Consolidated Kansas

[keckels]

We had to make Wichita news as having the most snow; Scott County 15 inches.

My ducks were walking over the top of their fence - all six mallards present.
All the chickens runs were pretty much full, but the coops were snow free & dry. Took me probably an hour and a half to scoop, feed, and water, but they all seemed indifferent to all the white stuff. I could have had chickens for the past 3 winters & not gone through what we just went through; we need snow without wind.

 

[Trish44]

keckels, wow, sorry to hear you got so much snow that must be a bummer trying to get out & take care of your birds. I hope they're all doing OK & that you got warmed up after shoveling.

 

[msjfrizzle]

What a night you had, Ivy! I've just had time to quickly scan the day's posts, but I thought y'all would like the picture below.

I spent the entire day and evening at the hospital with my mom and dad. Mom had MAJOR spinal surgery, to be followed in 6 days with another, more serious surgery. I spent part of the waiting time making a little cape and scarf for a chicken, instead of grading papers as I should have been doing. The little EE pullet I tried them on just wouldn't stand up in the outfit, but I promise she wasn't under the influence!!!! I couldn't get a very good picture of the chicken.
Our cat, Moose, was very interested in the proceedings. Sometimes she still chases the chickens to see them squawk and flap, but she isn't serious about actually catching one. Usually if she gets too close to a chicken, one of the big girls goes after her. This 11 pound fur ball runs from chickens....unless.......


Laser beams locked on target.
Increasing power to level DeepFry.

I rescued poor Lily in the nick of time!

 

[chicken danz]

Frizzle, congratulations! That is adorable. Of course I haven't conceived my chicken outfit yet. Behind as usual. I still want to dress one up. It's just one more thing on my list of things I haven't gotten done.
Sorry to hear about your Mom. After 5 spinal surgeries I so know what she is going through. I hope she is doing well. I'm still trying to get back on my feet after this last one. Does she have someone to help her for the next few weeks?
Trish I can't believe you have Raynauds. That is something every female in my family has. No one ever seems to have heard of it before. I just have to be careful not to get my hands cold or they won't warm up. The others in my family are much worse. My Mom has always had extremely cold and white fingers. It will literally chill you if she touches you with them.
Keckels you really did get the snow. We didn't get any at all. Just tons of rain and a little sleet mixed in with it later yesterday afternoon.
So today I need to get busy again. I'm hoping I have a few more packages show up today. I have a short list of other smaller things I need to pick up. Dh mentioned going to Topeka later this afternoon. He wears me out when I am with him because he takes so much time to shop. I am a get in get out kind of shopper. I really hate shopping. He does almost all the grocery shopping or we wouldn't eat!
On the subject of immune systems that has been the culprit of my lousy health. When I was a few days old, I was quite ill. They had to give me a total blood transfusion. They mis-typed my blood and gave me the wrong kind. Needless to say they said I wouldn't survive. To save my life they killed my thymus gland. At that time they believed it only functioned when you were a baby. The thymus gland produces the white blood cells which in turn produce lymphocytes to protect you from disease. They have learned since that it is used more as a child but that you use it throughout your life.
As a result I've basically had a very limited immune system and am allergic to tons of stuff, and have very little resistance to disease. I've always had to be very careful to use the utmost caution in public to prevent getting sick. When my kids were in school it was a disaster. I deal with this suppressed immune system regularly like a chicken would when they get stressed. For instance: most people only get shingles one time in their life and it is usually after they are 60 years old. I get them on a regular basis. They are extremely painful and leave scars. I have to take antiviral medicine to clear them and it is very hard on your liver. They make a vaccine for shingles but I can't take it because I am allergic to the neomycin base. I have gotten many of the childhood diseases multiple times, like measles you are only supposed to get once because I don't form the antibodies to prevent them. I take many supplements which help strengthen my resistance to some disease, and medication to help prevent severe reactions to atmospheric allergies. I have to be careful to buy products with no perfumes or other things I've learned I'm allergic to or I will break out with a severe blistering rash. My greatest fear is cancer which is very prevalent in my family. I am unable to develop the T cells which help you get it in remission. It's a way of life for me and I've always lived with it so it's no big deal. The worst impact it had on me was loosing time from work and school due to illness. Needless to say I have a bit of disease phobia.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Keckles- Whoa!!! That is a lot of snow!! I can't even imainge! We'd be snowed in for sure! We're so far out, that the trucks don't get out here right away--sometimes not at all.

