Cracking Up Here

I found the bear cartoon...I am laughing my head off here!

 

Entry Swallowed Up

I just did a whole big entry on the silkies I have for Jamie...Solace223...but when I tried to save it, AOL made me sign in???? and then it said AOL Journals unavailable.

GRRRRR...maybe later...I will try again...it was long and had lots of pics...right now I got to get up and get the day started.

New Years Eve...2007

What will y'all be doing this evening?

I can tell you over the years we have toned down our New Years Eve. Last year I don't believe we had anyone over? I can't remember for sure...but I remember right after the ball dropped on TV we headed for bed.

After all the company we had on Christmas day and the day after Christmas I really was ready for some solitude. I try to be flexible though...especially when my husband goes and breaks the rules of solitude.

We had both agreed, no company for a WHILE. Maybe even for two months or so.

Brian called Ian a few days ago...you know how guys are...ho humming...might come over...might not, just have to see...you know how guys are, nothing confirming anything. I didnt know of this...not right away.

Karen called and wanted to know what we were doing for New Years eve. I told her not a thing. I told her after all that company we were hiding out. She understood...

Then I called Ian at work to chat while he was on break. This is when I tell him that I talked to Karen and begged off having company...and this is when he told me that Brian MIGHT be coming by...on New Years Eve...SIGHHH.....

I told him he broke the rules and now I look like a dumb a$$ telling Karen we arent having any company.

I tell him now I am going to have to call her back as she will talk to Brian and know he is coming and wonder why I didnt have her and Tiffany over...which if I had KNOWN that Brian might be coming I would have never told her THAT. Blahhhhhh...

So I called her back, told her what was going on, to come on.

SO not having any company was out the door.

********************

Last night I was at Walmart getting groceries and my phone rang. It was Brian...and so I asked him if he was still coming over. He said, yeah, if that was alright. I asked him if he had talked to Karen yet...No..so I told him they were coming too.

Then he tells me the twins usually go back to their mom on Sunday night, which was last night of course, but he didnt know if this was going to be the case as it was a holiday. Then he asks if it is okay to bring them.

What am I supposed to say...NO???

They really are sweet, but they are loud and noisy and giggly and screechy and squeally and heavy footed upstairs...and down the stairs and through the house...did I mention they are loud?

I feel like that cartoon where the old bear is in his den trying to get some sleep..and I think it is a Droopy cartoon.

"What are ya DEEF or sumpin'? Can't you see I am trying to get some sleep???" On and on...funny cartoon.

We are more or less a quiet family. We have our moments of cutting up, barking with the dog, laughing and stomping..but they dont go on...and on...and on...and on...for hours and hours...you get what I am saying?

When it is just Tiffany and Shelby they are quiet. You add the twins in and OMG it is like a HERD OF BUFFALO (Lisa, you would know what this sounds like, lol) are trampling upstairs, and down the stairs...and through the house...all day.

Sigh....

So I dont know if they will be coming in addition to Brian or not. We will have to see, but I can tell you, my threshold of tolerance is very thin right now so those buffalo are going to have to be turned into MICE if they show up.

I also plan on making them go walking with us this evening. Oh yes, we are still going walking, with or without company. It is our routine, period. How would that be to NOT go on New Years Eve...the eve of new resolutions and all. Going to to tomorrow too...wonder if they will all go or stay here...we will see!

The good thing is...Brian and Karen, and the kids...are not really 'company' in the way that if you are having company you have to clean and cook special. That is one plus...so other than the noise...we will probably be alright.

Just no buffalo...please...no buffalo running through the house.

;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Song From Daddy

 

Here is Daddy, fixing to start up the tiller this past Spring...to get that garden growing. It won't be long and we will be seeing this scene again. I can't wait for that to happen. Ground breaking means Springtime. I will be ready for it.

Daddy has sent me a couple more songs to share with folks here. Today I will post the song "It Always Will Be". He enjoys sharing his music with everyone and was very flattered and really got a kick out of the comments everyone left this last time I posted his playing and singing. I hope you enjoy this one just as much...even more. I gave him the link to here so if you want to talk to him directly in a comment go right ahead. :)

http://www.esnips.com/doc/b4897df9-e513-4902-a2d3-82a67ea2719c/It-Always-Will-Be,-J.Lindsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff Dunham Peanut Blooper

It is amazing how he improvs when things go wrong...funny stuff. You saw this skit before but in the middle of this one...well, you will see...lol.

 

Jeff Dunham and Achmed the Dead Terrorist

Lima Beans For Breakfast and Petes Missing Feathers

I STILL had lima beans left from Christmas dinner. I thought the ladies and gents out in the yard might like the leftovers so I spilled them out onto the ground and everyone came running and went to town on those beans.

You may be asking yourself why some of them look a bit ratty and I will go ahead and tell you that this time of year is molting season. You would think that it would make more sense to shed old feathers in the summer, but nope, its always in late Fall and into the first part of winter all the while freezing their hineys off. You may also see where some feathers are missing off the back, well, that is because a few of the girls are Hanks ummm....favorites. If you know what I mean. Their feathers will grow back so don't worry. Hank is not that darn quick so if they really WANTED to get away, they could.

You see Pete at the end of the video? Let me tell you, he had a close call day before yesterday.

I think I know what happened. Nobody alerted me. I was scolding the guineas asking them where were they when all this was going on? Any other time they are raising holy heck over a leaf blowing by.

A couple of days before this incident I am going to tell you about I was outside working around the yard and heard a dog bark.

What the heck was that? I asked myself.

I went around the front of the garage and there stood a Jack Russell Terrier barking at the guineas..and the guineas raising cain back at him from the safety of the fence.

I clapped my hands together and told him to GIT FROM HERE.

He scooted off tail tucked.

I THOUGHT this dog belonged to the neighbors next door. I was wrong. I will tell you how I found this out later.

Linda came by to get some eggs day before yesterday and when I walked out with her I saw down feathers...I saw them on the walkway...then in the flowerbed...then out on the other side of the driveway..piles. I found sickle feathers...from a tail...the tail of PETE.

I was immediately freaking out. I LOVE Pete so much. I started fretting and looking around. Linda was helping me to look for him. I went in the side gate and there he was...thank goodness. He was safe minus a LOT of feathers.

Now Pete weighs about ten pounds. That dog had to be the one that did this. Tearing out the feathers like that in chunks. That is a dog thing. He had no flesh wounds thank goodness. Had it been a cat it might have been worse.

Pete had no business being out of the fence, but with that said my girls and boys still stay right up by the garage and the front of the house, so they ARE on my property. Tip does her best to keep them in the fence when I see them out and let her go push them back in the fence, but I cant watch every single minute of the day.

