I have chickens

Starting about a year ago, I started thinking about getting some chickens. My room mate, D, said "no way!!!" OK, I let it go for the time being. Several months ago, when I knew D was moving, I started up again . . .

I mentioned to my friend Dale that I was again thinking of getting at least two chickens to help with the bugs in the back yard. Time passed and early last night Dale's neighbor showed up with three chickens in a cage. OK!!! I have chickens.



I have a kennel that my Houdini dog broke out of and I had thought that it would be a good place for the chickens after I fixed the hole in the gate. Well, I had to scramble to fix the hole temporarily last night and will do a better job today. I also need feed, but for right now there are weeds and bugs that they are scratching at right now.



I also need some straw. Dale's wife will bring me some this morning to carry me over for a few days. I have the dog bowl for water, so that is fine. They are full grown chickens so they won't drown themselves.

Now I need to find out what kind of chickens they are. I need to put together a coop for them - I just don't think the dog house will work ... LOL. Roosting area and nest boxes.

Those of you out there that know about chickens will probably get some questions from me. Natalie of Chicken Blog, and Siri of Knitting Iris are two of my favorites, and I'm sure they won't mind some questions.

... and if you find me and have some suggestions for me, feel free to comment. I appreciate all the help I can get.

I will keep you posted on the saga of my chickens.

Hugs

4th of July camping trip . . .

Our group of friends usually avoid camping on any holiday weekend, but we decided that four days away from home would be nice - instead of just three, LOL.

We gathered ourselves up and went to our favorite little spot. This is the little campground with only 12-13 campsites that is 10 miles from home. What a wonderful surprise we all got. Very quiet, all campers were there to relax and not whoop it up to any major degree. Most lights were out by 10, just a few die-hards were up later!

There were lots of extra vehicles in most campsites, and lots of boats on the lake, but so nice and quiet. Courtesy at its finest!

The campground is locked from 9 pm until 6 am, but the camp host told everyone that if they wanted to go to town to see the fireworks (50 mi. round trip!) that they would accommodate every one and open the gate. Very nice. We stayed in camp.

The weather was HOT, at least for me, with temps in the mid 80's. If you were in the shade it was pleasant when the breeze came up, but being in the sun was terribly stifling, even with the breeze. There were chances of thunderstorms, but even though we saw lightning way off and thunder too, we never got a drop of rain.

I hope every one had a safe and happy Fourth of July!

See you soon . . .

Portland here I come . . . and stuff . . .

Well, the trip to Portland will happen on Monday! With some help from friends, I have rented a car and reserved my motel room. I will pick up the car Monday morning by 10 and head north. The appointment is on Tuesday morning at 8. I have no idea how long it will take - shouldn't be long since all they have to do is take a picture and fingerprints.

I'm going to head home as soon as it's over and hopefully be able to stop to enjoy the scenery along the way. I just don't know when it will be over!

Maybe another way home, besides I-5, would be in order. I could cut over to Hwy 97, but that is also a long boring drive! There just aren't that many ways over the Cascades, and I've been on most of them already.

On to better and happier subjects - - -

I'm puppy sitting for Dale's Blue Healer - is that really spelled 'healer' since basically they 'heel' when trying to move herds along? I'll have to look that up.

His name is Chaps, and he weighs in at around 80 lbs.!!! Normal should be about 55-60. Dale & his wife went to a Black Powder Shoot. Chaps isn't normally afraid of gunfire, and there will be plenty, but he would be in camp by himself most of the time, and he's a whiner.



I'd love to have gone, but SueAnn would have apoplexy!!!! Since my room mate moved, I don't have anyone to watch her, so I puppy sit. It's OK, he's a good dog.

Not much crafting going on, but I am still knitting the "Feathers and Fans" dishcloths. I have about a dozen now - it relaxes me before bedtime. I'm also experimenting with other patterns, but like that one the best so far.



The blue and green dishcloth above has the ridge in the pattern which I really like compared to the red and white dishcloth below. The one below has no ridge and to me it seems kind of boring. The ridges also help scrub the dishes better.

The camo cloth above is a basic basket weave and the yellow and green below is a basket rib.



I was introduced to the "Feather & Fan" by reading "miss woolly knits" from BC Canada. She is mostly housebound and has knit over 550 dishcloths. Her cloths are knit without the ridge and look just beautiful, I wonder why mine don't? The latest batch on her blog are in the most fantastic bright summer colors, just ready to eat!!!

Have a great weekend and I hope the weather is good for all of you.

Tidbits . . .

I never got to post more pictures of the Lilacs and Iris. We have had horrendous thunderstorms for the last week, and they beat my flowers all to bits.

