When it rains... there's still chicken dust all over my dining room!

Sitting at the dining room table so I can be entertained by the "girls" (my 5, 2 week old chicks), I begin rubbing my eyes cos everything seems fuzzy.  Hmm...  not my eyes, it's my screen.  Then the printer glitches, doesn't want to feed the paper...  so I take a look around and realize that my dining room is covered in a fine layer of brown "dust", that looks strangely familiar.  My little peepers are kicking up a dust storm and it's settling in my house!  It may take tropical storm Andrea to clear this outta here!

I plan to obsess a bit about the chickens because they are proving to be pure entertainment to me.  We recently moved them out of their brooder box into a dog crate because they were escaping!  And while I do object to the chicken poo on my floors (and everything else) I really don't want them to get hurt.  Now they are in a place of honor on the dining room table, with a picture window view to the outside world, but wholly and safely (I hope) caged.

New temporary home

Buffy finds an alternative roost

They continue to amaze with how much they grow each day.  They are not as cute as they were on day one, but they are still willing to sit on my shoulder each evening and rest, give little pecky kisses, and sometimes even nap.

Foggy says "whassup!"

Miss Scarlett continues to be our little rebel, although as the others become more independent her behavior feels more normal.  But, she is still not content to sit in my hand or settle into a comfy spot.

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Buffy - 2 weeks old
She will always be fluffy 

Buffy gave us a lesson in flock behaviour...  she caught sight of a big bird flying by the window and started a low "trill" that alerted the other girls who then pretended to be statues, staying very still and didn't move until Buffy's alarm stopped.  It was fascinating to see how they communicate and react to each other.

The feathering process is truly an ugly duckling stage but their feathers are coming in beautiful, which means they can go outside soon!!  Poopsy needs to get busy on the "Mini Cooper" cos when they are ready, they are outta here!!!

As I turn off the light (always leaving a nightlight on close by), they begin to position themselves into their sleeping positions.  The twins take the outer protective positions, Buffy goes in the middle, Meeso climbs on top and Scarlett pushes close to the nightlight.  They are learning that when it's dark, it's time to sleep.  Sleep well my little PITAs.



Continued prayers for my friend TB, his chemotherapy is aggressive and his pain is great.  But his heart and attitude are sweet and hopeful.

What have we done now?!?

As I continue my 2013 quest for new experiences and learning we decided to participate in the Urban Chicken Project...  May/June will be the months of becoming mother hen to 5 adorable baby chicks.  When I called to see if I could be added to the list of participants I was given permit number 67 out of 75, hooray!  And told we would have to go to chicken school, and I keep saying I'm done with school. Our first class was held on a farm where they had 47 hens and one amazing Rooster...  plus 2-3 dozen "teenager" (4-6 weeks old) babies that were available for purchase.

Instructor Tom opening the coop and letting the girls run!

Tom's beautiful Rooster

After two chicken classes and a trip to city hall we were given the "official" letter and hit the internet to find a reputable hatchery.  We wanted 4 newborns from different breeds so we could tell them apart.  When I hit the purchase button they asked if I wanted a free meal maker.  Free is good for me so I said yes!  As it turns out, it's a free hen that they give away if you promise to raise her to laying age and donate her eggs to a charity...  oops!  We have 5 sweet baby girls?  (hopefully)  

Here are the glamour shots, 24 hours after being hatched!

Meeso (as in me so cute) our Plymouth Barred Rock
She will have black and white striped feathers and will give us brown eggs

Miss Scarlett our Rhode Island Red
She's our beautiful redhead and will give us brown eggs

Buffy (the insect slayer) a Buff Orpington
Our lap chicken, another brown egger

Foggy (short for Foghorn Leghorn) our, you guessed it, White Leghorn
She will be a big white feathered bird and give us white eggs just like you
get at the store

Charity, the Meal Maker, and a second White Leghorn
She will graciously provide eggs to a needy home or family

The little poopers arrived almost two weeks ago and have been growing every day, we take them outside and let them explore, all the while keeping our eye on the predator hawks that are circling our babies.  

in the garden

They stay close

We are hoping to have people friendly chickens so while they are young and manageable we take them out of the box several times a day and let them climb all over us.  All but Miss Scarlett will climb to our shoulders and fall asleep.  Meeso and Buffy both give us quick little pecks on our face, neck and hair!  Since it's not a serious peck, but appears to be very deliberate and soft, we've decided they love us and those are little peeper kisses!

