Consolidated Kansas

[COOP Group]

When I started the process, I knew that a lot of people are very misinformed when it comes to urban chickens. They have no idea what chickens are actually like or how well they fit in to their urban lifestyles. I have been working with a group from a chicken friendly neighborhood nearby and we held an informational meeting at a local library which I announced in the certified letters that were sent to 28 neighbors, then put out flyers around my neighborhood the week of the meeting. All but two of the flyers were torn down shortly after they were put up. Only one neighbor came. She was angry and couldn't understand why any one would want chickens in the city and didn't believe that they have virtually no impact on neighbors. I'm pretty sure she was still angry when she left. My HOA president gave me the idea of putting a weather proof container in front of my home. I did that with a backyard chicken FAQ sign on the front of it, then filled it with sheets explaining who I was, why I wanted hens and listed some frequent questions and answers. A few were picked up, but not as many as I had hoped. To top the whole thing off, instead of coming to me with the restrictions that our HOA president didn't even have information on, one of my neighbors took it straight to the city and threatned legal action against me. I would love to say that I am going to try getting a HOA vote in favor of allowing chickens in my neighborhood, but I have to admit that most of the people in my neighborhood will probly never allow it to pass even though all of the people directly around me were thrilled to hear I was trying to get hens. I am definately going to work on trying to get Overland Park to write up an ordinance to allow chickens so other people will be able to enjoy them. That is going to be a lot of work and will definately take a lot of time but I have hours and hours invested in backyard chickens and their ordinances already so why not put it to good use? Maybe if Overland Park passes their ordinance, maybe it will be easier for people to accept the fact that their oppinions of chickens are wrong and I can attempt to put my HOA restrictions up for vote then. Thanks for being such a great group!

 

[JosieChick]

LOL A baby gangster! Hey, whatever works, I'm sure you can rock that look, even if your pants are falling down! hehehe Nah, I bet those "big" jeans will be fitting in a few more months. Unfortunately. And I had to work up to 3 kids before the LAST pair of pants I got. There is one pair in there that is pretty much the same size as the others, but just really baggy. Hang on to that one! That one is good for baby #2 when your hips spread out fast (because they've done it before) and baby really takes a nose dive down low and is riding on your bladder. hehehe! Wow, I love those mustangs, but that is a real bummer to hear how fast their feet grow, even in the WINTER. ugh. Thinking a mustang is definitely not for me, especially if they are bull headed. "Regular" horses are already bull headed, as it is.

Yeah, I love my mustang, bull headed and all. He has gotten to be a pretty darn good boy. I have a soft spot for him and we have come to an agreement with each other on most of his behavior! Everyone, including our vet, always tells me what a good mustang he is. Evidently most people get them and are scared of them which doesn't work at all! You give them an inch and they take a mile!

Agreed, my boys dance and drag their wings. Not that they can get to any girls right now. But they sure do enjoy courting them thru the fencing! hehe! And when they were together, the boys would put up a show, not just jump on and be mean. Sorry about the hassle with the student loans. What are you wanting to go back to school for? A masters?? Another bachelors?? Jon and I are out of debt on schooling, I forget about people still paying on that. No fun. My brother really racked up the bills-- he got two degrees at KU, then went to Washburn and got the equivalance of a doctorates for law-- they call it something else, he would totally cringe if he heard me say that. The point is, he will be paying for quite a while. Bummer.

Yeah, I did all of my chicken chores just a bit ago-- freezing cold and pitch dark out there. I'm glad I fed horses before I left for Piano tonight. I hate walking out to the barn in the dark. It's not that far, but it freaks me out. My DH needs to get that remote working again so I can turn on all the barn lights from the house again. I keep thinking a coyote is going to get me! LOL

Good luck on the house!!!! Praying for you!!!
I have a bachelors in communication sciences and disorders and will probably go back and get my masters degree in speech language pathology. I was getting my doctoral degree in audiology but it just wasn't for me. So now I am dealing with student loans out the wazoo that we don't have the money for yet because I don't have a job!

