Something Happened on the Way to the Chicken Coop

A funny thing happened on the way to the chicken coop…I lost my voice.  Not physically…I just didn’t have any thing to say for a few weeks, well okay, months.  Or, I just didn’t think I had anything to say that any one would want to read.  But, then, friends and family asked me where I went.  They enjoyed reading my blogs…little vignettes of my life and my crazy menagerie of critters.  So I started thinking and realized that "I" enjoy reading my little stories and reflecting on the moments of my day. If others enjoy reading about it too, that makes me happy.

So, welcome back to life in my ever-changing city garden.

My chickens are in a slump these days…you’d think they’d be thriving and that egg production would be incredible, but not so.  As soon as I integrated Anna with her Supremes (Sydney, Melinda and Jenny), she laid an egg and then promptly molted.  Not an easy-going, a few feathers here, a few feather there…but full-on dropped most of them so she looks like she’s going through chemo.  Not a good look for a chicken let a lone a glorious Polish chicken!  And if that wasn’t bad enough, she hasn’t laid one egg in two weeks.  Recently, she has taken to attacking me whenever I enter the coop.  She literally flies feet first at my legs and then pecks me.  The first time she did this, I wasn’t expecting it and was wearing shorts and flip-flops.  Since then, I’m wearing jeans and my barn shoes for protection.  The little bitch!

The Supremes are now 5 months old….so any day they should start laying.  I put the “fake” eggs in the nest boxes in the hope that they would “get” what they are for.  But, so far, I don’t think any of them have ventured into the nest boxes even for a look-see.  Meanwhile, the Silver Wyandotte girls are happily enjoying stalking the smaller Anna and the Supremes through the wire fencing that separates them.  They are still laying…a little less predictably now that the daylight is waning.  But, I’m hoping the 40-watt bulb installed in their coop set to go on at 6:30 a.m. and off at 9:30 p.m. will help to pick up production. 

I recently finished reading a wonderful book, City Farm, by Novella Carpenter.  Novella is a true urban farmer living in Oakland, California.  She describes in detail, not only how to raise and care for chickens (ducks, turkeys, pigs, bees and goats), but also how to humanely kill and process one.  Anna better watch her back…

New Chapters

I’ve been MIA in my garden for several weeks now and I’m anxious to get back to my daily routines.  I’ve loved being with my daughter at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (Junior Equine Olympics), but after 7 days, I’m ready to be home.  Jessie has been to the NAJYRC three times, earning a Silver Team Junior medal, but, alas, no medals this year for the Region 3 Young Riders.  She had good, solid rides and she is proud of herself and her dad and I am so incredibly proud of her.  Now it is time to shift the focus to  college…which is just around the corner. 

And once I take her to Sewanee:  The University of the South, I close a chapter in my life that I’ve loved sharing with her.  We’ve trailered to more horse shows than I can remember, some close to home and others 16 hours away.  We’ve been a good team.  I focus on the horse and let Jessie do her thing. …ride.   I love the rhythm of grooming, mucking out stalls, cleaning and filling water buckets, throwing grain or hay…I’m glad I was able to be a good partner to her and her horses. 

So, now I’ll have lots of time to tend my gardens, the chickens and the pups.  I’ll start this week with seeing what has survived neglect and harvest!  I’m hopeful the garden has not become too overgrown with weeds…my least favorite task.

My to-do list is long…and I know it is going to take me some time to “catch up”, but I wouldn’t have traded this summer with Jessie at horse shows for anything.

I know, as I close this chapter and begin the next, that Jessie and my relationship will change.  But, I’m pretty sure it will be more towards that of becoming my friend.

Dian's Garden Fresh Pesto

Dian’s Garden Fresh Pesto

2-3 cups fresh basil leaves (rinsed)

½ cup marcona almonds

¼-1/2 cup olive oil

¼ grated Parmesan

2 cloves garlic

Process in food processor or grinder:

Basil, almonds, ¼ cup olive oil, whole garlic cloves

Add Parmesan cheese and additional olive oil to desired consistency.