We went camping last weekend and took up almost half the campground with friends and family. It is a small campground - only about 11-12 spaces - but it is so perfect for us. There are pit toilets, fishing dock and boat dock. That's it, no more. The road and spaces are paved, but the rest is left natural. There are picnic tables and fire pits at each campsite. They are dog friendly and there is an area outside the fence for doggy duty.

My dog, SueAnn, is the biggest "fraidy cat" when it comes to thunderstorms and she did pretty well. There were so many people milling around and we all ignored her, so her wigging out was ignored even though I did keep an eye on her. Aside from the bit of thunder and rain in the late afternoons, the weather was nice - in the 70's during the day and around 35-40 at night.

After we got home the storms continued and got a lot worse. Monday night I literally had to hold SueAnn by the collar to keep her from tearing up my house. She wants to hide in the smallest nook or cranny she can find. Well that just doesn't work when you weigh 60 lbs.! I finally had a "duh" moment - go get the kennel! I brought it in and when she started to feel the storm, I led her to the kennel and she went right in. I have put it in my soon-to-be craft room and drawn the curtains so it's dark, closed the door to kitty width, and left her alone. When the storm is over she comes out with her tail wagging and all is good!

I went to get my driver's license renewed on Tuesday and you now have to have a ton of proof of who you are, where you live and that you are in the US legally. I am a legal permanent resident and have a "green card". Well, the green card is no good any more. Huh?? There is no expiration date on it as it is one of the older versions. OK, but I thought that it was fine . . . laws have passed that you need to renew every ten years. Great, OK I will do that. What a shock - $370. to renew and I have to go to Portland, 300 miles away, to have my fingerprints taken and a picture! That's it, they don't need me for anything else. I don't have a rig that I feel comfortable driving that many miles over the Cascades and up I-5. I will find a way to get there.

I submitted the application on Wednesday and in 4-6 weeks they will let me know when I have to be there. I have absolutely no say in the date and time. I have no idea how much lead time I will get. So in essence I drop what I'm doing and go. What a great use of my time and money . . . It will be an overnight trip, so there is gas, food and a motel room to pay for, to have my fingerprints and photo taken.... go figure.

I realize this is to thin out the illegal population, but I have been here since 1956, and they know it! Oh well, go with the flow . . . but why can't they accept certified fingerprints and a photo taken by the local Police, Sheriff or State Patrol? These departments are not in cahoots with the illegal population!

OK, I'm done ranting. I know I am feeling sorry for myself over these expenses, but I am a 62 year old grandmother on Social Security and this money could cover a lot of other expenses during a month . . .

Next time I post it will be a happy post - I promise! I just needed to sniffle a bit.

I should take my own advice - Life is a journey, enjoy the ride.

Hugs to all.

Lilacs and Iris

I have the most wonderful smell wafting around my house . . . Lilacs - the Iris don't have a fragrance. These pictures were taken yesterday, and there are many more flowers today. I will probably take a few more pictures if you can bear it!








These were taken for my room mate who moved right before all the blooms came out. There were tons of buds when he left two weeks ago, but he missed the blooms. I will send him a link to my blog so he can see them.

Hope every one is having a great Memorial Day and remembering why we celebrate it.

Hugs

Oh my . . .

My blogaversary was on May 13 and I missed it. I thought I'd make 100 posts before I hit a year - guess I don't have that much to say! Maybe I should quit talking to myself and save it all up for a post . . . I don't know how much of it you would understand since I really do ramble, talk to the animals, talk to the plants, etc., etc.

I thought I'd try one of those upside down hanging thingies for tomatoes. I didn't want to spend the money for the ones on TV, so I sort of made my own . . .



I hope it works - really don't see why not. You can just see the plant coming out the bottom of the milk jug, it is reaching for the sun and seems to be doing fine. It has been there for 2 days and is no worse for wear.

It was a bit tricky to insert the plants since I have them in those little peat pots that disintegrate with time. I cut a piece of fiberglass screen with a slit in it to go around the plant stems, then turned the jug upside down to pull the leaves through the hole in the jug. The screen keeps the soil from falling out and won't hurt the stems but will expand with growth. I then filled the jug with potting soil, and found a metal hanger to bend into shape so it would hang from one of the end rafters on the back porch. It's not pretty, but if it grows tomatoes, who cares!

I get lots of deer in my yard, but they won't come that close to the house, so I figure I'm safe.

Hot weather for us here over the weekend - in the mid to upper 80's. That's right after weeks of upper 50' and lower 60's and rain, so those of you that are in the 90's and 100's can laugh all you want over "my" version of hot! This week will be perfect in the mid to upper 70's.