I'm sorry but I'm laughing at your post. You sound so much like me and I am not even pregnant! But I sure remember those days when my hormones were changing and I wanted to rip someone's head off. You can only do so much. I hope you have a wonderful trip to see your parents and can relax then.
I plan to go to the DIY store and stock up but I have to wait for DH to be off to help load some stuff. That price is unbelievable and we saw that in the flyer. There ares some other things I wanted to buy there before prices change as well.
So I was thinking, since you will be down closer to lots of the other girls maybe we could have a day to build and a get together. The weather may suck, but otherwise we can do it. I think Sapphire and her sister love doing things like that. I think they normally charge but maybe you two could work that out. I could always bring down a portable air compressor and my staple gun and make pretty quick work at putting up wire. I'll bet most of these people would love to help. I just hope it wouldn't fall during the holidays cause it's so hard to juggle schedules then.
How are you going to move your birds and your horses? Do you have a larger horse trailer you can borrow or are you going to have to make several trips?
I have a million projects as always but I know you have a lot to do. I can't imagine trying to move my group somewhere.
I am more than happy to do what I can for you.
Thanks for the offer and I am sure we will take you up on it. Many hands make light work for sure! I miss my family because they would all come over and help us get stuff done if they lived here. DH's parents will help but they bicker about how to do everything. Especially DH and his mom and it drives me nuts. They also do sloppy work when they are in a rush and it drives me crazy because I have to use things like doors, pop doors and latches every day, usually more than once and when you don't put it together well to begin with it tends to just be a giant pain. Like the pop door they made for the big coop, it is not what I wanted and it swells when its damp and I can hardly get it open or closed!

We shouldn't need help until after the holidays but boy its gonna be cold then!! I am just a disaster today, so strung out over everything. I feel like nobody cares that I am tired and pregnant and its only going to get worse! I feel like I am running my own one man circus.

Oh, I get it! Lots going on and your DH goes out for a nice fun business trip. Mine does that ALL the time. ARGH. Well, now that Boeing is coming to an end, that will probably end all of this business trips to the east coast where he rubs it in that his company pays for all of his food, rental, airfare, and hotel. Oh yeah.. NICE hotels. The kind that have nice restaurants and bars that have free Happy Hour in them. While I'm stuck with 3 kids that like to give me a run for my money when daddy is gone. The last trip was perfectly timed-- I had that bad car wreck and totaled out my mini van and the next day my DH was boarding a plane for the East coast again to talk to their customers!! Talk about I could have KILLED him. If it weren't such an important trip, I would have thrown a big fit and made him stay home and take care of me. As it was, my parents who were moving their entire house and selling at the same time were over here a lot helping me do lifting and things I could not do that week. And that was at the expense of having to take time out of their busy week to do that. I had sprained my wrist badly and could not lift the grain cans, founts to refill with water, etc, etc. I just was seething by the time he got home. So yeah, I hear you girl! Sometimes I wish I had not quit my job at Boeing, so I could be doing those trips too. The last one I got to go to Jacksonville, FL to check out the planes my wiring harnesses were on and see that they were done right. Talk about FUN! There is no way to disguise a business trip as a PITA when you get to have a good time like that. Sigh. I sure hope your house plans go smoothly and will make up for this aggravation in December.

Thanks for making me feel like I am not a total psycho.

I was so ticked off because now we have dumb pod rented and he is only here 2 weekends to get the pod loaded up before he leaves for the weekend for his trip and then we leave for the holidays. UGH. And we only have the pod for a month before they start charging us more for it and it is not possible to close on this house and get the flooring done (which I obviously can't be in the house while they are stripping and resealing floors) and get the pod unloaded into the house before we leave for Christmas because he is gone to NY!!! Everyone seems to forget that when you have a baby growing in you that you can't just haul 75 pound boxes around and inhale chemicals fumes. Thank heavens I look out for our unborn child's well being otherwise who knows what would be wrong with it!!




Quote:

I don't know where the rest of your post went! Anyway, thanks for kind words when I am being a bear. Saves me from chewing my DH out all day anyway!

