Washingtonians

[Ogress]

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That one is my favorite picture! He looks like he is singing an opera! He should be made into an avatar!

 

[SadieSue]

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It is tough to not be our own worst critic most of the time. Sad, because we could do so much good for ourselves if instead we became our own cheering section. As far as grudges - they can be so draining on our psyche. They sap of us of our own energy. One of the best things I've ever heard was that holding a grudge or being resentful is like taking poison and hoping the other person dies. It's just not good for anyone. It's best to be good to yourself and let it go...

This, a million times: self-criticism is a tool of self awareness, but any good critic recognizes and celebrates the good in a person, or a piece of work. And by the time one has reached maturity, we need to be cheering ourselves along, there's so much immediate constant negative feedback (be it "ow, ow, ow, my hip!" or that nasty moment when you realize an emergency necessity is going to have to go on the plastic no matter how dedicated you are to living debt-free) that it's sometimes hard to remember we're worthwhile human beings. So hurray for me, I got everything fed their morning grain and was hit with an important insight about how to join the wire to wire on the Wyandotte run: I can make 3/4" split rings, no problem, only a little harder with 14 gauge galvanized wire than with #22 craft wire, given the right tools. Which I have. And I can do it sitting down in the house, YAY!

Whoo hoo! That is a productive day!

 

[Ogress]

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Here too, and Issaquah. DD has soccer practice in the rain and mud at 4.

 

[Ogress]

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Yeah, he has a NG tube also, amongst several other tubes, wires, etc. When DH left last night they had FIL in arm restraints so that he wouldn't reflexively rip out his trach tube when he woke up, but his bed is in direct line of sight to the nurse's station.

I did that once and my IV's, or so they tell me. I don't recall it. All that I remember was having one heck os a sore throat and nose, so when they told me that I was just thinking, "yeah, blame it on the inconscious patient."

I SO HAPPY your FIL has made such amazing progress! I'm no longer afraid to read here. Sounds like he is quite a fighter, so next year when they schedule their annual Elk Hunt, insist they pack in the pre-cut firewood!

Geeze Louise! I can't spell or type today!

 

[SadieSue]

Mia and her friend delivered my two "Illia's birds" a while ago to Vino Aquino. We had a nice visit which of course included some wine tasting. My girls are sitting quietly in the back room of the shop. I wanted to keep them up front with me but wasn't too sure how our customers would feel about chickens being in the same room with our fermenting buckets of freshly crushed grapes so close by.
The girls are pretty and I just shared my lunch (a few muli-grain crackers) with them. They ate every bit, so appetite is good! They'll be in the bunny hutch in the garage the next few nights until I can get the mini-coop disinfected and set up in a different section of the yard. It will be a while before we begin integrating them with the flock.

The Araucana is supposed to be DD's bird but of course she's away at college so she told me the other night, "She's your bird right now - I just get naming rights". I can live with that. I tell my family members "this is your bird" but they're all mine anyway. DD will fall in love with "her" bird when she comes home from WSU for Thanksgiving break though.

Thank you Illia - I hope it gives you some comfort to at least know where your chickens have gone and that we will love and care for them as best we can.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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I just went through all of the Serama pullets for sale on the 8 weeks and older section. And there is exactly ONE that is worth the price the auction is at right now. That is "Bonnie" on page 3, she's a chocolate pullet.

Some of the other are pretty, and have nice type, but like the one that I think you are asking about, if you look closely, she has VERY dark, almost black legs. Seramas should have yellow legs. The dark legs are extremely hard to breed out. Even if you have one with mostly yellow legs, with a little bit of black at the top (called "swarthy" legs) they really like to throw that to their offspring. I even have a pullet with yellow legs that throws swarthy legs to some of her offspring. If you want some really nice birds, see ZooMummzy on here, you can search the threads for "Castle Delight Seramas" there are a couple of threads up talking about her birds.

I can also bring you some hatching eggs to Chehalis if you are going to be there....here are my 2 breeding pens:

Voltron and Anthea (this is the pullet that throws swarthy legs sometimes):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_voltronandanthea.jpghttps://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_anthea2.jpghttps://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_voltron2.jpghttps://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_crowingvoltron.jpg

And this is Bill, Toffee and Gwen:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_pixiechickgirls.jpghttps://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_billandgirls.jpg

love the crowing photo...

....hey if there are eggs available let me know. I would not mind hatching some more. I am looking at increasing my "herd".

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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Our lawn quit growing weeks ago. Highs of 40 and nights in the teens. No more lawn mowing here. LOL.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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I just went through all of the Serama pullets for sale on the 8 weeks and older section. And there is exactly ONE that is worth the price the auction is at right now. That is "Bonnie" on page 3, she's a chocolate pullet.

Some of the other are pretty, and have nice type, but like the one that I think you are asking about, if you look closely, she has VERY dark, almost black legs. Seramas should have yellow legs. The dark legs are extremely hard to breed out. Even if you have one with mostly yellow legs, with a little bit of black at the top (called "swarthy" legs) they really like to throw that to their offspring. I even have a pullet with yellow legs that throws swarthy legs to some of her offspring. If you want some really nice birds, see ZooMummzy on here, you can search the threads for "Castle Delight Seramas" there are a couple of threads up talking about her birds.

I can also bring you some hatching eggs to Chehalis if you are going to be there....here are my 2 breeding pens:

Voltron and Anthea (this is the pullet that throws swarthy legs sometimes):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_voltronandanthea.jpghttps://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_anthea2.jpghttps://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_voltron2.jpghttps://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_crowingvoltron.jpg

And this is Bill, Toffee and Gwen:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_pixiechickgirls.jpghttps://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/15879_billandgirls.jpg

love the crowing photo...

....hey if there are eggs available let me know. I would not mind hatching some more. I am looking at increasing my "herd".

Yeah, anytime. I only have the 3 girls, so I never know how many eggs I'll get. I can collect for you for a week & send whatever they give me, could be 4, could be10. Or I can bring eggs to Chehalis if they're still laying then...

 

[Totalcolour]

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Don't feel like that Ogress. If you have been doing the good parenting bit, then it's not your fault if they aren't doing the good offspring thing.

I often think about that saying, give a man a fish/teach a man to fish, I'm sure you know it. So you teach the man to fish, but then it's up to him to ACTUALLY do some fishing. If he chooses not to, it's not your fault. Same with the kids.

Hang in there, sometimes it's simply just a matter of time.......

 

[Stumpfarmer]

So, I made 25 1" split rings in about twenty minutes; they're for hooking wire to wire, which I do a lot, and I may well need different sizes for different wire, but that just means finding a different dowel. It's the same technique as making jump rings, only you cut every other wire (when I do that for jewelrymaking I grind the cut ends smooth; bought split rings are made with either square or half-round wire, but I'm stuck at about 1209 in my metal fabrication technique). It's also the same technique Rennies/SCA folks use for making rings for chain mail, only that needs to be done perfectly symetrically or you can't make actual mail.

That is: drill a hole the size of your wire (the same stuff you'd use for making raspberry trellis) about 1" in from the end of your dowel, cut a piece of wire 2-3 feet long, and make a 1/4 right-angle turn in the end of the wire. Insert that in the hole, and then turn the dowel slowly while holding the wire firmly so it bends around the wire. When you get to the end of the wire, use needle-nose pliers to curve the last bit around the dowel. Pop the bent wire out of the hole and slide the bent wire off the dowell by pulling on that end. Use bullnose wirecutters to cut every other loop at even intervals (line your first cut up with the end of the wire); if the last ring is a little short or long, take a deep breath and remember: it's a chicken coop. Nobody's grading you on this.