I've EARNED every creak, crack and moan!

Everyone has a catch phrase. 

"Don't have a cow, man!"
"Frankly Scarlet, ..."
"Book 'em Danno"
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it...."

Yep, all as familiar as mixing cookies in milk, toast and peanut butter, bacon and eggs (drool... bacon).  My catch phrase is "boy, I'm tired".  It sounds redundant and over used, but I say it a LOT.  I can't help it.  I am worn out.  I hit the ground running in the morning and hardly find time to sit (or stand) still all day.  This weekend I came to the conclusion that I have earned "being tired".  I'm simply not tired from being bored, sitting around all day doing nothing mindlessly flipping through channels on the idiot box.  NO, I'm hauling, loading, moving, shifting, baking, marketing, sorting, organizing, cleaning, doing, driving, doing, doing, doing.  Even when I AM sitting still, my mind is hopelessly wandering and making lists and figuring out the next big "to do" project.

Saturday I got the bee in my bonnet to clean the Tardis, which is the large, unfinished part of our lower level.  It all started simply enough.  I went downstairs to sharpen a pencil and had to move a box out of the way to keep shavings from raining down on it. When I put the box down, I picked something else up to put IT away, and so on and so forth.

It dawned on me that piles of stuff in the Tardis just wasn't the most effective use of the space.  On top of everything else, the lighting STINKS!  The only lighting currently down there are three bare bulb fixtures with CFL bulbs in them.  They start out quite dim and then slowly work their way up to a blinding brightness.  The problem with that is the space.  You simply are in a basement area long enough for them to GET up to full brightness, so when you go in to just grab something from a camping shelf, you're doing it half blind.

Now I COULD have just solved the problem of the lighting with three of the new LED bulbs, which switch on instantly. But that would have been too easy.

No, instead I chose to shift the whole mess to the other end of the house, to the pantry area.  Honestly, this makes a whole lot more sense anyhow.  This area has large, bright light fixtures.  It already stores the food stuffs and the freezer and holds the off season clothing and large coats, as well as the utility room and tornado shelter.  It just made sense for it to be a full storage area.  So it began.

I told Doc my plan and told him that it was something I was planning on doing in the next couple of weeks.  Being the time traveler that I am, that apparently meant Tomorrow!

I spent all afternoon and evening emptying shelves and moving shelves. I then told Doc that I moved the shelves and the stuff would have to wait for another day, which turned out to mean the next morning.  After the lights came up to full bright, the things had to be carried, sorted, and re-shelved.  I had a pile for my sister, a pile for donation, and a pile of trash.  After an afternoon of walking back and forth, and forth and back again in bare feet on concrete floors, I thought my feet and ankles were going to explode.  I still had to take care of the empty old shelves and all the trunks and foot lockers, which I told Doc over dinner, would have to wait for another time as I was beat.

Apparently "another time", meant after dinner. (see what being an OCD means?). I opened, inventoried, and labeled all the trunks by their content, and stacked them neatly in the corner of the Tardif, where they will stay.  The old shelves went under the stairs for paint and hardware storage, the other pair to the garage for shoes and boots and whatnots.  I still need to take care of the piles of cardboard boxes and the donation pile but that can wait for later.

It's not anywhere near as close as the photos make it look.  There was just no good place to stand.  The room is HUGE, and still has plenty of space!  Only one of the two dressers at the end are staying.

By which I mean tonight!  Lol.  See?  Terrible, I know.  And that's why I am SO TIRED from sharpening a PENCIL!  But OH so worth it.


Next project.  Putting my sewing area back together.  (I tore it apart looking for a bit of Velcro.)

You're Never Really DONE With Your Chicken Coop

Some things should never be finalized in either spoken or written form:

1. "I have plenty of chickens."(LOL, we all KNOW where that is going in a hurry. We're already talking about letting the first hen to go broody in February hatch a small batch of chicks, from our own eggs. But I'm not so far gone as to banish current broodies into chicken Jail. So there is hope for me yet!)

2. "I'm going to give up coffee/tea/soda/chocolate."  Uh huh. 

And the really big one...

3. "I am DONE building the chicken coop."

