The Year in Review

(really, that's just me covering up for my lack of blogging.) 

So... let's start around the time when I got an awesome new job & stopped boring you all with chicken escapades...

- New job.  Still awesome.  It's amazing to realize how important it is to me to feel valued & respected in the workplace.

- Thanksgiving.  Really great time.  Amazing food, 4 days of relaxed, laughing company.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime gathering, and we worked hard to make our guests feel that special.  We did a great job!

- Christmas.  Happy, gift-laden children delivered to Northern family.  Bossman & I with a week to ourselves.  Thank you, Santa!










2011 was a year of many changes.  New home, new job, new cat.  All in all, I think we roll with these changes with anticipation & excitement- and are already looking towards the changes next year will bring.

Countdown

The Panther girls have been hard at work, perfecting & sharpening their routine- dance #1, cheer, dance #2.  The countdown to Competition: 10 days!!

So busy. Brain so full. I forgot how much I need this feeling.

The new job is SO great!  If I wasn't so tired & rushed, I'd tell you all about it.  :)
The new morning routine seems to be going well- Bossman & Boss Jr have been enjoying the bit of Mom-free morning they've been having as he drops her off at the bus.  And she's enjoying the bit of freedom & responsibility the bus routine gives her.

Bossman is ignoring the fact that Bangkok is flooding, and is flying out in the morning.  It will be interesting to see how that impacts our morning routine.  I guess we'd better make that adjustment quickly, as it will be the new "Morning- Version 2".

7:39 am, First day of work...

Sleek hair, pressed slacks, tasteful jewelry, fun & personal tank covered with beloved vintage jacket- ready to rock the workplace... All traded out for dirty jeans & muck boots to feed the birds.  Good thing I was ready freakishly early (as usual.)

The curse is lifted!!

I got a job!!!!  A real-life, outside-the-home, they pay me to be smart, J-O-B.  It means lots of changes around the big house, but I am excited.  More details later...

Wolf Creek socks!

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Bragging

The Panther girls have been working really hard, and totally rocked today's game.  I thought I'd share video of their Half-time routine.  That's Boss Jr up there on top!

Please forgive the grainy video, I was quite a ways away, and using my phone...

Happiness!!

Finally, some excitement worth noting!!  (Ok, there has been lots going on- some the usual [school, cheer, work, laundry, knitting] and some new & daring [not talking about that at all, for fear of jinxing myself.])

A typical trip to the coops this morning- scoop the food, kick birds back to get in the door, ignore the impatient cries from the little coop.  I step in & deposit the feed.  I'm bending, to pet & say "good morning" to Geri, and behold!!

We gushed & exclaimed & fussed & praised her.  We quickly built her a custom nesting box.  Instantly, she started moving straw around, even one piece at a time!  What a good mama! I'm excited to see how many eggs we get.  I read that she could lay 10-20 eggs, and won't actually sit on them until all she's laid them all.

I am so excited!!  I feel like one of those crazy parents that sue to get possession of their dead son's semen- like this is indeed my second chance to do right by Tom.  Yes, I'm totally insane.  The big dilemma now obviously, is when to prep this mama for the Thanksgiving festivities...

Ahhhh, just what I needed

A summer's night, with amazing food, and great company. Walking home barefooted on bricked streets. So lovely.


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Farming is sometimes sad

Yesterday we had a major loss. A visiting dog wandered up from the waterfall and attacked Tom. Boss Jr (poor girl) saw the dog running for him, but didn't realize that's what she was seeing. She went outside to see what this white thing running through the yard was, and found Tom being munched on. Tough cookie that she is, she hollered & barked, and scared the dog off- but the damage was done.
I called a sweet friend who helped finish the job.

I feel so much anger and sadness. Yes, these are meat birds, that I was prepared to help kill & butcher. These are not pets. But while they are in my care, I want them to know only love & kindness & joy. Now I am left with thoughts of how painful & scary & confusing that must have been for Tom, and the worry & confusion & loss for Geri.
I don't know that I'm really cut out for this...

