Penny's Eggs

After Penny stubbornly proved herself a very dedicated and wishful mama hen this past weekend, the kids and I decided she had earned a real chance at hatching some eggs (which she does not have without intervention due to the lack of a rooster over here), and we set about hatching a plan (ha ha, see what I did there?).

I wasn't interested in attempting to order fertilized eggs from a hatchery, juggling the logistics, and going through all that stress this close to winter. However I also wanted to do more than just allow her to sit in an empty box... my solution was to text a neighbor around the corner with a flock of chickens (including several roosters) and barter a few home-canned goods for a few of his flock's fertilized eggs. Luckily, he was very enthusiastic about our plan.

After school we popped over and made the trade, and before dinner Penny was proudly sitting on her very own clutch. Audrey, ever the thoughtful Chicken Friend, drew a big chalk 'X' on the outside of the nesting box Penny has claimed, with a warning to not collect any eggs from that box. She also made a reminder that one can't help but see every time you walk out the door...

'Do not disturb the nesting box with the X! PS Penny is sitting on eggs! -AW'

I have no idea how long Penny will sit on these eggs before they could possibly hatch, as they were taken from another broody hen and lord knows how long she's been sitting on them... but if all goes well, we'll have a chance to see Penny fulfill the desire of her little mama heart soon... as long as the weather cooperates!

Broody Penny

We have a very broody hen on our hands. She thinks she should be sitting on eggs right now and is absolutely steadfast. We are unable to convince her that, in fact, the eggs she is sitting on are not fertile (when she is sitting on any eggs at all) and her time in that nesting box is completely wasted. She protests very, very loudly when she is evicted from said nesting box, and will rush back up to it as soon as she can.

Today we decided to remove broody Henny Penny from the chicken coop completely and let her spend the day in the garden. She was very well supervised and tended to, with fresh water in every bucket and container the kids could find, and with tender greens and captured bugs offered to her at every turn.

She was not happy. She was not deterred.

She spent about 20 minutes in the garden, then decided she'd better be gettin' back to her nest and she flew right over the fence.

She then found her way straight back to the chicken coop and spent the rest of the afternoon foraging on the outside of the chicken run (much to her sisters' chagrin) and trying to figure a way back in.

And that is where we left her, hoping the fresh air and physical barrier would break her of her drive to sit, sit, sit.

Nope.

After dark I went out with my flashlight to find her and put her on a roosting bar... and I couldn't. I searched under all the trees and in all the brambles and up on the compost walls and in between all the pallets leaning on the back side of the garden shed... and no Penny hen. I did, however, startle a big opossum, and I began to think I sentenced Penny to her doom leaving her out of her coop for so long. Quite frankly I felt like chicken poop.

Then I flashed my light into the coop, and poking her head out of her favorite nesting box was Penny, nestled and victorious and somehow right back in her spot.

I shook my head, I turned off my light, and I left her there.

She may be wasting her time, and her efforts to hatch her sister's infertile eggs may be futile, but dammit, she has earned her right to try.

I can't believe she found a way back despite it all.

Nice job, Penny. For what it's worth, you'd make a great mama...

Trying Something New

We were informed this weekend that it was time... time to be free of the (ironically off-balancing) training wheels. We didn't get around to it before the end of the day on Sunday, but it was definitely not forgotten, and it was the first thing I was reminded of as soon as the kiddos were back from school today.

SO..... a pair of pliers and five minutes of effort and that was all it took... I didn't even get one of those prime time commercial-worthy moments where I ran behind them to keep them steady... they were just off...

...and they're still at it. No fear, no help, big smiles, and not even a scraped knee... so far, anyway.

Time flies, man. Time flies.

So Long, September...

"We know that in September,

We will wander through the warm winds of Summer's wreckage. 

We will welcome Summer's ghost."

~Henry Rollins

It doesn't seem possible, but not only is this year's only summer over, September has joined it. Our September this year seemed to be less of a destination and more of a middle ground. We transitioned- or so it seemed- this whole month. But maybe now that that's over, we'll awaken in October... fully aware and present... transformed from our gnarly, sunburned, heat-stressed selves into the golden grateful creatures October brings out in us all. 

Sometimes the bridge is taken for granted, just something to land your feet upon as you step from one side to another... and so September has been: the bridge between Summer and Real Fall. Thank you for getting us here, September... thank you.

Doin' Fall Stuff

I know, I know, I know we don't have fall-like weather yet... I know that it's still in the 90's and most of the leaves falling from the trees right now are falling because they're dehydrated... I've noticed that the birds are still panting, that the air conditioners are still cycling, and that no one wants to stop wearing shorts yet... but darnit, we're doin' fall stuff anyway.

I mean, once the sun goes down, it's not that hot out there... 

Another Outdoor Before + Phase One

I have been taking a design-your-yard-type course from the Denton Master Gardener's Association, and right now I'm halfway through the classes. That means I'm far enough along and know just enough that I can't sit still and keep "working" on my developing design any longer... this weekend I decided it's high time for me to get out there and start doing something!

This weekend we started Phase One of my front yard redesign: remove all the oversized, overgrown holly bushes (all six of them).

We wrapped a heavy-duty chain around the base of each one and pulled them up by the roots with the bucket of the tractor. There was much scratched skin and ant bites during the process, but it was all totally worth it. We had them all out and hauled down to our next future bonfire site before lunch.

I even got around to the beginnings of reshaping and terracing the beds to the left of the front door, but that'll have to be a different post. Today we're just celebrating the destruction of those sharp, invasive, scratchy, way-too-big-for-the-space holly bushes, and if I may say so myself, it looks better out there already!

Next up, Phase Two: pull up all the rusting, bent and broken edging, reshape the beds, and redefine the borders with our own native stone!

I love hardscaping... and think I've already gotten my second wind... let's get back out there!

Fall!

Happy first day of fall (a day later)! Our wreath is on the front door, our pumpkins are on display, and we've cracked out the sage and cranberries to help begin our celebration of the harvest season. I even saw that a "cold" front is on the way... fall is finally here!