So I hopped in the truck and went around to the house next to us, thinking that dog was their dog. Nope. She said it was THEIR dog, and pointed next door to them. SHEEEESH. I should have known. These are the people that had their dog they had at the time running loose and leading a pack of about five other dogs for about the first year we were living here. They let that dog have the run of the area. One day it disappeared. I imagine someone got tired of it and MADE it disappear. Was fine by me. You didnt see me shed a tear.

So now I am going to deal with their dog, again. Another dog. Cause that is what they needed was another dog, because they kept their other one in check so well. Back then we didnt have the fence so the dog could make a B line straight for our house, and the pens. Now THIS dog has to go all the way down the side of the fence, which backs up to not only the next door neighbors property, but their property. The little dog has to go A WAYS to get over here.

I am glad Pete is okay, and maybe this will teach him to keep his big self in the safety of the fence. It is still not okay for this dog to come over here, at all. Going to have to see about this, yep I am. Got to take care of my stock.

ANYWAY! Here is this mornings video..hope you enjoy it!

 

Some Of My Christmas Decorations

Good Saturday morning! They say the sun is going to come out for a while today and it will be close to 60 degrees here. I sure will enjoy that if it comes to pass. I better enjoy it while I can because the forecast for later turns off COLD.

 

Look at this picture up above. On the right there is the potted plant that Dad and Mary sent me for Christmas. It is growing!

 

I took a picture of this nativity scene that I have had handed down to me from Mama and Daddy. It is very old. On the back of the stable it has a little sticker that says 'Roses...$1.37'. They got it from a little store called Roses many years ago and can you imagine only $1.37. I take very good care of it. The star on top was looking a bit shabby and the top tip was coming off so I fixed it up with some glue, white paint and silver glitter. The hay that you place inside the little stable is both old and new hay. There was less and less of it as time went by so I took some scissors and cut up some new hay from the wheat straw I buy. I did that last year. The roof looks like it could use some hay on it again. Maybe I will do that next year when I pull it out for Christmas.

 

This is a wonderful ice skating scene that Ians mom bought for me one year. I love it so much and it always brings a smile to my face to pull it out and set it up. She loved Christmas so much.

 

This is our tree that we went out and got in the rain that day. The picture didnt turn out as well as I would have liked. It blurred a little, but this is our Christmas tree with the lights lit. It really is a pretty tree. The picture didnt do it justice.

I guess it is time to put all these things away now til next year. Seems like when I finally do get in the mood it is all over.

The sun is coming out now so I think I will get moving and enjoy it! I have a video to post and then I will be on my way. Everyone have a great weekend. :O)

Lets Throw Some Chickens

Okay okay, maybe not throw chickens, but throw them in the mix of todays entries. How about that? ;) After all this IS the CHICKEN Chronicles right?

Now, you all havent seen the three babies since they were about a day or two old. They are doing find and growing like weeds.

Since the iguana passed on I decided that big ole tank needed to be used for something. Instead of the plastic bin brooder I decided to put these three 'on display' for everyone for Christmas and this gives them plenty of room to grow up for a while to come.

 

Jeff and Peanut Part Three

Peanut and Jeff...Part Two Continued

Lets Watch Some Peanut and Jeff

 If you are easily offended by cuss words then you may not want to watch it. Peanut says "hell" a lot and "damn".

We know that some may not agree with Shelby watching this, but we look at it this way.

Lets weight the odds here...

In one hand we have drugs, drinking, sex....

In the other hand we have some funny comedy with mild cussing....

HMMMM....

think I will take the mild cussing. Besides, its FUNNY!

I will post more clips for you to enjoy later.

We think that Shelby is exceptionally mature and knows not to go around saying "damn", "hell", and the occasional "sh*t". But its still FUNNY stuff...lol...enjoy.

 

Peanut Arrived

Yes, he is here. That doll that was long awaited for. Here he is with Shelby asleep on the couch this morning. He has the privilege of being the latest bed buddy.

Shelbys bedroom is upstairs. We had a terrible downpour with a lot of lightning and thunder come through this morning. When this happens Shelby always transfers down to the couch. That is why you see her asleep there on the couch, but not without Peanut, oh no.

We got it the day after Christmas.

Remember the mailman in that movie with Chevy Chase? Where his wife and him bought the house out in the country, it was going to be so peaceful and nice, but the town was terrible and the mailman would chunk the mail out everywhere all the while laughing and weaving all over the road?

Well our mail person is not THAT bad, but close.

Everytime we get a delivery that entails her coming up to the house...we get a notice that says she tried to delivery it, then a second notice saying delivered...as in stuffed in the mailbox, whether it fits or not. She really never does try to deliver it.

Mamas brother Paul, his wife Kay, their son Patrick and I were all hanging out in the sun on the front porch when she drove up to the mailbox. She HAD to deliver the package. I mean, she saw us standing right there, so she had to.

Right before she had showed up I was telling the three of them that I believe our mail woman must be on something because the neighbors and I are always exchanging each others mail as she can't seem to get the right letters in the right boxes, and proceeded to tell them the tale of the last two box deliveries where I just about had to pull the entire mailbox off of the post to get the package out as it was wedged in there as a permanent fixture.

Here she comes, swinging into the driveway as we all turn and watch, she runs off the paved drive slushing along the sidein the grass, one wheel off, one on the pavement.

Overcorrecting, popping back up onto the driveway then onto the other side, one wheel on, one wheel off the pavement, driving on up, and finally correcting and staying all four tires on the pavement she made it up to the house...scary as it was I walked out to the truck to get the package.

I told her to please not try to back up and just take the side parking pad off into the yard and swing around and go through the space in between the trees that lined the drive..as it would be easier for her..for sure..lol.

Bringing in the box I handed it to Shelby. The label gave it away as it said it had been shipped from JeffDunham.com...nevertheless she was excited and promptly began ripping into it with gusto!

Now Peanut is supposed to talk. We immediately started pressing his hand, and there was nothing. Nothing nothing nothing. Crap, it doesnt work, its broken. Maybe there is an opening, a place for batteries? Searching...searching..cant find an opening. Well wasnt that a fine how do ya do.

If I had had half a brain I would have looked in the box and pulled out the instructions. But I guess that is asking for too much.

Kay went to searching and under the fur lined up ever so perfectly was the velcro closed opening with the talking and battery box, with batteries already in it, just had to pull out one of those little plastic tabs to make it activate.

DUHHHHHHH

DUHHHHHHHHHH

DUHHHHHHHHHHHHH

LOL

Okay, so we just got over excited. We would have eventually figured it out...and even if we didnt, when Ian got home from work he would have known exactly what to do. DUHHHH...lol.

Anyway, she has her doll and we are all so happy about it.

Mama, Erin, and Darby

These two pictures are the only two I took at Christmas. I really don't know why. I am a very avid picture taker. I think I was just caught up in visiting and everything going on. I should try to capture moments better from now on.