I have 3 basic areas with grass and since my room mate moved I have to mow . . . Phew, I can only do one area at a time, and not very well at that. I did the two in the front over the weekend in the early mornings, and the backyard really needs it too, but it will have to wait a day or two - I'm not use to mowing and I hurt! My yard has different types of grass and some of it got to be about 12"+ tall!!! I won't let that happen again - it's too hard to push the mower through. You can even see a bit of the backyard Jungle in the picture above.....

I will leave you with wishes of perfect weather - your style!

Did you know . . . ?

I just read an email that I put in a folder for safekeeping - - - and as I was cleaning out all my emails, I thought that I would try it just for sh*ts and giggles.

First, here is the email:

Thought you may be interested in this email I received especially if you use dryer sheets in the dryer!

"The heating unit went out in my dryer. The repairman went in to the dryer and pulled out the lint screen / filter. It was clean. We always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes.

He told us that he wanted to show us something.

He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. Now, this
thing is like a mesh-I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks
like - WELL......the hot water just laid on top of the mesh!!! It didn't go
through it at all!!! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that
mesh and that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but
it's there. He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long
time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and
wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least
every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as
long! How about that???!!!! Learn something new everyday!

I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, thought I'd share!
Note: I went to dryer and tested my screen by running water on it.
The water collected a little but ran though the screen. I dried it off and
was ready to put it back in the dryer since the water ran through it but, I
thought was the heck it won't hurt to wash it while I had it out.

Warm soap water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds. I then
ran the water over the screen and what a difference the water just gushed
through it with no puddling at all and this time I was running the water at
a faster rate. That repairman knew what he was talking about.

PLEASE, PASS THIS ON TO OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. NOT ONLY COULD IT SAVE
SOMEONE'S HOME, BUT IT COULD SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE (Don't leave that dryer
running when you leave the house. Ask any firefighter!)"

Now I tried this, and yes, the water bubbled up and rolled around on the screen! I washes it, dried it and tried again. YUP, the water went straight through the screen! I'm no expert about dryer fires, but I will continue to do this in the future. I have never left my washer or dryer running when I leave the house . . . I'm not particularly fond of the idea of coming home to a flood in my kitchen when the water lines to the washer blow, nor am I thrilled thinking about coming home to my house in ashes along with my 2 cats and dog.

I'm not into scaring any one, but this really works. Go ahead and try it just for fun . . . you might find it is not so funny after all.

Hugs to all and stay safe

Happy Mother's Day and other tidbits . . .

I wish all women a Happy Mother's Day whether you have 2 or 4 legged kids. In fact I wish every woman a great day whether you have any children or not!

My daughter, in Texas, sent me flowers. They are a wonderful mix of colors and types. I'm just tickled pink. I called my Mom, in Denmark to wish her a great day. I called yesterday at 10 a.m. here my time which makes it 7 p.m. her time. She will now think about the call all day instead of waiting until evening today to get my call. The distance is 9 hours and I don't know exactly how many miles, so I have to gauge my calls accordingly.

Well, my room mate left Oregon yesterday for his trip down to Texas. I missed him as soon as he was out of sight! We've been room mates for a bit over 15 years! Can you believe that?!?!? We have had our ups and downs like anyone living in the same house, but he has been, and still is, my best friend
.


I started cleaning up his room yesterday, nothing major, just vacuuming dog and cat fur and spider webs that tend to grow no matter how much you clean, and washing the windows so I can see out a bit better. It now looks like there is no glass in the frames, but the room faces southeast and I want all the sun I can get in that room.

It will be slowly converted to a craft room, and I'm now getting anxious for that to happen, but will go slowly and not over do it since my arthritis and back problems will flare up putting me on the couch for a couple of days.



There are dark denim curtains in there as D wanted the sun to be kept at bay until at least 7 or 8. In the summer it comes up over the hills at around 5:30! I will change them out with some light green leaf print curtains. I might even be able to do that before I start the rest of the work . . . ripping out carpet, laying plywood over the press board sub floor that has gotten wet in the corner and is spongy even when dry. I will paint the floor and lay a large rug in there - I will paint the walls a light gray color - I'm in an old mobile so there is fake paneling and I hate it!!!



It will take some time to get all that done, but as I get it done, I will post pictures. The above pictures is the way it looks today. I will post them again with an after picture when that part is done.

As much as I want to tear into it all right NOW, I need to go slow!!!!

Wishing you again a Happy Mother's Day.

