Wednesday, December 30, 2009
(partial view, back of the house)
Penned by
Technodoll
at
5:10 PM
1 comments
Just thought I would point out how bloggalific I am.
Or I just talk a lot.
Today was a day of reckoning with Mother Nature. There was a helluva snow storm here yesterday, apparently more snow fell in a single day than normally falls all winter - of course, this has to happen the only year we have a mile-long driveway and no money for a snow blower or snow removal services.
Of course.
Our kind neighbor from across the street came by with his machine and helped clear the driveway though, so that was really sweet. Yey for friendly grandpas! We still had to manually shovel a crapload of snow, digging paths between buildings, clearing the deck, etc. Oh well. C'est l'hiver!
Did I mention it's -26C (-15F) with the wind chill?
And oh, there are brutal winds, many brutal winds.
In the afternoon we drove to the next town over for errands and the fan/heater on our 20-month old Mazda decided to kick the bucket. So no heat in the car and the inside windows all frosted up - brilliant!
Silver lining: Vegas snagged an appointment with the dealership for tomorrow, last open day before New Year's holidays and all that. Yey! I assume the broken part is under warranty since it's still relatively new and has low mileage.
It better be.
In other news, the little roo Sunshine that has been in the house and on meds the past 10 days is showing zero signs of improvement. His lungs are fucked. If he's not better by the weekend, it's very possible that he is genetically weak and will have to be culled :(
I have two other girls in the coop that are also coughing, two of my best layers, so I have to bring them in too and start them on antibiotics, what HELL! They're older and stronger though and if I cured Antoinette in the fall, I can cure her sisters.
No more chickens allowed in the house as of mid-January, so they need to hurry up and get better. PLEASE!
This is ridiculous, am fed up with all the drama - if it's not one thing, it's another.
Am I cursed?!
Kay, time to dig through the leftovers and watch some House with hubby, although I'm tempted to sit in a hot bath to warm these cold feet first.
I wonder if I can eat dinner in the bathtub?
/end of Silly Ponderings post/
Penned by
Technodoll
at
7:03 PM
6
comments
'Tis a perfect winter day!
Tons of fat white snowflakes are streaming down, covering the land and trees with a thick blanket of winter, it's very mild and there is no wind so the snow is sticky, a snow fight's delight! Of course we'll be cussing like sailors tomorrow when it's time to shovel the mile-long driveway but oh well, thems the breaks...
I had forgotten that we had access to trails in the woods backing our property since you can only go there in the wintertime (summer is a nightmare of marshes, brush and bugs), so we decided a snowy walk with the doggies was in order.
Penned by
Technodoll
at
3:52 PM
16
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I just put Blossom back in the coop, at day 25 all hope is lost for any chicks to hatch.
I had to open the eggs to see what happened and confirmed that yes, four chicks were developing, three of them were very close to hatching when they died in the shell.
I don't know what happened.
My heart is shattered, I feel sick with grief.
Penned by
Technodoll
at
11:05 AM
14
comments
Christmas, I mean - first it was miles away and now it's gone! It would have helped mark the event if only ONE chick had made it to hatching but I guess it just wasn't meant to be...
Still swallowing bitter disappointment but I'm focusing on the future now: we're starting a new year in less than a week, and then it'll be my birthday a few weeks after that and my reward for not crying as I enter a new decade will be a glorious incubator! For me it signifies new life, new adventures, new beginnings.
Everything for a reason.
Vegas and I spent a quiet xmas eve watching our favorite movies (Flash Gordon, Bad Santa, Spinal Tap), we exchanged gifts and drank non-boozy bubbly - it was good! - while listening to cheesy Christmas music, very quaint :)
Penned by
Technodoll
at
11:00 AM
14
comments
There will be no chicks this Christmas.
My heart is broken and I'm choking back the tears... been looking forward to this moment for over a month now, poor mama hen has been sitting on two different clutches of eggs forever and there won't be a thing to show for it.
I know things happen for a reason, but this SUCKS.
And then last night I sat my fat ass on my new wireless mouse's usb stick that was plugged in my laptop, it snapped in half. I'm stuck using the finger pad thingie and that SUCKS too.
It looks like Sunshine, my only promising blue-egg layer who has been in the house on antibiotics for four days to heal a pneumonia, is a roo. That would put my total roo count to five, which SUCKS. Of course they all have a forever home here with us unless the racket becomes an eviction notice. I need more hens, this is ridiculous.
