The Old Folks Home

[Bunnylady]

@Teila that picture isn't cute, it's adorable!

I think the pictures I mentioned were not only pictures of my first child, they were also pictures of my first cell phone. DH's first cell was one of those clunky "bag phones" waaay back when, but I didn't get one until the young'un came along. The phone DS was holding was a "stick phone " that was just a bit smaller than the typical cordless handset of the time. I've been hauling around an old "clamshell" style LG for several years now; I just haven't felt inspired to move up (though my provider has tried very hard to convince me to). We've pretty much abandoned our land line; Hubby had taken to calling it the "telemarketer line" (gee, I wonder why!)

 

[vehve]

Oh, my bedding sample arrived yesterday. I've been looking for a domestic supplier of hemp bedding, since it feels like the best bedding I've tried. More absorbent than pine shavings, and less dusty than peat moss which I otherwise like. But hemp isn't grown that much in Finland, so all I could find was stuff important from other European countries, until I stumbled upon a Finnish company that's setting up production. So I contacted them asking about when they expect to be selling the stuff, and managed to weasel my way into becoming a product tester for them. He promised to send me a small sample for free. Well, he sent it last Friday, and yesterday it arrived, I sent Karin to go pick it up on her way to work. So far, in about half a year, we've used one bale of hemp, about half a bale of peat moss, and half a bale of pine shavings. Well, when Karin came home, she had three bales of hemp shaving, packed up in black garbage bags and duct tape, filling the whole back seat. Looked like something that travels the US-Mexican border illegally or comes in on a speedboat to Miami, you know, something Bama would get excited about. And all free! I haven't opened the bales yet, we're going to clean the coop properly before taking this into use, but looks like I got almost a years worth of bedding. It will be interesting to see how it works.

 

[vehve]

Clunky phones brings a funny story to my mind. Out on our cottage, we used to have an old ARP phone (AutoRadioPuhelin, Car Radio Phone), it worked using a Finnish network established in the late sixties, and abandoned in 2000. Well, every once in a while, like mechanical things often have a tendency to do, it required taking in to service. Ours consisted of a huge phone unit, and even larger charger. We had built it into a styrofoam cooler, with a hole cut in the lid for the top of the phone. Well, at the time when my dad was taking it into service, mobile phones had started to become a bit more popular, I think the Nokia 2110 was about the standard of the time. Also, the service place was no longer just a garage where you gave the phone straight to a technician, but instead they had customer service agents sitting at their booths. Well, everyone was sitting there with their small handhelds, and in walks my dad, and slams the humongous cooler on the counter, and says "Well, here's my cell phone." Gathered quite a few long looks in there...

 

[chickadoodles]

It was likely unfair to post about a BYCr that fell into the ice.

Here are the details:

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013...r-found-in-frozen-pond-ruled-tragic-accident/

She was:

Chilifur

Rest in Peace 1966-2013

On BYC

Ron that is very sad!

 

[chickadoodles]

Took this one today and wanted to share ...... I may be bias but I thought it was kinda cute!

That is a very cute pic! That baby does have a bow on it's head.

 

[bamadude]

Vehve: let me know how it smokes

 

[vehve]

Bama, I think it will only steam, once it finishes it's rotation in the coop and goes into the compost.

 

[hennible]

Well all the energy cost where an I opener. We have a two tier system the high end being 12 cents a kWh, I think I will stop complaining we have it pretty good.
Teila what a cute picture!

 

[vehve]

To get back to chicken themes, anyone have any experience with Speckled Sussexes? What do you think of these guys?







So far they've been pretty boring and passive, but the roo has reached sexual maturity now, and both of them have become more active. The pullet is seeking the company of the other pullets, instead of just hanging out with her brother. Still no eggs from her at 25 weeks, but I think they're starting to look a bit better. Not so scruffy anymore.

 

[hennible]

Those are handsome birds.