Here is Joe and Elizabeth checking out the new coop. We still need to make the door, put up some trim, build the roosts and nesting boxes, and finish the roof; but we made a lot of progress this weekend.

The kids have been enjoying playing in the new coop. It almost makes me want to build them a playhouse, but I guess they can go inside and play with the chickens.

On a side note, this little experience has been rather humbling for me. I had visions (rooted in that fiercely independent spirit of mine) of myself building the coop all on my own. But the reality of it is, I need help. And, thank God, I have a husband that supports me in my madness and is willing to help me out.

Daffodils!

Yesterday, when I went to clean up around Jane's hutch, I noticed some daffodils poking up out of the earth. A whole line of clumps span the southeast side of the trailer. I love these kind of surprises! When we moved in last May, the only evidence of flowers I could find was iris planted around the pump house and daylilies under a few trees.

The Coop: Beginnings

Sunday, we started building the new chicken coop. I must admit, I felt a slight twinge of guilt, because we were scheduled to go to my folks for lunch 'after church', and my folks never (that I can remember) skipped church when I was growing up. And I could hear some preacher somewhere booming at me, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it HOLY!" Well, a break from the typical routine and some time with wood and a chop prompts my spirit to worship the divine, so...

The plan was to build the floor and walls separately in the shop to slap together some later date outside when the weather isn't so lousy. A few hours later, we had the floor complete and headed off to my folks. When I asked my mom what the sermon was about at their church, she said, "Remember the Sabbath..." How funny. - Later, we finished building the side walls.

Today, my folks came over to watch the kids, and I managed to get the front and back walls framed. Here is a shot of it clamped together to make sure everything is good to go:

Tomorrow, I hope to cut the rafters for the roof.

I hadn't bothered to check for eggs since before our big snow, but today I decided I should. I didn't think I'd find any because once the hens were let out in the mornings, I never noticed one back at the coop and never saw one missing from the little flock of three. But some one has started laying again! Just now I found three eggs in three stages of cleanliness. Nothing a good scrubbing can't take care of.

Speaking of checking for eggs and chickens, I was in the habit of slipping on an old pair of slippers to let the hens out in the mornings. Some days, I would hop from rock to rock or grassy patch in an attempt to not get too dirty. Finally, I spent some of my Christmas money for some new boots. Muck Boots to be exact. Insulated rubber slip-ons with a stretchy top I can tuck my pants into, they came just in time for our big snow. They kept my feet warm and dry as I tromped about in the snow, and now that the snow has melted and our world is a muddy mess, well, I love them.

I haven't start building the coop yet, but today, I went out to the shop for a while and pulled nails out of some boards from the old barn. There were quite a few 2x4's in decent shape, so that will help to keep cost down on the coop.

Yesterday, I found a Jersey heifer for sale on craigslist for $400, and spent the rest of the day obssessing about it. When Chris got home, I tried to convince him we should get it. We would make up for the cost of it within a year of it starting to give milk, since we spend over $600 annually on milk and butter alone, but he wasn't convinced it was a good idea to get one yet. Oh well...

Z has been crawling in bed with Joe the past couple nights... Aw.

Me, seeing the tall, skinny tower Joe built: Wow, Joe, that really amazing!
Joe: Of course it is!

Sledding Adventures

Yesterday morning, the six-inch-deep snow was dry, and when packed down a little, made for great sledding. I dropped a couple of chairs on either side of the fence separating us from the neighbors' pasture where there is the only good hill I know of within walking distance. I hauled each of the kids over the barbed-wire fence, and set off to the hill. Joe and Fin had a good time sledding down the hill, but Z wasn't so anxious to try it. Instead she stood and played with snowballs.

This morning, our neighbors were kind enough to come put a gate in the fence so that we would have easy access to the sledding hill. After lunch, I asked Fin and Joe if they wanted to go sledding again. My plan was to let them go on their own. I opened the gate for them, then watched as they headed over toward the hill. Apparently, the unusual commotion in the pasture caught the attention of Buford, Henry, and Sally (the neighbors' donkeys) and the three steers. The small herd trotted over to see what was going on. The kids made it to the sledding hill, and Finley whinnied and jumped at the animals in an attempt to scare them off, but that didn't work. The kids managed a quick slide, then decided the danger of large animal hooves was too much and started to head back. So I decided to head over to give them some support...

Let me say that sledding in the company of donkeys and steers is quite amusing. Buford is very gentle and friendly, and once we made it back to the hill, I had to shove him off the sledding track so that the kids could go down the hill. I'm guessing the steers thought our yellow sled meant food, because they kept following it up the hill and sniffing at it. Every time we got the sled back to the top of the hill, I would get the kids set up on the sled then have to run off some animal to ensure the kids didn't run into it or get trampled. It was very funny. I just hope that if we go sledding again tomorrow that none of the animals will have left a 'present' for us on the hill.

Finally, I'm ready to start sewing blocks together...

Well, my folks are getting a good dose of dreary, Tennessee winter. Not so much sun here as Montana. It rained New Year's, so much so that we had huge puddles in the back pasture. A few spots issued a constant flow of bubbles. Other places, water flowed to create temporary creeks and little falls in the sink holes where it then pooled until it could seep into the mystery of the subterrain. Haven't done much toward building the new coop yet. I would like to use as much salvaged material from here as possible, and I haven't had much time to go out and gather material together. Aside from rainy, cold weather, I have three other reasons that seem to keep me from diving into the project full force:

So, today, with Finley back in school and the rain tapping away, I pulled out my seeds and catalogs and wrote down a list of what and when I wanted to plant. My garden plot doesn't look big enough.