It's been snowing for 24 hours so today is for shoveling... The only nice thing about the new white covering is that it hides all the yellow pee stains so I guess it only half SUCKS.
The Christmas cookies I made last night (Vegas helped decorate) came out pretty nice, so there's at least that:I also made a pan of Rocky Road, it came out tasty. Today is for finishing the butter tarts, cooking the ham and preparing the pasta salad. My brother's table is going to be pretty loaded with food on Friday!
Anyways. Not the best of days right now but I'll get over it.
Let's hear about your holiday plans and joyful moments, may happiness be shared and multiplied! I'll do my share in a bit, I promise :)
/end of Never Count Your Chickens Before They're Hatched post/
Penned by
Technodoll
at
10:15 AM
8
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There was no respect for youth when I was young,
Penned by
Technodoll
at
4:09 PM
4
comments
Vegas had a brilliant idea yesterday: the chicken coop needed an extractor fan of some sort to pull out the dusty moist air and bring the humidity level down, that way the flock wouldn't be fighting off respiratory infections of excessive proportions anymore.
Our awesome contractor stopped by today to help and pointed out that I should just take the little fan I bought at the hardware store yesterday, make the coops's wall ventilation hole bigger and secure the fan in there, facing outwards. Problem instantly solved for $16 (cost of the fan)!
OMG I am sooo relieved... I can't handle any more sick hens and I'm sure the flock is really grateful for warmer, drier air, too.
The coop humidity was 100% two days ago, 96% this morning and 88% this afternoon. I really hope it keeps going down to a normal level because that, my friends, is a HUGE stress and worry off my shoulders!
*happy dance*
Only two days 'til Christmas Eve, I have to get a move-on with the baking (we have a family potluck buffet-brunch at my brother's on the 25th). Prin gave me a super recipe for butter tarts, I have to also make a batch of rocky road squares, a cold smoked maple ham, a pasta salad and a loaf of bread.
At least I know to NOT make those hockey-puck cheesecake brownies, LOL!
Still smiling from Prin's visit on Saturday, my gosh had I ever missed that girl.
Can you imagine having a friend who drives 4 (or was it 5?!) hours to see you and bring you Victoria Secret bras that fit so perfectly, you wonder if she has your body double (ok breastesses double) at home in blowup form for practice? Yeah, she's that awesome! I also loved seeing her two black furries, thems so sweet and funny - if only more dogs were so loved in the world, the shelters would be empty.
Then Saturday night we went to my chicken breeder friend's place to return Miss Pixie aka "Screamie", she was just a very bad fit for the coop and she was glad to return home so all was for the best.
He spoiled me with an 8-week old dark brahma girl from champion stock, I was sooo touched and awed... I have her sister here so having a pair is just splendid! If you saw how stunning the parents are you'd understand my glee, LOL! They are going to be very big, beautiful, cold-hardy girls who should lay a nice brown egg next summer. Yey!
Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!
I had to BUY a dozen for Christmas baking, I'm so pissed... Two weeks of tossing out eggs after the flock's annual deworming, UGH. Store eggs give me the willies, they don't look or taste real. Mleh.
Yesterday was a miserable waste of time, let's pretend it never happened.
Today's happy! Got bank papers signed, did two loads of laundry, fixed the coop(!!), prepared the pen for the chicks' arrival on Wednesday, cleaned out my email inbox and now it's time for popcorn and a book, then xmas baking. Maybe a hot bubble bath later on, we'll see.
Christmas gifts ALL wrapped and ready to go, I think I broke my own record by getting it done this early, LOL.
Puuurrrrr!
Anyhoo, that's that for the crazy chicken momma.
Bored yet? ;-)
/end of My Dogs Are Smelly post/
Penned by
Technodoll
at
4:55 PM
10
comments
I know I should blog more, I want to blog more - not just about problems and worries and laundry lists, but about real things that touch my life and *mean* something...
But then there's the wall.
I'm kinda private about some things and have difficulty expressing what I really want to say, so I divert to the easy stuff (ranting, cussing, talking about the weather and what's for dinner... well, if you read this blog then you already know all of this).
Um, I sure I had a point in here somewhere. Oh yes:
I'm blessed to be surrounded by incredible people.
I really am.
I don't go out much and avoid the phone like the plague (yey for innernets though!), but my heart is full of love for those of you patient and kind enough to see me through the highs and lows of the past years and decades.
I often say stupid things I don't mean because it's easier to be mad than to be sad.
I take days and weeks to return phone calls and emails because I have so much to say I don't know where to begin and when I do, there's the blockage again.