Darby is only three months old. As you can see he won't be a lap dog for very much longer but he is just as sweet and cuddly as you can possibly dream to imagine. He is an Irish Wolfhound. Cristi had to bring him with John (Ians Dad) and her because he is not used to being left alone and is recovering from what they think might have been a stroke at five weeks old. He is from the litter of 12 that were all lost but him, along with his mother.

John and Cristi had both asked Ian and I if it was okay to bring him. You know us. Any animal is welcome here. We are very accommodating when it comes to animals. We had every comfort for him even though they brought a kennel and his blankets. They ended up not even needing the kennel as he enjoyed the coolness out on the screened in porch.

Different breeds have such different temperaments. This breed is so layed back, even as a pup. He was fun to have around that day, even if Tip was a bit jealous and didnt like having him on her turf. She was just reacting like any dog would. This is her territory, period. I understand, and everything is back to normal now, thank goodness.

 

Lets All Take A Deep Breath And RELAX Now!

Yes lets do that. Lets all take a breather. I am one of those people that clean and want everything to look and feel perfect when company comes. I want people to feel like they have come home when they enter my house.

All the decorations and lights were up. The house was spotless. The animals were all tended to perfectly. The yard was cleaned up, the mud hayed down. The porch was even clean. Clean new sheets on my bed for Mama and Daddy to spend the night on. Everything was perfect. The food was prepared early Christmas eve. The tables were set with beautiful Christmas dishes I bought from Freds last year and this year.

My body felt like I had been beat with a bag of hammers. My feet felt like a million nails had been driven into every inch top and bottom. My back felt like it was going to snap in half. I smelled like some of the dirty hay I scooped out of Derbys barn as Shelby and I totally cleaned it out to put down fresh bedding. I barely had it in me to shower, but I did, just so I could sleep good. It is just the way I am. Everything must be a certain way. I want it to all be RIGHT for company. I did it. I pulled it off. I even got many compliments on how well everything was done up.

I loved the company. We had Ians dad, his new wife. My younger sister Erin, her boyfriend Mike, and his oldest daughter Emily. Mama and Daddy. Then Ian, Shelby and myself.

Mama and Daddy spent the night. That was very special and I loved having them here to spend the night.

The day after Christmas Mamas new found brother and his family came for the day here to visit. We had a lovely time together. Their youngest son did not know proper chicken respect and thought it would be funny to challenge Hank. Hank responded accordingly and Hank is usually an easy going roo, but when you provoke and challenge the king of the yard with a bunch of crowing and scratching and lunging, you better expect to get a reaction. Hank started walking at him and posturing, puffing out his chest. I caught all this going on and told Andrew to back off and get away. You have to give Hank the respect he deserves and he will give you respect back. That poor kid got hurt more times. He ran right into some stacked wood out front where Ian is working on that new chicken house. Tip and him got a little rough playing and she accidently gripped his hand instead of the stuffed toy with her teeth. Then he was about to get into it with Hank, and didnt even know it.

They all enjoyed looking at our array of animals. Kay, Pauls wife was especially taken with Tyler, Shelbys Flemish Giant rabbit. He weighs about twenty pounds, he is a big boy.

Derby was pretty good and social. We had his Christmas attire out but were not ever able to dress him up because it rained all day on Christmas day. He has a really cute horse coat that is red with the white fluffy outer lining, some leg wraps and a little white fuzzy cap thingie.

It had been many many years since Mama had felt and fed a horse. She enjoyed it very much. She loves horses a lot. She even smelled of him. Horses have this smell, it is a horse smell, it is nice, we like that smell of a horses hair.

Everyone left yesterday and it was just Shelby and I from 3 til 4. I sat there in my rocking chair just soaking the past two days in. Ian got home and I was really in a good mood. We went out to the trail and walked longer than we ever had. It just felt so good to get out. He said he was glad it was all over because he hated to see me so stressed out and in such pain and so tired. We are both looking forward to some solitude for the next couple of months. Its time to get socked in for winter in January and February with some good movies from Netflix and a lot of snuggling and spending some good quality family time with Shelby.

******************************

I discovered a new tv show on in the mornings. It is on Animal Planet. Has anyone ever caught it? It is called Sunrise Earth. This is not your typical show. It has NO TALKING. The show features a different part of the world at sunrise. For instance yesterday morning was a small farming village in Turkey. It is always a rural peaceful area they feature as far as I can tell. All you will hear is birds singing...the breeze is blowing some tall grass, and old man picking oranges, a woman leading a milk cow around...some old ruins..bugs singing...that was yesterdays. It goes for two hours. From 7 til 9. One place for each hour. I have to mute the commercial breaks so it doesnt break my peaceful interlude, but it is nice to sit and have coffee and just watch the sunrise and the morning time in different parts of the world. Especially when we have had a lot of overcast days lately.

Here you go, here is a link to the schedule for what they will be showing in the following days.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=15.15210.118620.31719.x

The above is the international...here is more..http://animal.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=15.15210.108966.27396.x

If you love nature, and you find it relaxing then you will love this new series. It has a very calming feeling about it because there is no intrusion of commentary. Its just you and the place.

*************************

Believe it or not I didnt take any pictures while everyone was here. Terrible I know. I guess I just got so into the moment I didnt really think. I did manage to get a picture of Erin and Mama with Darby, the irish wolfhound pup that Ians dad and his wife brought with them. He needs special care. They lost all but him in a litter of twelve and the mama dog was lost too. He has had some walking problems but is getting better. Tip was not happy about this pup coming in on her turf. We ended up cleaning some pee spots. Submissive from the pup and marking from Tip. Everything is alright now, all back to normal, no more visits from strange dogs.

Well, as you can see, I have not been on for days and days...I have been catching up on journals for a couple of hours now, and I intend on sitting here and relaxing and reading for the better part of the day. I feel I deserve the indulgence, so that is what I am going to do.

I hope everyone had a very nice Christmas and I hope the New Year brings wonderful things for everyone.

Going back to reading up on everyones goings on now. Have a good day and see y'all tomorrow I am sure. :)

 

I Am Still Here

I didnt fall off the face of the Earth, but we did have some serious computer failure. One of the critical files for booting up was corrupted and so the computer wouldnt even boot up. It took Ian a few days, but he got it all fixed...MY HERO!

I sure did get a lot done while the computer was down. I just about worked myself to death I think! There was nothing else to do! Wow I got a lot done around here.

Today is Ians last day at work til Wednesday, so I won't be around til probably Thursday. I have fell way way behind on alerts, but I will let them keep coming and I will catch up next week.

Now, I am going to go be a good little girl and get to cleaning the house for Christmas company coming.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, see you when I get back!