Toss with hot pasta or use as a spread on hot bread or as a complement to cheese.

Back to the Books!

What I like about gardening is that I never accomplish what I set out to achieve.  What I don’t like about gardening is that I never accomplish what I set out to achieve.

Weeds are the bane of all gardeners.  As soon as you finish hours of pulling them they seem to sprout before your eyes.  And no amount of mulch or landscape fabric seems to keep them from appearing.  Even through the cracks and crevices, they find a way to take hold and grow.  This year my garden seems to be particularly  bountiful in the weed department.  And while I ponder a better way to keep them from taking root, I’m scratching my head at the lack of tomatoes growing on the vines.  What am I doing wrong?

I know that the basis of a good garden is soil.  My father-in-law, Tom, and I have amended the soil annually and some areas of the garden look to be healthy while other areas are still dense with red Georgia Clay.  Where is the compost, coir, Nature’s Helper, and mulch going?  Where are the earthworms?

Now don’t get me wrong…we’re harvesting patty pan squash, Fortex pole beans, blackberries, beets, potatoes, and peppers.  All is not lost.  It is just that I can’t figure out why all of my crops aren’t producing, indeed in abundance, the way some are. 

I’m stuck in the house today and decided to take the time to peruse gardening books and magazines looking for wisdom on growing the perfect tomato, the components of healthy soil, beneficial insects and organic pest management.   I’m hopeful that something will “click” and I’ll solve the mysteries.  But in the meantime, I’ll pull the weeds, water and fertilize, mulch and harvest and hope for the best.

Try, try again...

Gardening can be a maddening venture.  I can’t figure out why some crops thrive and produce in abundance when others whither and die.  I feel like I’m doing everything I’m supposed to be doing!

This past week, after 2 weeks of not gardening, my father in law, Tom and I met up to weed, feed, water and, hopefully, harvest.  We got lucky and harvested a hefty bag of green beans; lettuce and I pulled a few beets to take to my son in Baltimore, whom I visited over the weekend. There are lots of little baby carrots and little baby peppers growing.  And the blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are heavy with fruit.

Unfortunately, we had to relocate the Sugar Bush Watermelon plants, as they seem to be stunted in their growth, we pulled 5 dead or dying tomato plants, and all the withered cress, too.  I bought new heirloom tomato plants at Pike’s and will plant them in a new space in the garden.  The pole beans are growing…no blooms yet.  The Okra looks miserable, so we planted a new crop and we’ll see what happens with the first crop. And, once again, I’m fighting the Mexican bean beetle on the eggplant.  I will spray them down with insecticidal soap and hopefully avert a take over!

The dogs were full of energy!  They ran.  They chased.  They dug…yes…dug.! Oscar, the mini wirehair dachshund was a mess.  His face was literally caked with earth.  I had to hose him off.  Lulu has suddenly decided my lemongrass is delicious and chewed on it off and on for an hour.  Felix spent the better part of the morning chasing rodents…real or imaginary.  And Hazel just hung out.  The rest of the afternoon the pups were passed out on the bench seat in my kitchen!

There are new bluebird eggs in both birdhouses!  We couldn’t believe that they reused the nests.  Usually, we have to clean the boxes out so they will build new nests and have a second family.  We did clean out the chickadee nest in the wren box, though.  So, in a few weeks we’ll be on the lookout for another crop of bluebird babies. 

Gardening is a labor of love and an exercise in patience.  If at first you don’t succeed…Try, try, again.

Unexpected Chickens

Today, a biathalon took place, partly, on the street we live on.  I had the chickens out front in their “tractor” grazing, like I do every day.  But today was different…Jeff, my son, was on the front porch, reading, while the race portion of the event took place.  I was out back cleaning the chicken coop.  He texted me that the chickens were a big hit with the runners.  I had to laugh, because they do draw a lot of attention.  As the runners ran by our yard, they would yell out “Chickens!”.  One group of girls actually stopped and watched them for a few minutes before resuming their run.

