The Old Folks Home

[ozexpat]

Have you tried cooking them in coconut oil? The store brand doesn't smell like coconuts like my delicious Nutiva brand, so I bet it wouldn't make them taste like it, plus it's SOOOOOOO good for ya!

as part of my spa day (well spa 1hr) the "half sister" of one of our nannies comes to CocoBeach and I get a pedicure and coconut oil scalp treatment and head massage. HE is very skilled and I feel very clean and civilized. The coconut is picked, the meat is grated and then rendered over low heat on the stove. It does not get much better than that.

When the old folks home comes to cocobeach, you will all get treated to massages and mani-pedis on my lanai.

 

[ozexpat]

The sustainable garden is developing

We planted 4 Southern Live Oak seedlings along with 6 Australian Beach Cherry, 2 Loquat, 2 Bay Leaf (Laurel), Cuban Oregeno, 4 Muscadine Grape and Tahitian Gardenia seedlings in 8" pots the nursery.

Seeds for Kaffir Plum, Indian Jujube, Prickly Pear, Dwarf Papaya, 3 types of Passionfrui and Camphor have been planted.

Calla, Canna, Dhalia and Hawaiian Ginger bulbs went into pots to get started and then replanted at the start of the wet season in June.

Our Ipil-Ipil and Malunggay seedings are over 15" tall and will also be re-planted in June for best survivability. The dry season is now well entrenched. The grass is brown. Planting anything in the ground will require loads of water. We will only plant vegetables in the garden for now.

We have half a cubic yard of composted sawdust and rotted wood. We are starting to compost another cubic yard of sawdust to build up our soil.

6 foot rows of swiss chard, kale and mustard greens go in to a head to head trial as new greens. They will compete with choy sum, a chinese green. Planting will be tomorrow.

A doz tomato varieties will also go into planters along with Anaheim and yellow peppers.

 

[gryeyes]

Wow, it took longer to catch up than I thought it would...

Let's see.... Working backwards: my dentist had sent me to a specialist to "evaluate for possible root canal," which I expected to be a short visit today with perhaps another appointment if necessary. Goodness, nowadays, such a process is apparently a snap, because they "evaluated" the tooth, announced, "Open wide for the bite guard..." and out came the needles to numb everything. Unlike my dentist, there was no nitrous oxide to eradicate my wussiness.

It WAS, relatively, a snap. I did my best to meditate through the procedure. The only adverse effect is tenderness in the EIGHT injection sites in my gums. effectively handled by ibuprofen.

I stopped at Bradshow Feed on the way home and seven chicks came home with me. Just to assuage residual peevishness at the surprise procedure sans nitrous. Humph.

Squeeeee! Chicks! I randomly selected them about a week old because they have already passed the "early failure to thrive" mark for shipped, hatchery chicks. Didn't get any BRs because those sold out last week -fooey- and only this Wednesday's shipment were left. No white or light-colored breeds because these are destined for the Ranch and I don't wish to have easily targeted birds there. So, 3 RIRs, 2 GLWs, 3 gold sex-links. They are now nestled under their EcoGlow brooder in a cage on the coffee table in the living room.

Sparkle still has her two satellite chicks wanting to snuggle under her, but they are the same size as their brood mother now and must only sleep right next to her. She stopped catering to them almost two weeks ago; she started laying again four days ago. She is VERY interested in the chirping of the new chicks.

My only Speckled Sussex cockerel, one of the many roosters at The Ranch, became the bottom-of-the-pecking-order boy so I brought him home yesterday. He'd been kept from feed and water and had to hide in bushes in the pen to avoid being gang-raped by the others. Poor fella. Even as tentatively as he acted in the security of my fenced garden, he still drew the attention of Lady Speckle who sneaks into the garden and into the house every day to lay her egg. SHE thought he was pretty special.

John the Contractor is meeting me at The Ranch this Saturday to plan construction of a second coop. He has finished his last two jobs for other people. I simply must get more pullets and hens out there so those randy boys stop beating up their brethren and terrorizing the too-few girls.

Nigel the Narragansett tom turkey has been getting too big for his tail-feathers of late and tried to flog me more than once. I've walked him backwards multiple times when he gets that look in his eyes. He gave me a fat lip a week ago or so when he jumped up and one of his wings caught me across my face. I almost gave him away.... But I hatched him for last year's Cinco De Mayo Hatchathon and he is SO pretty. Sarge, my MW tom, is still a love bug.

Caleb the gander will not let Angus "have" any of "his" three geese wives. Angus remains "chicken-centric" and it makes me sad for him.

I've been providing transportation for a friend who totaled her car last Halloween. She is a server at The Pub and happens to be an actual neighbor of mine, albeit on the road behind my property. She told me she loves to hear the roosters and geese; sometimes we sit on her deck with a drink or three and I identify the roosters for her. "Oh, that one is Carl, his crow is always one "doo" short. That's Domino - he has the full Cock-a-doodle-DOO. That hoarse one is Ralph, he's the youngest
and is still learning how to crow like a big boy."