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Back in the groove

School is back in session, and I just came back from dropping Boss Jr off.  It's nice to get back into a routine of sorts- seems more productive or something.  To-do's checked off lately:

• First half-time cheer/dance routine of the season- a glowing success!!  The girls TOTALLY rocked it!  I did not get any pictures, as I was more concerned with worry that they'd flub it, and Boss Jr would be dropped from her impressive perch.  No flubbing, many smiling proud girls, much thunderous applause from the crowd.  (I promise pics from the next game.)
• Thanksgiving "Save the Date" ecard made & sent.  We're locked in now! 
• One third of our holiday weekend traveling party already departed.  2 more (plus kitten) to go.

The weather this morning is very fall'ish.  I should be knitting...

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Super crazy yummy! Eggs, apples, oats- that's breakfasty, right?




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Farming Ain't Pretty AKA Why So Much Shit? AKA What Happened to My "Glamorous" Life?

One of my key morning duties is feeding the birds.  Sounds easy, right?  Imagine Laura Ingalls in her barefeet & braids, smiling in the sun, fat & happy chickens swarming around her to scratch at feed.  Yeah... not so much.

1. Fill turkey's feed pan- the turkeys start freaking out, clawing at the coop fencing, trying to get out/get at the feed.  The chickens scatter & screech like crazy.
2. Let the turkeys out.  Be sure you pick up the feed bucket, or the turkeys will rush to it/dump it. Also don't let any chickens out.
3. Go inside the coop & fill the chicken feed pan.  You may first (more often than not, lately) have to wash turkey crap off of the pan.  This is a very frustrating & disgusting (and frankly, unnecessary!!)addition to the process.
4. Fill the water containers. Again, you might have to add time to your task by having to scrub/spray turkey shit from the chicken's water container.  Seriously, nasty disgusting animals.

Later in the day, when letting the chickens out for free range time, I will have to put all the food pans up on top of the coop, lest the turkeys continue on the "eat & crap on everything" rampage.  It's really unpleasant.

Thanks for the food- I think I'll crap on your car later.  Is that ok?  Or right outside the front door?

No practice day!!!

Today is Friday, and while that day of the week has always held particular fondness, it's now even more so- NO CHEER PRACTICE!!  Wha-hoo!!  We are loving practice, and looking forward to the official kick-off of the season, but this week has been pretty intense & we're glad to have the day off.  To keep ourselves busy, we will:
- Take the cat to get neutered, drop off at 7am.  Pick up emasculated cat after 2pm.
- Schedule firewood delivery.  Receive firewood delivery.  Begin stacking process.  (Boss Jr had AlmostDaughter stay over last night, so I'm gonna tap that slave-labor before I take her home.  :)
- Catch up on laundry.  36 loads should do it.
- Buy chicken feed.  I'm tired of getting the stink-eye when I go out to the coops with a less than full bucket.

Bathroom scrubbing, and floor sweeping & mopping should also be on that list, but I'll save that for tomorrow.

More (weird) pet news

Ok, so we have fish.  We have always had fish.  We always have a few going.  One dies, we get another- it's not a big deal, and it supports our instant-gratification & "embrace change" thing we've got going.  So... since before we left for Thailand, we only had one fish.  No biggie, we enjoy it- and while I'm not sure the snails provide it much companionship, I wasn't it a big hurry to fill the tank back up.
Yesterday, Boss Jr says, "Hey Mom, we have 2 fish now."  And sure as shit, there was a tiny clone of the big one in there, zipping around!!  I'm so confused.  Really, how does that happen?

Blurry.  But it's SO tiny!

And by the end of the day, there were 2 babies.  The second one is just as freakish as the first one.  The big fish keeps huddling under the bubble machine, like it's a nest.  I'm not sure that I'll ever get the answer of how/why this is happening, but it'll be interesting to see how many wee ones we end up with.