So we countered on the house at noon and no word yet. Not sure if that is good news or bad.....She got back right away yesterday, within the hour with a verbal counter offer which surprised me because usually it takes at least 24-48 hours. I am hoping....I just want to get the ball rolling.

 

[pikeman94]

When I started the process, I knew that a lot of people are very misinformed when it comes to urban chickens. They have no idea what chickens are actually like or how well they fit in to their urban lifestyles. I have been working with a group from a chicken friendly neighborhood nearby and we held an informational meeting at a local library which I announced in the certified letters that were sent to 28 neighbors, then put out flyers around my neighborhood the week of the meeting. All but two of the flyers were torn down shortly after they were put up. Only one neighbor came. She was angry and couldn't understand why any one would want chickens in the city and didn't believe that they have virtually no impact on neighbors. I'm pretty sure she was still angry when she left. My HOA president gave me the idea of putting a weather proof container in front of my home. I did that with a backyard chicken FAQ sign on the front of it, then filled it with sheets explaining who I was, why I wanted hens and listed some frequent questions and answers. A few were picked up, but not as many as I had hoped. To top the whole thing off, instead of coming to me with the restrictions that our HOA president didn't even have information on, one of my neighbors took it straight to the city and threatned legal action against me. I would love to say that I am going to try getting a HOA vote in favor of allowing chickens in my neighborhood, but I have to admit that most of the people in my neighborhood will probly never allow it to pass even though all of the people directly around me were thrilled to hear I was trying to get hens. I am definately going to work on trying to get Overland Park to write up an ordinance to allow chickens so other people will be able to enjoy them. That is going to be a lot of work and will definately take a lot of time but I have hours and hours invested in backyard chickens and their ordinances already so why not put it to good use? Maybe if Overland Park passes their ordinance, maybe it will be easier for people to accept the fact that their oppinions of chickens are wrong and I can attempt to put my HOA restrictions up for vote then. Thanks for being such a great group!

You are not alone. I think there are quite a few people in our area that want to see backyard chickens.

 

[pikeman94]

I'm glad that hawks like a lot of room-- I think that's the only thing have have saved my girls recently. These hawks that have come in-- I have to do a double take, they look like they are the size of eagles!! They are HUGE! What are they? These are news ones that have come in. They are all white when they spread out to glide and I look up at them. That's a really great trick-- to blend in with the sky. As if they need more camoflauge or more help.

I think those are falcons, specifically Gryfalcons. They are know to inhabit Kansas and can be large with white plumage as you describe.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Wow, guys! I'm really behind! I glanced through some of the thread and saw there are lots of great money-saving tips. Some, I've just started recently researching myself. Shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, and hand soaps have all been on my most recent recipe acquisitions. Then, I got sick. Once I have a bit more energy back I'm actually going to start making these products. I figure I can save a bundle with all these girls in the house!

The thing I did get started before I got sick was fermenting feed for my birds. I read one of Beekissed's threads about bringing a flock back to good health that had been ill kept and I was really impressed with her results. I just posted on the Aloha Chickens site the following info -- I thought you guys would find it interesting also. I'm able to use less feed with this method and I'm really pleased with the results so far. For those of you on both sites, sorry for the repetition.




Here is the thread I've spent the most time learning from. It has a link to the fermenting feed link. Just check out Beekissed's threads. I'm not saying I agree with every single thing she says. I am saying I've learned a lot from this thread that will help me keep my costs down.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-horrors-anyone-want-to-follow-their-progress

Here's how fermenting the feed works. Just take what you already have on hand, measure out enough for one day's worth of feed. I put mine in a 5 gallon bucket. (Some use double 5 gallon buckets with holes drilled in one. I tried that and wasn't crazy about it. The water drained too slowly for me so I just use a soup dipper to dip it up into a large strainer that I already had on hand.) Then fill with water, enough to completely cover the feed. Pour in a cup of apple cider vinegar with the "mother" in it. If it has been heat processed, there's no mother in it. I can get mine in the health food section of the grocery store. The brand name is Braggs and it comes in a quart jar. So that I don't have to keep buying the pricier Braggs, I buy the regular ACV at Walmart in the gallon size, pour off enough to accommodate half the Braggs ACV. Combine the Braggs with the regular and it will grow the mother in it, as well. Just keep adding some of the "mothered" ACV to the cheap ACV and you'll never have to buy the Braggs again.

