My leukemia's back.

[hbhoffman]

Thanks, Sour and NFC! That is the reason I went through the expense of a rented a car! I figure if I get threatened, I will leave. There are plenty of things to go see and do! I hoping not to as it would be very sad and painful.
Hey, if one of those cabins is open, NFC, you never know who might show up...

And now, Blooie, can hatch out some eggs for you to get you restarted.

Rachel, I don't think I have EVER seen a smoker that big or that heavy! WOW! Looks like a survivalist smoker. Can you smoke a whole side of beef in there? And a whole lot of bacon! Can't forget the bacon! Maybe Phil can send some fish for smoking?
Anyone heard from Suzie? Hope she is still resting and not pushing it.

 

[lazy gardener]

Glad everyone's ok! I am off work the next two and supposed to be decluttering and cleaning then heading south to see my mom and brothers. Please pray. It was NOT a good visit last time ending with being threatened to calling the the police by my angry brother. My mother was stressed and said many unkind things about my family, my children and my husband. I swore I would never go back but I don't want it to end that way after years of rebuilding a relationship. So please pray. Hoping with less people and less time and less stress and me renting a car in case I need to leave, It will work better this time.
My daughter and I are going back to the Dominican Republic this summer!!! YEA!! We both are excited about returning and nervous due to needing to raise the money- $3,500!

I hope God has a few sheep or a cow he can sell!
AARgh,,, where did the time go?? Hugs!

No stress there! Are you from DR??? Do what you have to do to take care of your husband and children, even to the point of not letting anyone hurl darts of verbal abuse in their direction. Yes, your brother and mother are family. But, your husband and children come first now, and if they can't be treated with respect, distance is appropriate. Will pray that the Holy Spirit will give you words of wisdom.

Sending lots of good wishes and prayers all goes well with your visit. Hats off to you for trying but if things get ugly, remember to be good to yourself first.

Good luck raising the funds for your DR trip this summer! I haven't been there but my brother loved visiting there.

Take care!

NFC said it very well.

 

[LittleLakePhil]

Nice smoker Rachel..... Now get smoking...
Not a lot to say today..... Finally finished tilling the garden.... It is about time as it left my hip in severe pain I dropped enough pain killers the last few days to knock a elephant on its butt..... But hopefully now it will ilk straighten out...... Good luck NFC... Hope the new life will bring you all much happiness.....

 

[N F C]

Good morning everyone!

For the time being my laptop is in the golf course pro shop so have limited availability. Also forgot to bring my glasses down here so don't know how garbled this is coming out, lol.

Here's to a great day for all of us!

 

[donrae]

hb, having your own transportation is invaluable!

It saddens me so many families just don't like each other. Praying for you to have a civil trip, at the minimum.

I got about half the garden planted last night, then the body was saying I was done. We'll see how things go today after church, I might need a day off.

We started the smoker with linguicia and hot dogs

and then put a few racks of pork ribs on it last night. I thought they were a bit dry, but the flavor was good. We've got a lot of apple and cherry wood to use in there. And, we just bought 5 piglets, so we'll have pork in a few months. Big Boy really wants to try putting a side of pork in there, but I think that can wait until it's his own pork.

Hatched my first shipped eggs yesterday. I'm not so thrilled. I ordered 2 dozen, she sent 30. That was sweet, but only 14 developed at all. 8 hatched okay, I have one I assisted this morning I'm not sure is going to make it, and the rest aren't doing a thing. These were frizzled EE, so a just for fun kind of thing. I've got bantam calico Cochin eggs coming this week, I hope I get a better hatch rate with those cause they're spendy little buggers!

 

[Blooie]

I'm sorry your hatch wasn't what you expected, Rachel. Doggone it! I had better luck with this batch of shipped hatching eggs from @RubyNala97 than I anticipated....9 out of 14 that went into lockdown hatched. Katie got to watch the last two and she was thrilled! I had to assist one (gulp) but she seems to be doing great, aside from one foot with curled toes.


Katie eyeball to eyeball with a brand new just hatched baby!



Look at her face!! She said, "Next time I see a bird or a chicken flying I'm gonna remember what hard work it is to get born!" We had 2 zipping at the same time, and they were racing to see which one would pop out first. The silver one beat the little yellow one by about 3 minutes....you can see that one zipped but still in the shell. She gave one mighty push and there she was - she didn't even zip the shell all the way around!


The crew...what I'm going to do with 8 Silkies is beyond me! We had 9, but we came home from Billings yesterday to find that one of the little yellow ones had died. I wasn't very surprised - it hatched with unabsorbed yolk and was looking kinda puny when we left.

 

[lazy gardener]

Congrats Rachel and Blooie on your hatches.

 

[donrae]

Congrats Blooie! A bunch of silkies is just what everyone needs

I had a wonderful surprise today. I'd been thinking I was short a hen, but just thought I was mis counting, or not accounting for the broody that wasn't on the roost when I was doing head counts. Well, today I went out and there was what I though was my broody with her 4 chicks----and 3 extras

. I'm frantically trying to figure out how the chicks I grafted to the bantam two coops and a hay barn away got into this main coop and why the momma took them....when in walks the broody with her 4 babies. This other lady had snuck away somewhere and hatched out seven babies! Like momma, like daughter I guess. Those hens are both keepers for life far as I'm concerned. Love me some broody hens

 

[sourland]

Congrats Blooie! A bunch of silkies is just what everyone needs

Love me some broody hens

Be careful what you wish for. I could always work a little broody magic for you.

 

[Blooie]

Okay, smoker pics

Good grief! You could get rid of a body in that thing! Great job, young man!!

Sending lots of good wishes and prayers all goes well with your visit. Hats off to you for trying but if things get ugly, remember to be good to yourself first.

Good luck raising the funds for your DR trip this summer! I haven't been there but my brother loved visiting there.

Take care!

Family can make or break your life - but they can only do what you allow them to do. So do what you've been doing so well up to this point - focus on your immediate family and let the outer ring take care of themselves. I have one daughter in my life that I can't be in the same room with - and a lot of times we clash just being on the same planet. <sigh> I love her, but I don't have room for the garbage she seems to have attached to her feet. Wouldn't be so bad if she left that garbage attached, but she always feels the need to share and throw it around. Nope, got no time.

Congrats Rachel and Blooie on your hatches.

Thanks LG....know what I learned from all this? I ain't cut out to be a chicken hatcher.

Congrats Blooie! A bunch of silkies is just what everyone needs

I had a wonderful surprise today. I'd been thinking I was short a hen, but just thought I was mis counting, or not accounting for the broody that wasn't on the roost when I was doing head counts. Well, today I went out and there was what I though was my broody with her 4 chicks----and 3 extras

. I'm frantically trying to figure out how the chicks I grafted to the bantam two coops and a hay barn away got into this main coop and why the momma took them....when in walks the broody with her 4 babies. This other lady had snuck away somewhere and hatched out seven babies! Like momma, like daughter I guess. Those hens are both keepers for life far as I'm concerned. Love me some broody hens

I don't know what in the world I'm gonna do with all these Silkies....I didn't expect this many!! What a happy surprise you got! Love that kind!!

Be careful what you wish for. I could always work a little broody magic for you.

I could have used that broody magic 3 weeks ago, Sour!