The NFC B-Day Chat Thread

[DigMyChicks]

I cannot wait until spring!! I need to clean my coop out and it’s not possible yet. Usually I get it done 3-4 times during the winter but only once so far this winter. Hubby put a pallet and a couple long boards in front of the coop as its so sloppy.

 

[ronott1]

I never grew up Catholic or anything though now I'm somewhat kinda Christian on my own but it's funny you mention the guilt thing cause my mom actually apparently chose not to raise us Catholic cause she grew up Catholic and didn't like all the punishment/guilt based stuff in it haha

Lots of Irish Catholics here too haha

You have to live with it to really understand it LOL!

 

[bruceha2000]

Longest. Slowest. Yuckiest. Drive. To. Billings. In. Years. 89 miles at 30 mph. Then we get to turn around and go home. <sigh>

Gee, wish I had suggested you MAIL THE THING BACK!!!!

Knob & tube. Plus a bit of wiring the owner did without permit or inspection. A lit of the wiring is spliced.
We're not planning on using A/C. We don't get hot enough for long enough to warrant it, plus we live off grid solar and it would use too much power.

Yes, the pipes are cast iron. We'll be replacing it.

OK, yeah that IS old. Knob and tube hasn't been used for almost 90 years. Your house isn't as old as our current one but it never had k&t, no electricity until the 1950's based on the cloth covered coated wires. Our prior house had some k&t in the attic and walls (but no wire in use, it was replaced with surface mount some time before I bought it in '88), it was built in the early 1920's I think.

I expect you also have a fuse panel so you'll be replacing that with a circuit breaker panel.

Thanks! So I should vacuum again a few days after or change the filter? Isn't that a waste of a filter? I should check it though ha

I was rinsing the black pad. The white part i just toss.

Depends on what kind of filter you have! Mine has pads that get rinsed out. I have this filter:
https://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-20-Power-Filter-Listed/dp/B000260FUM
it uses these pads:
https://www.amazon.com/Aquaclear-50-Gallon-Foam-Inserts-3-Pack/dp/B0002AQK4S
I also have one of these for extra bacteria substrate. Since I have this in the filter, I only use 2 of the pads:
https://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Clear-A1372-Aquaclear-50-Gallon/dp/B000A7BCG4
and a bag for charcoal that I can refill. I'm not big into buy and throw away. But I know some filters have media that is not reusable. You might have one of those.

If the gravel is still full of gunk, yeah I would vacuum it again in a few days. Just enough to get the bulk out, don't want to have to add too much more new water so soon if you can help it.

Lookie, lookie! Update on our sweet little Ashely just posted a few minutes ago on FB!

Whoo hoo, I get to "like" it twice since you posted it in 2 threads!

She is on the right in this picture .....

Where are you going to live in a year when she's overgrown the house?

 

[Teila]

Tee hee; thank you for the chuckles! Audrey and my tree fern are probably my favourites but then I love all my green babies

 

[ShrekDawg]

You have to live with it to really understand it LOL!

Lol makes sense!

Btw, completely and utterly random, but you got any Salisbury steak recipes? I LOVE the Hungry Man frozen dinners and am currently trying one of the Boston Market ones with the mac n cheese cause I used to love going to Boston Market and love their mac. But... nothing is ever as good as it looks on the box lol and with wvery bit i taste/feel the salt hitting my forehead lol is that weird?

Gee, wish I had suggested you MAIL THE THING BACK!!!!


OK, yeah that IS old. Knob and tube hasn't been used for almost 90 years. Your house isn't as old as our current one but it never had k&t, no electricity until the 1950's based on the cloth covered coated wires. Our prior house had some k&t in the attic and walls (but no wire in use, it was replaced with surface mount some time before I bought it in '88), it was built in the early 1920's I think.

I expect you also have a fuse panel so you'll be replacing that with a circuit breaker panel.


Depends on what kind of filter you have! Mine has pads that get rinsed out. I have this filter:
https://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-20-Power-Filter-Listed/dp/B000260FUM
it uses these pads:
https://www.amazon.com/Aquaclear-50-Gallon-Foam-Inserts-3-Pack/dp/B0002AQK4S
I also have one of these for extra bacteria substrate. Since I have this in the filter, I only use 2 of the pads:
https://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Clear-A1372-Aquaclear-50-Gallon/dp/B000A7BCG4
and a bag for charcoal that I can refill. I'm not big into buy and throw away. But I know some filters have media that is not reusable. You might have one of those.

