Wednesday, June 24, 2009

ala Pioneer Woman

So I was looking outside and realized once again how much I love our home, trees, animals, and just so much about our property.

So I decided to take some pictures of it!

I wandered out to the backyard and saw this.

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Our 3 scaredy sheep. Doing what they do all day. Eat grass. Except when they take a break and eat weeds instead.

Here is Charlie.

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He led the escape yesterday that led to one of my baby apple trees (planted last year) being stripped of its leaves almost all the way to the top.

You see, Charlie has realized 2 things. Once he was sheared he can fit through a gap in the fence. Of course we fixed it, but sometimes I don't latch the gate right. which leads to the 2nd realization. The grass outside the pasture is much better than the grass inside the pasture. Well, that and my apple tree and garden.

Luckily this time we got them back in before they made it over to Aunt Alyson's garden.

speaking of the garden.

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Doesn't it look beautiful? Just don't go to close or you'll see some weeds and the rotting grass clippings we put between the grow boxes. They don't smell that nice.

Here is Turkey Lurkey.
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I haven't decided if that will be his official name or if I'll go for something more creative like Tom.

Anyway, when a turkey isn't all puffed out like this

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He doesn't look so regal. And frankly, he's kind of ugly. All those wart looking thingeys on his neck.

Everytime I go into the pasture he runs over because he thinks its dinner time. Well, most of the time its not. But he still comes over because it might be. And then he follows me around the pasture like a lost puppy chirping and making all sorts of noises I never knew turkeys made, in the hopes that I'll drop some food.

Oh what a handsome fellow that Charlie is!

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I'll have to remind him that handsome is as handsome does and handsome doesn't let other sheep out and then eat my apple tree!!!

Here is a picture of some of our motley crew of chickens.
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Here's a picture of the turkeys mate
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She is busy trying to get some eggs to hatch in a quiet corner of the pasture. I'm really excited and hope they do hatch. We'll see!! It should take her until early to mid July.

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Can you spot the rooster giving me the evil eye?

Actually its all show. He's isn't evil. He's only bothered me a few times and that was nipped in the bud by chasing him around the coop for a few minutes. But I can't let the kids in there with him. He bit my 4 year old on the leg (through pants) a few months ago. Once she gets older, I'll let her chase him around the coop. I took care of it for her that time.

Here is a picture of our splash cochin
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She is busy sitting on 7 eggs. She can barely cover them all but is valiantly trying. She is so cute when she pushes an egg under her. She stands as tall as she can and uses her beak to push each egg aaaallllllll the way back under her.

She should have babies by Sunday. Monday at the latest.

Here is a picture of the beautiful rose type bushes that cover the back of our property.
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The are beautiful, but it was easier when we had goats and they could eat them back a ways. But I have to admit, they were never this beautiful when the goats were eating on them.

Here's the other proud mama around here.
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She's the one who lost a chick to the water bucket. I hope never to have that problem again.

Here's that Tom Turkey again.
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Yes, I'm sure I don't have any food! :)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

boring

I've been reviewing old posts and have come to realize that numbers aren't very amusing.

So how about a story or two?

today I went out to check on the chicks and was horrified that one made its way into the water bucket and drowned. I couldn't get it to balance on a stick so I had to touch its cold dead leg and pick it up and throw it into the bushes. I'm surprised at how I'm getting used to this.

I sure hope it doesn't happen again.

We have another hen on a clutch of 7 eggs.

Our turkey hen has laid a clutch of eggs, but insists on only sitting on it for about 1/2 the day. I'm pretty sure that this will lead to no turkeys, but I'm not that worried about it.

I'll give her until about mid july and then toss them.

At that point I'll collect her eggs for the Silkie or one of the Cochins to sit on. I'm determined to have baby turkeys this year.

So, the other day I was playing ring around the chickens and moving chickens from one coop to another.

I had to wait until it was dark for the chickens to go to sleep. Once they are asleep, you can do almost anything to them.

This night, I was trying to single out the Rhode Island Red hens who were not laying.
I also had chicks coming to the small coop so I decided to move any uneccessary hens out of there.

The first bit of excitement came when I put a younger RIR hen in a new coop. She hadn't been moved before and was a little disoriented. I put her in and shut the door.

Well, I grabbed the next chicken and when I opened the door to put her in the coop, the other chicken darted out!

So yay! (just a little sarcasm) I got to have a chicken chase in the dark. My most favorite of pastimes! At least I had a flashlight.

So, I chased her around the coop a few times and then pinned her with the coop door. I managed to put her in the coop and finish moving everyone around.