Okay, so now you have your feed, water and ACV in your 5 gallon container. Let it sit. It will begin to get a whitish film on top as it begins to ferment. Depending upon how warm it is where you are, it should be fermented within 6 hours to 24 hours in cooler climates. It will also bubble a bit when it is really ripe, as you stir it. Stir it a couple times per day and add more ACV (just a glug or two) every couple of days and add water as needed, to keep the feed covered. When you take feed out for the day, replace the wet with the same amount of dry feed so it will be ready for the next day. You just keep it going like a sourdough starter for bread. Do not pour off the old liquid, continue to reuse it.

The advantage to the fermented feed is that it is a natural probiotic for your birds and the increased improvements in the birds digestive tract equates to a 12% increase of protein availability, plus an increase in the availability of the other nutrients from your feed. It's like using a higher quality feed without paying for it. I've spent a fortune on 68 Soluble for my birds because they needed the probiotics and extra vitamins to stay reasonably healthy. This is going to save me quite a bit in costs, preventive and after the fact for the birds. The birds go crazy for it and acted like I had been starving them, when in truth I kept dry feed available to them and the neighborhood mice, 24 hours a day.

The most tedious part of this is that I have ducks and chicks so I have to have 3 different feeds going simultaneously. Still, I've decided the extra effort is worth it and my kids have done a reasonably good job of helping me keep it going while I've been sick. The kids are sold on this feed as they love to see the birds run like crazy for the fermented feed. Our birds have always been friendly, but their display of eagerness to get at their food really makes the kids and I feel great. We've only been doing it a week and a half and are looking forward to one of the big benefits -- far less smelly poo!

I am feeling much better -- just need to get my strength back and I'll be ready to rock!

 

[tweetysvoice]

I wish silkies didn't have black meat, or I'd have eaten about 5 roosters this summer. I know I hatched them and they are cute, but they are CHICKENS. LOL!! I really need to find some person where I can offload my silkies that doesn't mind the black meat.

My friend up here in Lawrence knows a chinese couple that is always seeking silkies for meat. If/When you make it up this way you could off-load them! I can give you the contact information if you want it. Just PM me.

So we countered on the house at noon and no word yet. Not sure if that is good news or bad.....She got back right away yesterday, within the hour with a verbal counter offer which surprised me because usually it takes at least 24-48 hours. I am hoping....I just want to get the ball rolling.

I wouldn't worry. When we bought this house, our second counter took a full 24 hours. I guess the realitor that they were working with was busy and couldn't make time to do up the counter paperwork, so it might not even be the seller's fault!

I am feeling much better -- just need to get my strength back and I'll be ready to rock!

Glad to hear that you are feeling better!!! Today is day three for me of no pain and no nausea, so I'm still hoping that it stays away. This has happened a couple times where I got about a week reprieve and the evil head reared itself again, so I'm not pushing myself at all, yet getting things done that I couldn't do otherwise. You'll get there. Just don't try to do too much or it will take more time!


I got one silkie egg today! She said that her 12 silkies either only laid one egg, or the black snake is back. She's going to try to bring me more tomorrow. I'd love to have a couple chicks for her to raise, but I'm even just happy letting her have one Are hatching rates higher for using a broody compaired to an incubator?