They are developing distinctive personalities.  Meeso and Buffy are very sweet, they will step onto my hand when I reach into the box, and settle into my hand easily.  They both give me kisses, love to climb in my hair, and take naps on my shoulder and chest.  Buffy has been known to knock the others out of the way when a hand is offered in the box.

The twin Leghorns, Foggy and Charity, are growing faster than the rest and appear to be the leaders.  The were first to understand and demonstrate the new watering system, the first to develop wings, and the first to try to get out of the box!

Foggy expanding her horizon

 We now have little barriers clipped to the sides, and will be moving them tomorrow to a cage!

Miss Scarlett, true to her name, is high strung, high maintenance, and not quite as friendly as the rest.  She is the first to raise an alarm, will sit up and cheep while all the others are sleeping, will fight the others for a treat (mealworm) and will let me hold her, but won't settle into my lap or hands.  She was the first to fly off my hand to the floor, and may I say, WOW!  she has gorgeous wings!

Please join me in welcoming these sweet girls to our home!  We can't wait to get them into the Coop (tentatively called the Mini Cooper, since it's going to be movable).  We should be getting eggs in about four months!

Baaa...

As part of my 2013 quest to learn something new every month, I am also expanding my options for new experiences...  or old experiences as luck would have it.  So when my spinning guru mentioned that there was a Sheep and Wool festival happening about 70 miles away...  how could i resist?  She needed a day away, I am open for almost anything, so we strapped into the car and headed off on our adventure.  Now I'll tell you, in my mind I was picturing an event with fibers galore, that i could jump into and fondle and purchase for spinning.  With indoor restrooms.   As we drove down the narrow country roads, it felt like we were being transported to a foreign place, laid back, peaceful and spring green.  Siri guided us to a quiet field where we paid $2 (total) and parked a mere 50 feet from the port-a-potties...  hmmmm.   There was a large covered shelter filled with sheep...  lots and lots of sheep.  In the center there was a section used for judging, and nearby a raised platform where they were shearing. This is NOT what I was expecting, but I can tell you I was not disappointed.

We wandered through the barn, admiring the different sheep and reveling in the county 4H feel of the event, I felt like I had been transported back in time to my country hometown where the summers were filled with animal events and county fairs.  

A couple of young girls asked us to come see their lambs, they were going to be showing them in the judging circle at noon...  they were very excited and proud, even showed us their new boots!

And my little curly headed friend was intrigued, and evidently spoke the language, he would baaa, they would baaa back at him.  He did not disclose what they were talking about, but I felt sure they were telling him how nervous they were, and asking if their hair looked as good as his :-)

There was a bit of fiber for sale, but nothing that had to go home with me.  There were bags of freshly sheered wool, alpaca, and other assorted animal hairs...  it was fun to touch but since I have no idea how to process it, I did not succumb...  maybe it's a new learning for another month.  

There was a shelter where the spinners set up their spinning wheels and the one lonely weaver set up her loom.  We unpacked our drop spindles and joined them.  Jody was even asked to be a guest judge for the children's shearing contest...  all in all a very fine day!

Prayers for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing...  

Roses roses roses...

HAPPY EASTER!

On this last day of March I feel obligated to at least mention this month's learning experience...  but it's not that simple because I didn't learn one single thing this month, but added several easy skills to my repertoire.  One of my favorite new learnings came about because I was in charge of supplying the birthday cake for a co-worker.  Ah, you're thinking I just took a major cake decorating class, should be easy, right?  Of course not, I didn't want to do gum paste and fondant, I wanted to make something pretty with a creamy tasty frosting.  So I googled pretty cakes, and I was not disappointed.  This is the cake I made for Katie...    

                        

                                                                     The Rose Cake

 

I found the tutorial on Iambaker's blog at http://iambaker.net/rose-cake-tutorial/

I recommend checking out her beautiful cakes and other creations.

This isn't the best photo, but it shows how pretty the cake was even after cut. 

My big concern was that the roses might fall off since they are huge and looked like you could pluck one off...  but I lucked out and the cake was still intact when we cut it.  However, Katie did tell me that one of the roses came off that night, just pulled off in one piece and fell to the side.  I'm going to have to figure out how to manage the icing so that it adheres better...  cos this cake was quick and easy and had a big wow factor... might be my go to cake!

