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

[speckledhen]

Mr. Cooper?! What kind of company name is that? LOL

I wish we were close to paying off our mortgage, but we just bought this house 2.5 years ago. It's going to be a while.

We finally rehomed 3 of our chickens. The coop/run do feel less crowded now and our neighbor's sister took them to keep her one lonely chicken company and she says they are all adjusting well.

So, funny story, I had another dream about you Cyn. Obviously I spen too much time on BYC! You and a friend came to visit and your friend left the door to the run open and chickens were running out and my dog ran in and I was screaming for my husband and trying to get the dog before he killed any. Finally got him chained up and was so upset that I woke up before I could go check the damage. So please don't bring any friends if you come visit.

And then today we got a bunny, cuz 8 kids, 2 cats, a dog and 10 chickens wasn't crazy enough! LOL totally unplanned. My kids' friends had a bunny that they're uncle had just left them with and their dad was tired of nobody taking care of it (hadn't gotten food/water in a week!) and wanted to get rid of it one way or another. So my kids begged me to take her, and I said as long as they had the cage and food and everything then we'd take her. Now I'm learning what I can about bunnies.

Goodness! My friend in KY used to have insane dreams about my chickens. She dreamed once that Suede and Isaac showed up at her door with suitcases. Once, Suede was putting my crippled rooster, Zane, on a sled and sending him down the hill. My life is nowhere near as exciting as other people's dreams about me, apparently! LOL.
I subscribe to a vlog/homesteading Youtube called Hope's Homestead. She raises and breeds rabbits, has some quail and a few stealth chickens. You might like to see some of her videos. She is in McMinn Co. TN not too far north of me.

Phew, caught up here now. You should look to moving to my area, the elevation is right! I'll message you some places for sale...

I forgot where you live, sorry. I know I used to know! Probably will never leave this place. No telling how long it would take us to sell it in this market of second homes and log mansions. It is definitely a place to become self-sufficient for someone who wants that (and folks really ought to want that in our scary world).
I asked my husband the other day what he'd say if someone just walked up and offered to buy it. He said no way, not unless they paid us $4000000. I looked at him funny, considering it's not worth quite half that and he said, "$200K for the property and $200K to compensate me for the hassle of moving". Goofball.

 

[GingersHuman]

I searched in my area for homes for sale (not going to post city here, but southwestern NC) but there's not a whole lot out there that's not way overpriced! Many lots for sale though.

 

[getaclue]

Yes, a bank can call in a loan, depending on your contract, under certain circumstances. It is unwise to completely pay off a mortgage today. Pay it down, and always keep it low enough you can pay it off, if need be, but when it gets down that low, borrow against it, and refinance. You don't have to borrow the maximum against it. You can put the money in the bank, or upgrade to keep your property value up. When you don't pay it off, it keeps the appraisal value up, making your home worth more. When you pay off the loan, it depreciates rapidly, eating up your equity. Borrowing against it, especially if it really needs an upgrade, is a great way to get your full equity back too. The only time you pay one off, is at end of life, when there is no heir.

This was a very hard concept for Dh to understand too, but I told him, the realtor told him, the loan officer told him, and our financial advisor told him.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Our place has tripled in value since we bought it, and land values continues to climb around here, I'm glad it's paid off, it's freeing, and now we can get on to other things.

 

[speckledhen]

I was a realtor in a former life, put both sons through college doing that. I've never heard that paying off a loan lessens a home's market value. The homes around it, sales of other like properties, making concessions for differences, are what sets the value of property, regardless of it anything is owed on it. An appraiser doesn't take into account what is owed or not on the property, only sales of similar properties in the immediate area. That really doesn't make any sense that paying off a loan, which merely removes a lien, depreciates equity. It means I have more equity in my house, that the entire value is equity. Even if I did pay off the mortgage, I could still get a home equity line on it if I wanted.

I'm not sure what those people are talking about regarding equity being lost because you pay off a mortgage. Say I owe $40K and the mortgage company says I have $150K equity, meaning my place is worth around $190K. If I pay off the mortgage, assuming the market values stay the same at that time, my equity is not $150K, but the full $190K. Of course, it's all a moot point since I don't have anywhere near the amount needed to pay off even half of the mortgage, but it's a goal of mine.