Love to all,

Kelly

Peck here...

http://badaboo.free.fr/merryxmas.swf

Speckles

This is Speckles. He is one of the first four I ever hatched out of my first two pairs of Serama. His parents are huge, none of them would qualify in any of the weight classes accepted for this breed. With that being said, I think it is my fault, in a way, that my birds all end up weighing more than Serama are supposed to weigh.

This is not a real great shot, but I wanted to show his beautiful tail. He is only about 7 months old and has already filled out so beautifully.

 

A lot of people tend to feed their chickens scratch grains. There is not a lot of nutrition in this as it is mostly cracked corn. Chickens LOVE it, it is like candy to them, but just like candy, it isnt really all that good for you.

I don't totally deprive my chickens of scratch grains, but I do mix it with 16 percent layer crumble which is a complete diet for any chicken.

I raised my first four from babies. They are beautiful, but they are big.

I hatched off about thirteen babies from these originals. I traded some with Dwain for silkies and Twiggy. I have seen his birds since trading, they are not huge like Speckles. He feeds them scratch grains more often than not.

The largest an adult rooster can weigh and still be in the class C, which is the largest class is I believe 600 grams. I weighed Speckles.

Ummm....he is over 800 grams...oooopps.

It is too bad, I would have liked to have shown him.

Come to find out he has exceptional manners. I have never handled him. Day before yesterday I took an opportunity to snag him out of the pen. He freaked out for a second, but then amazingly he was fine. I took him in the house, took these pictures, put some vaselineon his comb (it has been so cold, and I am afraid he might get frostbite on his comb as he is in an unheated pen with others). 

 

I am still amazed to this day how one will act so differently than others. When I took pictures of Buzzbomb and tried to hold him to tame him down he was wild as all get out, never would settle down.

Speckles, he took it all in stride. I sat with him in the rocker and tried rubbing him under the wings like so many of my chickens like, and well he took right to it. Lifted his wing right on up, held it up for me. So we went to the other side and did that one too. He was even talking to me. Not in a nervous way, but in a little calm way. It is hard to describe, but they do have a lot of different sounds, and I have learned a lot of them and what they mean as far as what they are feeling.

I tried to put him down and let him walk around, but believe it or not, he didnt want to! He wanted me to keep holding him and petting him.

I still think some chickens are smarter than others. Some catch on really quick that you are not going to hurt them and they would enjoy a humans company.

Yesterday when I went out to make my rounds I talked to Speckles through the pen door and I want you to know he hopped up on the front perch and started dancing along that perch and looking at me, all happy to see me. Too sweet.

Shelby said she saw where someone had toilet trained their pet chicken, it was on a video. I have yet to find it, but I will! I want to know how to do this. If it possible, just imagine the possibilities!

Speckles temperament is perfect for show, but he is just too big, too bad really.

The second bunch of Serama I got recently have already 'bulked up' compared to when I got them a few months ago. I think they will still meet the weight requirements for a show though.

One morething, if you notice, he is not very typy. He does not pose like a Serama very much. He can do it, I have seen him do it. He did it when I put him back in the pen that day. He wouldnt do it for me when I was taking pictures.

 

Peanut Doll, Cuddly Chickens

OHHH MY! Christmas may be here at the door after all!

This morning I opened my email and found this header.

Package Shipped To You From JeffDunham.com

OHHH YESSSS!

That means I got in! You see, I have a habit of keeping sites on a whim on my favorites. I went and clicked on one from his site I had saved and it just happened to be the order page for Peanut, and even though it was NOT on the current updated Store page, I had it, so I ordered it anyway.

I checked, and since then they have fixed it. Says SOLD OUT and has a dollar amount of 0.00, and on the Store page it says SOLD OUT, WILL SHIP APRIL 2008.

So I beat the system maybe???

I went and checked...hee hee, it is a two pound package. I bet it is the Peanut doll.

I am just so excited! Now if it will just get here before Christmas, wouldnt that be SOMETHING!

************************

It has been COLD here the past few days. The little chickens don't handle it too well. The breeder/show Serama have heat lamps on them so they can keep warm. Phoenix, Bonnie and Clyde get to come in when it gets dark, but it is getting so cold I think I am going to have to accomodate them with heat lamps in their pens on the porch too.

Saturday evening when we got home from getting our Christmas tree (in the rain of course) Shelby was feeling motherly. She said the poor babies were cold and needed to come in right then. She got their apple juice and wheat bread for them, brought them all in. (It was pretty cold)

After everyone had had their meal Phoenix was the first to come to her and she wrapped him up in her coat. He seemed very cozy and content.

Next Bonnie followed, so she wrapped herup in another section of her coat.

I asked her what she was going to do when Clyde came up for a snuggle as it didnt look like there was going to be any more room in that coat.

She simply replied that she would rearrange them all and they would fit. I figured once she jostled everyone about they would get restless and the spell would be broken, but I was wrong.

She is as much a Chicken Whisperer as I am. ;)

Here are a few cute pictures I took of all these goings on.

 

 

 

 

 

Ohhh look somebody is getting SLEEPY up above.

Bonnie getting snuggled in and warm below...

 

 

All three below...can you see Bonnie, she is on the far left.

 

Believe it or not, Clyde and Phoenix 'get along' pretty good now. Clyde has no interest in fighting Phoenix. Sometimes Phoenix will gingerly walk over and steal Clydes piece of bread, but Clyde is the bigger man and moves on to another piece. Phoenix still tries to win the favor of Bonnie. Last night he danced for her once, but she just balked at him and complained. She tolerates him as best she can I guess. ;)

******************

One more thing I wanted to add...

We are still walking and I weighed at Mama and Daddys Sunday when I went over to pick them up.

(We went to visit Grandmama)

Well, I lost two pounds since we started. Not too bad, not too bad at all!

***************

Okay, lol, I know that the doll is kind of "ugly". I didnt want anyone to think I actually thought it was cute, BUT with that said, if you saw the puppet, the real Peanut, you would understand the doll.

Has anyone ever seen Jeff Dunhams routine? You can go to YouTube and watch Spark of Insanity, the whole special that was on Comedy Central. Funny stuff. Be warned, there is some language, nothing severe, but there is some language.

Peanut, Walter, Jose Jalepeno, and Jeff of course.

Last Hockey Video

Getting the crowd into it here...everyone is getting worked up!

 

Well Go Figure

The Uncut Video actually took my hockey video that YouTube wouldnt upload for some reason...so here is one of the last two I was trying to put on here. For once AOL came through for me, can you believe it.

This is the Thrasher head that shoots flames..you dont get to see stuff like this on the tv broadcast. I LOVE IT! This is what happens when we score!

 

Testing

I wanted to post something of Daddys singing. Someone suggested it and I think I found a site to do this from, so bear with me, lets see if this works.