If the gravel is still full of gunk, yeah I would vacuum it again in a few days. Just enough to get the bulk out, don't want to have to add too much more new water so soon if you can help it.


Whoo hoo, I get to "like" it twice since you posted it in 2 threads!



Where are you going to live in a year when she's overgrown the house?

Mine is the Tetra Whisper I think 20-40 but I'm not sure. It's not the 30 EX ir anything.

And I don't think the filters are refillable but I'm not sure?

I like your idea of refilling everything.

And thank you. I vacuumed it before we left so it's been a week cause I did it the night before.

Are ponds expensive to build?

 

[ronott1]

Lol makes sense!

Btw, completely and utterly random, but you got any Salisbury steak recipes? I LOVE the Hungry Man frozen dinners and am currently trying one of the Boston Market ones with the mac n cheese cause I used to love going to Boston Market and love their mac. But... nothing is ever as good as it looks on the box lol and with wvery bit i taste/feel the salt hitting my forehead lol is that weird?



Mine is the Tetra Whisper I think 20-40 but I'm not sure. It's not the 30 EX ir anything.

And I don't think the filters are refillable but I'm not sure?

I like your idea of refilling everything.

And thank you. I vacuumed it before we left so it's been a week cause I did it the night before.

Are ponds expensive to build?

If you can find round steak, this is a good alternative to Salisbury steak
Swiss Steak Dinner

• 2 pounds round steak, 1-inch thick
• 2 teaspoons salt
• dash pepper
• flour
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed tomato soup
• 1 soup can water
• 2 cups cooked drained green beans

Season meat and sprinkle with flour; pound lightly with meat mallet. Heat oil and butter in skillet; add onions and brown slowly over medium-low heat. Remove onions; brown meat. Place beef in baking dish; add onions, uncooked rice, and bay leaf. Combine soup and water; pour over casserole. Cover and bake at 350° for 2 hours. Arrange green beans around meat and bake 15 minutes longer.
Serves 6 to 8.

 

[Teila]

Are ponds expensive to build?

Personally, I would not say they are expensive to build per say; if you can make your own, it would probably be quite cheap for the basic pond but then you need to have the pump and filter etc. If you want it to be more of a water feature with falling water etc, like ours, then you have to consider the additional construction costs there. Our pump/filter is solar powered so it basically runs when the sun is out which is great for here, not so much in some other places.

People have stuck bath tubs or other such like in the ground and turned them in to very nice ponds .... Google has some awesome bath tub pond images.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I love it!



I do, thank you! Me too lol



That's true, thank you!

The problem is my bed is on the other side of the room and I have a dresser and bookcase so in front of the tank is really the only spot to fit it. But a lot of the stuff could and should come out haha

True. I guess I might like 1/4 or 1/2 changes more often. I never do a full change, the water got down to like an inch or two, probably two, because I didn't realize how much water I was taking out but also cause it was gross and needed to come out. But that's the most I've ever taken out and it was only because it was really really gross. Normally I only take a few gallons out.

Whoops! I did both and i rinsed the filter off/was pulling brown gunk off it and wiped it off the holder which i assume was the bacteria but it is so gross. But there was still plenty on it. And the water is warm from the tub. I hope I am not killing my bacteria every time I do water changes.... But I always make sure to add more! Usually accidentally way more than it says to.

I don't try to sanitize it but more just I can't only add a splash of water or replace the filter, had to do everything and do a good job hahah

Although I definitely took out WAY more water than that!! Is that bad?

I was thinking I had to get everything out of the gravel. Whoops. I didn't even remotely come close to that though so its okay. I would like to vaccum it again though because there was a lot of gross food bits and big huge pieces and stuff.

If there is food left after 10 minutes you are feeding too much.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Michelle- hope this house isn't a money pit for you.

Have you ever seen that Movie, "Money Pit"? I think Shelly Long is in it. Very funny!

 

[CapricornFarm]

Tee hee Blooie!

One last picture .. yes, the shade cloth on the catio still has to go; hubby is not quite as motivated as I am apparently

With the full drop shade cloth on the left [behind which is my tree fern] the plan is to actually lift that up and out over the ponds like a canopy on support poles; so rather than shade cloth being the background, the background will be my 'under house' plants; if that makes sense. They will still be protected from the sun by the shade cloth but more open.

Check out Audrey now! She has grown even more!

This was her 5 months ago ...

View attachment 1326361

She is on the right in this picture .....

View attachment 1326364

Wow, that plant is growing faster than my quail chicks!