There are some tense moments in the raising of baby chicks: Will they make it? Will they get pasty-butt? Will my favorite wind up being a rooster? That last one, especially. At around four or five months, you start listening. You wake up before the sun and listen. You work in the garden and listen….
I hope you’re enjoying a great Thanksgiving Day. Our turkey is in the barbecue, the cranberries are cooling in our (cold) laundry room, and our guests are on their way. I accidentally dropped one of the pumpkin pies in the stove when I burnt my hand, flinging pumpkin soupiness all over the oven, the cupboards,…
November, that unpredictable month, has turned on us. Last weekend the chickens were sleeping in the sun; this weekend they’ll be hiding in the coop listening to the rain drip off the downspouts. Ever heard the expression “madder than a wet hen”? They’re not really mad–they’re anxious. If their feathers get wet, they mat down…
Here in California we had an unusually cool summer, but autumn has been lovely. And this week the temperature is in the 70s all week—which is perfect for sunbathing if you’re a chicken. You see, everyone is molting. When the sun passes the fall equinox, they stop laying eggs and molt their feathers, growing in…
Welcome–or as they say in Lancaster County, Wilkomm! Once I get rolling, you’ll find posts here on everything from quilting and canning your own food to opinions on fast food and Easter chicks. I’ll share tips for time management—and for finding time for yourself. Lots of us want to know how to simplify, streamline, and…