The property I tried to "advertise" for BYCers to buy, back in September, on the other side of one of my rooster-hating neighbors sold later that month. It was a super deal: 2.65 acres with a little fixer-upper house. It took some time for the new owners to get it all ready for occupancy. In the past few weeks, we have heard the distinctively obvious sounds of a bovine.... I haven't seen it, don't know if it's a cow, steer or bull, but I absolutely love that it's there, bellowing every now and again. (One of the Pub Regulars, who lives on the other side of Mt Aukum Rd nearly opposite the entrance to my road, asked ME if *I* had gotten a cow.). Nope, not me, it's on Star Wizard Road. Heheheh. Take THAT, Mr. Nasty Retiree, who lives in the country but doesn't want to hear "country" sounds.

The Cayuga ducks are laying eggs everywhere in the yard, although I have found two very neat nests, lately. None of the ducks are setting on them, though. Yet. I have duck egg customers so I raid the nests and gather the stray eggs found here and there every day. I have had to discard some if I wasn't able to determine they weren't there the day -or two - before.

Best wishes for a safe flight, Oz. Happy belated Birthday wishes for Wisher and Hagar (and anybody else I missed). Nice apron, SCG and Diva!!! Canoe, love your stories - keep them coming! Ron, I thought of you when watching the tornado warning... Jason, I have every intention of replacing the concrete bench by the waterfalls which the former owner of my Ranch property removed... It IS a perfect spot for a leisurely and contemplative smoke or glass of wine or sumpin' like that.

Many more posts than I can possibly acknowledge.

I upgraded my old iPhone zero to the 5s model about a week ago and now I can post photos from it! Woo hoo! I reported for Jury Duty in Placerville but was cancelled as I showed up at the door (despite the night-before confirmation of required appearance) so I went to the DMV and completed business there in only an hour - so I had time to go to the AT&T store. I was dressed in purple leggings and a purple, beaded tunic. My old cell phone was proteCted by a dark purple case. I handed my phone to the salesman because it's so outdated I couldn't answer some of his questions about it. After selecting a new phone, I wanted a Bluetooth headset and needed a new protective case for it. I wanted a purple one... The guy - an adult male, not one of the "kid" sales associates - looked at me and said, "Ya figure?"

Bet one of the kids wouldn't have said that.

 

[wolftracks]

Linda I was at my local feed store and they have BRs in their brooder. Probably about 2 weeks old. They usually have them. I think they only order or hatch out BRs and RIRs.

 

[dsqard]

When the old folks home comes to cocobeach, you will all get treated to massages and mani-pedis on my lanai.

I am not above being bribed, this sounds heavenly!

 

[dsqard]

Oh and I got my first turkey egg of the season yesterday!

 

[chickadoodles]

Wolftracks and Linda it is so nice to see ya'll back! We have missed your stories and updates!

Our grandson was born yesterday morning he weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 19" long. Mom is doing great and first time dad is very proud of his new little bundle that looks his spitting image.
We took our grand-daughter up to the hospital to meet her new little brother and she was so happy she cried when she held him.

Got to find my hammer to get my quilt laid out and tacked down to pin it all together to start quilting it.

 

[chickadoodles]

Oh and I got my first turkey egg of the season yesterday!

Congrats on your turkey egg!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Wolftracks and Linda it is so nice to see ya'll back! We have missed your stories and updates!

Our grandson was born yesterday morning he weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 19" long. Mom is doing great and first time dad is very proud of his new little bundle that looks his spitting image.
We took our grand-daughter up to the hospital to meet her new little brother and she was so happy she cried when she held him.

Got to find my hammer to get my quilt laid out and tacked down to pin it all together to start quilting it.

Not sure if this would work for you but I do the taping method onto the wood floors:
http://www.stitchedincolor.com/2013/12/penny-patch-basting.html

 

[pickitfarm]

The sustainable garden is developing

We planted 4 Southern Live Oak seedlings along with 6 Australian Beach Cherry, 2 Loquat, 2 Bay Leaf (Laurel), Cuban Oregeno, 4 Muscadine Grape and Tahitian Gardenia seedlings in 8" pots the nursery.

Seeds for Kaffir Plum, Indian Jujube, Prickly Pear, Dwarf Papaya, 3 types of Passionfrui and Camphor have been planted.

Calla, Canna, Dhalia and Hawaiian Ginger bulbs went into pots to get started and then replanted at the start of the wet season in June.

Our Ipil-Ipil and Malunggay seedings are over 15" tall and will also be re-planted in June for best survivability. The dry season is now well entrenched. The grass is brown. Planting anything in the ground will require loads of water. We will only plant vegetables in the garden for now.

We have half a cubic yard of composted sawdust and rotted wood. We are starting to compost another cubic yard of sawdust to build up our soil.

6 foot rows of swiss chard, kale and mustard greens go in to a head to head trial as new greens. They will compete with choy sum, a chinese green. Planting will be tomorrow.

A doz tomato varieties will also go into planters along with Anaheim and yellow peppers.

The benefit of growing in the tropics....all of the exotics....and all I want to know is if lemongrass will grow in South Carolina.