All Ready

Back of shawlette

I feel like I am just about all ready for East Poultney Day now.   I finished my little shawlette.   It came out just as I wanted it, being lightweight warmth for the shoulders.  Sometimes a person only wants to keep the draft from a fan or air conditioner off them, not really needing a sweater or heavy shawl.  Or perhaps just a touch of color, as this has the pretty ribbon in it.  I also got my scarf off the loom, but that was much harder as the warp keep breaking.  Most of my time was spent fixing instead of happily weaving.  It was the fault of my spinning the fleece too softly.  The warp really needs to have a firm twist to it.  The overall scarf is fine, it was the weaving experience itself that suffered.   Now the rest of the morning is going to be spent making sure I have everything labeled, the inventory list is accurate, etc and so forth.
It is a gorgeous day today, much like yesterday.  Sunny, cool--only in the 70's--with a little breeze going on.  My perfect kind of summer weather.  Not sure if the sudden change from "sweating a bucket a minute"  to "ahh, almost need a sweater" has the girls flummoxed or what, but there was not one egg to be seen yesterday.  Nary a broken shell or, what I call, soft egg. (Those are the ones that fall out before the shell hardens, for various reasons).  Maybe it was a chicken holiday.  Hope they make up for it today.

Brisco, Daisy Mae and Roscoe

We read a letter in one of our magazines which told how the author tames her unruly roosters by picking them up every day and cuddling them.  She claimed that it was a foolproof way to keep them from getting mean.  So every night I have been trying that with the three Littles.  Brisco hardly struggles, but Daisy Mae and Roscoe fight like mad.  They are going to take a lot of taming.  The two boys spend part of every day sparring.  I think that Roscoe is getting to be the top guy.  Maybe he will have to go into the pot when they are no longer cockerels, as we can only have one rooster.  The gentle one! 

Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy

Jeff's garden

The garden is producing lovely veggies at a very nice pace.  We have had just enough zucchini  for a few suppers and then to make my zucchini relish. I am grateful that we are not being overwhelmed with them.  I also made zucchini brownies which are always yummy.  Put up many green beans for the freezer.  I have a bowl of beets he pulled that I am trying to decide what to do with.  I may try pickling them.  I've never made pickled beets!  It would be an experiment.   We have moved on from raspberries to blueberries.  Yesterday I made my molasses and blueberry cake--a yummy recipe I got from a fellow spinner probably 15 years ago.  Mostly the blueberries get frozen for winter consumption. The lettuce is all done, so Jeff planted some more for the fall.  He put them where the two remaining eggplants were struggling.  I have no idea why they were so pathetic, but they were never growing and it was evident that they would never fruit.  So, goodbye to them and hello to lettuce.

Ladies who want breakfast in bed

In my little chicken world I had a funny thing happen this morning.  Jeff came in to say that two of the hens were still on the roost.  Everyone else had left at least three quarters of an hour before that.  Concerned, as there had been an episode of pre-dawn egg drop this morning, I went out to investigate.  Sure enough, two were sitting on the roost.  They didn't look ailing, so I held up a handful of grain to see if they would eat.  The ladies sidled over to each other and began to nibble out of my hand.  I held up another handful which they gobble right down.  By the third handful I began to see that, really,  what they  wanted was to have breakfast in bed!!! Well, I told them that they had to get up as it was a beautiful morning.
They did, but not until I heard Lil'Roxie giving someone an earful.  I don't think she was happy about something.  I found her ten minutes later in a nest box, looking grumpy.  Yes, chickens can look grumpy.  Hopefully she will lay me an egg and get on with the day.
Besides, I have a lot of spinning I want to do today. Don't want to be fussing with lazy chickens.  I'll bring the wheel outside to keep them company.  That will be fun!

Life without Franklin

Cleo

When Franklin was boss

The hens have settled down into a life without their main man,  Franklin.  It doesn't seem as if anyone is the boss yet, although for a while I thought it was going to be Cleo.  The rooster used to find delicacies for the ladies to eat, would call them over to it, and stand guard while they scratched and ate.  So, at first, the girls would run all over the yard and not know what to do.  Some would be in one part and others in another place.  Then it seemed like they were sticking close to Cleo.  But that isn't the case anymore. Everyone goes where they want to with a coming together when it is time to rest or dust bathe. They all shun the "Littles", driving them away when treats are thrown for them.  The Littles are getting quite large now, so it won't be long before they will be able to muscle their way in to get their fair share. 