I did ask his permission first. The only thing he requested was to not post anything he had written himself and sung. You never know who will try and steal something original from someone that has a good idea.

 http://www.esnips.com/doc/eec110c7-9fd3-448b-a31e-1eae98288aa4/Blue-Eyes-Crying-in-the-Rain,-J.-Lindsey

Daddy has played the classical guitar ever since I could remember. He teaches guitar, gives private lessons. He used to teach at two local colleges, but there were always complications due to the unorganized staff at the colleges. So he doesnt do that anymore, at least not anymore for now.

If ever there was a regret that I have, it is not learning to play from him. You know how it is when you are a kid and have the attention span of gnat.

Maybe when they move out here I can get reaquainted with the guitar. He did try to teach me when I was a child. Ian has said he wants to learn also...so maybe we can be his next students in years to come.

 

 

By the way...he just played and sang this last night and sent it to me special to post on here...I think he was flattered and happy to hear folks interest in doing one of the things he really loves, singing and playing the guitar.

A Gift From Dad and Mary

Sometimes things happen at just the right moment. For me, Saturday was that moment. I have Dad and Mary to thank for this.

Until I walked out onto the front porch and found a box sitting by the front door that afternoon I had not felt the Christmas spirit. Well, I had not a clue what was in the box or who had sent it.

I came back into the house with the box and Ian saw me carrying the box and asked me what it was. I told him I had no idea, but that I had found it left on the front porch by the mail person.

I opened the packing list on the top of the box and saw who it was from...

It said,

YOUR TENNESSEE FRIENDS! DAD AND MARY

I got really excited and began getting the tape off of the box and opened it up and what I pulled out just melted my heart.

If ever there were two kinder souls on this Earth I dont know who else they would be but Dad and Mary.

I just want you two to know, you lifted me up so high and thrust me in head first into the Christmas spirit. Thankyou so much for that.

Now look here, this is what I pulled out of the box...isn't this just beautiful?

 

Inside this beautiful planter are Amaryllis. The paper you see there tells you exactly how to take care of it properly. I plan on taking VERY good care of it. This is a very special gift and I want to have it around always to remind me of what special people Dad and Mary are and how lucky I am to have run across his journal. He truly lifts me up every morning.

Merry Christmas Dad and Mary, God Bless You Both.

Thankyou so much for this beautiful living gift!

The Last Two Standing

I have two more I will post later..they are uploading.

Dodgeball on Ice

This was funny! During a break they had the US Army against ??? Didnt ever catch who they were playing against.

 

Thrashers Game Play #2

Thrashers Game Video, One at a time

Hockey Game pictures

Thrashers in Blue, we lost 5 to 3...our new guy scored TWO of the goals, first time playing with our guys, one practice before that!

Zambonis cleaning the ice...

Thrasher head that opens and shoots flames...got that on video..will make a seperate entry for video.

Feeling Pressed, Hockey Pictures

Things are starting to get hectic around here and I don't like hectic. I like a nice slow snail's pace. Seems everyday something is going on.

Today I have to get to the grocery store and feed store because we didnt get there yesterday, because Ian had to work over, because he didnt work over like he usually does on Wednesday, because we went to the hockey game. So now I am going to the store alone, again.

 

I havent finished my decorating for Christmas, we are going Saturday afternoon FINALLY to get a tree. By the time I get it all up it will all be over. :(

When am I supposed to do the planner for school next week? I usually do it on Sunday. It takes about three hours to do...not a short task.

Know what, I was only going to take the week of Christmas off, but now I am thinking I really NEED the week before the weekend before Christmas OFF so I can get my LIFE in order.

I am not feeling very Christmasy. Oh we havent even gone shopping at all for Shelby.

We will, but good grief.

I am sorry, just not in a good mood this morning, was up half the night with a burning stomach to boot. I sure hope today gets better.

I loaded some pictures of the hockey game, and I have some video to share.

I will put those on a seperate entry...this is just a whine and moan rant..sometimes you got to let it out.

Hockey

Yes, hockey. My husband may not be a hunter...thank goodness, I dont care for dead animal heads all over the walls as decoration for the living room, BUT he is a sports fan. He loves soccer the most, but loves hockey almost as much.

When an opportunity came up to get free tickets to the Thrashers game tonight...http://thrashers.nhl.com/ well you know we were going to be going.

Now I have never, ever been into sports. I was always supportive of Ians soccer games while we were dating and even early on in our marriage. He had played since he was 8 years old, and played til his body wouldnt let him anymore, so now he has to enjoy the game from the sidelines.

He puts up with my chickens, Shelbys horse and rabbits, I guess we can go to a hockey game.

There is one thing I will say. We have been to two of them before. Once you have been to one live, you will understand. It is a lot of fun if you are actually there. Watching it on TV is so boring compared to being there.

The blare of the horn when they score...the Thrasher bird head coming open at the mouth and blasting hot flames from its mouth...the music, the fans...it all comes together when you are there in person. On TV they dont show the Thrasher bird shooting flames...I like to see that.

I wonder if they allow cameras? I want to take some pictures!

So, I better get off my rump and get things in order so we can be ready to go this afternoon.

If they allow pictures you can be sure I will post them here tomorrow. :)

 

I Think I Am Obsessing

Since getting DSL we have watched many clips, movies, what have you...online.

Ian introduced Shelby to the comedy of a ventriloquist named Jeff Dunham. Some may have seen him on Comedy Central.

Granted, some of his skits are kid appropriate, some not as much, but nothing TOO bad. We think Shelby can handle it and not be permanently scarred for life...  ;)

Anyway...on his site http://jeffdunham.com he sells stuff that relates back to his puppets, dolls, keychains, hats, things like that.

Shelby loves Peanut. There is in fact a talking Peanut doll that was for sale. It is sold out now and I waited too long before ordering it. I did order it, but it is back ordered and won't get here for Christmas. This was going to be a BIG surprise for her. You know how kids pretty much know what they are getting at 13, but she had no idea about this.

I had to burst my bubble yesterday and tell her what I was doing. I didnt want her to be disappointed on Christmas day, and I wanted her to know I was getting her something really special, the doll.

She about fainted away (just play acting of course) with delight.

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Here is another link to tell about Jeff and his puppets, this one links to Comedy Central.  http://www.comedycentral.com/comedians/browse/d/jeff_dunham.jhtml

 

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The doll...

 

 

 

Now you may ask...why do I think I am obsessing? Well I had dreams all morning this morning about obtaining this doll, apparently by whatever means necessary.

I dreamed I was at a kids type party place, games, tables, pizza..that kind of thing.

A truck pulled INTO the room (???) and kids were all over it trying to see inside. It had Jeff Dunham's picture on the side with his puppets. I was searching for someone to find out what was going on. Someone told me that they were selling stuffed dolls of Jeffs puppets out of the truck!