The story of Lewis

Here at the Nest, we've been thinking about, obsessing over, planning for, dreaming of, talking about getting a pet for a long time.  This pet would be the inside kind.  The "sleep on MY bed" kind.  This weekend we got serious.
After a formal proposal was written, then accepted- we made a phone call, then a short drive to pick up our new family member.  We found Lewis down a dirt road, surrounded by what Boss Jr called a "hillbilly camp".  He was napping with 4 other kittens, 2 of which may have been dead (I never saw a single movement from these 2, but it was a "hot" afternoon, and they were in a blanket-lined cage.)  Boss Jr took one look at this scraggly, dirty older kitten & fell in love.  I lobbied VERY hard, talking of all the other, nicer kittens we'd seen on Craigslist- she would not be swayed.  I was cringing, thinking of the grime & bugs this cat was harboring, and we'd be putting in Bossman's car.

We gave him a name (he is the namesake of the favorite male character from Boss Jr's favorite show.  An Australian teen soap opera featuring mermaids.  Yeah.), then I gave him a bath while Boss Jr set up his room.  As we sat in the sun, combing him out & letting him dry, Bossman wondered on his age & general health.  Lewis was so docile & weak.  As you know, a kitten should be zipping around, over, under & through.  After the bath, eating, then sleeping for a couple hours... our kitten was in full force!!  He's great fun, and very sweet.

The little prince

Lewis!!

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Boss Jr lures another innocent victim

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Wow!! Long time...

No post! Must mean we're busy. Indeed we are. All but one of us are here in the nest, busy busy at cheer practice, and getting the house ready for a visit from the World's Best BIL. We're excited for him to get here & see our place!
There has been a little free-time enjoyed...



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Bowlorama!

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A-TT-A-C-K, the panthers are back!

It's August, so that means it's cheer season!  And man, are we in the thick of it!  Because last year was such a horrible cheer season, I had mentioned to a previous coach that I would volunteer (really, I had NO dreams of being a coach, but I KNOW I can do a better job than what was provided to the girls last year!!)  So... here I am, coaching the AA White team.  We have many girls that are returning, and the newbies seem to be energetic & smart cookies.  Should be a great year!

Summertime eats

The weather today was damn near "summery"!!  It was warm when we woke up, and clear blue sky, and lasted ALL day- Bossman actually rode his motorcycle to work!  I cannot believe that we live in a place that does not get a summer, but that is, in fact, the case.  In celebration of the scorching high temperature (topped out at 72 today, we all had socks on.  Excuse me while I have a cry...), we went to the farm stand.  We came home with our loot & I got to baking/prepping:

Peach Pie

Lovely, lovely Peach-Strawberry Conserve

Bruschetta!!  Heaven.  Seriously, the easiest summer dinner.  It's a summer party in your mouth.

Battle Royale!

After that little rest, and a snack, Boss Jr tempted Sweet BB into a dance battle. (She practices almost daily, then "innocently" asks visitors if they want to do a dance battle. Within seconds, the realization sets in that you are NOT dealing with an amateur.)



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Assume the position

Sweet Baby Boy is here!!  He & Boss Jr can typically be found like this:

They can occasionally be organized into a efficient work team, to do yard projects like log collecting:

These piles are destined for a weekend bonfire.  :)

Like a typical member of our family, he is very busy & active- so we don't see him nearly as much as we'd like.  We will be squeezing in as much fun as possible in the next week & a half.

What are you doing today?

I know you want to know what we are doing today.  I'll give you a hint...


Boss Jr held up foot traffic on the MRT in Bangkok to snap this

We'll do other things, I'm sure.  But really, what else matters?  (Boss Jr already saw it, while staying over with a friend.  She did not see it in 3D [clearly, this other family does not take it seriously, and do not love their children as much as they should], and has PROMISED that she will keep her yapper shut & let me enjoy every epic second.)

Trip Review

Thank you for your patience while I got my head cleared of travel fog, and the house cleared of travel chaos- it's amazing how stressful & anxiety-inducing all that clutter can be.  I really hate it.