I'm lazy and imagine people know what I'm thinking so that should be good enough.
How do you tell someone how much they mean to you without it coming across as silly, needy or out of place?
I'm a loner. I know I need to make an effort to get out there and see people, to catch up face to face, to experience life in 3D! I am trying, just taking baby steps. So thank you for being patient and accepting this is how I am, that doesn't mean I don't care - promise.
I don't know if this post makes any sense whatsoever to anyone except myself, it was a fumbled attempt at gratitude and I think I need to scrap this and start over.
Bah I'm hitting the post button, let it fall where it may.
Something like that!
/end of This Was Lame post/
Penned by
Technodoll
at
9:35 PM
12
comments
Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals "love" them.
Penned by
Technodoll
at
11:05 PM
2
comments
Today wasn't so bad after all!
Got great news from the bank, possibly very good news from the gov'ment, did more xmas shopping and found a superduper gift for Vegas (yes I was DONE shopping but what the hey), found out that one of my brother's two dogs that he had to give up got adopted today by a very nice lady, the water pipes in the stable are frozen solid but don't seem busted, Vegas is officially on vacation for the next two weeks and all my chickens have so far survived the ongoing, brutal cold spell.
Yey, dat's good :)
Now if only the freaking mice would get the hell out of our bathroom...
Oh, didn't I tell you?
A couple of days ago I opened the bottom drawer under the bathroom sink and found it littered with mouse droppings - gross! What the hell are mice doing in our bathroom?! Every single drawer and cabinet had chocolate sprinkles in them, the little bastids!
Then we found holes in a tube of toothpaste - Crest, to be specific.
Guess the little critters wanted to improve their dental hygiene?
I finally got a bucket of bait today, cleaned everything out and set the poison. Hope it works cuz we can't afford a house extermination... Haven't see any evidence that the mice went anywhere else but we have to kill the nests before they spread.
This is a new problem, too, since we got an exterminator in here about 2 months ago to check out the attic (we thought there were bats in there) - it was all clean. Now there's vermin.
So. Disgusting.
Tomorrow's supposed to be a tad warmer, well less siberian cold at least - let's hope so cuz momma needs a break from hauling buckets of hot water out to the coop for the flock. Ah, the things we do for love!
I baked a pan of cheesecake brownies tonight, don't get all excited they're not all that great. I must have messed up the recipe cuz it just would NOT cook in the middle! The taste is ok, a bit strange in places - I won't be making that recipe again. Hope my special guest doesn't mind...
Vegas said they were "lovely, nice and creamy, brownies are usually hard to eat and dry but these were really good" - so maybe it's just me being fussy.
I'll try to divert my guest's attention with hot chocolate, fresh eggs and a couple surprises :-D
Off to bed goes this old arse o'mine, am very pleased with this day despite swallowing half a pound of dog fluff during the grooming session (hey! free fiber!) since both akitas take it upon themselves to blow their coats each and every Christmas season...
G'nite peeps, are you dreaming of santie yet?
/end of More Stuff, Less Fluff post/
Penned by
Technodoll
at
10:48 PM
16
comments
Penned by
Technodoll
at
6:06 PM
1 comments
What the HELL is wrong with this climate!
It pissed rain half the summer and now we're locked in a deep freeze that normally only happens in January or February, if at all - my chickens are freezing their tails off despite having a 175W heat lamp on in the coop 24/7 (super expensive to run), their water freezes within 30 minutes and so does any food I put down.
Now I just heard the stable's water pipes are frozen and we have one pissed-off renter on our hands. I insulated those pipes as per the hardware store's instructions and I can't do more, she wants us to buy a heater and blast it on the pipes about 10 hours a day - is she crazy?
She can take her horse elsewhere yesterday, with my blessing.
Never wanted her around in the first place, it was just as a favor to her and now it's a headache and a wallet drain.
It'll be a miracle if I don't lose any chickens, two are coughing wetly from the coop's humidity and high dust/ammonia factor (no fresh air circulation the past few days, it's too bleddy cold) and everybody's just plain miserable.
Please remind me why we live here again?
*cries*
On a happier note, I did get to dress up tonight for Vegas' office xmas party and had a lot of fun pretending to be a chic girly-girl for a few hours! We didn't stay long though (he felt ill, I think some of the snack food didn't go down well) but it was nice to see some familiar faces and chat for a bit.