My husband ran into a former neighbor with his kids the other day and they asked about the chickens.  Michael ended up inviting them back to the house and the kids had a blast and even climbed into the tractor with the chickens.  Luckily, there were eggs in the coop so they had a “take home” from the visit. 

I think the draw of chickens is that they bring us closer to our food sources.  I’m not a loyal locavore, but I appreciate the fact that I know what my chickens eat and that they are well cared for.  (My husband would tell you they live at the Ritz-Carlton…) I know that the eggs they provide are the best quality and they are good for my family!

I suspect the draw also has something to do with the element of the unexpected…

Surrounded by highways and skyscrapers, in my little patch of country in the city, folks run by my house and see chickens in the yard.  “Chickens!”

Polish Babies

One week old and the new baby Polish chickens have grown…and they are flourishing!  We go check on them, my daughter and I, about 5 times a day to make sure the temperature is right (95 degrees the first week, 90 degrees the second week, and so on), that they have fresh water and food and that everyone is healthy.  Unfortunately, the fight or flight reflex, flight reflex, actually, is very much a part of their core existence.  It doesn’t matter that it has been the same faces peering at them repeatedly, or that we hold them often, they still leap to their little feet, peeping madly and scurry all over their little pen to get away from us. 

And, Boy, are they adorable… with little yellow “fros” on their heads…a clear indication that they are indeed Polish babies!

I decided pretty quickly after the chick’s arrival that I would not attempt to introduce them to “Anna”.  She wasn’t broody…meaning she wasn’t sitting on the ceramic eggs I put in her nest box.  In fact, she tried to roll them out on several occasions.  And at night, we found her roosting instead of keeping her “eggs” warm.  So, I thought it better to raise the babies in the shed under a heat lamp. 

I think it was a good decision.  I will introduce the new “girls” to “Anna”, their new mother hen, when they are older and she is less likely to peck them to death.

Good Neighbors

May was a whirlwind month for me…two horse shows, tons of family and friends in town to help us celebrate my daughter’s graduation from high school, dinner parties and arriving this week, new little chicks for “Anna”. 

I decided that Anna needed babies.  “Marge”, “Puck”, and “Pot Pie”, the Silver Wyandotte hens have been picking Anna’s head feathers off and leaving her a bloody mess.  I isolated her in an adjacent area of the pen so she could still see the other hens, but I feel bad for her.  Even though she looks tremendously better and her head feathers are growing back, she is all alone. So I ordered her three white crested “blue” Polish chicks that are due to arrive one day this week.  I’ve got a new separate coop and run all set up for them.

According to folks who know, it is best to put the chicks in an isolation container with a heat lamp for a day or so next to Anna so she can hear them peeping.  Then, in the dark of night, slip them under her so when she wakes up in the morning she thinks she hatched her eggs!  I’m thinking Anna probably can’t count, but just to make sure there is no opportunity for argument, I’ve put three “fake” eggs into her nest box that will remain there until the chicks take their place.

My letter carrier has been alerted and is on the look out!  I think he’s as excited as I am for their arrival!

And a funny thing happened over the weekend.  While I was in Kentucky with my daughter and our horses, my neighbor drilled a hole in my wooden fence about 4 or 5 inches in diameter, about 4 feet off the ground, so that he (and his grandkids) could spy on the chickens!  I wish he had asked first, but I’m not one to get myself too worked up about my neighbor enjoying my chickens!  I ran into him in the grocery this morning and he fessed up…to “borrowing” three eggs, too!  I’m thrilled!

I’m thinking about having a little reception for the new baby girls next week.  Maybe the rest of the neighbors would enjoy a peek at the little peeps!

surprises in the garden

Sunny skies, cloudy skies, wind, rain, sunny skies….sometimes the weather just needs to make up its mind!  In spite of the indecision on the part of the weather, my father-in-law, Tom, and I persevered in the veggie patch this morning.  We weeded, mulched, admired, planted a little, harvested lettuce and admired some more! 

