~ Retired and Starting My Future In The Foothills ~

[HHandbasket]

It's been a couple of her neighbors complaining but only the one family that has taken it to code enforcement and complained to the county all the time. She really does love her home, and it's just SO Linda-ish. The land has good mojo... you know how it is, you go to a place and it just has a good feeling. Linda's place is like that. I don't blame her for not wanting to move, either. It's really a beautiful place.

She is trying to stay out of her "angry zone", and I think when she stops and thinks about the situation and wants to post, she just gets in the bad place in her head & who really wants to sit around being ticked off all the time? That's just not Linda... she prefers to be giddy and joyful, which is very infectious and which is why we love being around her so much. But she hasn't been posting because talking about it just makes her feel awful... so she will probably post some nice pics soon of the progress on her porch (it's lookin' REALLY good).

 

[EweSheep]

Hey about that porch, is it completed? Gotta see that one! Hope she got it screened out to keep those critters out LOL! Can her chickens READ the sign "No chickens allowed!" on the screen door? Is it going to have a roof on it or pergola type rafters? If they are rafters, guess what, the chickens will find a way up there, particuarly the bantams and peafowl IF she ever decides to get some of those.

And how was the "hitching" post for her chickens coming along? Are the chickens USING it?

 

[Casey3043]

I too am looking forward to pics of the completed porch. I love to see the progress updates, and Linda has such an artistic eye for everything going together just right. I love everything Linda has done with that house, and John's work is so painstaking and perfect. If I had such a great handyman, there wouldn't be all these unfinished projects around here.

I hope the chickens will use the hitching rail once the porch is finished. When Linda is sitting out there, they will be able to see her when they are up on the rail (I think).

I don't think chickens are much for "hitching", but they sure do like a rail to sit on!

 

[gryeyes]

It's been a couple of her neighbors complaining but only the one family that has taken it to code enforcement and complained to the county all the time. She really does love her home, and it's just SO Linda-ish. The land has good mojo... you know how it is, you go to a place and it just has a good feeling. Linda's place is like that. I don't blame her for not wanting to move, either. It's really a beautiful place.

She is trying to stay out of her "angry zone", and I think when she stops and thinks about the situation and wants to post, she just gets in the bad place in her head & who really wants to sit around being ticked off all the time? That's just not Linda... she prefers to be giddy and joyful, which is very infectious and which is why we love being around her so much. But she hasn't been posting because talking about it just makes her feel awful... so she will probably post some nice pics soon of the progress on her porch (it's lookin' REALLY good).

HH is exactly right.

I really, really appreciate everyone's concern and input. Rest assured, I will be looking for an attorney in El Dorado County. With that said, I'd really like to be all "giddy and joyful" for the time being. <*dimpling*>

Yesterday I put the turkey poults and their tutors out in one of the small kit coops with its built-in "run" and they had a ball. Throughout the day, the entire flock checked them out. I'm thinking I have a Salmon Fav pair and I suspect the chick hatched from one of my hens' eggs may be a cockerel too. The two poults appear to be hens. (HH's poult is MUCH larger and we're pretty sure it's a tom.) Then there are the 3 sexed Delaware pullet chicks, too. As the day progressed into evening, they started to cheep, not so much in distress as questioning... "Hey, was this a day trip or are we out here forever now?"

They're not FULLY feathered, so I took the EcoGlow 20 from the brooder and set it up in the top "coop" section for them. I had to make adjustments with the power cord, using a garden stake to hold it up above goose level. For a time, Kate was very protective of the little ones and hung around to keep large chickens away. Her duckling charges settled down between the two kit coops to stay near her. Angus tried to bill the latch to the pen open, then worked on the latch to the upstairs lodging area door. He also tested the strength of the hardware cloth. After everybody went inside the main coop, the babies huddled together in one corner. I had to crawl inside on my belly to snatch 'em up and put them upstairs, then slide the access panel closed. When I peeked inside, the poults were already under the EcoGlow along with the Salmon Favs. I tucked the Dellies under the brooder and they suddenly "remembered" its coziness.

Today they used the ramp as part of their playground equipment.

It's not yet dark; almost everybody has gone to roost. I can see I'll have to low-crawl in their coop again to put them upstairs. <*muttering*>

I have sectioned off a small area on the south side of the house for my container garden of tomato plants, a lemon cucumber vine and some strawberries. Amazing how I can be all by myself at the opening but the moment I pull back the garden fencing to enter, at least 3 hens make it past me to rush into forbidden territory. I let them check things out until one of 'em tries to eat the tomato blossoms, then I shoo them out. I already have a small tomato on two of the 7 plants! I have an artichoke plant which I'll put into the ground..... tomorrow.