Of course these things are never easy in a dream...frustratingly enough I couldnt seem to find someone to BUY the doll from...

finally I found a GEORGE (???) Dunham. Dont know where that came from, but guessing a relative? I was freaking out and trying desperately to get him to understand I HAD to have one of those Peanut dolls NOW!

He calmed me down and went into the truck. All they had left was a Peanut doll puppet, on strings...

I told him I didnt care...I WOULD TAKE IT.

When I looked in the truck there were mountains of stuffed dolls, but no Peanut, except for the one he mentioned, hanging from the ceiling of the truck.

I was just happy to get anything at that point.

Talk about frustrating dreams...man I must really be obsessed with getting this doll.

Ian said to me last night that she can wait, it wont kill her to wait.

He said, remember the craze of the Tickle Me Elmo? Remember how everyone HAD to have one for their kid for Christmas? How about now...nobody even remembers Tickle Me Elmo.

He is right, I just for some reason didnt think that the Peanut doll would turn out to be such a hot item.

If you go to http://Ebay.com and put in Jeff Dunham Peanut doll you will see just how hot. One sold for around 250 dollars that ended yesterday.

I just wanted to get a simple stupid Peanut doll...something I thought would be obscure and wouldnt be bought up.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

Oh well, she knows, and she will get it. She is a very understanding kid.

 

Dragon

This is Dragon. I know some may not see an iguana as a very cuddly pet, but every animal has its way.

We lost this dear wonderful lady yesterday. She was an astounding 15 years old. That is very old for an iguana in captivity. We have had her longer than we have had our daughter Shelby!

Don't fret too much. We will miss her, but she lived a good life and it was her time. Her death came as no surprise. She stopped eating over a week ago. She lost all her muscle mass over three weeks ago. We knew it was coming and her time to leave us was near. She passed peacefully.

We used to take her to the Petsmart sometimes when we lived at the old house. That always turned heads. We could only take her in the summer when it was warm though...as reptiles dont have any way to regulate their body heat and the only way to keep her warm outside of her heat lamp and heat rock was to take her out on warm days.

She had a leash...yes she had a harness. We would take her for walks out on the grass from time to time.

In the summer she had a large cage that she managed to escape on one occasion...scared me to death...we looked and looked for her. We found she hadnt gone far at all...she was in that big old tree in the front yard (at the old house) looking down at us probably laughing in her reptilian way at the silly humans looking for her. Ian had to get a ladder and perch precariously on the top of it, but he got her down. She clung to the branch reluctantly.

She loved to have her bumps rubbed. She had raised bumps on the back of her neck.

She had a rough start in life. Way back when, Ian and I went to go to the grocery store for a few things. We had a sickly cat and figured she would not bother Dragon, since she didnt feel very good. How that cat dragged that poor lizard out of a coveredtank I will never know. The top is covered by a wooden cover. But she did, had that lizard out on the floor and had really torn her up good. Dragons eye was turned back, her thin ear hole covering was ripped open, she had numerous puncture wounds and scratches. We sat vigile with her over night keeping her warm with her heat rock.

Well she made it through. Her eye got better and her ear hole healed up and recovered itself. We werent sure she would make it, but she sure did.

Then came a whole other set of problems. She was reaching an age to produce eggs. Reptiles are like birds, they will produce eggs whether they are mated or not. Difference being reptiles expell their eggs all at once. Our girl was getting bloated looking and we were afraid she had become eggbound. (Not being able to expell the eggs).

I searched and searched for a vet that would take her. No regular vet wanted to touch her...but on the northside of Atlanta I finally found a vet that specialized in reptiles and birds. Thank goodness. We made an appointment and went right in.

With Xrays the doctor saw at least 25 eggs, and yes she was indeed eggbound. She also had a kidney stone that would only get worse with time...so they were to remove that while in there. She was spayed so there would be no further problems.

The doctor was very impressed with Dragons bone structure. More often than not people that get these animals do not adhere to their diet requirements. They think lizards are easy keepers, and they are in some ways. They must have the right amount of calcium in their diet though. Too much will cause calcium deposits and kill them. Too little and their bone structure suffers, some will have no bones in the their toes or hands...things like that. Dragon had bones all the way to the tip of her little toes. So we had been doing right by her.

800 dollars later...we were out of there. Sheesh that was one expensive vet visit. But as you can see, she was worth it, she lived a long long time.

Anyway...I wanted to do an entry about good old Dragon. She was a good old gal.

Chicks Video

Not a lot of free time for me today...but I wanted to stop in and leave a video of the babies. I have one with YouTube and then one with BlipTV...so one should work for everyone.

 

This walking makes for a hectic day having to have everything done and ready to go by the time Ian gets home, then take off in time to walk a while before dark.

 

YouTube...

 

BlipTV link...

 

Click To Play

 

Hope everyone is having a nice day today. :)

 

 

All Three Babies

Well my little hatch is complete. The last one, the fourth egg...didn't make it. Even though I am not attached to the little baby yet it is sad to open an egg to find the little one didnt make it. There had been no movement for two days in the egg. I opened it up after waiting two extra days. The baby was barely alive at all...and the yolk sac that the baby absorbs for nutrients to grow while in the egg had gone bad...so it was just a matter of time. The yolk was a sickly green and by now the baby is supposed to have absorbed all of the sac so I am figuring that is one reason for it going bad.

I do however have three very healthy little fuzzies. I couldn't be happier. This is what will get me through the winter. This is what will bring a smile to my face on days I can't go outside and enjoy my animals. They will be spoiled in no time you will see!

I did have to help the other two out of the shells..its just how it is most of the time with this breed. The second one was doing a pretty fair job, but if they wait too long the exposure to the air will dry them out and they cant move around in there as easy to peck out their little flip top to get out.

The third one had only pecked  a little hole and it had been a long long time, over 24 hours, so I helped that one out too. No harm done, they were ready. You just have to be really really careful and try to wait as long as you can before you help them out.

Here they are, but the other two don't have names yet! One has a black stripe down the back of its head. The other one looks like it has smaller eyes. I think it is just an illusion though because its little fuzz got dried stuck down on its little head, so it looks like it has a small head...lol.

 

See Ruby? She is the one in the middle, both pictures.

It is so sweet. I have been handling them enough that they actually stand up tall when my hand closes around them to pick them up, pushing themselves into my hand. They are all just so sweet. I am quite happy and content tonight. Yes I am. :)

Our Walk

We, my family, have started walking. Even the dog goes. We go to the Silver Comet Trail in the next town over. The Trail runs for ninety something miles I think now. It is an old railbed that has been converted into a bike path, but folks can walk it too.

