The weather is REALLY nice here (daytimes in the 60's, so warmer than usual; nighttimes in the low 30's), so it's doing yardwork after it hits 45-ish. Lots of pruning needs attending to. Just at home stuff and no expeditions. Next week, however, it's multiple trips back up to Santa Fe for inspections on a new prospect property.
The first property we made an offer on imploded magnificently under all the inspection defects. First was the banned-material roof which would've needed immediate repairs/replacing, then the discovery -- faucent spewed rust -- of galvanized pipe plumbing (the unit was only 20 years old, so why the galvanized which hasn't really been used since the 1960's and why was it corroded...more on this later), high radon levels, dishwasher line tied to toilet line with no air gap (so a disaster for the dishwasher if sewer ever backed up), a more-than-compromised sewer line (necessitating complete replacement to the street hookup in the Spring), and problematic drainage and a retaining wall that was failing rapidly. Talking to the uphill neighbor whose tree was facilitating the wall failure and landscaping was causing some runoff issues, she told me that the area the unit I was contemplating used to be the adjoining house's chicken coop! (Figures, eh?) So the reason for the galvanized, we deduced, was they built the plumbing off the 1920's garden spigot. Anyway, glad to be out of that contract as all the remediations were estimated to be about $120-160K or so.
Looking around at other various properties in that area in my price range (I refuse to spend more on a vacation place than on the main home), most were old and decrepit OR had serious functionality problems. (A kitchen with no oven or dishwasher? Yeah, basically a counter with a sink against a wall.) I was beginning to think that Santa Fe was a vastly over-hyped pit or that maybe in "The City Different" folks were tainted by the water into delusional thinking. So looked in other neighborhoods farther away from the Plaza and in the next burrough over where the yards are bigger and the homes more spacious I made an offer on this particular domicile the day it came on the market....and so did five other people. (The real estate market is really hot right now in Santa Fe and this place was well-maintained and beautifully appointed.) DH hasn't seen the place yet, so his first glimpse will be on Monday when we go up for the main inspection. Fingers crossed this one's a keeper...
Meanwhile, back on the farm....
My hatchlings are teen birds now and a couple of the pullets are starting to grow larger wattles and they're definitely pinkening up. Hope to have eggs soon and there will be the surprise to see just what colors are laid among the F2 Cuckoo Bluebars and the Marans. The rooster is still rather timid about his crowing ability, which suits all in near proximity just fine.
I'm taking a 3-month-long vegetarian chef's course sponsored by the "Forks over Knives" group. Hoping to reduce blood sugar levels and get my weight back down. Dairy and sugar are the hardest things for me to give up. However, I tweaked my morning half-and-half and creamer into goats milk and managed to lose 20 lbs without changing my diet too much. (Guess I was drinking a lot of the heavy cream and flavor stuff!) We're not totally vegan here, though, as we still have one or two meals a week with meat in them. (baby steps) Looking forward to Spring and planting all sorts of new veggies in the beds. A nice benefit of these lessons is that my knife skills have vastly improved. DH is warily impressed.
Accidents happen while they're young, but once they get the idea, it is generally only when they're really sick that it's anything to deal with. The chewing is another issue and you kinda have to puppy proof the place. Even then, they are creative sometimes... 