In a brief moment of overwhelming emotions, mixed with pure exhaustion, blood sweat and tears, we may, in a blind fit of stupidity, put our hands on our hips, puff up with pride, smile, and announce loudly to the world, " The CHCKEN COOP IS DONE!"

If you are truly lucky, the only ear things within earshot are those little fluffy butts scratching and pecking at the ground, and even THEY are quietly laughing at you.  A little higher up the scale would place your Significant Other, children, or possibly nosey neighbors in earshot.  Not knowing any better, they too will share in your misguided triumph.  At the top of the scale, you cannot possibly contain your enthusiasm and you take a million photos and (GASP) POST them online.  And not just anywhere online, you go to the nations largest Back Yard Chicken Forum, where you've been lurking and playing for months on end.

Sure, no one replies to your post, or says it outright, but all the other posters are thinking it. ... " Suuuuure you are."  Then they giggle to themselves, a little snort escaping their nose. 

That's where I'm at.  Sure I THOUGHT I was done with the coop.  Then I had to build the run.  Then the coop needed more ventilation.  Then it needed a fan.  Then it needed a summer perch.  The roosts needed rearranged.  I didn't have enough nest boxes.   The run needed a stronger roof.  The new roof needed a new waterproof cover.  Well as long as I was up there, wouldn't a rooster weather vane look adorable up there?  The girls needed a ladder to play on in the run.  The run door needed a drop pin to keep it from blowing in the wind (as much as I loved using logs, NOT!)  I wanted to try fermented feed, so I needed Doc to build me a trough.  The upper window needed a rain shield.  Lights, both in the run and the coop, needed installed.  A timer needed installed.  Another webcam needed installed. The list just keeps growing.

Back when Fall was at its peak, the lower angled sunlight caused me to realize the sunshield was blocking too much sun.  So a clear shield needed put up instead.  At this point I realized that, HOLY SMOKES, winter is JUST around the corner and I still need to Winterize the run!!  Small wood frames with shower curtains stapled to them would NOT cut it this year.  The wheels of thought and process kept me up nights trying to figure out what I was going to do to block the wicked prairie winds, yet allow air to flow and still keep out the snow.  It also had to be reusable and hearty. 


What I came up with is nothing short of brilliant. The same corrugated pvc panel that I used as a sun and rain shield on the upper windows also comes in clear.  It is easy to install, simple rubber washers and self tapping screws.  It also trims easily with scissors.  My plan was to use three long, 12 foot, panels to completely block off the north west side of the run, leave the south east short end totally open, and cover the lower 2/3rds of the north east wall. 

Of course as you work, your plans change as you go along.  I did cover the entire north west side, but decided to put one 2 foot tall panel along the bottom of the south east end.  This would block the wind at the chicken level should it happen to be blowing from that rare winter direction.  As I was putting up the north east panels, just before I put up the last, upper panel, I had a great idea.  Why not build a 2x4x12 frame and mount the panel to it, and hang it from the run on hinges?  Then I could prop it open on nice winter days for fresh air and close it on snowy/windy/rainy days as needed? 

Well that set off a whole set of projects, since you cannot just build a frame, you have to get the hardware (LOVE habitat for humanity RESTORE), then it needs props to keep it from blowing in the wind.  Then you find out that the wind on your hill is strong enough to lift a bull elephant and fly him like a kite, so a ridiculously heavy panel and frame is no problem.  But this will release the prop, which allows the panel to fall and slam shut, loudly.  Sigh, redesign.  But before I decided to redesign the props, I decided that the north west side of the coop would really benefit from a lift window as well.  More screws, more hardware, more custom cuts, more planning, another panel frame, more painting, and another trip into town.

I now had all of my supplies.  Doc made me yet another frame, which was now screwed, glued, and painted.  Now all I needed was a day where the wind was NOT howling.  I used one of those rare days to move 3200 pounds of hay, pitchfork by pitchfork, into the garden for the overwintering soil.  The location where I had the hay stored outside, was rich, black and WET! Even though we haven't had any real rain for almost 7 weeks. Composting at its finest.) Sure, I cannot feel my arms or my back, but as long as the earthworms are happy, isn't that what really matters?

I digress.