Black Powder Shoot Camping

Oh, we had a wonderful time! We left on Friday morning, drove about 9 miles up into the Cascades and entered a world of Mountain Men. The costumes were fantastic and pretty authentic. Not everyone dressed in period costumes - they can get expensive. If you plan to become a member of the group, you go slowly in gathering everything needed for an authentic costume; hats, deer hide shirts and pants, rifles and pistols, and anything else you can think of.

This was our set up. Two truck campers, mine is the back one on the left, one small 60's trailer, very cute, and a 5th wheel. We circled the "wagons" as it was very windy and we were trying to block as much as possible. On Saturday morning we woke to 22 deg temps. and Sunday it was 17!!!!! Can you say COLD ? ? ? We sure could!!!




Standing on the other side of my truck, this was the view. behind the trees from right to center is where the shooting trail ran. There were a bunch of competitions from shotguns, pistols, 45 caliper, 50 caliper, to knife throwing.



This wonderfully costumed group were following us down the trail doing the various types of 'shoots'.



This is my niece, 12 yrs. old. The jacket doesn't go with the costume, but it was cold and windy even on the trail in the trees. She had a bad day shooting, but there are many shoots during the year, so she will have better days.



This is a friends son, 7 yrs. old. He shot 14 out of 16 in the PeeWee squirrel gun competition.



After the shoots were done, they had a game for the kids - find the coins in the hay! There was $16. in gold coins ($1.00) and tons and tons of quarters - I think someone said there was over $50. in quarters, maybe more. You can just see my niece on the far right.



This shows 2 of the many, many groups of friends and families, and I couldn't even capture all the RV's in each group. The one on the left had 5-6, and the other had 3-4. There were a lot of people there, and we had sooo much fun.



There are more shoots coming up during the year, but I'm not sure I'll be able to go - my dog flips out totally at gunshots and even if she just sees a rifle.

Depending on how far they are I might go for a day, but we'll see.

Happy camping (when it warms up)!!!

Don't forget your girlfriends

Today this popped into my brain. Some one sent this to me quite a while ago, just thought I'd pass it on - it makes you stop and think . . . it is a bit long, but worth reading.

"Don't forget your Girlfriends"

I sat on a summer day, drinking iced tea and visiting with my mother.

"Don't forget your girlfriends," Mother advised, clinking the ice cubes in her glass.
No matter how much you love your husband, you are still going to need girlfriends.

Remember to go places with them now and then;
and do things with them, even when you don't necessarily want to.

And remember that girlfriends are not only friends, but sisters, daughters, mothers, grandmothers and other relatives too.
Women supporting and relating to other women is our responsibility and our gift.

"What a funny piece of advice," I thought.
"Hadn't I just gotten married?
Hadn't I just joined the couple-world?
I was now a married woman, for goodness sake, not some young girl who needed friends!"

But I listened to my Mom. I kept in contact with my girlfriends and even found some
new ones along the way. As the years tumbled by, one after another, I gradually came to understand that Mom really knew what she was talking about!

Here is what I know:
Girl friends bring casseroles and scrub your bathroom when you need help;
Girlfriends keep your children and your secrets.
Girlfriends give advice when you ask, sometimes you take it and sometimes you don't.
Girlfriends don't always tell you you're right, but they usually tell the truth.
Girlfriends still love you, even when they disagree with your choices.
Girlfriends laugh with you and don't need canned jokes to start the laughter.
Girlfriends pull you out of jams.
Girlfriends don't keep a calendar of who hosted the other's last big party.
Girlfriends will celebrate for your son or daughter when they get married or have a baby, in whichever order that happens.
Girlfriends are there for you in an instant, and when the hard times come.
Girlfriends will drive through blizzards, rainstorms, hail, heat, and gloom of night to get to you when your hour of need is desperate.
Girlfriends listen when you lose a job or a friend.
Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart.
Girlfriends listen when your parents' minds and bodies fail.
Girlfriends cry with you when someone you loved dies.
Girlfriends support you when the men in your life let you down.
Girlfriends help you pick up the pieces when men pack up and go.
Girlfriends rejoice at what makes you happy, and are ready to go out and kill what makes you unhappy.

Times passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up.
Marriages fail. Love waxes and wanes. Hearts break. Careers end.
Jobs come and go. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors.
Men don't call when they say they will.

But girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.

A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley, and you have to walk it for yourself, your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you. Or come in and carry you out. My daughters, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, nieces, cousins, extended family,
and friends bless my life.

The world wouldn't be the same without them, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead, nor did we know how much we would need each other.
Every day, we need each other still.

Hugs to all my girlfriends!!!