Thursday, August 28, 2014

Project Chicken (Coop)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="375"] The old coop, before -- summer 2014[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375"] Looking at the coop straight on, summer 2014[/caption]

We have an old chicken coop in our backyard. For a couple years I've been itching to raise some chickens but two things have held me back: the state of the coop and my son's reluctance.

This year, the planets aligned. O and his friends are always looking for schemes to earn pocket money, so they all agreed to clean out the coop for me. And because we've been through some tough times with our pets in the past couple years, O has grown to understand that animals and pets have shorter lifespans than their owners. The thought of losing a few chickens to predators--a very real possibility around here given that our property borders a habitat teeming with coyotes, fishers, raccoons, and hawks--isn't as horrific to him as it would have been a few years ago. Plus, that has been motivating him to research the best ways to secure our coop.

It goes without saying that our coop needs a lot of work, so much so that I considered buying a prefab coop. The prefab coops I like, however, are a couple hundred dollars so I figure it's better to do some DIY on the structure we have in place.

Today it's overgrown with vines and we need to do some serious tree branch pruning. The structure is very sound. There's a wooden floor inside, along with nesting boxes. We'll replace the chicken-wire covered window openings with real shed windows that open for ventilation, and build a door. The structure doesn't have electricity but we can run an extension cord from our garage. As for the outdoor enclosure that's currently fenced with chicken wire ... I'm not so sure. It would be nice to have a completely enclosed run, but our neighbor doesn't have one and they have only lost one chicken in the last couple years. Other to-do items: the coop will need scraping and painting after the windows and door are installed and the coop has been cleaned out.

O is having a sleepover tonight and the boys have their first paying job, clearing out some of the brush and branches around the structure. Our plan is to have a coop ready for chicks mid-spring ... that gives us the fall, winter, and early spring to get it into shape. As for chickens, I have my heart set on Araucanas, the chickens that lay pastel-colored eggs. Word is they've got friendly dispositions, are good layers, and are cold-hardy.

Do you own chickens? Any advice? The one thing that's creeping me out is the thought of snakes getting in the coop to eat eggs. I don't mind seeing them out in the open, but I'll seriously freak out if I'm gathering eggs and put my hand on a snake! An acquaintance has told me, however, that her chickens kill snakes ... around here, the snakes are too small to be a real threat to eggs.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

An afternoon of birdwatching

 





[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="375"] My boy heading off with his birdwatching gear[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="500"] Loved the pale lavender color of these flowers -- see the bee?[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="375"] A long shot of my boy[/caption]

 

 



O saved his pennies up for binoculars, which arrived in the mail Monday night, so on Tuesday we headed over to Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge for a bit of birdwatching.

As you can see, we didn't spot many birds--it was about 90 degrees F so they were staying cool in their nests--but the day was beautiful and we got some good photos before biking to downtown Concord and Main Street Market for some lunch. We were starving so when our sandwiches arrived I forgot to take pictures! I had a tomato, mozzarella, and pesto panini and O enjoyed his cheeseburger, which we ate at the bar (I was kind of wanting a cold beer at this point!)

The heat and exercise tuckered us out, so when we arrived back home, I took a siesta in my air-conditioned bedroom then did a bit of knitting on my Checkerboard Scarf, a free pattern from Purl Soho. I'm using a skein of Swans Island Natural Colors in fingering weight in the color Lupine, which is a deep purplish blue, the color of the ocean up in Maine. I bought the yarn at Yarnia in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It was a pricey splurge, but totally worth it. The yarn is a delight to knit with, and I know when I wear the scarf I'll always think of my week off this summer.

This is the last week before school starts, so we're busy getting clothes and classroom supplies purchased, as well as enjoying our last bit of free time together. Tomorrow we have a sleepover at our house -- three boys! and they've told me all they want me to do is to provide food, lots of it. I have to admit I'm looking for the structure that going back to school will bring. Autumn is definitely in the air ... for the last few weeks I've been a knitting fiend, which is a sure sign that I'm feeling cool weather in my bones. One thing I've been doing is finishing up a lot of WIPS. Feels good to have those projects done and ready to photograph. :)

Friday, August 15, 2014

A trip to Bath

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="472"] Next month we'll be hanging a left for our Mt. Washington climb![/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375"] Bath City Hall[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375"] I just noticed the sticker on this Subaru Outback![/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375"] Beautiful ghost sign on the side of this building[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="375"] This sign reminded me of what signs used to look like when I was a child in the 70s.[/caption]



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="414"] Botanica Mittens, unblocked[/caption]

Last week while my boys were in Houston -- Texas in August? No thanks! -- I took a short break and drove about three hours north to Bath, Maine. Bath is home to Bath Iron Works, a shipyard that builds battleships, cruisers, and destroyers for the U.S. Navy. What I didn't know is that Bath is where the first boat the colonists built to make a return trip to England.

But I'll be honest ... I wasn't in Bath to look at ships or 19th century architecture. I was there for Halcyon Yarn. I've always wanted to visit and it was well worth the trip. What I loved about it was while it was a large shop -- they have not only handknitting yarn, but plentiful rug, weaving, and spinning departments -- it wasn't totally overwhelming like WEBS in Northampton can be. (My #1 piece of advice to knitters visiting WEBS for the first time ... shop off a list or know what projects you're buying for, otherwise you'll wander around like a art-sick tourist in Florence. That's Florence, Italy, not nearby Florence, Massachusetts.)

What I also liked about Halcyon is that the women working there were very helpful and kind. After I made my big yarn purchase (to be revealed in a future post), I needed a tea break so one of the women spent some time pointing out nearby cafes and other places I should visit. Fortified by a pleasant walk and a cup of very hot chai that wasn't really appropriate given that it was in the mid-80s that day, I returned to the shop for Round Two, where I purchased some yarn I'd been thinking about during my ambles. It was at this time a sample pair of mittens caught my attention -- I liked the colors and the picot edging -- so I bought the pattern and the minute I got home, commenced knitting.

Two nights later, I had my own pair of Botanica Two-Way Mittens, which look very preppy in green and pinks. The mitten on the right was knitted by following the instructions exactly, by creating the picot edge in the round, which I found rather fussy. So with mitten #2 on the left, I knit the mitten flat until the picot edging was complete, then joined the yarn to knit the rest of the mitten in the round. I also knit this mitten on DPNs. I normally knit in the round on two circulars, but I do have to admit my stranding looks better when I use DPNs. This picture was taken before blocking; after blocking my stitches look so much neater.

I'll post some pictures of my yarn haul in another post. I told my husband I hemmed and hawed about driving to Maine by myself -- I worried about leaving our geriatric cat alone, worried about the car breaking down, worried about...what a wuss I've become! -- then finally decided to heck with it! I'm going! And I'm glad I did. It was a wonderful visit. Next time, however, I'm bringing my boys with me. They can look at ships while I entertain myself with more yarn. :)