The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[speckledhen]

I don't even have to use my imagination. Not sure if that's a bad thing, or good. Maybe it's a great minds think alike type thing.

It can be good, sure, or it can be one of those "guru" things I video-chatted about. I know a few who are famous on BYC that probably shouldn't be. I don't find some of the "lovable curmudgeons" very lovable, or very knowledgeable, either. Sue and I are on the same page on this one, LOL. We do have some "great minds" here, but there are also a few who think they are great minds and almost break a wrist patting themselves on the back.... not so much.

 

[1muttsfan]

Some of the curmugdeons are really clever and ironic. Others are just mean-spirited and sour. I just avoid those ones whenever possible.

This post took forever due to overactive autocorrect argh! Too many big words, I guess

 

[speckledhen]

Been working all day long to clean out the original coop, plus the former bantam/then-old ladies coop that Tom was using as a workshop. It is now back to being a coop for Bonnie to raise her chicks in, but what a horrible chore! Mice had been living it up in there. It was mouse-proof when the chickens lived there, but I found the entry point. The back siding had bowed away from the wall, pulling a couple of nails so they had an open highway. And they partied and made a huge mess in there. So, we sealed up all openings with spray foam, nails, wire, etc, etc, sprayed Virkon-S (disgusting creatures, ick) and are going to have to attach a small, non-permanent pen so she can take them outside from time to time. She is due in a week. The original 8x20 coop had a mouse, too! One of the pop doors had "popped" without us using it daily and paying attention to stuff with no chickens living there. We evicted the mouse, swept it up and packed a ton of stuff in there. The pop doors are now sealed with spray foam so no more mouse housing.

And I want to say that if you ever have to decide on one of those corrugated roll-up doors on a coop/barn, pass. We wanted double doors on the barn but that option was no longer available and we had to have the roll-up. Well, guess what? Where the corrugated metal meets the ends of the door that go into the channel on each end, it leaves gaps that are very easy for our tiny voles and white footed mice to slip into the barn. A steel building with no entry for predators and I can't keep a tiny mouse out of there! Mice were storing acorns in the tracts on each end, ack! I've sprayed them with peppermint barn spray over and over but they laughed at me. I heard them, I swear, those little mouse giggles.

And Brandy's babies are hatching. Two out. One is very reddish and light, probably Betsy's.



And the garden is going now, too. My back hurts, oh my. I am in the middle of a new quilt project, but couldn't let my husband do all that work alone so I haven't done anything on it today.

 

[1muttsfan]

Lots of work but it looks great!

I took pictures of a few of my Mom's many quilts, thought you would like these ones

 

[speckledhen]

@1muttsfan, I love those! Apparently, she liked log cabin variations like I do. You can do those your entire life and never get bored.

I have a less than two-week-old Brahma pullet chick who has a hurt leg. She is holding it bent up, won't flex it downward. I know she and all others were fine from hatch until now. We scraped some powder off the side of an aspirin, put it in water in a syringe and she drank it like a trooper. I hope she recovers. Why, oh why, is it always the pullets??

 

[getaclue]

Got a call from Dd #1 tonight. Her cousin was going to mow their property, and decided to go out to the far "shed". Years ago, it was used as a produce stand. It's on the far side of the property, with it's own entrance. It hasn't been used in years, and is just sitting out there. Well, when her cousin looked in the shed, he got a surprise. He called the law. He found lots of syringes, pill bottles for mental medications, and tarps hung up to section it off, as into rooms, cans of food, and lots of garbage. There were cardboard signs saying "Will work for food", and "Homeless-please help". Obviously they've been living there for quite awhile. The deputies are running the names, and prescription numbers on the pill bottles. It took 3 people about 4 hours to get it cleaned up, after the deputies left. They're having it torn down, and hauled away tomorrow.

She lives right next to her grandmother's house. I'm so grateful my daughters, or grandkids didn't go into that area, and encounter any of the people residing in there. Especially since the grandmother, and my daughter have sworn they've been hearing noises outside.

 

[1muttsfan]

Wow, good thing no one got hurt. Those are much more dangerous varmints than mice.

 

[1muttsfan]

If you click on those pictures and look at the center squares you will see one has birds, and one has flowers. For you not-quilters, traditional log cabin quilts have a red central block to signify the hearth, which is the heart of the home. Mom liked to change things up a little. I thought the colors of these were amazing.
She did other patterns as well, these just looked so bright and spring-y.

 

[speckledhen]

If you click on those pictures and look at the center squares you will see one has birds, and one has flowers. For you not-quilters, traditional log cabin quilts have a red central block to signify the hearth, which is the heart of the home. Mom liked to change things up a little. I thought the colors of these were amazing.
She did other patterns as well, these just looked so bright and spring-y.

Using special cut outs for centers of the blocks is called fussy cutting. It can waste some fabric, but it makes gorgeous blocks.

Gee, Cheryl, that's scary! Pays to do perimeter sweeps on your property from time to time, armed, I'd say! I used to go down to the bottom of ours to be sure no one was messing around down there, but now that Mr. Kephart owns that lot and it's so overgrown with briars, not much need. He's going to finish cleaning it up this summer to put a tiny cabin on it for his daughter and I'll be able to see if someone is down there better.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@getaclue
Wow. I'm glad you posted that. Makes me want to be more proactive. I keep my barn unlocked at night now that the birds are in there but I've always known that it has plenty of places for someone to hide since we have a lot of stuff in there. There was a kid living next door that was smoking dope in the shed on their property with his friends so I had been locking it for awhile just in case... but got lax.

I'm going to read your post to my husband.