Today was the day.  Winter is coming.  There is a blizzard warning for the panhandle, and a high wind warning for the midlands, and as of this morning for the whole eastern side of the state.  It is just another reminder that the season waits for no one.  Today was almost 65', and the winds never made it past 25 mph.  It had to be today.  I got to work first thing in the morning.  The panels on their frames and hinges were already up, and their end locks were installed.  I still needed to install the extra panel supports, and figure out how on earth to make and fit the props.  To make matters MORE interesting, each one was a different size.  But once I got the design down, it was just a matter of adjusting the size.



I installed pieces of 2x4 on hinges that can be flipped up out of the way, the panel dropped and locked when the winds or weather come.  On fair days, you can flip them down and lock them into place with a clip to keep the winds from lifting and dropping the panels.  A bonus is that they, the top window panels, can stay up all year!  They will act as extended rain shields for the run. 

Of course no project is adventure free, and mine certainly are no exception.  My two sets of roofing screws needed two different hex heads.  I had two different types of screw heads going, Phillips and star.  I kept needing more screws, or different screws.  Wood pieces needed multiple trips to the drop saw.  I can't tell you how many trips I made from the barn to the coop.

In the midst of all this are the fluff butts, including a rooster who as an odd attachment to my shoes. I had hens laying eggs, and as we ALL do, I put them in my shorts pocket.  At one point, while removing a stubborn screw, the screw stayed and the wood spun counterclockwise.  Yup, you guessed it, slamming right into my pocket - the one full of eggs.  UGH.  Needless to say, this required a wardrobe change.

 

 

Mishap over.  All the props were installed.  The hens were wandering the hayfield and the run and I heard the egg song again.  So I stepped out of the run and was walking towards the coop door.  Simple right?  Two strides to the left, turn and four strides and up the stairs into the coop.  UH HUH.  Two strides left, and WHAMMO! Full force, smack in the nose, right into the window panel wing I had JUST installed, and forgotten about.  Oh ya, stars.  I saw stars.  Pretty, pretty, sparkly stars.

My sunglasses frame took the full brunt of it.  They are flex frames, so they didn't break, but the forward momentum of a human into a 2x4 frame attached to a concrete anchored coop simply refused to move, so the frame was shoved into the bridge of my nose.  Did I mention I saw stars?  I cannot remember.  Now my nose is puffy and stuffy and bruised. But the coop is DONE!

OH wait! No, I did NOT say that out loud!

Bread

I LOVE BREAD.  No matter how you slice it, rip it, soak it, toast it, or slather it.  Sure there are some that are a little lower on my scale than others, sourdough - I'm looking at you. But for the most part, it is a miracle of nature that I am happy to partake.

Every country, and every group of people on Earth have some form of bread.  We have sayings that revolve around it.  Industries built around it. Diets banning it. Clubs devoted to it. Whole isles of the supermarket dedicated to it.  It isn't the staff of life for nothing.

I've become much better over the years.  Sure, I crave it, but I behave myself.  But come this time of year (after the fresh picked apple cravings have passed), the reduced hours of daylight and the cooler air, kick in some primal need to load up on energy giving carbohydrates.  Sometimes, you just have to give into your ancient Neanderthal bread shop owner urges and bake yourself a loaf of bread.

My favorite breads are those that fight back, a more technical term would be breads with 'chew'.  White, squishy flavorless American supermarket bread isn't even on my radar unless I'm in the mood for a smashed peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Then there is the other end of the spectrum, the super health nut, all grain, pebbles, and sunshine.  These loaves are usually gratuitously full of chunks that purport health, but somehow seem to manage to be void of both flavor and moisture.  I enjoy hearty, chewy breads, preferably with a crispy crust that "speaks" as it cools.  Sandwich loaves should have a flavor array that can both stand on its own and support the fillings.

I have a collection of community cookbooks that are loaded with time honored traditional recipes, like angel biscuits, and "mom's" best potluck rolls.  As technology advanced, I've slid over to the unfathomably large number of cooking and baking sites, some dedicated to everything - some only to breads.

Usually the recipes found on these sites are nothing more than a passing fancy in my baking world.  They either take far too much effort and time for what you get out of them, or they require some odd, hard to find, ingredient that makes the whole project... well... a project.  As you can plainly see from this blog, I don't have time for things that take TOO much time.  I certainly do NOT need more projects.  What I do need are reliable, repeatable great recipes that make the work I need to accomplish in the kitchen fast and fabulous.