I'll admit it was reeeaaally nice to come home and slip into warm soft jammies though :)
Time for bed, tomorrow is another day full of trials and tribulations, am bracing myself for bad news from the bank and bitchings from the horse tenant, store mobs, finger-numbing trips to the coop to try and apologize to a flock of freezing birds that I love with all my heart and can't warm up.
I just hate feeling helpless.
Fcuk this week of siberian crap!
/end of But What Can Ya Do? post/
Penned by
Technodoll
at
9:58 PM
8
comments
We're all born brave, trusting, and greedy,
Penned by
Technodoll
at
11:08 PM
4
comments
I know I should take the time to blog properly but man, I'm just not seeing the hours nor the days fly by! Zaaaaaah!
Let's see, in a nutshell:
I'm finally getting a much-needed haircut today, yey! Last one was in the city before we moved so you do the math. Gonna feel good to look a bit more put-together. Plus tomorrow night we're going to Vegas' office xmas party, he can't be dragging along some frumpy chumpy country wife now, can he? I thought not!
Got some xmas shopping done yesterday and will finish that up today, gotta mail the holiday cards and all that fun stuff. I usually don't bother but since we're not seeing many people this year I figured I ought to be nice :-D
Oh, guess what! Miss Coco Chanel, my gorgeous white sultan hen, finally laid a first perfect egg for me yesterday! The breeder said she was laying before I got her but she needed time to settle in and de-stress, and now it finally happened: it's the small, pointy white egg to the far right:
Penned by
Technodoll
at
10:31 AM
11
comments
Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like
Penned by
Technodoll
at
6:39 PM
3
comments
1. I always wanted to have someone to hold, someone to love. And now that you've come into my life... (Inside card) - I've changed my mind.
2. I must admit, you brought religion into my life... (Inside card) - I never believed in Hell until I met you.
3. As the days go by, I think how lucky I am.... (Inside card) - That you're not here to ruin it for me .
4. Congratulations on your promotion. Before you go.... (Inside card) - Will you take the knife from my back? You'll probably need it again.
5. Happy Birthday! You look great for your age.... (Inside card) - Almost lifelike!
6. When we were together, you said you'd die for me... (Inside card) - Now we've broken up, I think it's time to keep your promise.
7. Congratulations on your new bundle of joy.... (Inside card) - Did you ever find out who the father was?
8. You are such a good friend. If we were on a sinking ship and there was only one life jacket... (Inside card) - I'd miss you terribly and think of you often .
9. Your friends and I wanted to do something special for your birthday... (Inside card) - So we're having you put to sleep.
10. Looking back over the years that we have been together, I can't help but wonder..... (Inside card) - What the hell was I thinking
11. I'm so miserable without you... (Inside card) - It's almost like you're still here.
12. Thank you for being part of my life..... (Inside card) - I never knew what evil was until I met you!
13. Congratulations on your wedding day!... (Inside card) - Too bad no one likes your husband.
14. How can I say this.... (Inside card) - Your cooking kills me
15. Hooray..... (Inside card) - You're divorced.
16. I just want you to know that I'm sorry for what happened... (Inside card) - Especially since you survived.
17. Congrats on getting married... (Inside card) - It's not everyday you decide to ruin your life.
18. Someday I hope to marry... (Inside card) - Someone other than you.
19. We have been friends for a very long time... (Inside card) - What do you say we stop?
Property is theft. Nobody “owns” anything. When you die, it all stays here.
The planet is fine. The people are fucked.
The real reason that we can’t have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse: You cannot post “Thou shalt not steal,” “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” and “Thou shalt not lie” in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment.
The only good thing ever to come out of religion was the music.
“When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?” This title offends all three major religions, and even vegetarians!
And now, in the interest of equal time, here is a message from the National Institute of Pancakes: It reads, and I quote, “Fuck waffles.”
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
Cloud nine gets all the publicity, but cloud eight actually is cheaper, less crowded, and has a better view.
I’m always relieved when someone is delivering a eulogy and I realize I’m listening to it.
Just think, right now as you read this, some guy somewhere is gettin’ ready to hang himself.
If all our national holidays were observed on Wednesdays, we could wind up with nine-day weekends.
Most people with low self-esteem have earned it.
Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.
“No comment” is a comment.
You can’t argue with a good blowjob.
So far, this is the oldest I’ve been.
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
OK, so what's the speed of dark?
Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
Shin: a device for finding furniture in the dark.
Many people quit looking for work when they find a job.
Join the Army, meet interesting people, kill them.
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
Boycott shampoo! Demand the REAL poo!
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.
The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.
The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.
A fool and his money are soon partying.
Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