The Littles at 9 weeks

Another change in behavior is the egg laying production.  I do not know why this is so, but they are laying better than ever now.  On average, three a day.  Which is good, as there are six possible layers.  But the hollering and yelling that goes on in the coop when a hen goes to get into a nest box and it is occupied, is hilarious!  The other day  two of them were at it for over five minutes!  I could almost hear the cussing!!
Mama Hen: Get out of there, I need to lay an egg Right Now!
Aphra:  Well, do it someplace else, I have to lay an egg.
Mama Hen: That is my nest, you get out.
Aphra:  No it isn't!  Use the empty one right there.
Mama H:  I can't.  It is icky.  I hate the hay in it. I can only use that one.  Get out!
Aphra: I will not!  I am laying an egg.
And on it went.  End of story?  Neither one laid an egg in that nest!  Chickens!

Peaceful resolution for these two

The Deed is Done

Frank is in the pot.  Yes, he really is at this very moment being cooked up in a pot on the stove.  My very obliging husband "did the deed" while I busied myself with household chores.  It seems we will be having chicken and biscuits tonight for supper!  I trust I will be able to eat it....I can't help but think that the ladies will be much better off--at least now they can grow their feathers back.  The two in confinement seem to be doing ok--Lil' Roxie is definitely on the mend, even though she has yet to lay me an egg.  Goldie was doing fine, but today seems mopey.  It might be because I have all of the hens and littles together in the pen for bonding.  Or it might be a set back.  Or maybe they know about Frank????  We will see. They will have to pick a leader now,  as they won't have him to tell them what to do anymore.  I think they will sort it out just fine.
And, no, I am not going to post any pictures of my chicken and biscuits!!!

Glorius Fourth of July!

It really was a fabulous Fourth.  We did all the things one is supposed to--- went to a parade, ate at a cookout, went swimming and visited with family.  I didn't make the fireworks, as about 8:30 I was suddenly All Done, and had to go to bed and read a little before I crashed.  And the fireworks are one of my favorite things!!!  I was sad I was so whipped.

Lil' Roxie

Goldie in her coat

It could have been the hot weather that got to me, I am sure that helped, but the real reason was this:  I came home from swimming to find that two of the hens were Not Good.  One, my favorite girl Goldie, has had a side injury caused by the rooster's spur.  I thought it was healing, as I had but her coat back on to protect her, but it had ripped open and she was obviously in distress.  The other, Roxie, was just acting unhappy in a general sort of way, and I couldn't see anything noticeably wrong.  But it took all the wind out of my sails, and I went to bed pondering if we should do more than clip Franklin's spurs and nails.  Which we had already done Sunday when Annie was around.  She made a photo essay of us "trimming the Rooster's nails".  It really was bizarre!  I had hoped it would help lessen the damage he is inflicting on the hens.  Apparently it wasn't enough for poor Goldie.

Consulting the book

Holding him tightly

I don't think he wants nail polish!

However, they made it through the night, and now I have the two of them in the pen with lots of goodies to eat and fresh water.  Maybe if they are given a break for a week from Franklin they will get better.

The jam

So while I made raspberry jam I pondered the idea of putting a "period to his existence" and perhaps consign the rooster to the stew pot.  This would give the girls a chance to recover from rough handling while the little cockerels grew up.  By the time they are old enough fertilize the eggs, I would be ready to raise more chicks, if Mama went broody again.  They don't need the rooster--it is more that I like having him around.  But if he is messing up my girls, well, it does make me ponder!

Daisy Mae and a possible replacement for Frank!

Summertime

Catching frogs

Today is day two of "Camp Nonny".  That is the name given by the Grandgirls to spending time with Gramma while the parents are at work.  Yesterday was busy with playing in the water garden, swimming at Grie and Pa's, ending with supper outside and a fire in the fire pit.  Bec and Kevin came here after work to spend the night, as one of the girls is not totally secure in sleeping here without them, yet. It is the same time traveling to this house as going to their home, what with having to cross on the ferry all the time,  so it didn't make a lot of difference in their work day.  However, they did appreciate having supper all ready when they got here!  I know the feeling.  Thoughtfully, they brought some beer from  Otter Creek Brewery (right on the way) as a thank you.  Always appreciated!
Meanwhile the chicks are growing like mad.  They were trying to roost on the bottom roosting bar last night, but ended up back in the nest box with Mama.  She is so anxious to get them on the roost, but their feet are just not big enough!  I think it won't be long before they can do it.