I have my normal recipes which are as comfortable as an old pair of sneakers or well beloved jeans- Italian, pizza dough, Bavarian pretzels, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, buttermilk biscuits, and garlic monkey bread.  And I have some that are newer to my world, but will quickly become memorized old friends- chocolate chunk bread, pumpernickel rye, honey whole wheat, milk bread, and oatmeal.

On afternoon I was looking for my copy of a well worn recipe in my great, old, scribbled, cookbook.  When I couldn't find it, I did what every one else does.  I hollered "OK GOOGLE."  Where upon realizing that my husband and child do not respond to that, nor does my phone when it is in the car, nor is it a nifty new swear word, I was forced to actually FIND an electronic device and open it.

I Googled the old recipe from the 50s as best as I could remember, and stumbled on something wonderful.  It was a site that wasn't just a post any old untested, untrue recipe that they came across to fill some need to burn 1s and 0s and draw viewers for advertising points.  No, this was an honest to goodness, site that was not only filled with amazing breads, but whose owner was wholly (if not holy) invested in both the ease of preparation, and consistent quality of the product.

I, with your gracious indulgence, present Fr. Dominic Garramone - better known on the internet as The BREAD MONK.


His version of Honey Oatmeal bread is amazing and pairs really well with ham and turkey.

The Chocolate Chunk is a remarkable thing!  We like it cold, we like it toasted with a light smear of peanut butter.  It has am amazing side feature.  It makes the MOST amazing plain bread! Simply leave out the cocoa and chocolate chunks.  I like to add a handful of my flaxseed mix - white and brown flax, sesame seeds, rosemary, granulated garlic and a pinch of salt.  You know that bread you get at restaurants that you dip in the olive oil with all the fragrant herbs mixed in?  Yup, it tastes just like that!

The American Pizza Crust does amazing things on a pizza stone or in a wood fire oven.  Rolled thin,  Brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with the flax mix and then served cold with fresh butter....droooool!

His site also has many tutorial videos for those that are still learning too!

So should you get the hankering for some great bread this week, mosey on over to his site and find something that tickles your fancy!

Out Sneaks October

I honestly do NOT know where the month of October went.  Ask anyone around here, and they'll tell you it just flew by.  Being insanely busy; harvesting, cleaning, putting up, swapping seasonal linens, stocking up, winterizing everything BEFORE it gets too cold to do it, makes the time slip.  Falling into bed AFTER your eyes are already half shut and waking up before they can creak open for weeks on end takes a toll.

Couple that with the utter lack of light.  Luckily, Nebraska doesn't get socked in with clouds from mid August until Mid May like Ohio does.  I'd go bankers.  No, we've been cloud free.  Our lack of light is from the seasonal creep.  And what a bonus, we change clocks this weekend too. I won't bore you with my annual rant about abolishing the time change.  Let's just say I don't think we need it anymore in our 24 hour society.

I DO enjoy this time of year though.  The air masses from the north fought hard all summer long, and have finally won the right to stay.  The air is lacking the stifling qualities of summer.  The days are pleasantly warm, and the nights tease with a chill that requires a jacket, hoodie, and a bonfire.  The setting sun blazes as it sets, reflecting on the changing spectacle of leaf colors and sets the very air alight with gold and red.  The Earth seems to be giving off its last bit of heat and joy before the grey of winter take over.

The girls, despite their full blown molt, have remained moderately productive.  They have slowed down a bit, but I hope the light (on a timer) in their coop and run keep them going just a little bit longer into the chilly season.

I managed to snap photos of MOST of them this past week.  Most are past their ratty looking stage.  A couple still look like the wind blew through them through a knot hole backwards.  The coop looks like an outsourced pillow factory waiting for OSHA to show up after a workplace incident.  I giggle when I see one of the girls finish a dust bath and then shake.  They loose a silly amount of feathers.  I'm sure the neighbors downwind, wonder what on earth is going on over here!

Blogger is acting up, so I will continue this entry on the next page.

Hyacinth - pale,pink/brown eggs - Lavender Orpington

Violet - light tan eggs - Blue Laced Red Wyadotte

Rose - Light Brown eggs - Welsummer
She thinks she's an ewok.

