The day after Christmas

Here we are again. The presents have all been opened. The tree lights still burning, the porch is still illuminated with white lights. We put away a little, played a lot. Gary did a little work on the computer. I have been playing around on my iPad. Gary now has vegetable soup on the stove and cornbread in the oven. I managed to stay in my pajamas all day and after supper I plan to shower and put on fresh ones. I love that it was a sloppy cold day. All day Tux wanted to stay in my lap.
We had a great time seeing family and friends this year. It was John Franklins first Christmas. We loved seeing all the kids. Charis and Stacey and the boys joined us for breakfast Christmas morning and then we opened gifts. They had other family to see later in the day but our time together was great!
Gary and I are hoping for a new year full of happiness and prosperity to everyone!

Holiday chicken coop

Gary put up some ice sickle lights up on the coop today for the hens. They glow down in the back yard! We put a brooder light in the 'run' area to knock off the chill and it has worked really well so far. We've had night it's gotten to 24 degrees outside and stayed at 34 degrees in the roost. The girls are still laying about 3-4 eggs daily. I've wondered if constant light is detrimental but I haven't gotten a definitive answer.

Thanksgiving day

We were planning to go to Birmingham today to have dinner with Gary's family today but had to cancel. He has had a stomach bug that started overnight. We hate to miss seeing them...especially our grandson John Franklin.
I miss the people in my family that I am not in contact with. Maybe time will help the situation. So much has happened that I can't imagine how we will come back together.
Happy thanksgiving to all of those I love. Thinking of and missing those who are no longer here.
This year is flying by. We have two babies on the way. Before we know it they will be here. Life has a way of going on.
We have a new addition to our family. Tux was a next door neighbors cat and when she passed, her grandsons moved into her house. They party all the time and have let the house go to pot. Tux was very sick last summer in the 109degree days so we gave him water and food to at least keep him from dying of dehydration. I bought antibiotics and managed to get him well. He is 16yrs old. We have fallen in love with him. He's extremely smart and very expressive. Cricket likes to clean up his food bowl which gets him in a lot of trouble. The little chicken girls are doing well. They are only giving 2-4 eggs daily now but that's ok. Everyone needs a break now and again!

Pottery

I finally got the good sense to change the clay I have been using to a soft moist clay body that made some really nice bowls. Once they are fired to bisque, I plan to use some really cool art glazes on each one.

The beach

The morning of our fifth wedding anniversary was gorgeous and Gary captured it beautifully early that morning!

Chickens in the garden

So, Gary got the Idea to let the girls into the garden. He cut an access door in the wire fence and "shooed" the girls in. They proceeded to peck and scratch and eat bugs to their little hearts content. I swear, it's like watching chicken tv. We love it!

Crieve-Hall Neighborhood News

I was so pleased with the way the article I wrote for the newsletter turned out!

Pears

The latest goodies coming ripe are Gary's pears. He has made pear preserves and they are yummy!
Last weekend I got a dehydrator for him for his birthday and he did some pear slices. They turned out quite good!

Green beans

We are in a "lul" with the green beans right now. Plenty of flowers (aren't they the cutest) so we have the promise of more to come.
We will probably plant a lot more tomatoes next year. We like to put plenty up for soups but we haven't gotten enough this year for much of that.

Little Cobs

Our garden was hit with 70-80 mph winds on 7-16-12 and it wiped out our corn. With it completely ruined, Gary whacked it all down.  We pulled off a few of these little cobs and gave them to our girls.  The loved the treat. I can't help but think how healthy and delicious the corn would have been.  At least the hens got to enjoy some of it. 
The compost is really doing well, we have layers of brown and green as all of the reading suggests, watering it naturally or manually periodically as suggested.  We should have some really good material for the garden.

We are continually learning what works and what does not.  These little cobs were a lot more work than they should have been.  The squirrels dug up the first planting, so we restarted in cups on the deck until they were about 4'' high.  The work to plant all that stuff was backbreaking work.  Gary wanted a lot, so we planted a lot.  Oy.

Garden Update 7.13.12

The corn is 8 feet tall in places.

Have put up about 30 quarts of beans

We have received lots of rain this week. I am sure the plants are loving it.

Cleaning day

Gary and I got up and cleaned the coop this morning. We sifted the sand inside the bottom coop enclosure and replaced the bedding inside. We bought a seed block and set it inside for a treat. It will give the girls added nutrients as well as something new to enjoy!
Gary commented today that he has enjoyed the hens more than he ever expected that he would. I love sharing this together!

Garden/Coop Update 6.24.12

We have some happy girls. 91 eggs in the last 17 days.

Molly is keeping watch over her flock.

I gave them some peanuts but they have not figured out how to get to the nut.

We really like our coop. So do the girls.

Our garden

We harvested beans Friday and Sunday morning. We put up 8 quarts in our freezer.

Our corn is growing.

Friday 6-15-12 was three weeks

It's been three weeks since we got our hens and they seem very happy. They are laying five and six eggs each day.
Scout and Molly seem to have accepted the hens well, Molly leads me to the coop each morning! They don't bark at the hens. Cricket however is quite intrigued by the hens and will bark and pace along the fence if not discouraged. All is going as well as I could have hoped!

Eggs are coming everyday 6.10.12

I had to put up Bird Netting to keep the girls and the Robins from eating the Blackberry's. It must be working Penny cooked pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast we had fresh blackberry's with breakfast.

I wrapped the pear tree in bird netting. I hope it will keep the squirrels from cutting them off.

Well I named this girl. Her name is Pearline. She is very interested in what ever is going on in the yard.

Enjoying their new home. The girls have been laying like crazy since Thursday when we got six eggs. Five on Saturday and five on Sunday so far.

The garden is doing great. I limed and fertilized yesterday. We are expecting rain for the next two days.

I planted field peas in between each stalk of corn yesterday. An old farmer told me it would feed the corn nitrogen and help it grow.

The beans are already blooming. Should not be long.

Scout and Molly are doing so well around the chickens. They don't bother them at all.

Penny cleaned the sand yesterday with a new sane I built yesterday.

I added chicken wire to the perimeter of the garden and so far it is keeping the rabbits and squirrels out.