Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[ChickenAl]

Do we have other ways to contact them to be sure they are ok? I see Roberta on fb so I think she just had been busy as usual, but I don't know about suzanne, carolyn, or al.

I'm still around, just lurking in the background. I've had a bit of a tough time with the arthritis this winter. I'm really getting to hate winter. I just kind of fell out of posting.

The girls went through a molt this fall and came out with really thick, fluffy and nice looking feathers. I knew then the winter was gong to be a cold one. They did well, even in those sub zero nights. Honestly, this is the best they've looked. Out of six hens we're getting one to two eggs a day.

I know some of you have had some difficult times with health, family, and your chickens. I do hope things will get better. Others, such as Suzanne, have had life changing happy events happen. Congrats to those.

I'll try to check in more frequently. Thanks for asking how I was doing. Take good care, guys.

 

[JerseyHen]

I'm still around, just lurking in the background. I've had a bit of a tough time with the arthritis this winter. I'm really getting to hate winter. I just kind of fell out of posting.

The girls went through a molt this fall and came out with really thick, fluffy and nice looking feathers. I knew then the winter was gong to be a cold one. They did well, even in those sub zero nights. Honestly, this is the best they've looked. Out of six hens we're getting one to two eggs a day.

I know some of you have had some difficult times with health, family, and your chickens. I do hope things will get better. Others, such as Suzanne, have had life changing happy events happen. Congrats to those.

I'll try to check in more frequently. Thanks for asking how I was doing. Take good care, guys.

Yay! Al! Good to hear from you, sorry your joints are acting up, but glad you are otherwise ok. Warm weather should get here sooner or later... I hope. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer

 

[queenchick16]

Great to hear from you Al, how far are you from South Salem? Glad your girls are OK. How's that new (not so much)baby

 

[queenchick16]

I just realized that Maggie hasn't been on all winter either. If you're out there Mags, we love and miss you

 

[queenchick16]

My spinach is up. I put onions in the new cold frame and tried to turn over the place where I want the chard.as soon as I enclose my other new beds I'll get the peas in.that soil is ready to go.

 

[ChickenAl]

Great to hear from you Al, how far are you from South Salem? Glad your girls are OK. How's that new (not so much)baby

Not very far at all from South Salem.

I'm actually babysitting my grandson today. He is such a great baby. Nowhere near as fussy as his dad was. Lol. We always used to tease our son by saying he will get the payback when he has children. Nope, his son is a pleasure to be with. He is always happy. Grands are great!

 

[JerseyHen]

My spinach is up. I put onions in the new cold frame and tried to turn over the place where I want the chard.as soon as I enclose my other new beds I'll get the peas in.that soil is ready to go.

I am jealous. I still have several inches of snow and frozen ground. My cold frame is one block high in the front and it is still buried in snow. It is going to be a late start for me again.

 

[irischick]

Iris, I put in a Crepe Myrtle a couple years age. Right outside my kitchen window. I love it. It's cultivar is called Razzle Dazzle . It's beautiful .i just booked a room for the Sheep and Wool fest in West Friendship Md. Ill be staying 2nights. Leaving here Fri. May2 after traffic burns off (Thats a joke) and coming back Sunday May 4. The room has 2 double beds . So far only my friend Misty is coming. She also has chickens, knit sand spins. You are welcome to come if you don't mind sharing a bed and being with crazy people for a weekend. This show is suppose to ravel Rhinebeck. If you can think anything related to sheep , it will be there. Spinning,shearing, ewe sale, dog herding ,shearing, a billion vendors etc.....Think about it and let me know. My car seats 4 with plenty of room to bring stuff home if we all pack light .

Didn't get my peas in yesterday.First time in a long time.

Neither Roberta, Suzanne, Carolyn or Al have been on in forever. I hope everything is alright and they had a safe winter.

Enjoy the next few warm days everyone.

Hi Queenchick I pm'd you about festival. Very exciting. I absolutely love my Crepe Myrtle in my front yard. I have a second one I'm moving out front as well. In addition I ordered a Japanese Cherry that is going out front too. My brother lives in DC and I love those Cherries every spring.
I too haven't gotten anything planted in the ground this weekend. I have to figure something to cover my raised beds with to protect them. Right now the girls are having a field day in the beds.
Can't wait for this cold weather to just go already.

 

[Carolyn252]

Do we have other ways to contact them to be sure they are ok? I see Roberta on fb so I think she just had been busy as usual, but I don't know about suzanne, carolyn, or al.

Hi, everbody. I'm still on this side of the grass. Some days are better than others, though. **** Polymyalgia Rheumatica is a bummer. Today is a good day; happy to say. Prednisone dosage has been carefully diminished over the past seven months. Am now down to 7.5 mg one day and 5 mg the next. Alternating every day like that.

Also I hired a personal trainer to come to the house around 6pm three times a week. He works me and DH out for a full hour: weights, and cardio and ab crunches. Even on bad Rheumatica days it's ok, because the bad only shows up at dawn and the early morning Prednisone manages to calm the inflamed muscles by noon or so.

All six hens are doing fine and starting up to full scale laying. Gave away two dozen eggs to friends yesterday. I've a dozen hard boiled in the fridge and a full-to-the-top egg-skelter on the counter. Also have about a dozen still in the freezer of the three dozen that I put there in November to get me through the shallows of winter. But the two EE's kept laying through the cold months, so I didn't need them. I've been scrambling them every now and then and feeding them to the flock. They just go nuts for them.

Have had chickens since 2009 and this is the first time that I had mice in the ChickArena. Have caught and killed about five so far in the past two weeks. Haven't seen any running around for the past two nights though, so I'm hoping that's the last of them. I watch them on my home security camera monitor at night, and also look for droppings in the morning when I let the girls out. Still have five snap traps loaded with cheese out there on top of the little wooden hen house, but as I said, no action for the past 48 hours.

Bought a blue Betta fishie today for granddaughter's 8 year old birthday party next Friday in Brooklyn. It's sitting on my kitchen counter right now. Swimming lazy circles round and round.

I've been lurking on BYC; not on every day; some weeks I check in only once. But it always makes me so happy to see all your names and I often go check that photo that I took of the five of you that visited here with me last summer. I'm still using the dishcloths; still have that glass rooster next to my rocking chair. Thanks for making me some great memories.

And YES; me too with wondering how is Roberta?

Stay well everyone. I am so moved that you thought of me. Nice!!
-Carolyn in Freeport

 

[JerseyHen]

Carolyn, good to hear from you! Sorry you are having to deal with PMR. I can relate to the prednisone. I started on 60 mg back in september for TAK and am just now tapered to 10 (I am down 2.5 every other week now as long as the arteries stay patent). I am anxious for the warm weather in the hopes that I don't hurt quite so much.

I think everyone gets mice sooner or later. This winter has been so cold they are desperate for food and warm. My roosters have been seen with several mice in the past few days. I have never seen one (or evidence of one) in the coop, but I think they live under and around it. They don't last long out there, that is for sure.