Getting bigger

Berries

The strawberries are all gone now.  The currants (what are left after chicken munching) are ripe, however, the girls love to eat them, so I don't think we are in line for any currant jelly or wine this year.  That will be offset by the enormous crop of raspberries we are going to have.  We have never seen the plot so laden with fruit, and the blueberries also.  I am psyched.  It seems to be a good fruit year, all around, as the apple trees at my folks are loaded, too.  I don't know if it was the long, cold, snowy winter, or if it is just the usual cycle of fertility.  We got the bees too late for them to have been a pollinating contributer.  Whatever the reason, we are just as grateful for the promise of good harvest!

Ordination and Attack

John, before the Bishop

The siblings

The juggling sister

The Ordination of my nephew to the Priesthood was a ceremony to remember.  Held in an historic Cathedral, it was full of beauty, music, and symbolism. The best part of it all was that my folks, his Grandparents, were able to be there to witness it.  It was such a huge deal that some of my Dad's family drove out all the way from Omaha.  This is amazing when you consider they put in a 12 hour day and a 10 hour day, and that one sister is 85!  One of his brothers also came, so part of the weekend was a reunion for them.  It had been many years since they had gotten together, and now that all but one is in their 80's, each visit is precious.  My folks hadn't been to my sister's house in many a year, either, so that was special for her.  John's sister has just recently gotten her habit as a novitiate of the order of the Sisters of Life,  so she made quite a stir among the relations, also.  The best part was when she showed off her juggling skills.

Cleo

We got home without incident and found that all was well on the "farm".  Monday was spent doing laundry and various other chores.  I was in the midst of a phone call when there was a sudden ruckus in the dooryard---Franklin the rooster hysterically crowing as he raced up the lawn.  Jeff and the dog ran out to see what was going on as I quickly ended my call.  Where were the hens?  Jeff searched up and down the fence line as I counted heads.  Mama and the babies were missing and so was Cleo.  Then a bloodied and bedraggled Cleo came out of the bushes down back just as I located Mama and chicks under the forsythia bush.  Poor Cleo!  She was walking quite slowly, but seemed to have all her bits about her.  We found two piles of feathers, and she was bloody, but not bleeding, so she had a narrow escape.  I guess doggy smell is not enough to deter a hungry fox!  She is slowly getting back to her old self,  walking gingerly and roosting on the lowest bar in the coop.  The rest of the flock have spent the last two days in their fenced in area until I let them out late in the morning, and then they are all hanging around very close to the house.  It will be a long time before any of them go to that back corner again!  Such drama in the country.
And Mama hen is bringing in the chicks to the coop at night.  She is no dummy!  I am glad as I feel they are a lot safer in the barn with the doors latched, than out in the pen with just the wire around them.

The chicks at four weeks

New listings

Well, I finally took the time to get two more listings into my Etsy shop.  It is such a challenge to get good photos, to begin with, and then the description writing sometimes does me in!  It must be good for the brain to be stretched like that.  I still have  three more things to list, but they will have to wait as I have ton of things to do here at the house before going off tomorrow.  Including, among other things, packing! 

A new scarf

The chickens are still doing well.  We saw Mama Fox the other day, across the field with 3 kits.  So for a day I kept them in the pen.  Last night there was a fox barking very close by--in the road, I guess.  However, I let the flock out today as it is so nice and I need them to eat bugs.  It is the chance we free rangers have to take.  And it is a chance, as the guy right down the road lost some of his to foxes the other day.  I like to think MacTavish's doggy scent keeps them away.

They survived!

All is well

Mama scratches up treats

Well, after two weeks of having every storm that headed this way deciding to veer off at the last moment, we finally got ours yesterday.  Actually, the rain part was a good thing as we were getting pretty dry and crispy, which was very ironic considering that just an hour north of us they are dealing with the aftermath of severe flooding and heavy rains all month.  The nerve wracking part of the storm was that I was Elsewhere when the Furies descended,  leaving the entire flock to fend for themselves.  I had to fret all the way home, imagining drowned chicks and hail-concussed bodies all over the lawn.  Happily, all were present and accounted for, carrying on as if having wind blown lawn furniture, downed trees, branches, and  panels from the greenhouse all scattered on the grass, was all part of a regular day.  Fortunately we did not have any real damage, losing only two tomato plants.  And that could have been from anything.

