Archives

General — No Comments
25
Aug 16

View From My Window – Persistence Pays Off!

IMG_3631

Persistence pays off. I’m happy I can report that our brown Leghorn rooster (Roo) is in recovery mode now. For weeks I wondered if it was a hopeless cause. Everyone wondered when I would give up and sometimes I secretly hoped I would come out in the morning and find out he had passed in the night. But I never wanted to give up on him.

Roo always wanted to eat, especially watermelon. He was not resistant to taking medicine by eye dropper every morning and every night. Although it was a struggle to get baby aspirin in him 3 times a day. It was clear to me that he was not giving up, so I wasn’t going to give up either. I know persistence doesn’t always give you the desired outcome, but you always know you did all you could. This time I’m glad it paid off. I might be getting a little too attached to him.

General / My Life and Family — No Comments
28
Jul 16

Chicken Doctor

13. Sitting prettyChicken Doctor is my new role around the farm. You see when chicks cost $2 you don’t spend $40 to take them to the vet. So when I discovered my Brown Leghorn Rooster was limping I decided I would do the best I can to help him recover.

These days though it is much easier with the help of the internet. Just in case you didn’t know; the lowly chicken has become very popular recently and there are many websites dedicated to taking care of your backyard chickens.

On one of these websites I saw some had made a sling for their chicken and I thought I’d give that a try for our rooster that we fondly call Roo. I used an old bathing suit I hadn’t gotten around to throwing out yet. That worked well for over a week but then he got feeling stronger and no longer would stay in the sling. He is still in isolation because chickens aren’t very nice to their wounded friends. He is getting lots of TLC , baby aspirin 3 times a day and watermelon. He really likes watermelon.

We have lots of chickens and probably a few other roosters, but Roo is the only Brown Leghorn rooster and I would really like to try to save him if I can.

General — No Comments
30
Jun 16

Thank you Matt

24.SupervisorAs I mentioned earlier, we, (ok actually me) kept piling on new things that we ( really mostly Dean) needed to get done this Spring.  New construction, new plantings on top of all the other things we usually do in the Spring. And of course, Dean’s consulting work happened to get crazy busy and stressful this Spring too.

I’m so thankful our son-in-law, Matt. He is not only a good husband and dad, but a thoughtful son-in-law too. He  stops in and pitches in when he sees a need. We had to replace our deck last year and the railing turned out to have these very fine splinters. He came up and sanded it so smooth without even being asked. He also loves animals and likes spending time with and helping care for them. We have discovered he is a bit of an animal whisperer, from catching shy kittens and chicks to finding Caddy’s favorite spot to be scratched. Lately Matt has also been coming up to help Dean finish the chicken coop.  The thing is Matt is really good at this kind of stuff so it is more Dean helping Matt. I like seeing them enjoying working together. We feel blessed that Matt is part of our family.

General — No Comments
31
May 16

Musings from the farm- Chickens!

IMG_2844Chickens!   I was fortunate to have parents that were not country folk but managed to move to a small farm to raise their 5 and then 6 children.  We mostly had horses, but other animals came and went, cows, pigs, ducks, the orphaned baby whatever and chickens.

We inherited chickens from somewhere and even though they didn’t lay a lot of eggs. I really liked them. There was something very calming about going out to talk to the chickens. They would come to me and talk in low little voices. Almost like cooing.

We have had chickens before, almost everywhere Dean and I have lived but for some reason we have been without for quite some time. We had them when the kids were younger, our son Hal  and his friend loved to go see if there were eggs and come in and want them scrambled to eat.

When Hal  was about 8 he showed his chicken in 4- H, one that was almost bigger than he was.  When we moved we found homes for them all and have not gotten them again until now. Somehow, now everyone has  decided that we should have them again. So we ordered chicks from a hatchery, they send them to us through the mail. It may seem strange but is a good option to order direct from the hatchery.  I’m glad we got a little push from our kids to get them, and so are our kids, and of course the grand kids.

General / Observations Of A Different Kind — No Comments
30
May 16

Cucumber Skin Care

I always plant cucumbers in my garden. This wonderful veggie is full of good nutrients for your face from the inside and out. It is a good source of Vitamin C and Molybdenum; both nutrients can help detoxify your skin and make it smooth and beautiful.

A quick fix for puffy eyes: place chilled cucumber slices over your eyes. You’ve probably seen this before—because it really works!

Redness: Cucumbers have natural anti-inflamatory properties that calm and soothe your skin. You can place thin sliced cucumbers anywhere there is redness. Great to soothe sunburn, rash or rosacea flare ups.

Spa Facial: Lightly puree 1/2 cup of cucumber and mix 1 to 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (look for one with active cultures). If it is too runny you can add a little oatmeal. Gently apply to clean dry face and neck. Relax for 15 to 20 minutes and rinse and enjoy your new glowing skin.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →