six year old out for candy and return with an eight week old fuzz ball who was hanging out at an intersection on one of the coldest Iowa nights this year? I think this cat may be the reincarnation of Murphy. She definately acts as if she has been around for a long time. I don't think I've ever met a kitten this confident. She chases Luna and Olivia around the house and attacks their necks. I think the beagles like it, too. These dogs won't even look a cat in the eye. I think they believe they will turn to stone if the do. But, they seem to like playing with the kitten. And Olivia has even been known to chase the kitten in retaliation. She plays with her like she plays with her brother.
In other animal related news, I think we saw a mountain lion in our woods. For real. Soren and I were looking for Sandoz as we drove away from the house, and I spotted something on a log in the woods. For a split second I thought it was Ms. S, but I realized this animal was much bigger and tawny in color. Too big to be a house cat.....and the fur was not like a coyote or fox. It was big enough to be a deer, but it was NOT the face of a deer. We got out of the car and as I was telling Soren I thought it was a cougar, it got up to leave. Soren followed it into a field where it slowly traveled on. He said it was a feline....but I knew it was too big to be a tom cat...
He didn't think it had a tail, which would lead me to believe it was a bobcat, but the coloring wasn't right. Maybe a young mountain lion with an injured tail. But there are no mountain lions in Iowa, right?
Well, I just couldn't get it out of my mind, so I did some internet research. And there have been sightings since about 1997. They started in western Iowa, but as the cats can move sixty miles a night, I began to feel my suspicions may be correct. There is a bill in Congress that is trying to protect the rights of cats here in Iowa, but it was nixed last time around. Once again, farmers don't want them anywhere near 'their' land. There have even been lions hit by cars here in Iowa. They are back. I am supposed to report my sighting, but I feel that would only lead to the fall of this beautiful beast. Even if he does eat some cattle, it is no where as unnatural as how we humans have come to find our dinners on the table. My sympathy lies with the big cats. But I am happy we finally found Ms. Sandy-pants on our return home. She was on an adventure. By chance, we saw her cross the dark road a bit away from the house. Perhaps she thought she was a cougar, hunting in the prairie grass by night. I was just happy she was not cougar food!
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
I had about a fifteen minute drive home which meant fifteen minutes to decide what to do with the girls once I arrived at the 'farm'. With the awful muffler sound of the truck, the bumpy dirt roads, and the cramped atmosphere of the crates, they were frightened. I decided to drag our little greenhouse into the dog pen for a makeshift chicken house. When Soren came home he placed a lamp in the greenhouse for a little extra warmth. The chickens seemed to be o.k. But now the dogs couldn't play in their run.
Within a couple days, we transformed our garage/barn into a genuine coop (although house, den, or abode sounds much more comfortable). We chicken-wired an area where the loft begins and Soren even built a nice door. That portion of the garage already had three levels of L-shaped shelves -perfect for cute little chickens to perch. Within a few more days we built (mostly Soren) a side door which leads to the pen. Now the birds can peck and scratch in the sunlight and fresh air.
I'd like to go back to the ad in the paper that stated these were 'old hens'. These chickens are 15 months old. I've read that a laying chicken's lifespan can be eight or more years. I've read of folks who have eleven year old birds. I've even read about hens who live into their twenties! But I guess since egg production drops a bit, this is the end of the line for most birds. They are only old by human standards.
So, now that their living quarters are established, it's time to get to know our wattle-necked friends.
(For pictures of our chickens check out the hen house page at BWG&S)!!
Within a couple days, we transformed our garage/barn into a genuine coop (although house, den, or abode sounds much more comfortable). We chicken-wired an area where the loft begins and Soren even built a nice door. That portion of the garage already had three levels of L-shaped shelves -perfect for cute little chickens to perch. Within a few more days we built (mostly Soren) a side door which leads to the pen. Now the birds can peck and scratch in the sunlight and fresh air.
I'd like to go back to the ad in the paper that stated these were 'old hens'. These chickens are 15 months old. I've read that a laying chicken's lifespan can be eight or more years. I've read of folks who have eleven year old birds. I've even read about hens who live into their twenties! But I guess since egg production drops a bit, this is the end of the line for most birds. They are only old by human standards.
So, now that their living quarters are established, it's time to get to know our wattle-necked friends.
(For pictures of our chickens check out the hen house page at BWG&S)!!
Perhaps "Dharmic Hens" would be a more apt name for this journal. As zen is the practice of achieving enlightenment through self-contemplation and meditation, dharma is truly the nature of the beast. I don't know if our chickens are really searching for god.....they seem to have it right by just being......and by not questioning the universal law of what it is to be a chicken.
With that said, here is how we acquired the babies.
Our local paper is about three pages in length. It consists mostly of mundane ads and town events. You can find auctions, farm equiptment, honey, and of course, farm animals. 'Old laying hens, live or butchered, 25 cents each'. I saw this and told Soren "hey there are chickens for a quarter in the paper". In no less than an hour we were on our way to get us some chickens. But it's dark by 5 o'clock now. And this is the land of the Amish. When we pulled up to the farm, we couldn't see anything, much less where exactly non-Amish people should go to find these death row birds. Frustrated with our fruitless adventure, we drove home.
But Joshua was adamant about getting some chickens NOW. "Ninetails, you go get the chickens while I'm at school". Sure, I didn't want to give up, but I certainly didn't want to go back to that farm by myself. I couldn't help think of the birds, though, so I threw two dog crates in the truck and made my way back to the forlorn fowl.
When I finally found the family in charge, I was told to pull my truck up to a rather large barn. On the way I passed a mangy dalmation, a few dog pens with newly born pups, and some stray chickens pecking around the dirt. Inside the barn were hundreds of hens. I told the guy I wanted four to eight chickens, but he assured me I could fit more than that in the crates. As a matter of fact, he squeezed nineteen into the carriers! While I wasn't looking for this many, I couldn't say no. These birds were in bad shape. Eighty percent of them were practically featherless....they apparently pluck each other when they feel too crowded. So I gave him the money and drove home fast. Without a place to put chickens.
With that said, here is how we acquired the babies.
Our local paper is about three pages in length. It consists mostly of mundane ads and town events. You can find auctions, farm equiptment, honey, and of course, farm animals. 'Old laying hens, live or butchered, 25 cents each'. I saw this and told Soren "hey there are chickens for a quarter in the paper". In no less than an hour we were on our way to get us some chickens. But it's dark by 5 o'clock now. And this is the land of the Amish. When we pulled up to the farm, we couldn't see anything, much less where exactly non-Amish people should go to find these death row birds. Frustrated with our fruitless adventure, we drove home.
But Joshua was adamant about getting some chickens NOW. "Ninetails, you go get the chickens while I'm at school". Sure, I didn't want to give up, but I certainly didn't want to go back to that farm by myself. I couldn't help think of the birds, though, so I threw two dog crates in the truck and made my way back to the forlorn fowl.
When I finally found the family in charge, I was told to pull my truck up to a rather large barn. On the way I passed a mangy dalmation, a few dog pens with newly born pups, and some stray chickens pecking around the dirt. Inside the barn were hundreds of hens. I told the guy I wanted four to eight chickens, but he assured me I could fit more than that in the crates. As a matter of fact, he squeezed nineteen into the carriers! While I wasn't looking for this many, I couldn't say no. These birds were in bad shape. Eighty percent of them were practically featherless....they apparently pluck each other when they feel too crowded. So I gave him the money and drove home fast. Without a place to put chickens.