I am fixing to turn forty years old in May. Ian IS  forty. Shelby needs more exercise as does the dog. We could all stand to lose some weight, especially me. You may wonder why I dont ever show my pictures in my journal...well..cause I am fat, and even though I am very active, it doesnt come off. Wintertime makes matters much worse as I am not outside working.

It is time. Time to stop this madness and get off. Eat right, and go walking. We are doing just a mile and a half now. That works out to roughly a thirty minute walk. Next week we will up it five minutes, and the next five more, so forth and so on.

I dont want to die, but if I dont do something, eventually the dam is going to burst and things are going to start going wrong. This scares me. I don't want to be 55 years old and die. My MIL was only 55 when she died.

Its time to start taking care of my family and me. So we are working on it, day by day. Eating healthy, and walking.

We did not wait for the New Year for this, NOW is the time to do it, now and from NOW ON. Time for a lifestyle change, for real.

Anyway, here are some shots from along the trail.

I will have some photos to share of the other two babies hatched out yesterday later on. Right now I got to get moving and get some chores done. Everyone have a great Saturday!

 

A Dryer, Fluffier Ruby

Good morning, good morning, good morning!

Ruby's leg seems to be correcting itself and coming back around the way it is supposed to be, which is excellent news! She is using it and it seems strong.

One thing that amazes me about these little Serama chicks is how fast they are ready to eat and drink and trying to walk. They seem to get on their feet a lot faster than normal size chicks.

Here is Ruby this morning. Yes, that is a stuffed Llama in there with her. It is extremely soft and I use it with new babies when they are by themselves and need the to snuggle and not feel so alone. It seems to work. She is very content.

 

Ohhh Ruby is so sleepy...babies cant stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time.

Time to snuggle my llama mama...

 

A few questions to answer this morning....

How did I know that Ruby was upside down?

Well, when you put an egg in the incubator you always put the small end down, just like you would in an egg carton. When the baby develops the feet are supposed to be at the bottom and the head at the top, more or less. They always have their wing over their face like you saw yesterday...I had JUST taken her out of the shell. They are curled up in there, but the feet are supposed to be at the bottom...Ruby started pecking out, but I could tell the pip was too far towards the bottom of the egg. Normally when they hatch out on their own they move, scoot, and peck, scoot and peck, til the top of the egg pops off like a cap. There would have been no way for her to be able to do that being upside down. So I helped her on out.

Bethe...now your gonna have to catch up...lol. I dont talk about my extended family or friends too much on here as it can be stressful...but the main two you might hear of are my husband Ian, and my daughter Shelby. Only good stuff comes from those two names as they are my life. :)

Most others are roosters and hens. Hank, Alan, Tim, Faith...you can see that I name a lot of them after country singers...unless Shelby gets them named right out of the egg like Ruby! LOL

I was asked can you hold a chick this young. Yes, but not for too long as they need to stay warm. When they hatch out of that egg they are in exactly 100 degree surroundings. When in the brooder the first week they need to stay at 95 degrees. You drop the temperature in the brooder five degrees every week til it is not necessary to have the heat from the lamp anymore. Sometimes I will leave the heat lamp in there anyway though, they like it even though they dont need it.

I was using red flood lights, 85 watt. Red is soothing, will let the babies sleep. Imagine if you had a regular light bulb in your face all the time, you would stress out and not be able to sleep as well. I switched to two 60 watt black lights because the cheap flood lamps at Walmart are just that. They cost too much and I have had them blow in a matter of days...makes me so mad I could spit. The black lights actually seem to be better.

How to correct a chicks leg?

Well, sometimes chicks develop what is called splay leg. If you catch it early it can be corrected as they grow. This may seem a bit uncomfortable for the chick, but it is necessary or they will never be able to walk.

You take a bandaid, a small one for tiny chicks, after they are able to start walking some, and you wrap each end around each leg, hobbling them in a way...but they can still get around to the food and water, trust me. This makes the legs stay in front and straight so as they grow it will grow properly instead of out to the sides.

It is hard to visualize..maybe I should go find a picture of the procedure and if I find it I will post it on the next post.

A new baby has just come out with my help. Was BIG in the shell, filled up the whole shell so it was hard for it to turn around in there to peck its way out...this one is strong! Long legged baby...all blonde, pictures to follow later today!

One more to go...I think the fourth egg has died in the shell, not fully developing over the 21 days...will know for sure in a day or so.

I came back, had to add, chickens dont stink! Their poo does, but what poo doesnt? Kept in clean conditions they are clean animals. Good clean quality pine shaving litter changed often, clean food and water dishes.

Yes, outside, when it rains, it can smell. In the chicken house and in the pens if kept dry and on litter (pine shavings) and or hay (wheat straw) it will keep the smell down. Maintenance is they key.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. I love to put my nose into those fluffy neck feathers when Phoenix first gets up out of his pillows and blankets in the morning. He smells like a stuffed animal...I cant describe it really..but it is a good smell...not a smelly poo smell.

 

Monday Photo Shoot, Late

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Give us a picture of many things alike -- and one thing not. If you're of a certain age (i.e., my age), you'll remember the song from Sesame Street that went "one of these things is not like the others..." This is a picture version of that. Could be as simple as three cups and a dish, or six cars and a bicycle, or a bunch of young kids with on elderly person. You get the idea.

Here is a picture of some silkie chickens given to me by a friend. Twiggy, the black one on the end is the Odd Man Out.

 

Welcome to the World, Ruby

Shelby has already named this chick. Hope it is a girl..she named it Ruby.

I had to help Ruby out of the shell. Shelby said the chick had been trying to get out since last night and that is long enough.

Not to mention Ruby was in the egg upside down. So that would have made it harder for her to get out.

She is going to be white. She is all yellow now. That will change when she grows older, she may get some more distinctive markings as her feathers come in.

We do have one problem. When chicks hatch, their legs are drawn up and their toes are closed together next to each other. Rubys right leg was out, and the toes were splayed. That is not good. We will have to do everything we can to correct that leg so she can stand normally or she wont survive.

Here is Ruby...

 

Don't be alarmed at that little blood spot. This happens sometimes when they come out of the shell and their bellybutton may bleed just a little tiny bit from the seperation of it from the yolk sac it got its nutrition from as it grew.

New Coffee, An Egg Has Pipped

Good Thursday morning. Recently I got a sample from the Walmart site online. You can get lots of free samples sent to you in the mail from them and it changes from week to week. I got a sample of Dunkin Donuts coffee. I was HOOKED instantly.

Me being a cheap kind of gal I was a bit surprised at the small bag and the big price. But it was SO GOOD! I am the only one that drinks coffee in this house, so it would last. It was six dollars and twenty four cents for this little bag.