 

[speckledhen]

Bad night. For some bizarre reason, I had the worst case of acid reflux, severe pain in my sternum through to my back. It worries my husband, but I've had EKGs and nothing is wrong with my heart. I did it all to get some relief throughout the day-generic Zantac, Tums, even baking soda in water. It just never went away. So, my night was not a good one. I tried ginger tea with honey because of ginger supposedly being good for it, don't have any chamomile right now.

And it started quite early in the day. All I had was the usual 2 cups of coffee, oatmeal and one Greek yogurt before it began. I wonder if it's this coffee, which is different than my usual. My son sent my husband a big bag of Caribou Mahogany (dark roast) coffee for Father's Day. Well, we do not like dark roast because to me, it takes like a mouthful of smoke-no idea why he thought we drank that. He uses it for iced coffee over there in Korea. But we got some of the Great Value light breakfast blend and mixed it with the Mahogany, the light roast being higher ratio than the dark. It tastes really good that way, but perhaps there is a high acidity to the Mahogany blend. It has really good ratings for a dark roast, but that's the only thing I can figure would give me that much pain. I've had the test they do drinking that liquid while they do xrays and I do have acid reflux to a degree. I try to avoid more than one carbonated drink a day, which contributes to my problem, I've found. So, last night really did me in for today. I am dragging. Already, I have insomnia. Sure didn't help that an elephant was sitting on my chest all night.

The little cockerels are crowing, at least the ones with the big combs are. I want to see if Drea/Drew crows. That would definitely seal the deal on that baby!

 

[speckledhen]

Annnnnnd, on top of my bad night, I have a new broody hen, a first-timer. LIZZIE! Lizzie is definitely broody, clucking, stealing eggs, etc. If I recall, she's about 2 years old now, both her and Tessa. She's never shown any inclination of the sort, but no question that she is now. Dang it.

First, Lizzie, sitting where I dumped her out of the nest, then the chicks. Just look at Drea/Drew compared to the other two males. That chick has the smallest comb/wattles for a cockerel of 8 weeks I've ever seen (except on dwarfs, but he/she is definitely not one).

 

[getaclue]

I have been diagnosed with spastic esophagus, which is only a problem when it flares up, which isn't often, but once it flares, the heartburn is as painful, as you described. You have my sympathies. Zantac taken 30 minutes prior to eating, and then a few Tums 30 minutes after eating usually works very well with me, however, there have been a couple times I've had to switch to Prevacid. I take it 30 minutes before breakfast, then a few Tums 30 minutes after breakfast, and I'm good to go. I usually continue treatment for a few days.

I find my worst trigger is nerves/stress/worrying. When my parents died, when I went through my divorce, meeting my new mother-in-law the first time, etc. Yes, some foods, and/or beverages can trigger a flare up too. Korean coffee is very good, but they don't use a coffeemaker like we do, and they use lots of cream, which really cuts the strength. Adding ice, for iced coffee, further dilutes it.

 

[speckledhen]

I have been diagnosed with spastic esophagus, which is only a problem when it flares up, which isn't often, but once it flares, the heartburn is as painful, as you described. You have my sympathies. Zantac taken 30 minutes prior to eating, and then a few Tums 30 minutes after eating usually works very well with me, however, there have been a couple times I've had to switch to Prevacid. I take it 30 minutes before breakfast, then a few Tums 30 minutes after breakfast, and I'm good to go. I usually continue treatment for a few days.

I find my worst trigger is nerves/stress/worrying. When my parents died, when I went through my divorce, meeting my new mother-in-law the first time, etc. Yes, some foods, and/or beverages can trigger a flare up too. Korean coffee is very good, but they don't use a coffeemaker like we do, and they use lots of cream, which really cuts the strength. Adding ice, for iced coffee, further dilutes it.

Oh, boy, sorry for your pain as well! Maybe I need more cream, though I do use half 'n half in mine. And I've had the Caribou brand coffee in light or medium, which caused no issue that I remember. We just really don't care for dark roast so we never buy it. Most of the time, I don't have much issue with reflux as long as I don't drink more than one carbonated drink a day, so that's what makes me wonder if this particular grind is more acidy than usual. I do not want a repeat of last night!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I find drinking more water will sometimes stop heartburn. Sorry you had such a rough night.

Did you want another broody? Or are they just a pain? Mine are a pain, I have one after another, and often multiple ones. I currently have 3 in the jail.