Our trip was amazing.  I love Bangkok, and the process of getting there.  Boss Jr was a really great traveler- oddly peaceful & helpful.  It was really fun flying with her.  And it was really so much fun to show her all the things I love about the city.  We talked yesterday about how quickly we created a little "mini-life".  We spread out in our hotel room like an apartment, we learned our street & our neighborhood, we had our daily trip to Tops for snacks & drinks.

Mmmm!  Thai cheetos- definitely the best.

Fun to try on a different life for a few days.  As we drove to our local Safeway & to check the mail yesterday, we talked about how interesting it is that people can settle into a life in our little town (in any place), without being sure it's the right one.  I'm glad Boss Jr is starting early.  She's already been talking about where we should visit next- on her list is Australia & Brazil.  :)

Overcast Monday morning

Funny how overcast in Thailand is a great thing- a sign of a not-hot day, yet here it's just depressing...  We got in yesterday, and had our ritual pizza dinner.  Definitely comfort food!  The flock was delighted to see us, and just stood at the front door waiting for treats.  I swear the turkeys gained about 10 lbs!  I will do an official weight check later today. 
Random trip pics:

Buffy, the Soi Dog

Saying goodbye to Koh Chang

One of MANY photos of squat toilets

Even at the Queen's zoo, the fog of Humboldt looms close...

A better update to follow...

Back to the city

We got back to "civilization" last night, after our holiday.  We had a quick visit to the office, then to what turned out to be a surprise birthday party for one of our friends.  It was such a fun evening- much great food, new friends, & laughter!!  What a great experience for Boss Jr!  She immediately made friends with our host's son, and his friends- and within minutes they were out in the street playing soccer.
Today, Boss Jr & I are laying low & getting acclimated to the hotel & city.  Tomorrow, we have a full day booked- outings with 2 families, then meeting Bossman for dinner.  Kinda fun to be so popular...

View of the city, from our balcony

In knitting news, (because I know that's really why you tune in... :) so far, I have completed 2.25 socks on this trip.  Boo-yah.

Rainy day

rainy paths, rainy bungalows, everything lush & green

A summer storm has forced a change of plans (at least for the morning) and we are just hanging out on the patio watching the rain drip off the roof and listening to the thunder.  It's actually quite lovely, a forced day of relaxation- but it is only 9:30am, so we'll see how lovely it is in an hour or so when we're pacing around like caged animals...
We're back to the city tomorrow.  I am looking very forward to a visit to the office- seeing all our Thai friends, and Boss Jr getting to see the place where Bossman spends so much time.  It will be fun to hear her thoughts about it all.

Drip, drip, drip

Checkin' in...

Powered through long flights (Boss Jr is an oddly wonderful travel companion.  None of the usual drama.  Helpful & cheerful & a calming voice.) and we're now enjoying our holiday on a small island.  Our hotel is lovely (as I sit on the patio of our bungalow on a bamboo chair, listening to the waterfall & watching Boss Jr swim.)  We took a bit of tour of the island today. We saw monkeys, and  I wrecked my motorbike twice (TWICE!!) Both the bike & myself are a bit scraped & bruised- but that's all part of the fun, right?!  Yes, I think so...

Beach swing!!

Swimming at 6am.  Definitely on holiday.

Travel monster

Ok, as many of you know, I used to be a horrible control-freak.  Horrible.  Monstrous.  Domineering to my family, and never feeling personal satisfaction.  More of an exhausted, empty feeling.  I have worked very hard to chill the frick out, and enjoy the moments as they come.  "Accept the things I cannot change..." and all that good stuff.  Travel prep makes me a WAY more psycho version of my former high-strung self.  I talk in a mean voice to loved ones, I get a sharp stress-induced neck pain, I can't sleep.  General unpleasantness.

I thought today of what I REALLY needed to travel, what I could not live without.  If handed a boarding pass & told to be ready in 3 minutes, what would I grab & go.

1. Shawl- pretty cover-up, blanket

2.  SUNSCREEN.  Always.

3.  Lip balm

4.  Passport






So really, what's to freak out about?

Wow. Long time...

