Baby Peeper Alert!

So, somehow this became a chicken blog.  But, that's ok, right?

Anyway, Nynaeve has been broody all summer.  Taking pity on me, my mom sent up a couple of fertilized eggs from her flock. 

A few days ago, I came home from work and peeked into the coop to check on Nynaeve when, lo, a teensy tinsy bird face looked back me from under the new mother's suddenly giant wing! 

So now, I present to you Baby Peeper:

The New Flock

It's been a few weeks since we buried Egwene. Since then we've expanded our chicken flock a little bit - up to 3 now! Still no eggs, though...

                               

Nynaeve is the remaining original chicken. She's been broody for the past 2 or 3 months... pretty much the whole summer. She takes a break from egg-sitting duties everyday for about an hour to let the new chickens know that this is HER house and she's the BOSS. 

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This is Mieran. She came from my mother's flock, where she was being, basically, tortured daily by the rooster and other hens. My mom wasn't sure she was going to survive long, and when I first met Mieran, I wasn't either. She has balance issues, her head has been stripped bald, and one of her eyes appeared to be missing and the socket infected.

However, a few days of calm seem to have done wonders for her! Her feathers are growing back in and her eye seems to be healing quite nicely. On top of that, she has developed a bit of spunk. The trauma of her previous life is still fresh, however, and she's yet to lay an egg for us.

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And lastly, this is Siuan. She, too, was getting picked on in her original flock, so her previous home put her up for "adoption" on Craigslist. She came with the name "Speckle", for obvious reasons. (Before learning this, my neighbors, who fell madly in love with her at first sight, suggested the name "Midnight Speckle".) We renamed her Siuan, because we're big nerds.

Siuan is just 4 months old, and thus not yet laying. But she could start any day now!

She's still at the bottom of the pecking order here, but she doesn't seem to mind.  All in all, the 3 birds seem to be getting along pretty well, with only very occasional bouts of bullying.

Egwene the Chicken

Last Friday I awoke to a horrific sound - the sound of a chicken screaming.

They often cry in the morning, because they want out of their coop to hunt bugs.  I will often sleep through that until my alarm goes off.  But that morning, the sound was very different.  I glanced out the window and saw a raccoon trying to slowly rip off the head of one of my chickens, Egwene, who had managed to get out of the coop on her own.  Alone.

I ran outside yelling and hissing and scared the evil creature away.  Then I called in sick to work and spent the rest of the weekend increasing chicken security and keeping an eye on my now catatonic chicken. I wasn't too worried.  She seemed to be moving around fine after the attack, even if she spent the next few days hiding in the coop.  My mother told me of one of her chickens who had survived a raccoon attack.  The bird had hidden for 3 days, but was afterward fine.

But Tuesday, my neighbor called me at work to report that Egwene wasn't walking.  When I got home I found her lying awkwardly in the shade where they had placed her after she stumbled out of the coop.  But she was drinking water and was alert. I attributed her weakness to sitting in one position for 3 days with no food or water. Over the next few days she seemed to be improving, but I attempted to contact my vet (who still hasn't gotten back to me, btw) to see if they could recommend someone to look her over, anyway.

Thursday, she died.

We buried her in the forest at the end of our street, surrounded by tall grass.  She loved grass.

Sunscreen for those of us of Northern European Descent

*No, I'm not being paid to say this*

I am Irish/Polish/other, but mostly I look Irish - and my skin seems to take this part of my heritage very seriously.  Without sunscreen, I can be in direct sunlight for maybe 5 minutes without burning.  With sunscreen, usually about 15.

So, as I have gotten older and more concerned about sunburns and their negative long term effects - both internal and external, I've had to get creative.  I spend as much time as I can skulking in shadows.  If I have to be in the sun, I try to keep my back to it.  I've carried parasols and worn floppy hats. But if you use a bicycle as your main form of transportation, as I do, none of these solutions are very practical.

So, a week or so ago, I went to my local drug store, Ainsworth Drug, (where, by the way, they are all very very nice and helpful, and always appreciate a visit from Crayon), and decided to drop some cash on some sunscreen.  I've tried many in the past, with minimal luck, but I was in a mood to experiment.  

