Tag Archives: grow

Back to basics

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Hello dear reader!  I realize the posting has been off and on lately. The free time comes in spurts and so do the posts. I came across an old post I did at my old blog, Tigerlily Designs and realized I don’t just write and update as I used to. No quick hello posts, no short notes on what I am growing. It’s time to get back to that, back to basics.

So, dear reader, how are you? What is new in your world?

The summer was over in a blink, and fall flew by quickly as well. We’re in this odd early winter place where the weather fluctuates between snow, rain and sunny and in the 60’s. It’s all over the map. Never sure how to dress, we grab rain slickers, sweaters, and gloves; maybe even sunglasses. I’ve decided champagne works for all weather types, so I’ve been keeping a couple bottles in the house for special occasions-you know, like a Tuesday.

I’ve been slowly putting the gardens to bed, pulling out the plants, and mapping out the next years’ haul. Straw is covering a few of the beds where my garlic and shallots are nestled in for the winter. The seeds from the leeks, sage, chives and lemon balm are saved and packaged away, ready for the next seed swap and to be planted this spring.

I’m crafting herbal remedies and bath products to help with the gloom and cold of winter, and the freezer is stocked with bone both and soup bases for those days where I am too tired to cook. That’s this time of year-preparation for the long nights, and cold days. Soon, I’ll need to order another cord of wood, and add more fluff to the chicken and rabbit coops-making sure the animals and I are all ready to be snuggly and warm.

This winter, like every year prior, I am doing home repairs-this year is redoing the crawlspace, adding insulation in all of the walls (finally!!) and installing ductless heating. The old, broken furnace and ductwork will be gone; the baseboards taken out; and even the cadet heaters removed. With all of that will come drywall repair and painting, which isn’t my favorite, but it will be great to have one source of heat that isn’t crazy expensive. There’s so many things I want to do, but I keep reminding myself: one project at a time. My sanity and my bank account will likely thank me.

As the days get shorter, and the to do lists gets longer, I am still so grateful for good health, happiness, and the ability to do so many things.

Here’s to longer days, or at least making the most of the ones we have now and getting back to basics.

Raina

My big girl

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My big girl, my sweet, sweet child.

These pictures are already a month old and every day she looks more and more like a big girl, than my little baby. I love her wild, fluffy hair, and her expressive little face. Like me, this kid will not be good at poker. You know how she’s doing with out saying a word.

We adventure every weekend and explore together. She’s a sea of words, and questions, and energy. We snuggle in to watch “Stella and Sam” and we sing at the top of our lungs on drives. She is my favorite road trip pal, and as long as we have snacks and a park nearby, she is more than happy to go anywhere. We play play dough when the weather is too poor to go out, and I love watching her tiny little hands with their soft dimples roll the dough in to various shapes.

On the feeding front, we’re considering her weaned from her g-tube, but will be keeping it in for another few months. She’s growing like a weed; 3 feet or so now and is a bean pole.

She never ceases to amaze me, this wild-child of mine. My heart is full.

Yours in mommaness,
Raina

Chickens are jerks

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There’s a reason they call it pecking order. Chickens can be mean in their attempt to rule the roost.  We recently came out one morning to find that one of our chickens had died – she was young, healthy, but had clearly been on the losing end of the pecking order.

We’ve had chickens who didn’t adapt well to being in the larger flock and we have learned different ways to keep the girls happy. Happy girls mean more eggs for me, and I am all about that!  So, what do you do to with a jerk chicken (without actually making them into jerk chicken)?

1. Look at what they’re eating. Chickens will find food, even if it’s their buddies. I really like Scratch and Peck’s line of foods. I prefer their soy free one (here). It’s non-GMO, organic and they have really good business practices!

2. Are they getting enough of the extras?  I love feeding my girls vegetable scraps-pieces of kale, broccoli or whatever vegetables I have on hand.  It’s a nice treat for them, but it also adds extra vitamins.  You can also buy  pre-made treats like these Happy Hen treats, but know you can make treats for them as well with their food, and oat meal that is cooked and rolled up into a smooshy ball. If they need supplements, you can look into ones like these.

3. Are they getting out? Just like us, chickens need to get and have fun. Bored chickens are mean chickens. While their coop and run is huge, I let my girls out as often as possible. On the days that I work from home, they are out most of the day.

4. Do they have enough space? Just like us, if chicken’s are crammed into a space that is too small, they can be frustrated and overwhelmed. Make sure your girls have plenty of space to sleep, play and eat. Our coop is pretty big with inside and outside boxes so the girls have their own place to relax. Coops don’t need to be pretty, just functional. We all see those coops that look like they belong to Martha Stewart. If you can swing that-awesome, if not, that’s ok too! Ours is made from donated wood, building materials, leftover chicken wire, and love!.

5. Are you there? You’re one of the best ways to prevent chickens from attacking each other. If you’re there, you can spot issues early on and react. Ways to know if you need to jump in, is if you see aggression, or the signs of being attacked, missing feathers or bleeding, usually at the neck or tail.

6. Lastly, figure out who the jerk is and reset the pecking order. We have a small spare coop that we keep on hand for new birds, or in the case of a chicken that just needs to be separated. By pulling the aggressive one out, it gives the rest of the girls a break and keeps the rude one from being in charge. Having a spare coop is also handy if you have an injured bird, as it gives them time to heal.

The standard disclaimer still applies – if you think your chickens are sick and have any concerns about illness, you can get them checked out. Currently, there are reported cases of Avian Flu in Western Washington.

What ideas do you have to support a healthy, happy flock?

Here’s to happy birds, and more eggs!

Raina

**Disclaimer!! The links above are affiliate links, which means when you buy these products, I get a small percentage of that sale, which goes right back to my feathered girls :)**