A four mile stroll

On By stefrobrtsIn Uncategorized1 Comment

I took Barclay with me for a walk Sunday from Hantwick Trailhead towards Moulton Falls. This is on a nice wide, flat, paved path, and there were lots of other walkers, bikers, and dogs. I was a bit worried about Barclay’s feet walking on gravel and pavement all that way, but he was fine. I even stopped so he could rest on the grass for a few minutes, but he wanted to go go go, and let me know by barking his protest – let’s get moving!

I wanted to get to a little waterfall on the trail, and I kept thinking it was just around the next bend. I forgot how far it was! By the time we got there and turned around I know I’d gone quite a ways, so I came home and did the distance calulation on Google Earth, and it was four miles roundtrip!

For our next trip I’d like to take the Bell’s Mountain Trail to the top of the ridge. I think there’s supposed to be a view of Mt St Helens from there. I like trails with a view. I’ll see if I can get Dave to join me for that on our days off.

Got to go easy on Jack

On By stefrobrtsIn barclay, jack, mighty, petsLeave a comment
Mighty, Barclay, and Jack in the backyard

I took the boys for what I thought was an easy walk at the park yesterday, but after we got home Jack was miserable and uncomfortable, and just laid on the floor quivering for a while. He recovered and was normal this morning, though a bit subdued. He still wanted to play tug with Barclay out in the yard, and now they are all crashed for a nap. I was really worried about him last night. I think maybe he just got a bit too much of a workout. I forget that he does have a lot of weight to work off, and since he plays so hard with Barclay, he seems like he’s in good shape. So today I’m going to just let him rest and next week we’ll visit the vet for a checkup.

More Chix Pix

On By stefrobrtsIn chickensLeave a comment

Right on time! Today is Little Red’s due date, and when I checked on her this morning she had kicked an empty eggshell out of the nest. When I went back to take a picture she had kicked out a second one!

Big Red is still carefully guarding her chicks, and showing them what to eat. I gave them some leftovers yesterday and the whole group was pecking away at it. What’s good to eat when you’re a chicken? Everything!
Ok, this is Big Red’s look that says ‘you’ve seen them, now back off!!!’ She’s serious too! She pecked me several times while I was refilling their food bowl.
Big Red (and Little Red) are very pretty birds, they are a mix of Easter Eggers with Game Birds, and they are much smaller than the Buff Orpingtons or Penny the Cochin. However, the chicks they hatched are not theirs. Once they went broody they stopped laying. Normally they would have saved up a batch of their own eggs to sit on before going broody, but since we pick up eggs everyday for our own use, their eggs were already gone. So the eggs Big Red chose to sit, and the eggs I gave to Little Red, are all from the Buff hens, or there could be one or two of their sister’s eggs mixed in there. But the fluffy little yellow chicks are most likely pure Buff Orpington. Not that mama hen cares, she’s just doing what nature tells her to.

Part of my ‘get out more’ resolution

On By stefrobrtsIn outdoors1 Comment

My resolution for this year was to ‘get out more and get in shape’, and specifically to hike to the top of Silver Star. So as part of my ‘get out more’ plan I am going to start biking again. I used to bike everywhere when I was a kid. I didn’t even learn to drive until I went away to college. I kind of miss the feeling of zipping along with the wind in your hair (though now you’re supposed to wear a helmet). So I pulled out the cheap Huffy I bought a few years ago, tuned it up and rode up and down the driveway a few times, and then up to the mailbox and back. Oh my thighs! And my balance wasn’t what it used to be. I’m sure a bit more practice will help get my confidence back.

Update: Before work I stopped by a new shopping center/neighborhood that’s under construction and still mostly empty, and rode around there for ten minutes or so. Then after work I went by a local park and rode around there and into the nearby neighborhood, which also connected to a development with nice new streets and no houses. So all together I got about 35 minutes of riding, and was feeling more confident and balanced already. Plus I had forgotten the joys of riding, the wind on your face, the smells of flowers and trees in bloom as you ride past. I could even smell the chinese food place several blocks away! What fun. And it’s so quiet, just the hum of the tires, you can hear the birds in the trees. What a beautiful day for it too.

Old tractor

On By stefrobrtsIn cameraLeave a comment

The neighbors were cutting their field yesterday, and the tractor must have broke down. When I saw it there this morning, I thought it would make a lovely picture. I wish my Powershot wasn’t still out of order, I could have done a bit more with it.

Chicken tractor Number Two

On By stefrobrtsIn chicken tractor, chickensLeave a comment

Today, between Barclay’s crazy excitement over seeing the chicks, and wandering neighborhood cats making me nervous, I know I had to get the second chicken tractor finished! Dave came out in the afternoon and helped me finish putting it together. It’s not completely painted, but it’s secure. In the picture it’s the one in back. The other tractor has Little Red and her eggs.

By dark mom had still not taken the chicks back into the coop, and she seemed to be settling down for the night under the ramp. So I took a rubbermaid container of cedar chips and carefully reached under her and picked up each of the three chicks and carefully set them in it, then I picked her up, and she only grumped a little, and set her in it, and she snuggled right on top of the chicks. Then I was able to carry the container to the new chicken tractor and set her and her new family safely inside.

More of a relief for me than her, I’m sure! But now they’ll all be safe and they have food and water handy, and enough room for them to eat some grass and dig around for bugs.

First outing

On By stefrobrtsIn chickens2 Comments

Despite the weather switching from sunshine to pounding rain every twenty minutes all afternoon, mom took her new chicks out to show them around the yard. They stuck close to her, peeping if she got too far ahead. The other chickens all steered clear of her. Barclay however went nuts when he saw the little morsels, and so mom and her chicks need to go in a tractor where they will be safe from wandering dogs. If she takes them for a walk into the yard when the dogs are out, it would be all over before I could even catch up – those chicks are bite sized!





Pretty amazing that chicks from the feed store are usually kept inside under a heat lamp for weeks, but mom has her chicks out in 50 degree weather and if they get cold they just snuggle under her for a bit then they all head off again.