I struck gold on my first try!

Neutrogena Waterguard Kids Sunblock Mist SPF 70

I've not had much luck with Sunscreen sprays in the past, but  they're so easy!  I thought I'd give one another try, since it'd been a while, and I can never get my back with a lotion by myself.

I also decided to go for a kids formula, because in my experience, they are usually slightly less toxic than adult versions, and they always work better too.  Why?

 

 

 

Bullfrog Ultimate Sheer Protection Face SPF 30 Sunscreen

For face sunscreen, I just grabbed this one because it looked nice.  It said all the right things on the label : Anti-Aging, Ultra-light, Oil-free, etc.  

This appears to be a case where those words actually mean what they say - at least the ultra-light part.  This stuff goes on smoothly, feeling just like a regular moisturizer, without leaving you looking like you haven't showered for a week, as most of these sunblocks are wont to do.

My first test of these purchases was a 20 mile round trip bike ride on the Fourth of July - one of the sunniest days we've had so far.  This involved more than 2 hours in direct sun and more than a little sweat.  At the end of it all, I felt like I had just gotten a little sun.  In comparison, Boyfriend, who is less sensitive to sunbeams than I and never wears sunscreen, was burnt pretty badly.

I declare a win!

Fuzzy Dinosaur People

A few days ago, Boyfriend told me that our cat, Whiskey, had caught a mouse or a mole or something.  He had found her playing with it's lifeless corpse when he got home from work.  This was, reportedly, very cute.  However, at the time the story was related to me, the poor rodent's remains' whereabouts were unknown.

Today I was futzing around in my backyard and I saw one of my chickens, Nyneave, tossing around a dead mouse.  This was somehow cute.  She was trying in vain to rip bits of it off to snack on.  First she tried to tear off a leg.  Then she pecked at its viscera, trying to get the liver or some spleen.  Her efforts got her nowhere - but she didn't give up.  She lifted up her head, mouse in her beak, opened up her gullet and swallowed it whole.

I couldn't tear my eyes away.

Afterwards, as I was reeling from the insanity of what I had just witnessed, my neighbour threw rose petals over the fence for dessert. 

Challah!

Challah is one of my favourite types of bread.  It makes great toast, french toast, sandwiches, garlic bread, croutons... it pretty much works for all your bready needs.  I've been meaning to try my hand at making it for a while now, but for some reason I thought it was super complicated and the recipe I have calls for saffron.

But today, I got past my mental challah block and dove in!  (Sans saffron)

Challah is actually an amazingly simple bread.  Even the braiding which makes it look so fancy is simple (we all know how to braid, right?)  And with a few birds in the yard, the number of eggs challah requires for its signature deliciousness is no obstacle!

Challah

1/2 c flour

2tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

Whatever spice you want, however much you want (I used a healthy pinch of cinnamon)

1 packet or 2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/3 softened butter

Sift together dry ingredients and thoroughly mix in butter.

1 c water (105-115 F)

3 eggs

1 egg white (save yolk for later)

1/2 c flour

Add water to dry ingredients slowly while mixing - either by hand with a wooden spoon or with your electric mixer.   Add eggs and egg white.  While getting mixy, add flour.

More flour!

(about 4 c)

Continue mixing.  Add flour, 1/2 c at a time, until you have a good dough.  

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until stretchy and smooth.  If you have a mixer with kneading hooks, use that, cause, way easier.  This will take around 10 minutes.

Grease a large bowl.  When dough is kneaded properly, place in greased bowl.  Roll dough around to ensure that all sides get greasy.  Cover and leave in a warm place.

Do something else for 1 hour.

After your hour is up, find your dough and punch it in the face a few times.  Split your dough in half  and flour a flat surface for some braiding fun!

Split half the dough further into thirds.  Roll each third out into a 12" long dough-string.  Braid them together and pinch together the ends.  Place your braided dough onto a greased cookie sheet and repeat this step with the second half of the dough.

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp cold water

Some kind of seeds - poppy, sesame, anise, whatevs. 