No post!  Must mean we're busy.  And indeed we are!  Gearing up for another trip, and at present, it feels like everywhere I look in the house looks like this:

This is the aftermath of Boss Jr unloading 2 bags, selecting what she'll REALLY need to condense into 1 bag, and leaving the rest all over the living room.  While I fully recognize that she has not gone room-to-room, creating the same piles, but right now, it feels like it.  Yes, I am starting the pre-trip freak out.  Can you sense it from there?  Aren't you glad you aren't here?

WIP: big socks!

A new pair of socks are in progress.  Different yarn, different design (note the clever reinforced heel action we've got going on.  I will also do a bit of this on the toe.) 
I guess these will not be my "project for the plane" socks....  But a trip to the yarn store might be on my intinerary during the next few days.

Rewards

Happy Friday to all!!  Friday night is always such fun- a reward for a focused, diligent week.  This evening, we will have some friends over, relax on the (sunny, please let it be sunny!!) deck, and enjoy a great meal:

BBQ Steak & Corn
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Frisee Salad (an AMAZING salad where bacon fat & vinegar & a slightly poached egg create the most incredible dressing.  Truly magical.)

Cucumbers & Vinegar (an ode to Boss Jr.)

Strawberry Shortcake (unless the strawberries don't look good, then it'll be the tried-and-true Brownies)



Kooky striped, cozy, oversized Boss Jr. socks!

Socks!!  I always thought I could not knit socks, but lookie-lookie!  They are not perfect, but I'm VERY proud all the same.  And I feel like I've really become a knitter now, like this was a huge badge of honor that I didn't realize I'd been withholding from myself.  I'm now onto another pair, and LOVING every stitch of it.  I've now started using it as a reward-system: scrub a toilet, knit a bit.  Fold a load of laundry, knit a bit.  Etc.  It's really great!

I got this pic last evening.  You should NOT be shocked to hear that Boss Jr is in the middle of that death-trap, hanging upside down, loving every second of the pressure of her guts in her throat.  Her brother, 5 years older, said there was no way he was getting on that!!  And I'm sure that only made her enjoy it more!  She's a fearsome creature to behold.

We've reached the creepy part of turkeys...

I've been trying for a while to get a photo of our Tom (yes, I said Tom.  As in "he".) in all his teen-Tom glory.  He's a funny one, just Hulk-ing out for a second, and I yell for someone to "Look, look!  He's doing it!!" and then I look back & he's just standing there normal & baby-turkey like, and I look like a loon.  (But really, I too would question the sanity of someone who spends so much time obsessing over the moods of poultry...) 

Again, pardon the blur.


So you can see the difference, here we have the lovely Geri.  Isn't she sweet?  She likes the sound of rain in the trees & nibbling on watches.  And in all his melted crayon glory, below we have Tom.  He's not too sure about these changes in his body, and wonders why several times a day he feels compelled to puff up, fan his tail feathers, and stomp around in a circle.  He also likes to eat dirt from freshly dug gopher holes.

Um... excuse me, but I think you've got a lil' sumpthin, just
 there.  Yes, right by your nose...

This is Tom just after a "flare up".  He gets full-on melty face, and that snood hanging off his nose will get 2 1/2 inches long.  All around his eyes gets blue.  He's quite hideous.  But just as sweet as always, we've not yet had any aggression issues- knock on wood.

Home again, home again...

Jiggety jog.  Happy Monday from my kitchen table.  My own kitchen table, in our cozy house.
We returned yesterday from a whirlwind trip to the South, a lovely trip filled with heat & coolers of beer & backyard dancing & a sweet new baby.  We had a wonderful time, and as usual came back exhausted.  It was great! 

I should have snapped some photos, but was too focused on committing it all to memory.  :)

Who the Cluck? It's Lydia!!

Hi there, it's me, Louisa!  I'd like to tell you about my new little sister, Lydia.  She came to live with us after my other sisters got eaten by the bear.    She's very quiet & smart- she listens to all my rules & does just what I say.  I help her learn all about the others on the farm.  Which of the Girls are the crabbiest, and just how close to those strange looking turkeys we can get.