Flora - sky blue eggs - Ameraucauna - she's my biter, can you tell?

Merriweather - light blue - Ameraucana My lovie broodie, snuggle buddy.

Blitzer - light olive- half Ameraucana half RIR
I call her an American Red

Cirrus - green- half Buff Orpington, half Ameraucana
I call her an American BuffO

Daisy - Sand Brown, usually with white speckles - Light Sussex

Donder - Light Brown - Another American Red
Blitzen's Sister



 

Lela - DARK chocolate brown eggs - French Blue Copper Marana
She's a little high maintenance, but fun.

 

 

 

Not pictured - Zap, the rooster - French Blue Copper Maran

Nugget- Dark brown with speckles - Splash Marana
Olive - Deep Olive Eggs - Olive Egger

Lucy - Dark Brown - Copper Maran
Ethel - Dark Brown - Copper Maran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





One from each of the girls

Technology...can't live with it, can't find a teenager to fix it when you need to.

OK, back to what we were talking about, chickens.

The girls are happy.  I shut down the garden.  I used the tractor to load all the rich black compost into the garden.  I then waited until the wind shifted from the north so that I could spread it and throw it without wearing or breathing it.  I needed have bothered though.  Once the girls figured out the gate was open, they had an all out party.

It has been really fun to sit out and watch them go at the soil in the garden like drug addicts looking for their next fix.  I don't know what they are finding to eat, and I don't want to know, but they are having a blast doing it.

Last week we gave them the remnants of a pumpkin pie.  Have I ever mentioned how much my girls LOVE pumpkin. Mmmm...pie.  I think I'll have to make another this week. 

This weekend was spent winterizing.  I am spent.  I needed a day with NO wind to put up the winter panels on the run.  That's like saying you need a pink leprechaun to pop up in front of you when the moon is green, on the fifth Sunday of the month.  Remarkably enough, it happened!  I had a tiny window to work with of only a couple of hours.  Not only did I get the panels up, but just as I was walking the spare panel up to the barn, wooooosh, the southern winds picked up to 20.  Talk about timing. 

I'm using PVC clear panels on the long sides and a short one down low on the end, just to give them a wind break.  The upper third of the wall props open to allow for airflow, while allowing me to shut one or both for snow/rain control.  The short end is open and acts as an extension of the long woods coop.  The clear panels let the sun shine in and warm the run and in turn, the coop.  If I shut the windows in the coop, the run stays ventilated and keeps the coop ventilated and at about 15' warmer than the outside, which will be nice in the dead of winter. I can move air further in and around the coop by simply opening and closing different window sets.  It's a cool plan.

I also decided that the white panel I had placed over the upper window during the summer to block the heat was too much for winter.  I need the sun's rays to heat those upper windows and add heat and light to the coop, so I replaced it with a clear panel.  I secured it in every other location with screws, which will allow me to attach the white panel over top of it in the spring for the hot months, without taking OFF the clear panel.


The back vent hatch that I had to add to this plan earlier this summer also had to be shut for the winter.  For that, I simply made a plywood door, added foam insulation to the backside, and attached and secured with simple hinges and a barrel bolt.  Next spring I will add an eye and chain so that I can hook it open for the warmer months.

Yesterday the temperature was in the mid 50s and breezy.  A perfect day to scalp the yard down for the impending snows (long grass can mold in the spring and cause fungus problems.)  Of course I had to mow AROUND the fall blooming neon net plants.  Yes, the Snow Fences went up too. 

Then I drained and winterized the irrigation system.  But I'm STILL not done! 

I still need to fork 3000 pounds of hay into the garden.  I need good, strong north winds with out rain.   This will allow it to fly over the fencing with minimal lifting and throwing.  I tried moving it last week with light 15mph south winds.  Ever try spitting into the wind to fill a pond.  Ya, it was that bad.  Every toss, threw it back into my face.  So I switched to using the wheel barrow and fork.  Nope.  It wouldn't stay IN the barrow.  Work smarter, not harder.  This was twice as much work.  So I quit that project in a hurry!