MsFrizzle, I LOVE your chicken outfit!! That is soooo darned cute! Hysterical that your cat was about ready to pounce! Good thing Lily was rescued in time to not be chicken dinner. I need to do something funny/cute with one of my chickens too!! I'll have to get on that soon!! Hope your mom will make a full recovery and feel a lot better. The upcoming surgery doesn't sound fun either.

Trish, that's really neat that you are able to give your stuff to people who really need it. I've been making up big Goodwill bags. I just don't have the time to try to hunt down people who will want it or sell it. I'd rather drop it off and be done. But it sure is neat that you're able to do that!

Danz, no idea how to wrap books. I mean, I just wrap them as is if they are thick, or I throw them in a box if not. I've also used brown paper bags and cut them up to wrap around them first so edges dont' poke thru. Then wrapped them. I love wrapping paper! I'd much rather have everything wrapped than use bags. I try to limit my use of bags entirely-- unless it's just impossible to wrap, or I'm out of boxes for things like hand lotions, etc-- can't really wrap those unless they are in a box or something. Wow, that is NO fun you get shingles so often! Shingles is from Chicken Pox-- it's the same virus, but when it's re-activated in adults, it causes shingles instead. That is so unfair that you have to deal with that so often.

That is definitely a terrible immune system you have there. I hope you stay healthy this winter!

Well, all the kids are home this morning- school is out. Preschool still has one last day on Thursday. But having all 3 of them running around the house is interesting-- and no place to go. In the summer, we head out to the park, the zoo... etc. I think I might take them on a grain run-- my horses are out again. I feed a LOT in the winter to fatten them up for the summer. They lose a lot of weight in the summer. Winter is easy to fatten them up, don't know why that is. I think the heat is just hard on them, and they enjoy the cooler weather. I fixed everyone scrambled eggs this morning-- it will sure be fun when it's OUR eggs we're eating. Well, better get out there and get my outdoor chores done!

 

[keckels]

I really feel more for those who got the rain. I'd be in much worse shape with a lot of rain and the cold.

 

[chicken danz]

I don't like bags either. I think it is kind of lame and of course pricey. They work fine for shower gifts and stuff but I do so like a beautifully wrapped present. Normally I try to match the wrapping paper somewhat to my tree or if we are taking them elsewhere to the colors of their tree. I.e. My son and his wife being K-state grads have a purple, black and silver decorated tree. So I always wrap their presents in purple and silver with black touches in the bows. Makes for a beautiful gift.
Another thing I like to do is buy picks, little do dads, or ornaments and add them as the decorative touches. I buy most of these after Christmas when the price drops down to 75% off or so. You can take a metallic pen in gold or silver and write names on ornaments and use those as name tags. They look beautiful. So far I have nothing but paper on presents and I haven't been careful about color. I just brought 4 rolls up from the basement and that is what I've used so far. I'll try to get more creative before I actually give them.
The worst part about the shingles is that I can't hold my grand children when I have them. They can get chicken pox from me if I do. And it seems they always hit when it's time for the holidays. It must be the added stress or something. That and I tend to run a low grade fever which makes me feel like crap.
The worst part of course is of all places I normally get them on my butt.

So I can't sit down and I have to wear comfortable clothes or it is excruciating. The doctors all laugh though because I seem to be the only patient that gets them on my "cheek."

I've learned that taking L-lysine works as an antiviral so I take it daily. I was very worried after my surgery when I couldn't swallow well and had to stop taking it for a couple weeks. It is a hard to take pill anyway. So far so good though. If any of you suffer from fever blisters this will also help cure them or keeps you from getting them. I was trying to think of how to get some in the chickens water and still have them drink it. It tastes awful if it dissolves. I thought it might help with the colds.
Seem the VetRX is getting this under control though. The infected birds are clearing up and I haven't seen any new ones getting colds yet.

 

[chicken danz]

Ok so I feel like writing books today! Sorry!
I just put a slew of eggs in the hatcher. Several of them are pipped already. I have some of the tiniest Serama eggs with chicks in them. Those tiny eggs usually aren't fertile but some of these are. It will be interesting to see how tiny they are if they hatch.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Any advice if the power goes out? (for the incubator) Our power goes off a lot. Usually not for very long, but just a couple of days ago, it did stay off for about 5 hours. Good luck on your teeny tiny serama eggs, Danz! No fun having shingles on your cheeks... Sheesh, what a pain in the ...er..

Yeah, I'm loving my VetRX too! Everyone seems pretty healthy now!

Cleaning house now. Doing tons of laundry and picking up the house. Hoping I stay really motivated -- I need to clean bathrooms. Bleah.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
We are a muddy, mucky mess of standing water here. It's all turned to ice, of course.

We do need to get caught up in our rain for the year, but not all at once!