Later this week I'll share some of my other new learnings for March, and my thoughts for April.

Update:  TB started chemotherapy this week, so far he's handling it well...  fingers crossed.

Honorable mention at best...

Are you ready for February's learning experience reveal?

My bestie and I took a Wilton Fondant and Gum Paste cake decorating class at Joann's.  It took place during four consecutive Monday nights from 6-8 PM, and we spent lots of money!  Thankfully Joann's offers lots of coupons so we could work the system by doing multiple shopping trips, pulling up their coupons on our phone apps, cutting coupons from the paper and being on their email list.  I'm pretty sure we didn't pay more than 60% for any of our decorating supplies.  Each week we would get to class early so we could sit close to the teacher and make flowers and get all floury.  Is that a word?  I went home smelling like sugar and cake which didn't seem to be a bad thing...
After much home work and anxiety about design, we graduated!!!  Here we are with our classmates showing off our "diplomas".

The instructor is in the back thinking she can't be seen, lol! 

My cake...  not the prettiest in the class, but my coworkers didn't seem to care, cos they ate it up!

And here are the others...  

This was tons of fun!  And we will probably take another class, but not for a few months cos I've got other things to learn!  

Prayers and warm fuzzy thoughts for my friend TB.

It's the climb...

Well today the mailman brought me a turkish spindle...  it's a Jenkins from Spunky Eclectic, and it's gorgeous!

The wood is Guapinollilo, which I've never heard of before, and it weighs 0.91 oz.  It's smaller than I anticipated, so I'm very curious if I'm savvy enough to actually use it, lol.  

Just so you don't think I'm slacking by not rushing fiber onto my new spindle (who has yet to be named), here are my current projects...

Polworth Fiber in Tropical Sea, one ounce out of my 5-fiber sampler in Sea Glass from Spinning Bunny.  The spindle is my "Dreamboat", handmade by Jim at Spinning Bunny.

100% Superwash Blue Faced Leicester in Red Geranium, with a touch of Red Firestar Nylon for some sparkle, from Long Dog Handspun.  The spindle is borrowed from my amazing instructor Jody, who loaned it to me when I left my spindles at home during a shopping spree fiber event.  This is the reason I now own two turkish spindles!

Panda Fiber, the color is a gorgeous purple but I don't know the official name of it.  It is also an ounce out of my 5-fiber sampler in Sea Glass from Spinning Bunny.  If you've never spun Panda, I recommend giving it a try, you are in for a treat!  

The spindle is my first Turkish from Valkyrie, weighing in at 1.6 oz.  This spindle will probably be great for plying!

My friends who have corrupted me with this new obsession tell me I've gone down the rabbit hole...  they don't realize that I'm just following their bread crumbs.

My friends who think this is a tremendous waste of time...  offer to buy me yarn.  

Well for me, in the words of Miley Cyrus, it's not the mountain, it's the climb!  

I promise you that I DID learn something new in February...  and I WILL get around to sharing it with you.

On a more serious note, since I'm sending thoughts out to the universe...

I found out that a friend of mine, I will call him TB, has a serious disease...  

If you pray, please add him and his family...

My first handspun yarn

As promised, here is my homemade handspun yarn.  It's about 160 yards, that started out as 4 ounces of Polworth Fiber from The Painted Tiger online shop.  It has been a fun process, that takes a LONG time, lol!  The beginning fiber looks nothing like the finished product,

I have another 4 ounces of this gorgeous fiber, so hopefully i'll have 300 yards to crochet into something wonderful...  to be announced.  

Hello World

Hello World...  I'm joining the trend of sending my thoughts out to the universe.  This year's resolutions include learning something new every month...  I'll try to catch you up.

In January I learned how to spin fiber using a drop spindle, it has become my new zen.  While I am getting better it still seems that my special gift is the "drop" part of drop spindling as my spindle hits the floor several times a day.  My amazing teacher is quite gracious about the "art" yarn that I am producing.  But hey, I am having fun so it's ok, right?  
This new addiction is proving to be my contribution to the economy, I have already acquired three spindles and a fourth is on the way...  Spinning Bunny is my new favorite online shopping place and I am stalking yarn and fiber stores.  Go me!  I currently have a fiber stash that should last several months, but there's always room for more!
I will be sharing photos of my progress in days to come.  Don't get your hopes up, beauty is definitely in the eyes of the beholder.

Really...

First blog ever!