Tom is particularly proud of the asparagus…it is really thriving! I’ve decided it is doing so well it likes all the attention Tom lavishes on it each time he is in the veggie patch!  And our newly acquired “Papa’s Rhubarb” plants, hand carried from Lancaster, Pennsylvania by Aunt BJ and Uncle Tom are sprouting new leaves and seem to be liking life in Atlanta!

For my part, I was particularly thrilled to find bluebirds sitting on a nest in the new bluebird box, a chickadee nest with eggs in the wren box and either a bluebird or robin nest in the artsy metal bird house my son, Jeff, got me for Christmas!

Perhaps the most unexpected discovery was a baby snake in the wheat mulch I was distributing (without gloves on!) around the strawberries and pepper plants.  After some discussion, we decided the baby snake was not poisonous…and relocated him to the garlic bed.  Hopefully, he won’t grow up to be a copperhead!

But, what really thrilled me today…what MADE my day…were the seven, yes, I counted them…SEVEN white tail deer in my forest…including a beautiful big buck, as surprised to see me, as I was to see them!

A Heathlhy Addiction

I’m really addicted to the high I get from my garden! 

This time of year finds me implementing the new strategies I agonized over this long, cold winter.  And, I’m pretty pleased with some of the changes I’ve made.

First of all, I’m using wheat straw as mulch instead of shredded hardwood mulch.  And, I’ve tried something new with some of my raised beds.  A thin layer of straw went down on the over-turned soil from last season to which I added 2 bags of organic planting soil.  Bush watermelons, poblano peppers and red bell peppers are being grown this way. I also am trying fabric “bags” that are planted like pots.  They are porous bags that allow drainage and better air circulation around the roots.  In these pots are planted two types of winter squash, cantaloupe and 3 bags of fingerling potatoes!  I did not put these “bags” inside the confines of my fenced veggie patch, however, but outside in the lower fenced pasture.  The vining plants are positioned near the fence in hopes that I may be able to tie them to the fencing and train the vines off the ground.   

The asparagus is growing….and growing!  I can’t believe how well the bed is looking already and both Tom, my father-in-law, and I are confident that the site we chose was perfect.

Our method of “casting” seed has been a brilliant experiment with the radishes, lettuces, and spinach.  And our rows of beets and carrots are doing well, too, although with the next crop we may try casting these seeds, as well.  Why not?

 And, the tomatoes are planted…on time!  One whole bed of three varieties including a tiny cutie named ‘red currant tomato’ with tomatoes the size of your pinky fingernail….sweet and delicious.  I can’t wait!

I try not to answer my phone or respond to text messages when I’m in my garden.  It’s my sanctuary, my gym, and, as I’ve said before, my therapist’s sofa.  Life couldn’t be better on the days I spent any amount of time amidst the plants, birds, butterflies and bugs…

Something tells me this addiction is a pretty healthy one! 

One of these eggs is not like the other...

One of these eggs is not like the other is an understatement.  One of them is HUGE!  I would have been shocked this afternoon when I collected the eggs from the hen house had this not happened previously.  Yep!  That biggun is a double-yolker!  There are actually two yolks in a single egg.  And, interestingly, the size of the eggs compensates for the two yolks!

From the information I have been able to garner, this rarity occurs one time in every thousand eggs laid.  And even though my hens are 8 plus months old, it usually happens in older laying hens or brand new layers whose mechanisms are still working out the egg producing process.

Laying double yolk eggs is not normal for chickens.  It is a miscommunication in their reproductive tract…probably, in my case, for the chicken laying infrequently whose system is “still figuring it all out”.

So now I’m really interested in buying one of those outdoor cameras that takes a photo, like, every 15 seconds.  I’d like to try to catch one of the hens laying that double yolker!