Look at the tiny tail feathers!

Franklin, the Boss with Cleo

Started knitting on a little shawlette.  I am calling it that as I envision it to be just a nice, small triangle of soft knitting on one's shoulders,  accented in the yarn overs with some pretty multicolored ribbon.  It is from a very finely spun alpaca that I had blended with a merino/silk roving.  Grey, mostly, with some subtle lighter colors of pink and light grey showing through.  I have to get enough knit to decide if I like the design element or not.  That's what I like about doing my own pattern--freedom to go my own way.

The Bees and the Birds

The top bar hive

This weekend was a very full one.  Saturday  Jeff actually took the entire day off from work, a rare event in his life as The Barber in town.  The reason he took it off was two fold--First he had to go pick up his shipment of bees, and Second, because it was Town Wide Yard Sale day, and he is never very busy that day as folks who aren't shopping for bargains tend to avoid the village. 

 The little cage with the queen

He got his bees without any problems.  This year he is not using his top bar beehive, but a more common, square built one.  In order to get the bees into a hive, the queen has to be in there waiting for them.  So the first thing to be done is to take out the little cage the queen is in, and after making sure she is ok, put that inside.  Then my beekeeper put some food, as sugar water, in the hive for the very hungry bees, who have traveled a long way by then.  Lastly, after making a ramp (from an old board) from the ground to the entrance of the hive, he opened the box containing the bees and dumped them onto the ground by the ramp.  And the bees all started crawling up the ramp into the hive to find the queen!! I wish I had been there.  It looks so cool!  I'm glad he had the presence of mind to take photos.

Crawling up the ramp

New hive, new location

 Meanwhile, I was very busy on Main Street, actually selling items.  I was very pleased as Gloria and I look on it more as an educational day--showing who we are, what we do and  what we have, as most people are bargain hunting, not looking to buy hand crafted things.  But we both sold enough to make it worth our while.  And I got quite a lot spun up of this luscious dark brown  fleece which is going to be part of the next weaving project--a shawl done in all natural colors.
And the birds?  That would be my Mama Hen and the three little chicks, now just a day away from two weeks old.  She is taking them all over the yard, causing me no end of distraction and I despair of them ever reaching a decent age---I am so afraid of disaster---they are so tiny!!!  Actually, it is tons of fun to watch them.  They leap up on things, chase after each other, scratch like Mama and peep constantly!  I still won't name them until I find out if they are cockerels or pullets.  Because I am determined to raise the cockerels for the table.  Wonder if I can do it?

Mama Hen and the three chicks

Keeping cool

Mama shows the way

Wait for us!

This is yummy, look here!

Suddenly, or so it always seems, it is Summer.  The days are hot and humid, the gardens are being planted, the flowers are bursting forth in a hurry, only to fade away in a moment with the sultry weather.  There are babies everywhere in the yard--mostly of the bird type.  We had a pair of geese walk through the yard with, I think, six goslings in a row.  They were going from the beaver pond across the road to the cow pasture behind the house.  I missed them going up in the morning, but got to see them coming home in the evening.  What a treat.  There are baby house sparrows in the box on the barn, baby tree swallows in the house in the chicken pen, and also baby robins in a nest in the wood shed, which got enclosed into the  chicken pen, too.  Probably that fact saved the baby robins, as they are in a really poor location. And of course, we have our own little babies, now running around the pen with Mama Hen, and they aren't even a week old yet!!  It is amazing the difference between raising them oneself or letting Mama do it.  I vote for Mama.

Soft and lovely

I am busy getting ready for the Town Wide Yard Sale.  I've got the lovely skein of blue and green turning into a very pleasing scarf.  I picked a lace pattern that is fairly easy, but looks very nice done up.  The other thing I am working on is getting everything labeled, sorted, the inventory written up, etc.   It is all stuff I need to have done, and once it is finished, I just have to update sales or new items.  But it is pleasant work to do, inside, when it is scorching out, with a nice iced coffee, the fan murmuring out a breeze and some classical music on the radio.

Mama takes charge

Following Mama

Three little chickies

Mama hen decided on her own that she had given the last egg enough of her time.  I got back from my visit to Glo's and she had abandoned it in the middle of the cage.  It was cold to the touch.  Now she is very busy with her three.  I think they are all looking fine.
 