Beat the yolk and the cold water together.  Brush on the tops of your braids.  Sprinkle whatever seeds you chose on the top until it looks good to you.

Cover and leave in a warm place.

Walk your dog or something for another hour.

Preheat your oven to 400F.  Bake 20 minutes.  Remove from sheet and allow to cool on wire racks.  Share - or not, depending on how hungry you are.

Yes, you are a creep.

"Hello, Hi," said the man in the dark colored sedan who pulled up along side me, a young woman walking alone along a residential street at midnight on a Sunday, "Not to be a stalker or anything, but I thought you have a wonderful style and I wondered if I could say 'Hi'."

I waved and said "Good-bye."

He drove ahead and turned at the next intersection, and I ran the rest of the way home along, what seemed for the first time, streets that were entirely too well lit, all the while listening for a car following me.  I thought I could hear him driving up and down blocks in my neighborhood.

Sir, whatever your intentions truly were, you were creepy.  You ruined my evening.  Why did you think that was OK?  Was I supposed to be grateful that some dude I've never met thought I looked good in the dark?  Does that line ever work?

Dog Report IV

Pepper can be periodically seen in this fenced yard, playing with half a ball - and any passersby who might take notice.  She (or he) will run up and down along the fence in a pretend game of chase.  Until I walked up to the fence and looked at her tag, Boyfriend had taken to calling her Bolt.

This dog was getting some gas - and enjoying the process entirely too much.

Whiskey "Dolla Dolla Billz" Burkle may not technically be a dog - but she did used to enjoy playing fetch!  She likes to spend sunny days under our tiny Japanese Maple tree, pouncing on any dog silly enough to trot by.

Dog Report III : My Backyard

Churchill likes to bark at my chickens and my cat. They don't really pay him any mind, and it makes him feel important.

Zelda, his mother, sometimes plays along. She's a little more realistic about it though.

Both of them move a little too quickly for my camera.

Dog Report II : Kenton Street Fair

Crayon and I went to the Kenton Street Fair today!  I had a delicious Pear, Brie, Mint and Marmalade sandwich with a Hazelnut Italian Soda from Posies, and Crayon met a few dogs.

Xena was slightly more interested in my chips than in meeting Crayon.

Bonita was a little shy. She's still a puppy, and had been recently manhandled by a labrador. Crayon was a perfect gentleman - and I hope he restored her faith in men.

Dog Report I

A new on-going feature:  Dogs I meet around Portland.

First Report

Crayon "Cash Money" Cortez peed on this tree for 20 minutes.  True story.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day likes to eat whatever she finds on the ground.

I once found Bodhi a few blocks away and had to walk him back to his home whilst holding his collar and walking Sunshine and Crayon home too.  I think Bodhi weighs more than I do.  Luckily for me, he wanted to go home.

Sage (who lives with Bodhi) just follows me home on her own, for kicks.

***Commercial Break***

My friend Andromeda makes amazing things out of high polymer clay.  Things in the shape of octopuses, flowers, jellyfish, squids, clover - and whatever else your heart desires.  She does custom orders.  She has reasonable prices.  And I suspect she undercharges for shipping.

These treasures can be purchased at her Etsy shop "Octopus Stew". You can see a gallery of one-of-a-kind and sold items on her Facebook page. And "like" it while your there, why don't you.

Now, enjoy these pictures of things she's made for me!
(All images belong to Andromeda)

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/47281130

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/47281131

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/45609436/

Wheelbarrow

Last weekend we decided that it was time to get started on our 2011 garden.  So we went to Fred Meyer to get the necessary supplies: a heavy metal rake and a wheelbarrow.  Our chickens have been busily making nutritious composty soil for us all winter, so we planned to muck out their coop and move it to our raised beds in the front yard (where the sun likes to hang out).  We quickly found a decent cast-iron rake for $10.  But when we found the wheelbarrows the miser in me just about fainted.  Nearly $70 for a bucket with wheels?!!

So we built one.  Well, Boyfriend built one.  We had to buy a wheel - $2 from the Rebuilding Center.