 

[chicken danz]

First and foremost we need your prayers. Talked to Medawinks, and as you might remember her daughter was supposed to have surgery tomorrow. Surgery isn't going to happen cause little S has pneumonia. It breaks my heart this little girl has to go through so much and she is such a beautiful soul. She never even complained or coughed. She just got sick.
I spent hours cutting up and preparing pumpkin today and feeding the seeds and stuff to the birds. Well I cooked a ton of it and I don't even think it is worth eating. It has very little flavor and it is pale in color. I am sure the pumpkins were ripe but maybe it was the kind they were. I think they were called Jacko-lantern. Maybe that type is grown for decoration rather than eating. It was an awful lot of work for something I don't even know if I can use. I thought about trying to make some thing with it to test it but I hate to waste the other ingredients if it isn't going to be any good.
Anyone else ever try doing home grown pumpkin before? I made fresh pumpkin pies years ago but it seems like they had lots of flavor when I got them cooked. I didn't get hardly anything done today I intended. I spent at least 2 hours cutting up the stupid pumpkin and getting it ready to cook.

 

[Marty1876]

Jack o lanters aren't good eating pumpkins. You really want pie-pumpkins for that. The others are bred for size and ease of carving, not thick orange flesh. It is edable, just not so flavorful.

(sorry)

 

[HEChicken]

Then you don't eat them but you let them set for 3-4 days or they will be tough. I had never heard that before either. I did read the cooling thing on a web site is a government mandate but they use some kind of cold blaster. I need to do some more research on the letting them set thing. (someplace other than BYC) That part I don't understand. I don't know why they would be different than chickens. Of course I never eat chicken for a few days after butchering because I can't due to the smell. I wonder if it is like hanging meat?

That sounds the same as chicken to me! Before I processed my first chicken, I researched the heck out of it and what I read over and over was the necessity to let it sit in the fridge for 2-4 days after butchering and prior to cooking, in order to make the meat more tender. With that in mind, I've never eaten a freshly killed bird....

Hawkeye- the mushroomy taste is more because it is a earthy flavor not fungus flavor. Alot of people hate mushrooms and I am married to the biggest mushroom hater of them all. I love mushrooms but I dont use them anymore because he just cant make himself eat it. Anyway he devours the dandelions when I cook them. Between him and my 2 kids there is not any left by time I take the next batch out of the fryer lol.

I am eager to try these. I have some dandelion flowers in my yard still so I think tomorrow I'll pick them and fry them up for lunch for DH and I. Do you have any tips on frying? Do you just throw them in and saute with a little oil or do something else to prepare them for cooking first?

Ugh, I am in the worst cranky mood. I am telling you, the glass is half empty and I could throw it like a small child right now!!! How ridiculous, I feel like such a brat. DH just sent me a forwarded email that he has a conference for work the second weekend in Dec. in NY!! I am so aggravated. Does this company not think that having conferences right before the stinking holiday is inconsiderate? We are going to Maine for Christmas, if this house works out we are going to be scrambling to get stuff done there so we can move. I am packing and trying to get this place ready to list for sale, get someone coordinated to care for the petting zoo while we are gone....It never ends. And to top it all off I am pregnant and getting tired a lot faster so I can't do as much as normal. So I guess we are going to leave the pregnant wife home to get everything done while we go to stupid work conference. I could call the CEO and chew his ear off. What is wrong with people in business, don't they have any respect for people and their families? It is no wonder this guy who runs this company has been divorced so many times!! Sorry for the vent, just super aggravated with how much is on the plate and now I get to contend with it right before we leave for a big trip by myself! The weekend is the only time we can get anything done....

Uh - oh - so sorry. I don't blame you for feeling cranky.

There will be no city hens for this Overland Park family.

I received my copy of our HOA declaration of restrictions from my title company today and it does say no poultry is allowed. When I asked our HOA president about it she said there was nothing written about chickens and come to find out, her entire section of paperwork for the declaration of restrictions is missing. I really appreciate all the help and support you have all given me along the way and I hope you don't mind if I still peek in on your posts from time to time.

Sorry to hear the news. Because I had submitted the public user comments, I did get an email from the OP City Council informing me you had withdrawn your request but I'm sorry to hear the reason for the withdrawal. Another option than changing the HOA covenants would be to move - is that in the cards?

I need to think it over and make the right decison. Butcher or sell.

