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

You all are so interesting! I have been trying to do so much. I think I honestly need a handy man to fix or do all this little crap that I never get to. I got a guy coming to tile my back splash on my kitchen. The kitchen still needs some small stuff done here and there.

I need to take pics of my garden. My tomatoes are doing well but seem to need a boost for blooms, so I did that.

Roses. Well around 2000, I had 80 rose bushes. It got too tiresome to take care of them and the deer needed an electric fence to stop them. So it wasn't 80 for long (NY)/ Well I've had only 2 roses that did well in Florida. Now I am here in Indiana. I have 5. From reading, I find that they are not planted deep enough. So I'm working on a raised box that's deeper.

You would think with all my experience I would know what I'm doing. The last rose "bareroot" came and I planted it. But the next day I see squiggly canes and thin. I then realize that I planted it upside down!!!!! Mind you this was a special rose as well. It's been a week and it's still looking good with the roots in the ground. How embarrassing !

My variety of squash has taken over but needs phosphorus as well (for blooms or fruit) because there's no buds yet when I should have a lot. So all got that fertilizer that's high in phosphorus . I never had problems like this! I'm getting more started plants from this company...………….

My daughter introduced me to a company called "Grow Joy". They send healthy started plants of everything and her garden is doing much better than mine! So I ordered a few things. They are out of a lot, but the site is really worth checking out.

I have planted some stalks with growth hormone and the only thing that really took off is 6 growers of weeping willow. They do grow fast.

As for chickens, my Maybelline (Houdan) wants to be snuggled for a nap. My Freckles (Houdan) wants to be held. My 51 (Houdan) wants to be held but not so long. Then my 4 th Houdan loves to be held and chats non stop. #5 is my Psycho who now feels left out not being held but will still peck me hard. Especially if I pet her on the ground. Strange bird. Now one of my BR's Fern Flame, wants to hang out and nap. The other 2 Ferns come sit on me but just for a few minutes.

Does anyone agree that BR's have a personality all their own? They are very good at getting what they want, follow me around, and peck my calves for attention. It got so bad I got a water pistol! My 12 yr old blind Polish girl still finds her food and water and is now bak baking for food in the morning. I can also say that I am surprised that Houdans aren't more popular. They don't run, and like mine, they want that human snuggle. Very docile and pleasant. The perfect "Pet". And standard size, bigger than Polish.

I have been battling health Insurance, you know someone made an error and I do my circle of calls that have only clueless or made a mistake and insist it is not them. I cried today. No one explains their system to me. Then one part splits to 2 but I was never told. It's nuts to back track in my paperwork to see what Medicare and United Health have done wrong.

I've learned one thing for IRS mistakes. Make copies of all that you have, and send it to every darn address listed that you can find. I found 4 with IRS and one finally said I owe nothing and Case Closed.

I have saved every bill and every co-pay and only pay them by check so my bank has the actual checks I wrote that can be printed out. Thank goodness I have filed them all because twice a copay bill has been paid but months later they bill me the same thing. Now I have the cancelled check to copy and send them.

Right now the doctor's office has sent me a bill for $1,000. I think it was coded wrong or sent to the wrong insurance when Medicare is supposed to pay whatever and then the bill goes to my secondary insurance. All thru Medicare. I think some of these idiots bill my secondary and it's denied because they were already paid thru Medicare. The errors go on and on. Bottom line-I should only get this small co-pay.

Latest I am trying to put together a surprise party for my daughter's Birthday. I ordered all the paper things, Hubs will take care of drinks, soda, beer, I will order catered stuff to eat and a birthday cake. I just need to find out when she's off of work , then call the relatives and her friend in the neighborhood. ACKKKKKKK!!!! I am terrified of putting this together not knowing if anyone can have that time free. DD needs to have the day off, And have her hubs tell her that she will be coming by for a special birthday dinner with her parents. Help!!!
 
BTW, I did get that chocolate milk shake at home, with Bryers something raspberry/chocolate something, and milk and it was absolutely gosh darn good!
Yum! But it's been like fall for two days here. I've been wearing flannel so coffee is more like it!
I guess you must do some canning or freezing?
We can. Now, I'm trying out my dehydrator Tom got at a thrift store for some stuff.

He's so handsome it brings me a lump in my throat. Beautiful. Wow!
He has a good head on him and a soft eye. Actually, that eye was poked with something and teared up for awhile and when it healed up, he had a permanent wink that made his expression even softer. He's my baby.

Does anyone agree that BR's have a personality all their own? They are very good at getting what they want, follow me around, and peck my calves for attention

Oh, they sure do. You'd get a hoot out of Jane, Hector's daughter. She's so darn funny! My lines of Rocks are different from each other. The Stukels were very sweet, other than Big Ida, Atlas's mother. Athena looks just like her, but doesn't walk around growling and looking mean 24/7. Zara is sweet like the others. I thought her mother was Ida, but she's a bit crow-headed and Ida had and Athena has a huge wide head. Hector is such a goofball. He's my big buddy now, so smart. His sister, Jill, is not my favorite hen. She is gripey and if you pick her up, she fights and screams bloody murder. Thea, her sister, is a complete angel and loves to be held and put her head over your shoulder. I do love my BRs. I miss my blue Rock girls, so sweet. No more solid blue girls here after all these years, sigh.
 
Wow Karen that post was like a novel, highs and lows, smiles and sadness. So sorry you are having so much trouble with your medical bills!

I think Houdans can have issues in mixed flocks, as they are very docile and other birds can push them around or beat them up.

Tomatoes are the only plant I buy special food for, they just seem to do better with dedicated tomato food. I use Tomato-tone.

I have to say my Speckled Sussex is the most personable bird I have, all my SS's have been real characters.
 
seminolewind, My mother used to tell me that roses are best purchased from a local nursery, or grower, that starts them in local type soil. All I know is, she seemed to be right. She didn't have to fuss with them very much, and they were always beautiful. She wasn't the only one that swore by that, either.

Yes, please hire someone to finish out that nice kitchen you started. Make sure they put in enough plugs for all your appliances. That's my only gripe with most kitchens.
 
Good morning all. I wake up feeling shell-shocked every morning. Tom is watching the news and it's worse every day, enough to make my head explode before coffee, but my *real* life is my flock. After losing Panda suddenly right after Alice, we are now down to 28 chickens. At the highest numbers, we had 55, all large fowl. The incubator eggs are humming along, hopefully Jane and Maddie's will hatch.
I finally, FINALLY found my little analog hygrometer in the basement looking for a box to send a tote bag in, just kicked a box and it slid across the floor, must have fallen out of my incubation supply box somehow. So I have calibrated it overnight, have to check it in a minute to see if I can put it in the bator to check the digital one's accuracy. About time since we're on Day 12.
 
I have to take a break from the news on a regular basis. While local news may be accurate, the national, and political news almost always, is not. In addition, the news seems to be all about creating fear, doom, and gloom lately.
 
Most news is a joke these days, Mary. We are in a war zone in a foreign country and never left our homes. So, batten down the hatches, it ain't getting better and that is all I'll say before going back to chickens. :duc

Candled incubator eggs. Today is Day 16. All seem normal, but Maddie and Jane's have the thickest veins I've ever seen on eggs. Hopefully, that is a very good sign. And I feel the humidity readings are correct this time as well.
 
I hope they continue to the well!

Big mama has been taking her chicks outside all week. I kept a close eye on them at the beginning to make sure that they could all get back inside okay. They love it outside in the sun.

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