Pretty sweet, right?  We're gonna paint it bright red with silver accents.

The fruits of our labor.  And yes, our raised beds are made from wine bottles.  And no, I didn't drink all that wine by myself.

Starting Seeds for Spring!

This year, I've been seeing a lot of people promoting the use of egg cartons for starting seeds. While I love the idea of re-using what would otherwise be (hopefully) recycled, they just don't work very well. I tried it last spring, and the results were overall, pretty disappointing:

1. The egg carton paper is too thick and acts as a wick, taking water away from the soil.

2. The egg pods are too small, and seedlings do not have enough room to grow healthy and strong before transplanting.

3. The egg carton paper is, again, too thick. You cannot just plant it into the ground and expect it to decompose and allow the seedling to flourish, and it is otherwise very difficult to get the seedling out of the egg pods.

(For a defense of the egg carton seed start project see the comments below. I posted my issues with this project elsewhere, and got a rebuttal - which someone intent on re-using their egg cartons may find very helpful)

This year, instead, I decided to try something completely new and just as recyclely:

Origami seed start pots!

Materials needed:

Scrap paper

Cupcake tray you don't plan on using for a while

Seeds

Soil

To make the cups, find detailed origami instructions (with charts and graphs!)  here.

Next, place cups in cupcake tray, fill the cups with soil, place in the seed according to the packet's directions, add water and a few weeks later...

Since the scrap paper is pretty thin, you could theoretically just place the cups directly into the garden bed you intend them for. Though, it will probably be a good idea to cut a hole in the bottom (if one hasn't already developed) before planting.

Good gardening to you!

1960s Crafts for the Modern Woman

In a 1965 issue of McCall's filled with how-tos for hideous crafts that look much like those you made in kindergarten out of toilet paper rolls and construction paper, I found a craft that actually looked kind of cool:

Embroidered styrofoam trays!

Ok, it still kind of looks like I made it when I was 5, but it was my first one. I also encased the tray in silver satin and gold crepe. A little over the top, maybe, especially with the brass buttons, but I decided to just go for it.

We like to shop at our local Vietnamese market because 1) it has an interesting variety of items that are difficult to find nearby and 2) super cheap produce. The downside is: much of this super cheap produce comes wrapped in saran wrap (which we save and re-use) and on styrofoam trays. Which are pretty much useless.

But this tray, at least, served as the medium for a not too terrible likeness of my cat.

The American Dream

Scientists and historians may find it difficult to pinpoint the exact moment that the American Dream became synonymous with 'Buy as Much Crap as Possible and Throw it Away to Make Room for More Crap we Absolutely Have to Buy', (more commonly known as 'Consumerism'), but I would suggest the moment was sometime around August 1960, when the following ads appeared in an issue of House Beautiful.

'Sure,' you're probably thinking, 'This looks wasteful, but it's no worse than using tissues.'

And you may be right. Many people seem to have some issues with re-using cloth handkerchiefs. And they don't notice how wasteful it is because, unlike people with hayfever, they don't really have to blow their noses too often.

People with spring-summer-fall allergies (like me) learned by about age 10 that tissues are the most ridiculous inventions ever - not to mention how expensive they are! I can blow (hah!) through a travel-pack of tissues in a single spring day. Simply imagine how much trash I would be creating if I didn't have my rotating supply of handkerchiefs.

This is like having a disposable table cloth. Or disposable plates and silverware (although some people do actually use these items in the home, regularly).

How filthy and/or lazy does a person have to be to get to the point where they are actually seeking out disposable clothing items?! Keep in mind, also, that in 1960 simple and convenient home washing machines not only existed but were commonly owned. They also had bleach.

This is my personal favorite.

These apparently solve "an ever-present problem for the summer-hostess."

What on earth could this problem be? How many showers are her guests taking that it is too much trouble to wash and dry the bathmats?

On top of how wasteful this is, the very idea of touching my bare, wet skin to paper fills me with dread. It is a most disagreeable sensation.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

We adopted Sunny!

Since she apparently never had a name before coming to the Oregon Humane Society, we decided to change her name up a bit - to Sunshine on a Cloudy Day. Sunny for short. Rapper name: Sunny D.