Here, I am showing Lydia the best hiding spot.  We really like to hang out in here- we get the sun & lots of bugs to dig up.  But see how those 2 big ferns make a bit of a cave?  It's a really good hiding spot!
Lydia watches & copies just what I do.  She's going to be a smart & brave chicken, just like me!

Who the Cluck? by Louisa



This is Boss Jr, definitely the top chick.  But sweet enough to let me roost on her.

This is Louisa.  Louisa has had a VERY harrowing week, but has become a much more mature chicka for it.  She will soon begin a feature here at the Farm.  "Who the Cluck?" by Louisa will give you insight into the who's-who around our place.  Check back soon...

Happy Friday!!

Yesterday was spent driving 13 hours to deliver Boss Jr and WAY too many supplies off at her vacation beginning point.  She's off for 18 days on a road trip to the Grand Canyon- traveling with all boys.  I'm sure she'll come back totally sunburned & overflowing with stories.  We'll miss her terribly.

Today we woke up early & pulled on grubby clothes in the dark.  Grabbed coffee & met our friend Travis for razor clamming.  We'd never been before, and had a slow start.  But once we found a good spot, and learned what we were looking for, we totally rocked it out!!


Sorry, bad picture.  Boss Jr took her camera- so I'm going old school.

Bossman broke the shovel & cut his hand, but it was great fun!!  We will definitely be going again.

Livestock update:  No bear last night- not that we heard anyway.  Louisa (the one lucky chick) is having a hard go of it.  She cannot be with the big girls, and does not want to be away from us.  I think my choices are either chicken diapers & move her inside permanently, where she can cry & be underfoot & jump up on the counter while Bossman is cooking because she cannot stand to be away from him for a second; or to get another small chick so she can have company.  Any thoughts?

it was a bear

A bear.  A BEAR!!  In my yard.  A bear.  A real-live, "gonna eat your garbage & veggie scraps, and I'm not letting small chickens get in my way" bear!!
Piecing together small events of the last few weeks, and the history of the property, and the damage done (a big, bear-arm sized hole in the side of my coop that apparently was invisible to my shocked & shaken eyes earlier), we definitely think it's a bear.

Muddy swipes on our front door.  Our FRONT DOOR.  To our house!! 

Muddy marks on the doors to our garbage.  This was a big selling point for Bossman when we looked at the house- a specialized bear-proof garbage unit.  And the great news is that it works!

Hole.  Big ol' bear-arm sized hole in my coop.  And see those brussel sprouts?  Those were leftover from last night's dinner.  Apparently bears do not care for brussel sprouts...


It is now my belief that the chickies were just a casualty.  The little coop was simply in the way of the veggies, the coop got tossed aside, the sleeping & shocked chicks ran out, the bear ate the broccoli & cauliflower, then 3 of the chicks.  Or maybe the bear lumbered off to give the garbage closet a go, and some delighted raccoons or fox showed up for the chickies.  I guess I'll never know...

Very bad day

This morning I woke up, and as usual peeked out the window on the stairs landing to look at the coops- a general viewing of the morning "harmony" and to see who is up & who isn't.  The little chicks have just gotten the hang of tucking themselves in at night, and racing down the ramp in the morning.  It's definitely part of my morning routine.  This morning I see this:

You'll notice the A-frame (the little chicks house) is NOT cozied up perfectly next to the big coop.  Like a freakin' tornado came by & threw the coop, babies & all down the hill!!  It was one of those "everything moving in slow motion" moments.  I ran outside & could not find any of the chicks!!  I could not find any evidence of chicks, no corpses, no feathers, no peeping, no nothing.

Behind the big coop, there is this giant hole.  The wire has been pulled up & broken.  As you can see, veggie scraps from inside the coop has been pulled out.  It looks like something big was digging- and it would have taken something big (or multiple medium-sized somethings) to move the little coop so much.  The silver lining in this big hole is that it allowed this:

One lucky little chick found her way into the big coop, and survived.

I know this is all "the circle of life" and whatnot- but it still sucks.  I hate any of my babies to be scared & fighting to get to safety.