Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[ladyrsanti]

I know that you're not a touchy feely person, so take this in the most respectful-of-your-perspective way:

I am there, and it hit earlier than normal, and harder than normal. The light and large doses of Vitamin D help me so much. This year, I may need additional meds to help, though.
A few years back, I was convinced I had a muscle disease, and it turned out I had only a teeny bit of Vitamin D in me. The other day, I realized I hadn't been taking my vitamin, and that's why my legs ached all day.

I hope you and the doctor come up with a plan that is helpful for you.

Thanks Amy and Tap. It's always good to know you're not alone.... or crazy. The Dr. put me on a megadose of D last year but did not follow up with a non-prescription dosage. When I called yesterday complaining of all my ailments they told me it didn't matter because the usual low dosage they would have recommended me, they are realizing, is not effective anyway. I'm interested to see what they tell me.

I have a chicken in the house. Lady Slipper. Still not well. For starters, with her late molt, she doesn't have enough feathers to keep warm in this weather. I don't know if that's what's got her ill though or if her illness caused her late molt. She's due for a dose of ivermectin and I'm waffling over that, not sure if it will make her better or worse. But I don't want her with the others if she's sick. Her nose is stuffed up and she's stopped eating, both of which are not good signs. If she doesn't improve, I'll put her down. She's always been a bit sickly and I wouldn't fuss so much over her except that it was I that failed to cull her out of the flock as a chick, in my naivete, deciding instead that I would help her survive. Guess I'd better follow through as long as is humane.

Here is what is keeping me sane right now. It's two bags of Jim's Special roving from Zeilinger's in Frankenmuth. I'm spinning it as I knit and making a huge slouchy sweater, the famous Skappelgensern sweater. I put it on my ravelry page. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Ladyrsanti/mammas-hjemmestrikkede-genser-skappelgenseren

Keeps my mind off things and my hands busy. Check out that short-row curved back hem.

 

[preciouskitty]

Lady, that is GORGEOUS!

I really need to learn how to knit...I know I keep saying that

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Very Beautiful Lady!

 

[Peep-Chicken]

To the roosters:

I can deal with your antics,
Your rooster eggs,
A peck to the head.
But one the one you can't try,
Your roosters cry.
I love you and all,
But do the neighbors?
Not your call
Know shut your beak and you can stay,
Playing in your hay.

-Peep

 

[taprock]

It's just gonna be a lot of sewing to pull this off! LOL! anyone have a pattern for a ball?

The easiest way is to just cut a circle, gather the edges with a running stitch, stuff and sew shut. There would be a few gathers in it and a bit flat on the bottom but very simple. If you don't have a lot of stuffing and fake fur go to a resale shop and buy some used stuffed animals and you will have everything you need... with a bit less cost involved. What a fun thing to do!

 

[lbrykowski2011]

Well, I thawed it along with some cream cheese that I used to make a pumpkin cheese cake.
I used the mixer to blend the ingredients and the batter was pretty smooth.

Four pies are out of the oven, cooling on the counter. The house smells delicious.

That sounds absolutely delish. I don't think I've ever heard of a bad cheesecake though. Tomorrow I will be trying a new one, fudge brownie layered cheesecake for Thanksgiving at my dad's. My daughter is making a lite pumpkin pie and my sis a spiced pumpkin pie or I would def do the pumpkin cheesecake. I'm so hungry now!!! I freeze heavy cream sometimes right b4 it expires and u can add it later to corn with some chicken broth and bacon and you have urself some real good creamed corn.

 

[SillyChicken]

Thanks for the suggestion Tap!

the knitting is beautiful. I wish I could do it. but....... If i have time for that, I would rather be drawing.

Annnd speaking of drawing.. I received my prints yesterday! He tossed in another print for free because he didn't have enough prints to send out my order right away. It wasn't necessary, but I wasn't gonna turn it down! LOL! I swear he had more money in the packaging and print, than he got for his time!
Here is the second print.... the detail in these are crazy!



I never thought I would, but I have a little chicken in my house too. She is just thin from not being allowed to eat with the big chickens in the coop. She is also a different color than the others... hmmmm, I wonder if that is why they picked on her. She is so quiet.. even DH thinks she is cute and fed her some mealy worms the other day. I thought putting a diaper on a chicken was nutty, but now I'm thinking it's not such a bad idea. LOL!
Sometimes people think I'm cold hearted when I suggest straight away to putting down a chick that is failing to thrive. I had a bunch of hatchery chicks this spring that did not do well. Even my turkey chicks were not that thrifty and I had to put a few down. The survivors have had URI issues and are not putting on the weight I needed for the holiday season. I also lost 2 orders of the same breed of chicks. The one sickly survivor never recovered so I ended up culling her. So all that time and money on sick chicks and I got nothing!

In the long run, most chicks like this will always continue to fail to thrive. It's not natural to allow them to live and it can jeopardize the health of your flock. If a chick was hatched in the wild and was sick like we often see, it would not survive. This is a good thing as it insures that the strongest survive to live and breed the next generation. Too often we don't allow nature to run its course and I think we encourage diseases to survive, vs the animal we should protect.

I know in our hearts we want to try and give them the chance, but I think it's just to make us feel better, and not what is ultimately best for the chick. I'm not directing this at anyone.. I've been there done that too. I know there are some chicks that do pull through and are fine. Giving a chick a boost if it needs it is one thing, But when they just don't get better... that's when you need to make the tough calls. It's just something to consider, especially in the spring when we start looking for our chick orders. I know there are a bunch of new people on here this may benefit. I know I will not be ordering from the same hatchery anymore.

 

[Lisa and girls]

Thanks Amy and Tap. It's always good to know you're not alone.... or crazy. The Dr. put me on a megadose of D last year but did not follow up with a non-prescription dosage. When I called yesterday complaining of all my ailments they told me it didn't matter because the usual low dosage they would have recommended me, they are realizing, is not effective anyway. I'm interested to see what they tell me. I have a chicken in the house. Lady Slipper. Still not well. For starters, with her late molt, she doesn't have enough feathers to keep warm in this weather. I don't know if that's what's got her ill though or if her illness caused her late molt. She's due for a dose of ivermectin and I'm waffling over that, not sure if it will make her better or worse. But I don't want her with the others if she's sick. Her nose is stuffed up and she's stopped eating, both of which are not good signs. If she doesn't improve, I'll put her down. She's always been a bit sickly and I wouldn't fuss so much over her except that it was I that failed to cull her out of the flock as a chick, in my naivete, deciding instead that I would help her survive. Guess I'd better follow through as long as is humane. Here is what is keeping me sane right now. It's two bags of Jim's Special roving from Zeilinger's in Frankenmuth. I'm spinning it as I knit and making a huge slouchy sweater, the famous Skappelgensern sweater. I put it on my ravelry page. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Ladyrsanti/mammas-hjemmestrikkede-genser-skappelgenseren Keeps my mind off things and my hands busy. Check out that short-row curved back hem.

So sorry for what your going through. D3 should help. I tan in the winter too. Helps me a lot. That 15 minute blast does wonders.

 

[Lisa and girls]

I've got a molter! Poor little Dora looks so pathetic and scrawny without her rump!

 

[tdhenson86]

I've got a molter! Poor little Dora looks so pathetic and scrawny without her rump!

Oh my God! Poor thing!