Now the thing I can’t stop laughing about is what they call a no yoke egg…

It is sometimes referred to as a “wind” egg, but more commonly, as a “fart” egg.   

And I guess I’ll just leave it at that!

In the Scheme of Things

For the past week, my husband and I have been on our last Spring Break trip with our Senior in high school daughter and her three friends…heading back to reality now, I’m thinking about home.

It is good, once in a while, to get away from the day-to-day routine of life.  And I certainly had a wonderful trip with lots of rest and sunshine. Being away reminds me of those things I value most in my life.

Sitting on the airplane, I now peruse the More magazine I purchased to read before I was allowed to use my computer or Kindle.  In the magazine is a collection of essays of different women’s definitions or perspectives of “Home”.  It was a thought-provoking read.  My husband and I are currently in the process of selling the home our children were raised in and building a new home we have designed for our little “farmette”.

The home our children were raised in was perfect for our family.  A funky city house, it has a “kids wing” complete with three bedrooms and two baths where our growing children could escape the adults.  The “family room” space had many lives, including being an art room complete with a multitude of art supplies, canvasses, and an art table, a sleep-over room with a fold down full size futon (which the dogs mostly slept on), party central for birthdays and Play Station (now Wii) tournaments, and its current role as a TV room with a big screen, surround sound, and cushy sectional.   

When our daughter graduates, if we haven’t already sold the house, this part of the house will go unused.  My kids, mostly, and my husband, a little, are struggling with selling the house, I think because of all the memories of being raised, and raising our children there. 

But, for me, those memories are a part of my being.  I don’t need a house to remind me of the tiled stairs where my barely four year old daughter fell and ended up with four stitches on her forehead 2 weeks after moving into the house.  Of frantically driving, barefoot, through the neighborhood trying to find the local hospital with my 6 year old waiving down a homeless man for directions.  Or the cozy bedroom off the kid’s family room my son chose because it was his “cave”.  The weekend my brother and I spent together re-tiling the living room fireplace with broken black marble tiles (long gone since the renovation).  The beloved guinea pigs, rats and hamsters buried in my garden.   The civil war “ghost” at the top of the bedroom stairs my nephew used to “talk “ to and I attempted to exorcise with chants and a sage stick …Why not? The wonderful parties, meals, holidays, birthdays and anniversaries celebrated with friends and family…most still a part of our lives, some moved on to new places and new friends.  These things are all a part of my collective…who I am, who I have become…me…they won’t disappear because I live in a different house. 

I like to say that if the house was burning down the only things I’d save are my family and my pets…and if I had time, the photos.  Nothing else is all that important in the scheme of things.  

First Loves

My daughter’s first horse, Sion’s Shadow, is living a life of retirement at a beautiful property north of Atlanta.  He is young…only 13 years old.  But, he has been unable to “do his job” for 2 years.  Early onset arthritis has disabled him and only recently his discomfort has been alleviated thanks to the natural fusing of his hind coffin and pastern joints. 

Sion is a beautiful Dutch Warmblood, 16.2 hands, black bay with a kind and generous personality.  He took Jessie to both the Festival of Champions (Top 12 Championships) and the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (The Junior Olympics for Equine sports.) the first year she embarked on qualifying. 

Recently, in part because Sion’s comfort level has so drastically improved, Jessie decided to ride him and see what he was capable of doing.  My husband and I didn’t go to watch…not sure what to expect.  According to both Jessie and Sion’s caretaker, it was magical! 

Sion “perked up” when he saw Jessie with the saddle pad….and when she placed it on his back he turned to look at her with tremendous excitement.  Jessie tacked him up…saddle, girth and finally, the bridle.  She led Sion to the sand arena and mounted him.  He was a different horse…no longer the head of the herd in the pasture…suddenly he was transported to glory as the wonderful dressage horse he remembered being not that long ago.

Jessie was able to walk and trot Sion, but not canter.  He limped a little...and the next day was very stiff and sore.  We upped his “bute” to help with the discomfort…I guess, a little like a weekend warrior.  