There are at least 35 tiny fruit growing on my peach tree - despite the leaf curl affecting about a third of the branches - and slews of apples on the Gravenstein.

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There are 10 broody hens in my flock. One of them is Alice, my little Silver Sebright, and she's chosen to nest in the very top "sleeping quarters" of the rabbit hutch. Here she is hurrying from the hutch on her daily constitutional. She is FIERCE, all puffed up like a tom turkey and chittering the broody war cry with every step. Even the geese get out of her way.



She usually roosts in the coop rafters. I cannot see into the wooden box in the rabbit hutch, but I could hear her moving eggs around in it when I followed her to see where she had hidden her nest. Other hens have been laying eggs on the ground in the bottom section of the hutch.

The hitching post ("horse docking station") is done and John is very proud of it. I think it is both remarkably attractive and very clever. I'm particularly pleased with my addition of an antique style lantern at one end. Here are photos of it from different angles.
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And, finally, Hitchcock utilized it! After a while, a couple of juvenile Buff Orps tried it out, too.
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However, Hitchcock still roosts on the porch railing at night. "But not for much longer," said John. He bought a power washer for his business (he usually subs out painting and the power-washing tasks so he's never needed one before this). You can see some of the new configuration for one end of the porch in this next photo. After the porch was clean, he began to make other repairs as well as blocking up gaps where there won't be any screen material.

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When he replaced the rotted posts, he set up a fulcrum and lever system for me to hoist the porch roof up high enough over each new post as he set them.

Then he made some other minor repairs above my front door.

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I think this post is photo-heavy enough. John is busy on another job for the next few days, which gives me some time to work on my plantings (I went a little bit nuts at Green Acres Nursery a week or so ago). I'm also able to fritter away some wonderful quality time with the flock. Doesn't mean I won't get caught idly watching Kate with her ducklings, or Rupert the androgynous silkie playing tag with Dusty the bunny, or enjoy the antics of the Easter Hatch chicks exploring close to the coop.

More pictures and stories later.

 

[Jferlisi]

Lovely update. I would have thought you would have had more broodies than that. LOL I have 18 chickens, 3 of those are roosters, and 6 of the hens are broody

. LOL, i think one started and the others saw and thought it looked fun or something. I think they might be rebelling for some unknown reason, who knows.

 

[1muttsfan]

Linda, have you checked your fruit trees for Leaf Rollers? They are a little caterpillar that makes a web inside a leaf, causing it to roll like a cigar. They are easily squashed, although its a little time consuming. But of course you are retired now

The hitching post looks great, I can just picture it lined with chickens as they stare at you sitting on your porch sipping wine with your friends.

 

[Carols Clucks]

Mutts

The Peach Leaf Curl is a common fungal peach disease here and with their warmer than average winter, it will be worse. You can pick the effected leaves off I hear and reduce some of the fungi cycle, also pick up any fallen fruit and thin the trees, but it really requires some spraying in the fall/winter. Spoken by a person who was planning to thin her peach leaf curl effected trees today...lol

 

[1muttsfan]

It it's too cold here to grow peaches

 

[EweSheep]

Linda, what color will the house be? I love the color of the front door! And the hitching post! I really need one for our chicken run!

Wondered what John has to say about all of us nodding our heads in approval? I am sure he is very glad to keep busy!

Okay, what did you buy from the nursery? Anything good? Plenty of potted plants would be good!

 

[wolftracks]

Linda I'm glad you decided to see an attorney. Once people know they can walk on you they start breathing your air too. So not fair this is happening. Also if I were you I'd be showing up at any town meetings etc, to see what is being said and done, so you can watch your back.

Love that they are finding the hitching post! That's got to be so cool. I used to put those things up at different houses, even in the city, just because I like them.

I've dealt with Curly Leave a few times. I started using a gallon of white vinager and a sprayer on my hose and soaked the either tree. After the old leaves fall the new one's came in healthy. I also used vinegar to water it a few times. My mom always used dish detergent and water to spray down all of her plants and trees. She always always had the best looking things growing. The soap kills things like aphids and other bugs. But the vinegar took care of the fungi on everything.

My daughter sent me one of her listing in Summerset. There are a few others in the area too. Why oh why does it have to snow there??