I always have little projects to do; dust cover for some shop tools, DH has radio bits to fix, air duct cleaning appointment, furans cleaning, tree planters, chauffeur to The Boy, Driving lessons for The Boy, etc.   But it sure feels good to cross the big ones off that chalkboard list.  I'm looking forward to taking a bit of time to myself.  (That exists, right?)

I'm a member of wetcanvas.com and every year they have a portrait swap.  Artists from all over the world sign up, names and portrait photos are swapped and then every one gets to work for a month and creates their buddy's portrait in whatever medium they normally use.  I've missed out for years due to forgetfulness, bad timing, or moves.  Not this year! I've signed up.  I'm scared to death, but can't wait!  I don't normal do portraits, and have only done 6, but I work until I get them right or they don't see the light of day!


Next time... we talk BREAD!

It's coming!

You can just feel it.  It's coming. 

It's getting pitch dark by 730 at night.  It's getting harder and harder to keep your eyes open past 9 pm.  (I'm starting to feel like one of the hens.)  You SWEAR it's 10 pm and are disappointed when it's only 8:30.

Leaving the window open next to the bed requires you to burrow deep into the covers, stealing all the blankets is a given nightly activity.  (As is the battle to regain them.)

You get so chilled that the simple act of sacrificing a warm arm to crank the window shut is unthinkable.  Forget the fact that you'll have to expose your whole body to the chill when the alarm clock rings.  So you just root deeper into the covers.

Morning walks to and from the car require a jacket.  You refuse to wear one, or long pants, in hopes that your personal refusal to acknowledge the impending season shift will somehow force the entire cosmos to your whim, thereby saving all of mankind from the harsh reality that FALL is setting in.

The fields are slowly being transformed from their tall, crisp, brown stalks that rattle and crackle in the wind with raccoons playing at their feet, to bare soil, close cropped stumps that expose HUGE herds of deer every morning on your misty drive.

Large flocks of turkeys play and run through the fields, tripping over the stalks and their new found exposure to the world.

The soybeans and cottonwood trees are slowly turning from a lush green to a pale sun kissed gold.

The summer garden is gone.  Last week I pulled the last of the sweet potatoes and stored them in the basement. 

The cotton plants are SLOWLY opening.  The marvelously soft, brown fill popping from the boules, take me back to many years living in the deep south.

The sorghum, both the sweet and broom, have been harvested.  I'll hang both to dry and give it to the chickens for pecking treats during the dark winter days.

This next week I'll pull out the boxes and dump the old finished compost into the garden and load the whole area with 3,000 pounds of hay, close the gate and wait for Spring to arrive. Sigh. 

On the UPSIDE, we did spot our first wooly worm of the season.  (Well the first one that wasn't making a mad dash to try to get across the street in front of the SUV.)

This little guy's markings says we are in for a mild winter, according to his amount of red stripes showing.  (The larger the red segment then supposedly the milder the winter.)  Any truth to it?  No not really.  The longer their life cycle, goes on due to good weather, the more they grow and molt.  The more they molt, the more red is added to their body.  So you've HAD good weather if he has a lot of red.  But if the little guy says so... I'll take a mild winter.  We had one last year, so I'm not holding my breath for a repeat.

In fact, I'll go with another theory.  Now that I have a chicken coop that's 100 yards further from a wind break or structure, I'm saying I'll have to trudge water and feed through thigh high drifts and sub-zero wind-chill all winter. 

The rest of the Station has been slow.  We found out the radio antenna had been struck by lightning at some point.  I remember that strike, as it was one that flashed and sounded thunder at the same time, just about knocking me out of bed.  I just didn't think it was THAT close.  Turns out, even with all the lightning protection on the system, we still managed to melt a few resistors and circuits.  So we're working on that.

The hens laid their 600th egg today.  Almost everyone is laying.  Lela and Donder are still holding out.  Daisy is spending a few days in Chicken Jail to try to break her broadness.  Last week, this little guy put up a valiant show of bravado, just before Olive snatched him and ate him.

 

 

I've been playing around with a couple new bread recipes.  A local shop places two loaves side by side in a quarter sheet pan and sells them as farm house loaves.  I like the look, the texture, and the larger single pan to wash.  I'll play with it and some recipes and post the results here to share.  Cross your fingers.

 

The Boy made our first batch of pumpkin bread last night.  It tasted fantastic.  Sadly, it tasted like FALL!