Chicken.....House?

Today was a gorgeous day, with a gentle breeze and temps almost touching 70. I woke up early and took "Gato" the dog out to do his thing. We are dog sitting for my sister Melissa while she is on a bug hunting expedition in Costa Rica with Rachael.

I've always been an early riser, I love the peace and quite the morning brings. As I walked Gato I heard the gravel crackle under the tires of the neighbor's car as it slowly snaked its way down the hill over a quarter mile away. Steve says its just not right to be able to hear a fly buzzing 20 feet away, but I love the silence. It makes me feel like I'm in another world, somehow separated and distant from the troubles that attempt to surround me daily. It's nice to feel that all is well with the world, even if just for a few minutes. Even the sun rose quietly, without the usual colorful fanfare from the clouds.

It was nice enough to open the doors and windows as I worked at the computer. One of the great things about a nice February day, no bugs. But, I do have to watch out for livestock because they will always take advantage of an open door.

As I sat at the computer getting some work done, I heard a rustle at the door. Hershey lifted her head from her bed and attentively peered between the log steps out the front door. I too looked up from my desk tucked under the steps to see who had come to visit. Two hens poked their heads in and casually walked across the living room floor. They curiously poked around and made their way up the stairs. After shooing them out the door a third time I shut the door behind them and returned to my tasks. I have a feeling they were sizing up my accommodations.

With all the woes and uncertainty these days, sometimes its nice to just stop and smell the roses....er...uh...watch the chickens.


A couple of hens checking things out.


One of the girls making her way upstairs.


A little shaky on her feet. Its her first time doing stairs after all.


Almost there... When I chased her out, she flew from the top step all the way down and out the front door.

Two Guys and a Pair of Pants

I apologize up front for being a bit chauvinistic, but I had to tell on the two men I love most in my life. Mom and I laughed so hard I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom to avoid wetting my pants. I figured a good laugh ought to be shared.

Last time Mom & Dad came to visit Steve was getting ready to leave for China. The night before leaving he had everything pulled out of his closet ready to go into the suitcase except a pair of jeans that were in need of laundering. He was leaving for the airport around 4:30 a.m. the next morning, so I was quick to drop them into the washer and make sure they were taken care of. I don't have a dryer here; the dry Colorado air makes for no need of that appliance. Everything in this household is line dried, which usually presents no problems.

Well, in my book, having company in town is a recipe for memory impairment. We got busy visiting and other random stuff and I kinda forgot about the jeans still being in the washer. About 8 that evening Steve asked where his jeans were....ooops! I was in the middle of making dinner and somehow Steve & Dad got the job of hanging the jeans out on the back deck's clothes line.

I will say Steve was none too happy about the whole thing and I really couldn't blame him either. He came in mumbling something about them not being dry by morning. I assured him all would be fine, they would be plenty dry by 4 a.m. I didn't mention I would be happy to hold them out the window for the hour plus drive to the airport...somehow it just didn't seem an appropriate thing to say at the moment.

After dinner I went out back to see how the jeans were coming and much to my surprise when I opened the door I was greeted by a man's version of doing laundry. I let out with such a screaming laugh Mom came running and we both laughed till we cried and proceeded to rib the guys for their effort. Further, we explained the proper way to hang laundry. The guys insisted their way was the correct way and we were just plain crazy which unfortunately just incited more giggles on our part.

Dad wasn't too happy about the fun being poked at him and Steve. Figuring he had Em on his side, He later that evening quietly asked her how she would have hung them and she proceeded to explain the proper way to hang a pair of pants. We overheard the question which led to more teasing. I think by bed time the guys were plain fed up with us. But oh we sure had a great laugh.


Dad taking revenge unexpectedly. Somehow I think their manhood felt diminished by us gals laughing at them all evening.

A Beautiful week

Looks like its going to be a nice week around here. Almost got up to 50 today and is forecast to be in the 60's by the end of the week. My heating bill so appreciates the cooperation Mother Nature has shown lately. We filled the propane tank June 22nd and are still at 51%. Since they will only fill to 80% to allow for expansion, we've used just 29% in seven and a half months. Even with two cold snaps in January one for a week straight hovering around 16 below dipping down to 23 below and the other one down to 14 below for a few days. We've been able to heat mostly with wood this winter, thanks to Josh's muscle power.

The chicks I ordered last month will be arriving in another 10 to 12 days. I'm looking forward to picking them up at the local post office. I got a great deal by ordering the leftovers of the day. 200 for just .25 each, .47 each with shipping. I'm hoping there will be plenty of hens in the bunch, but they make no guarantees. They just take whatever is left over at the end of the day, toss them in a box 200 at a time and put them on the airplane. And I bet you had visions of sharing an airplane with chickens as a third world thing.

Ben and Jerry are getting big. They have 40 acres to roam, but prefer to acrobatically cross 5 strands of barbed wire and electric fence onto either one of the neighbor's property. The grass really is better on the other side, they'll tell you its true.

I'm trying to hold off starting some garden seeds. I started too early last year, probably need to wait till mid to late march. I do have plenty of manure to till in this spring. I hope to get a nice crop of sweet corn this year; hopefully no goating accidents this time around.


Ben, down by the garage hoping for a handout.


Tigris and Cheddar. "Its cold out here, can we come in?" They like to hang out on the back deck, Steve hates it since they leave puddles and dingleberries everywhere.


Becca and Em after the superbowl game with their 3-D glasses on.


Because we are in a bit of a valley, we don't get the greatest sunsets, but I never tire of the incredible sunrises.


It was beautiful, even to the north west. Every cloud in the sky looked as if it were on fire. Just incredible.