If this will make the decision easier....I honestly don't think its responsible to sell a rooster you already know is a problem, as it is just passing off the problem to someone else. Most everyone who wants a roo, wants one that will be good to both his hens and the people who care for them. A problem roo for you is likely to be just as big a problem in a different flock.

I can't have any more turkey, unless they're dinner.

Uh oh, not ever? I was kinda hoping to set you up with a pair next year....

So we countered on the house at noon and no word yet. Not sure if that is good news or bad.....She got back right away yesterday, within the hour with a verbal counter offer which surprised me because usually it takes at least 24-48 hours. I am hoping....I just want to get the ball rolling.

Its probably not bad news. When we bought this place, the counter offers went back and forth for three days until we reached an agreement. Some of the time there were many hours in between contact. I confess that at one point I was so sick of the whole thing that I became an oyster (head in the sand) and refused to even take our realtor's calls. I told DH, whatever the latest counter offer was, it could wait until the next morning so I didn't even listen to my voicemail and respond until then. So probably the sellers at that point were wondering why so long passed and they hadn't heard from us but it was only that I was enjoying a relaxing evening NOT dealing with it.

I am so with you on this whole process - I just like things to be settled. The next thing you will be facing is the negotiations over selling your house. Honestly, that was worse for me than buying. As a buyer, if we couldn't reach agreement, I wasn't out anything - I would just keep looking until we found another property that met our needs. But as a seller it feels like there is more at stake because if you can't reach agreement with THIS buyer, who knows how long it will be before you even get another offer. A friend and I both listed our houses the same week and I was so lucky to get an offer within two weeks of listing the house, while she is still waiting, having to keep the house in show-worthy condition and never knowing when the next notification will come that there is a showing, and all the time waiting for someone - anyone - to be interested enough to even make an offer.

Here's how fermenting the feed works. Just take what you already have on hand, measure out enough for one day's worth of feed. I put mine in a 5 gallon bucket. (Some use double 5 gallon buckets with holes drilled in one. I tried that and wasn't crazy about it. The water drained too slowly for me so I just use a soup dipper to dip it up into a large strainer that I already had on hand.) Then fill with water, enough to completely cover the feed. Pour in a cup of apple cider vinegar with the "mother" in it. If it has been heat processed, there's no mother in it. I can get mine in the health food section of the grocery store. The brand name is Braggs and it comes in a quart jar. So that I don't have to keep buying the pricier Braggs, I buy the regular ACV at Walmart in the gallon size, pour off enough to accommodate half the Braggs ACV. Combine the Braggs with the regular and it will grow the mother in it, as well. Just keep adding some of the "mothered" ACV to the cheap ACV and you'll never have to buy the Braggs again.

Okay, so now you have your feed, water and ACV in your 5 gallon container. Let it sit. It will begin to get a whitish film on top as it begins to ferment. Depending upon how warm it is where you are, it should be fermented within 6 hours to 24 hours in cooler climates. It will also bubble a bit when it is really ripe, as you stir it. Stir it a couple times per day and add more ACV (just a glug or two) every couple of days and add water as needed, to keep the feed covered. When you take feed out for the day, replace the wet with the same amount of dry feed so it will be ready for the next day. You just keep it going like a sourdough starter for bread. Do not pour off the old liquid, continue to reuse it.

The advantage to the fermented feed is that it is a natural probiotic for your birds and the increased improvements in the birds digestive tract equates to a 12% increase of protein availability, plus an increase in the availability of the other nutrients from your feed. It's like using a higher quality feed without paying for it. I've spent a fortune on 68 Soluble for my birds because they needed the probiotics and extra vitamins to stay reasonably healthy. This is going to save me quite a bit in costs, preventive and after the fact for the birds. The birds go crazy for it and acted like I had been starving them, when in truth I kept dry feed available to them and the neighborhood mice, 24 hours a day.