Eye candy

And what a fun time we had dyeing!  I did 4 jars of fleece from Warwick, as he is a lovely clean white.  I only had "seconds" to work with (those are usually the neck and shoulder areas) but I am thinking I will be blending them anyway, so it won't matter if they are short bits.

Part of the color way

More of the skein

The skein I did came out wonderfully well.  I am very psyched!  Pretty sure it is going to be a lacey scarf, knit up this week to add to my things that will be going to the Town Wide Yard Sale booth.  We (Gloria and I) know that most people who come to the Town Wide will be looking for bargains, but we look at it being there as an investment in exposure.  Besides, it's lots of fun. 

Chickies!!!!

Outdoor nursery

Chick #1 and Chick #2

Well, the waiting paid off.  I now have three darling little baby chicks.  There is one more egg to go, and Mama Hen is determined to stay on it.  So I have gotten her and the little ones out to their outdoor pen, with the egg coming along also.  She is sitting on it even now.   We decided to give it one more day, but if it doesn't hatch by tomorrow, we will call it a dud and remove it.   It is so much fun to have babies that I don't have to fuss over, as I did the group that Mama Hen was a part of.  Those six I had in a cage in the vestibule, with a lamp for warmth.  I had to make sure they didn't get too hot, or too cold, that they didn't eat wood shavings or get "pasted up" which is a condition where their little tiny bottoms get the poo stuck on and dried.  Very Bad.  As soon as that happens you have to wash their bottoms with warm water to get things freed up again.  Then I had to make a different pen when they got too big for the first, and then they had to be introduced to the other flock. 

Mama, showing how it's done

 I mean, I did enjoy all that, but it was a tad labor intensive.  This time I can let Mama do all the work.  I think she is going to be very good at it.


I am determined to finish spinning my white roving that came from the mill.  I plan on heading up to Gloria's tomorrow for a fun dye session.  I hope to hand paint the skein, trying for stripes again.  I love to try for stripes.  I am also going to bring some uncarded fleece to pot dye, as that will allow me to play with color blending on the carder.  Happy days ahead.

Sitting on the egg and 2 chicks

Tentative excitement!

Little Red Hen # 2

It now seems as if I have a broody hen!  My Rhode Island Red, renamed Little Red Hen the 2nd,  has all the signs of one.  A broody hen is one that has gone all maternal and is setting on eggs with an eye to raising chicks.  She spent all day on the nest yesterday, and this morning, when I felt under her wing to see if there was an egg (there was), she growled at me.  Then I slipped another egg that had been laid very early this morning in under her.  So she has at least 2 to experiment with.  If there are any more eggs laid today from the other hens, I will slip those in, also.  I am cautiously excited, as there are so many variables to this situation.  Firstly, will Little Red actually stay on the nest for the 21 days, or will she tire of it before then? Abandonment is not uncommon.  Secondly, if any actually hatch, will she be able to raise them to bigger than a puffball before they succumb to any one of a number of dooryard hazards?  I will have to make a special place for the little family to live in while they get big enough to mix with the rest of the flock. 

When she was a chick

People who raise chickens for eggs don't want a broody hen as she stops laying eggs while she is setting.  I want to do it as a way to increase the flock without having to be the mama myself, as I was for her.  Theoretically, all I will have to do is provide the housing and food, she will take care of the rest.
So, we shall see!

Meanwhile, in the land of fiber,  I am determined to get my socks finished.  It shouldn't be much longer as I am on the leg now, so I will just knit until they are the height I want, or the yarn is used up, whichever comes first.  Am also spinning the lovely roving from the fiber mill, which is white, with an eye towards some more hand painting.  That is always tons of fun!

All's Well

Girls in their "aprons"

Wanting to keep you up to date on the Chicken home front.  Lil' Roxie has recovered quite well and is with the rest of the flock now.  She is wearing her hen apron, as are two others in the flock.  They seem to tolerate them well. I like them as they are definitely keeping their backs covered.  I had made little shoulder protectors to velcro to the apron to cover the bald spots on their "shoulders" on the tops of their wings, but the poor little hen I tested it on hated it, and Franklin actually grabbed hold of it and ripped it off, so I didn't put them on the others. 

Lovely blue to spin

Still have not finished spinning the weft colors as I am totally distracted with life right now.  The blue is really pretty, though.  Plus I want to wind balls of yarn for a sunny, summery shawl for a friend of mine who lives in Alaska.   It is her birthday this week.  I won't actually get it done in time, but it won't be too late, either.