Well, as I was moving hens around, the turkey (who likes to perch on the coop roof to sleep) had been moving around nervously. When the chicken darted out and I had to chase her around the turkey decided she'd had enough and flew from one coop roof to another coop roof. All the while the Tom Turkey was watching. Awake, but not seeming to be nervous.

When I moved the very last hen, the turkey decided she'd had enough and flew the coop. she flew clear out of the pasture and into the yard.

So yay!(again with the sarcasm) I had another chase on my hands. This time a turkey chase.

I herded her back towards the pasture, but she wouldn't hop the fence. I chased her around for a good 20 minutes.

I finally got her into a corner and she hopped onto one of the gates into the pasture. I touched her tail hoping she would hop into the pasture. Instead she flew into the pasture, UP INTO A TREE NEXT TO THE PASTURE!!! And then proceeded to fall through many branches and finally to the ground.

It was just a little funny. But then I was worried and had to go and make sure she was ok. Which she was. As soon as I got near her she hopped up and ran.

so it all turned out ok.

The funniest part of the whole thing was my Mother in law.

She was staying the night so that I could drive her to the airport the next morning.

Before I go move chickens, I always tell hubby to check on me after 10 or so minutes to make sure I haven't been attacked by the boogey man or anything like that.

He is a good husband and will open the back door and yell to ask me if I'm ok.

So, since hubby had to work the next day, and my MIL was still up, I asked her to check on me if I didn't come back after 10 - 15 min.

Well, this night I had been out there a good 20-30 min. When I went inside, expecting my MIL to be worried about me, or at least wonder if I was ok, I found that she had GONE TO BED! the only thing she said to me (she came out of her room when I came in) was "You didn't show me how to work the TV"

Hubby and I had a good laugh about it.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Awesome deals found today

Today I bought 11 Secret Platinum deodorants, 4 Cover Girl Mascara, and 1 CoverGirl foundation thingey.

All for $1.20. that is .07 per item.

I was told about a cart of clearanced deodorants over at Albertsons. The one farther from my house on 12th and 7th. FREE.

So after doing 2 circuits of the store I spotted the cart pushed behind another clearance cart.

I got a cashier to pull it out for me and was in heaven.

I found all of the deodorants and bought what I wanted. Then I called Alyson and asked her if she wanted any free deodorant.

Anyway, after all was said and done, here were my transactions.

#1
3 secret deodorant $1.99 each
3 secret deodorant $.99 each.

Used 6 coupons for $1 off 1
Doubled 3 coupons

paid .60.


#2
1 secret deodorant $1.99 each
2 secret deodorant $.99 each

used 3 $1 off 1 coupons
doubled one coupon

paid .18

#3
1 covergirl trublend $1.99
1 secret deodorant $1.99
1 Loreal makeup $1.99

Used 3 $1 off 1 coupons
doubled 3 coupons

paid .30

#4
2 lash exact $1.99
1 Loreal Makeup $1.99

Used 3 $1 off 1 coupons
doubled 3 coupons

If you want to learn how to do this, call me. I'd love to coupon with you.

new arrivals

Hey, who you looking at?
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OK guys, I think the coast is clear.

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Yum Yum! I think that lady spread some chocolate in the dirt here.

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And have I shown you a picture of our tom turkey? I don't think I did.

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Behind him you can kind of see the hen turkey.

What I did this morning.

Spent $31 on this :
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Here is how it broke down.

1st & 2nd transaction:
3 boxes trix cereal
4 bottles all small and mighty
1 betty crocker frosting.

paid 11.41
Used 2 - $1/2 and a doubler
used 1 - $1/3 and a doubler
used 1 .50/1 no doubler
used $10 coupon from the sale going on (buy $25 of certain items, get a $10 coupon for your next transaction)

I did this twice.

As I look at this I realized that the checker (on BOTH transactions) didnt' scan my .50 coupon. I hate it when I get home and realize things like this. That would have saved me $1 total.

3rd transaction:
4 boxes of Fruit roll ups
3 big boxes of Cheerios
2 bottles Bertolli pasta sauce

paid $8.76

used
$10 coupon from the sale
Got a $1.50 off (buy 3 large boxes Cheerios, get instant $1.50 off)
.75/1 coupon, doubled.
$1/1 coupon, doubled.

All in all, not a bad day. Not a stupendous day, but not a bad day.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Chicks!

The chicks started hatching on Friday and finished by Saturday afternoon.

All 5 eggs hatched. 4 RIR and 1 probably male sexlink or ?? barred rock. I'll have to research some more to figure it out.