Sion was Jessie’s “first boyfriend” and it was wonderful for them both to have that time together again reliving their commitment to each other.  I hope Jessie will ride Sion again soon…

Dreaming of Spring

This time last year I had seedlings an inch or two tall, hundreds of them dispersed over three folding tables under grow lights in my family room.  My family was none too thrilled with me.  The house smelled of damp earth…heavenly to me, like to dirt to everyone else.

Maybe because the weather has been so uninspiring or perhaps much of my enthusiasm has been dolled out to the chickens, regardless, I’m just now starting my vegetable seeds indoors for spring planting.  I’ve promised my family I won’t over take the family room this year, so I’m being prudent about which seeds to start.  Initially I was a little worried that getting such a late start would be a bad thing, but I’ve decided that last year’s plants were kinda big for transplant…many root bound and the tomatoes definitely outgrew their pots.  I had a poor tomato crop, so maybe this is a good thing that I’m getting a later start than I planned.

This morning, I sterilized the plastic starter pots, am soaking the organic seed starter soil mix and have the seed packets spread out on the kitchen table attempting to prioritize those who need to be planted now under the waiting grow lights.  It is a daunting decision…really! 

With tempting names like Red Currant, Polish Linguista, and Red Zebra…I started all the tomatoes!  And I couldn’t resist the Lemondrop Basil.  Of course, ignoring the peppers was impossible, so Giant Marconi, Early Crisp and Ancho are safely nestled in their dirt beds ready to germinate!  Black Beauty and Fairy Tale eggplant as well as the Tomatillo Gigante are also currently enjoying a solar bed experience!  In the next few weeks tiny seedlings should start to poke their heads through the soil and then I’ll know Spring is truly just around the corner.

Great Eggs-pectations!

Maybe because my baby girl, Jessie, is graduating from High school in a few short weeks and I’m looking for something to fill the void of her leaving for college, or maybe I’m looking for something needing a little nurturing…Either way, I don’t think my daughter would be too thrilled to know that my chickens are her replacement!  I am finding keeping chickens incredibly rewarding.  I had no idea how much fun they could be and no idea how satisfying it is to find eggs in the nest boxes.  I love my dogs, too, but the “gifts” I get from them aren’t as tangible. The dogs love and worship me, protect me, keep me company and from becoming a slug by getting me outside, and cost me lots of money in vet and food bills and I can’t imagine my life without them.  The chickens, however, don’t love me unconditionally (I don’t think they do, anyway.), don’t protect me, don’t keep me company and cost me a lot less money than my dogs, so far.  The “gifts” they give me, however, are organic, rich, nutritious, healthy eggs.  I’m just thrilled!

Three of the girls are laying almost daily, and Anna, the Polish chicken has yet to begin laying. I know this not because I am keeping watch, although I am a little, but because Anna’s eggs will be white when she does begin laying and the Silver Wyandotte’s are brown.  I’m only collecting brown eggs right now. I am sure Anna isn’t yet laying because my husband is putting pressure on her by telling her she needs to start “earning her keep”.  Two of the girls are laying in the nest boxes but one doesn’t seem to realize she is laying eggs, yet, and just randomly drops them wherever she happens to be standing.  I’m hoping it won’t be too long before she does what the others are doing…actually going into the coop, into the nice and clean nest box and leaving little gems for me there.

Yesterday, as I was showing off the girls to my son’s friend, Amanda, one of the girls marched into the coop, took up residence in a nest box and laid one right there before our eyes.  I couldn’t believe it!  I scooped it up and handed it to Amanda, still very warm from the hen’s body.  We were both in awe!

My daily ritual of feeding the hens greens and mealworms, changing their water and filling their feeder has also become a time of anticipation and excitement at how many eggs I will be blessed with for the day.  Who knew a few hens could provide such enjoyment?