The most tedious part of this is that I have ducks and chicks so I have to have 3 different feeds going simultaneously. Still, I've decided the extra effort is worth it and my kids have done a reasonably good job of helping me keep it going while I've been sick. The kids are sold on this feed as they love to see the birds run like crazy for the fermented feed. Our birds have always been friendly, but their display of eagerness to get at their food really makes the kids and I feel great. We've only been doing it a week and a half and are looking forward to one of the big benefits -- far less smelly poo!

I am feeling much better -- just need to get my strength back and I'll be ready to rock!

Wow, thank you so much for this. I've been reading a bit of that thread about the lice, mites etc., when I have a spare minute or two and had meant to check out the thread on fermenting feeds but don't seem to have enough time to focus on research these days. I really appreciate you simplifying it down here for us, and especially the tip on the ACV.

I've been a bit MIA the past couple of days. Every time I tried to read and get caught up, I got called away again so I'll keep any updates short.

Ned displayed this morning!!! Its the first time since his illness so I was really excited to see it.

Our furnace is working again. I am actually feeling very cranky about the whole thing. If you remember, I mentioned that the previous owner of this house worked for an HVAC company? So you'd think he'd know how to install the dang things, right? Well, Kansas Prairie had me look at the flame sensor since the symptoms I was describing matched a flame sensor that doesn't work. Following her guidance, I located it and "cleaned" it. At the time I noted that it didn't look dirty at all but....I don't know how fast they get dirty so I didn't know what to think about that. Also, since the system was just installed in Sept '10, I figured maybe it hadn't had enough use to get dirty? Well, I was right on that last part. We had a technician out today and it wasn't hooked up right so there is no way the system has EVER run. Seriously. An HVAC employee who doesn't know how to install a furnace in his own home correctly? I need to find out the name of the company he works for and make sure I never inadvertently call them out here. Sheesh. So after paying for a service call, we now have a furnace that runs. I guess last winter was so mild that they heated solely with the heat pump and the fireplace - maybe they never even knew the furnace didn't work?

The other thing about this that has me hopping mad is we paid for an inspector to do a "thorough" inspection of the place but he didn't notice the furnace didn't work? What were we paying him for anyway?

So the furnace has kept me busy but my car has also had me away for a few hours. I came out of the grocery store yesterday to find a tire so flat the wheel was sitting on its rim. I went to put the donut on, only to find that since I've never had to use it in the 8 years I've had the car, it was flat too. Sigh. Luckily the grocery store has a gas station in the parking lot and the gas station had air so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was able to pump up the donut and put it on the car. Today I was already scheduled to get the oil changed so I just added on a tire repair, and said as long as you're at it, go ahead and rotate the tires. Its probably a good thing I did, as they found the front brakes were practically metal on metal so I had to replace the brakes as well. So a simply 30-minute oil change turned into 3 hours and a $300 bill. Oh well, in the 8 years I've had the car, all I've done is oil changes and tires, so I guess it was due a little TLC.

Josie, I thought I'd update you on the Silchins. Now that they've matured a little - I guess they are like 10 weeks old now? - I can tell they are split 50/50 on gender. The one you thought was a Mille Fleur is gorgeous and I'm so happy she's one of the girls. Being a creative pet namer, I've named her Millie. LOL - 'nuff said. Big Blue is also a girl and one of the little splashes that is almost white is a girl and has a very pretty face - I really like her. The boys, well, you warned me the Silchin boys have 'tude and you weren't wrong. There is another almost white splash, almost identical to the girl and the other day when I was carrying him to the chick pen, he just reached out, grabbed a pinch of my skin with his beak and didn't let go until we arrived. It was like "Put me down. I'm warning you. I'm not letting go your skin until you PUT ME DOWN". All the boys peck as I reach to pick them up almost every time - I've never had chicks like this before! They really just make me laugh though as they are such tiny little bundles of fluff and if I didn't see the pecks, I'd never know they happened, they hurt so little. I'm so excited for spring and all of my new "incubators".

 

[sharol]

Medawinks:

My thoughts will be with you over the next few days. I hope S gets better really fast. She is such a brave little trooper.

Sharol