Washingtonians

[Chickielady]

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Heck no, I have my own private small state here.
OK, a county.

and I am sooo happy I do not have to sit o my patio next to my $1200 koi pond, and listen to my neighbor's kids getting spanked and screamed at, or their love making, or their toilets flushing (and other potty noises) Seriously, their home, and all the windows open, was exactly 4 feet away from our backyard patio.
Why?
Cus their modular was installed in sidesways, so their back slider was smack at our backyard, the only way they could fit a home on the pie shaped parcel.
I left.
Even more wonderful was their collection of chihuahuas..they decided a day care and chihuahua farm was for them.
The yappy dogs would run up and down the aforementioned fence. No amount of pleading would keep this 'easement' space blocked off for our privacy..they had kids screaming & fighting, dog yapping & snarling at us while we sat on on patio.
They were entirely rude & unfair.
They went out of their way to go up & down the fence peeking and screaming kids , throwing rocks in our koi pond, through windows, and they insisted it was not them that through the rocks...

and dogs.

So much for my newly constructed art studio.

It was rude for them to expect us to just tolerate their noise and chicld care business, or their dog business.
For a while they had 8 or 10 chihuahuas and up to 16 toddlers in the yard there, 4 feet away.
The woman stayed in the house, and the kids would fight, over toys, dogs crying snapping & biting, kids tormenting dogs, garbage everywhere...crying kids, did I mention toddlers beating up 1 yr olds ?
Kids falling off the swing set, did I mention kids crying ?
Kids in pain ?
I cannot handle it.

And I could do nothing about it, and I did not want to be there anyway, why waste the last best years of my life having to put up with that applesauce?

16 toddlers is over the limit here in Kansas. you could report them.
Here you can have a total of 10 kids that includes your own. The ratio was something like 2 infants, 4 toddles and 4 school age kids under the age of 11 or 12.

It was icing on the 113 degree cake...and I am home now and very very happy!!

 

[TheReidHomestead]

I'm back with another question! We have a lot of raccons here on Mt. Rainier so would it be sufficient for me to double chicken wire around my pen or do I need to buy heavy duty wire fencing?

Racoons have been known to chew through chickenwire, or worse, reach their little hand in, grab a bird, and pull it piece by piece through the wire. We had that happen to one of my daughters favorite hens. It was a very sad day.

To really be absolutely certain they can't get in, use 1/4" hardware cloth, although it's not cheap. We do use the chicken wire, but have only had the one racoon incident in the 7+ yrs we've had birds.​

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
Hardware wire would be much safer. Chicken wire is only good for keeping chicken in. It does a poor job of keeping predators out.

 

[Chickielady]

My birds are indoors, locked up at night, no racoon could get them, regardless of wire.
On the outside of our coop pens, and paddocks we use a minimum of 5 foot high 2x4 field fencing..and we build it tough, with no climb or no dig under it either.
NO DIG:

NO CLIMB:

this fence was built by knowledge sent by Greg Richardson and a few others here on BYC..but I will tell ya what, we have coyotes and bobcats all around, all the time.
We have a wildlifecam affixed to the upper part of the paddock, and every night they walk by, but no can climb nor dig under. And I am OLD and on disability and I can afford a roll of wire every month, cut in 1/3s and sit on my butt and attach to the verticle fence...it was difficult especially hauling a roll of wire UP this hill,( it kept telescoping out

) but I got it done..

I highly advise this fence system, even if you do a little at a time !

 

[blueducklings]

Quote:
Major bummer! I am sorry that your duckies may have cooked. I would still try and see what happens. Maybe it wasn't long enough to heat them all the way up.

ALL THE WAY UP???

 

[Chickielady]

mean old fat chickielady is now going to go make DH his dessert and signing off ! Goodnight again!!

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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You crack me up. Goodnight!!!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

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From Ethel, WA I don't think that doubling chicken wire would be secure enough if you already know ya got a lot of coons. I think most will agree with me to use 2X4 welded wire. I don't think it will be much more $$ than the cost of doubling chicken wire. One other option that I have done and many may disagree. Since I was building with what I had on hand. I used 1" chicken wire and put it so there was 1-2' skirt around the coop then covered with a couple inches of dirt and rocks then I put 2' high tin all the way around and pushed it down into the ground on top of the wire. Not saying it can't or won't happen but so far I have had no trouble with any predator trying to get in. But I have never seen a coon around our place. You will all know if I ever do cause I will be sportin a new hat.

 

[graphicgranny]

Thanks to all that replied about the racoons and chicken wire.... I guess I will have to bite the bullet and buy either hardware cloth or heavy duty wire fencing!
Again, thanks!
Nancy

 

[Illia]

Oh gee, speaking of dessert.. . . My mom has diabetes, we just found out, so on top of having Celiac, there's not much she can eat. So, today, I decided to make her a nice vanilla cake w/butterscotch frosting. Using no gluten, no sugar or artificial sweeteners, no milk, and no common grain products.

The result was actually really nice, minus the Stevia. It was based on 1/3 almond, 1/3 sorghum, and 1/3 tapioca flour, my own made up mix since she can't have most other flours. It turned out kind of like carrot or coffee cake, very tasty, but the big problem was the Stevia. Ugh! That stuff is a required taste. My mom loooved it, but I honestly don't find that stuff "sweetening" at all. It basically just puts a licorice-like anise flavor to things, and the more you add, the more over-powering it gets. But, she liked it. Then I tried with the butterscotch frosting. . . Butter, cream cheese, flavor, and Stevia. Wow. To her, it was delicious. It didn't taste like butterscotch, but was really good. She loved it.


I thought it tasted horrible.

The anise like flavor of the Stevia with the butterscotch flavor mixed in was the weirdest combination, might I also add very powerful. But, she liked it, and that's what matters.

Personally, though I find Stevia a very healthy and good alternative to sugar, but I'd never use it unless I'm doing a citrus, licorice, or mint based dessert. Otherwise, I'll stick to my agave, honey, or normal cane sugar.