The Perfect Egg

Recently, I’ve been thinking (and blogging) about the fact that “The Girls” have yet to lay a single egg.  I’ve researched the hows and whys of egg production and have taken many suggestions to heart to encourage them to lay.

Today my routine was different.  Between the rain and the multitude of service folks in the house (locksmith fixing a broken lock, handyman painting a ceiling and the house cleaner) I didn’t get out to visit the chickens mid-morning like I usually do.  Then I ran out for an appointment and an errand so it was 5 p.m. before I went out to check on their food and water and give them their daily treat of mealworms.  I opened the door to the coop and realized the ceramic eggs I had put in their nesting boxes had all been pushed out.  But wait a minute…there’s still an egg in a nesting box…but it isn’t white like the ceramic ones…it’s brown…that’s because it’s a REAL egg!

Someone Laid An Egg! 

After months of anticipation and patience (ha!), the Perfect Egg has finally arrived! 

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I’ll admit it…I’m not a patient person!  I want it and I want it now…always!  The “Girls”, aka The Chickens, are now about 6 months old and they still haven’t begun to lay eggs.  It could be the lack of daylight (I put a bulb in the coop that turns on at 7 a.m. and off at 8 p.m.), the cold, or they just aren’t there yet.  I even have ceramic eggs in the nest boxes to give them an idea of what I’m waiting for!  Sometimes it can take up to 8 months for them to begin laying so all hope is not lost…yet.  My husband has begun to tell them they need to start earning their keep, however.  Organic chicken feed and gourmet seeds aren’t cheap!

Chickens are characters, I’ve discovered, and they are trainable!  Once a day I take mealworms to them as a protein treat. The girls have begun to associate my voice with these yummy treats.  As I approach the coop they start clucking up a storm and pace back and forth waiting for me to enter the coop.  Once I’m in there they dance all around my feet waiting for me to scatter the little worms for them to gobble up.  I’ve begun mixing the mealworms in with fresh greens and shaved carrots so they have to work a little harder to find them. 

It has become a daily ritual that my pit bull, Hazel, accompanies me to the coop.  She finds the girls fascinating…and she loves to eat their poop!  The Polish Chicken, Anna/Nana, storms up to Hazel (with the fencing between them) every day and fiercely pecks her on the nose when she is trying to sneak spilled scratch or other delicacies.  Hazel seems stunned by this assault, but takes it in stride. .  I’m not sure what she would do if she actually got into the pen with the girls.  She may be so focused on gobbling up the droppings that she would completely ignore the hens.  I’m not planning to test that theory, however.

So for now, I’m still waiting for my first egg.  And, although it won’t actually be worth its weight in gold, it will be a prize, nonetheless!

Resolutions

Thinking about and working in my garden is my therapy.  It makes me a happier person.  I feel productive, useful, focused, and that I contribute something to making the world a better, prettier place.  The winter season is usually no exception…In Atlanta we can still garden.  But this winter has been different.  The frigid temperatures and seemingly non-stop rains have made it impossible to have a continuously functioning and producing garden.  This has affected me.   A lot!  In the past few weeks I’ve found myself…down.  Without my stand-by outlet to get outside and work in the soil I’m a little lost. 

And, in spite of my resolution (again) to work out every day…Let’s face it, working out on a treadmill or an elliptical machine just isn’t the same as marching along with the bird chatter, sweating to the beat of yanking out heavy weeds laden with earth or digging a new bed to “heave ho”.  When I’m working out I watch the clock.  When I’m in my garden hours pass before I notice. 

What I do enjoy about this time of year is spending any spare moment paging through the accumulating seed catalogs finding yummy, unique, interesting and promising vegetables and fruits to attempt to coax into thriving in my garden.   The glossy photographs of beautiful plants with perfect fruit make me desperate to get dirty again!  Having just placed my order for a large variety of seeds, I’m anxious to set up my grow lights and await the first emerging seedlings.

I know the days are getting longer again and before I know it I’ll be putting those seedlings into the soil and tending to their every need…Happily.