I snatched it up and threw it in the buggy. We are all allowed some indulgence aren't we? Got home and put away the groceries. Next morning I get my new coffee out, open it up, and UH OH. I picked up WHOLE BEAN in my haste. OOPS. I proceeded to put some in a plastic freezer baggie, wrap it in a kitchen towel and beat the tar out of it with a hammer, hoping to smash it to bits so I could have my new coffee.

Looking at the results I thought I had done a pretty fair job. I put the carnage in a filter into the top of the coffee maker and filled the coffee maker up with water. Waiting patiently as it brewed. At last it stopped, it was finished. I thrust my cup under the dispenser and out came...well, something that looked like very weak tea. :( I even tried it, tasted it, in a failing hope that it would be good enough. Nope. So I threw it all out and made my old brand, Red Diamond. Sigh...

The next trip to Walmart for groceries I was on a mission to get me a coffee grinder. Ian found me one right away for fifteen dollars. I was so happy. I had now spent fifteen dollars to grind an overpriced small bag of coffee that wasnt even already ground for me...but I was happy. ;)

I am properly hooked on this coffee thank you very much. It is really good coffee.

 

 

 

 

Now, I was asked when the babies might hatch. Well...I got an answer for you. Today! Well, one anyway. I realize that after getting the eggs from under the hen like I did they will not all hatch at the same time. Some are a few days behind.

I was sitting in the living room at five a.m. this morning watching the local news when I heard a very loud PEEP. I thought I might be hearing things. It wasnt time yet was it? So I went in the kitchen, lifted the lid to the incubator and this is what I found. The first one is pipping! It will more than likely take all day to come out. With these small breeds you have to sometimes help them out, but it is a very tricky delicate thing. If you open the egg too soon, they can die, but if you open it too late, they might have already died in the shell. It is a very delicate thing, you just kind of have to get a feel for it. I have had my share of failures unfortunately.

For now it is doing fine. If it starts to break the shell more by this afternoon I will leave it to try to come out on its on for a little longer.

Here is what I found this morning..more pictures to follow as this progresses...

 

See the hole in the egg?

Chicks have what is called a sort of 'tooth' on the end of the top of their beak. It helps them to peck out of the shell. This will fall off later when the chick gets a little older, usually you will see it gone within a week or so.

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Okay, I had some questions from my dear readers and I wanted to answer them today.

Show results on Tim and Faith.

Well...they both won first place in their breed. Good right? Well, leave it to me to bring a breed that is little known. There were no other Japanese Silver Phoenix to go up against. BUT..with that said, the judges can still leave you with no marks or placing because your birds are not show quality. SO, I still got good marks, because I have nice show quality birds.

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On the Karen, Erin, Mike saga...

Karen had never met Mike before so she didnt know him well enough to know what he would or would not do where his daughter was concerned so that was not really what made her react the way she did.

Erin was in fact over the top. You know when a child is very upset and does that hitching sound while they are trying to talk? Well that is what Erin sounded like, along with theatrics that were way out of place. Acting SO much LIKE a child, in the dark, Karen thought she was the child. Karen doesnt see Erin much either, I dont either for that matter, so it would have been easy to mistake Erin for Abby.

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LOL...I dont eat my chickens...unless they make me very angry. No, really, just kidding. I dont eat my chickens. They are pets.

I am not a vegetarian. We eat plenty of meat. We eat chicken, fish, beef, pork, we are big meat eaters.

No one in the back yard need worry...except maybe ALAN.

The other day Shelby was upstairs in her bathroom brushing her teeth. If you look out her bathroom window you can see the whole back yard. She hollered down...

"Where is Alan? I cant see him in his pen?"

I was up and racing out the door fast as my feet would take me.

If Alan gets out, he could kill Hank. They are the same size and the same breed, but Hank is old, Alan is not. Hank thinks he can fight, but he is clumsy and tires easily.

I already had it in my head that if Alan was loose and had killed Hank that would be the end for Alan. I would have easily been able to snatch him up by the neck and ring his head completely off...fueled solely by my grief of losing Hank.

Well he got a reprieve. He was in his pen, he was just standing behind his waterer and Shelby couldnt see him.

Shelby said she was sorry to get me in an uproar like that.

I told her no, dont apologize, if you see something not right out there, always let me know. I would rather it be nothing, but if it is something, I sure do want to know.

Just like a few days ago when she spotted one of my Buttercups all hunched up. She says,

"Mama you got a buttercup out there that doesnt feel good"

She may have very well saved her life. She has a bad cold but we got her on antibiotics and isolated so she can rest and she will probably be fine.

I think that covers it all...if not, tell me, and I will get right on it.

Thankyou, all of you. I really appreciate each and everyone that comes by to visit me. :)

Now, I got to do some catching up of my own and visit some folks myself! You all have a great day today.

 

Another Chicken Hobby Entry* Tim, Faith, First Babies

Now it is time for a more upbeat entry. Lets talk chicken! :)

Ian has a friend at work that had an extra incubator he never used anymore. He asked Ian if I would like to use it. I had never thought about hatching my own, but this might be the start of something big, I really liked this idea. Ian brought the incubator home and I put egg after egg in there that I collected from Faith. The babies hatched in the wintertime so after they were about two and a half months old I put them in the garage in huge wooden boxes that Ian had gotten from work. They throw away all kinds of good stuff at his work, so I was happy to get these crates. With heat lamps and the shelter of the garage they were just fine over the winter. I hatched with the intention of selling them after they had filled out nicely. That was harder than I expected. This was my first hatch, my first babies. I did manage to sell all of the boys and kept some of the girls for line breeding with their father. You can do that with chickens. No brother sister breeding, but put the offspring with the parent and you actually can get some good birds out of it, sometimes better than the parent itself. I kept one young roo and put him with his mom. Now I could get a more diverse line and more eggs when it came time for another hatch.

Here are the first babies. I dont know why, but for some reason I didnt ever take pictures of them as little tiny things.

Here are the girls...

 

The next picture is of all the boys...

 

I put an ad in the Market Bulletin and within a few hours of that farm newspaper going out they were all spoken for. It was so hard to see them go. Since then other hatches have been easier for me as I dont keep them for months before selling them. Selling them as chicks keeps me from getting too attached.

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February 2006...my first Poultry Show. I knew nothing about showing...but I read up on it and found lots of tips on showing. This opened up a whole new door of chicken ownership for me. There were so many breeds, so many birds...it was just fantastic, a poultry lovers paradise.

Here is Tim, I took these pictures before the show that morning I believe.

 

Below is Faith all pretty for the show...

 

and one more of them in their show pens during the show.

 

Now I realize that some folks have been around here or known me before here and have seen and heard this story...and seen these pictures...but I lost that old journal and I want a full account of all my gals and guys on this journal, so pardon me if you have seen this before.