The first night we brought her home, she spent the whole evening pacing. And eating our blinds. All of them.

So I made some drapes.

She then proceeded to spend the next week hiding under Crayon's mini staircase. Coming out only occasionally to pace worriedly.

It's been nearly 3 weeks now, and she's made a lot of progress. She still cringes every time we look in her direction, but she has fallen madly in love with Crayon, and takes his lead on everything. So walks are a great deal less chaotic. And the cute factor in the house has risen exponentially.

This Dog.

I can't stop staring at this dog.

Please, someone give her a home! Poor Sunny was apparently held captive in a puppy mill her entire life. She needs someone to show her what it's like to be a pampered snuggle-monkey!

I'm strongly considering taking her home myself (I'm a sucker for a dog with a hard-luck story), and I'm already sponsoring her, but I really just want to see her in a cozy home with plenty of laps as soon as possible! Preferably close to my neighborhood, so I can continue staring at that face.

UPDATE: 3/05/2011

We adopted her! She and Crayon seem to get a long fine, but other than that she is very scared and anxious. And quite the climber!

New Scooter Fun Times

Recently, our 90-something Chevy Lumina had its tires slashed. It was nothing personal, just someone with a horrible sense of humor decided to slash the tires on every car parked on a quiet residential street near 82nd. Nonetheless, it amounted to 2 flat tires and only 1 spare.

So it sat, sad and alone, in our driveway for a week or so - until Boyfriend had the time to get the tires replaced. No sooner did he do so, than the battery died. As did the starter (double-punch!).

And again, it sits, sad and alone in our driveway. We've decided to donate it, most likely to the Oregon Humane Society, and instead get a couple of scooters!

We decided on this course of action for a number of reasons:

-Cars are expensive gas-hogs
-I feel like a douche driving the car for a distance less than 5 miles
-We are too lazy to ride bikes for distances over 2 miles (especially when cold and/or rainy)
-Also, we like animals and tax deductions

I've already purchased mine (I've got a good amount of low-interest credit). A super cute 49 cc 2005 Honda Metropolitan. From everything I've read, they're supposedly very reliable, with ridiculous mileage (around 90-100 mpg), cheap to insure and best of all: A-DOR-A-BUHLS.

Exhibit A:



Exhibit B:



Exhibit C:
(for reference purposes)

Andama!

For a dinner party last night, I decided to make the last bread that my bread machine ruined: Andama. Judging from the amount of unsolicited compliments it received, it's official: Humans rule, Bread Machines drool.

Andama is a delicious easy way to use up that molasses that's been sitting in your cabinet for ages. This time my recipe came wholesale from McCall's Home Baked Breads, c1965, no changes or additions needed.

McCall's Andama

3/4 c boiling water
1/2 c yellow cornmeal
2 tsp salt
3 tsp butter
1/4 c molasses

First, lightly grease a loaf pan.

In the bowl you plan to be mixing in, mix boiling water, cornmeal, butter, molasses and salt. Stir until all melty and combined. Set aside and allow to cool to lukewarm.

1/4 c warm water (105-115 F)
1 pkg or 2 1/4 tsp yeast

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl or measuring cup. Stir until dissolved. Add to warm molasses mixture.

1 3/4 c sifted all-purpose flour
1 egg

Add flour and egg to yeasty molasses mix. With a wooden spoon or fancy mixer, stir until smooth.

1 c sifted all-purpose flour

Gradually add the rest of the flour while stirring. Continue mixing until dough is thick enough that it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Place dough in your pre-greased loaf pan, smoothing with a greased spatula (or your clean hands, like I did) so that it fills the pan evenly with the dough touching the sides of the pan Cover and place somewhere warm, like the oven with the light on.

Forget all about your bread for about 1 hour 30 minutes
(Or until double in bulk)

Sprinkle the top of your bread with salt and cornmeal.

Preheat oven to 375F

Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until bread is solid enough to rap with your knuckles without giving.

Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. Brush tops with butter (I used olive oil).

Eat as you will!

v-day