Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: More Chickeny Thoughts

     Warm, cold, sunny, gray. Can't Spring weather make up its mind? I'd gripe more about it...but that's Colorado for you. 
     Other than the occasional rain or snow (which we don't get nearly enough of right now), the chickens could care less. They've already established several areas in the yard for dustbaths...the rest often congregate in the narrow space under the library table. Maybe they're having book discussions in there.

Board Meeting in Progress

     We have been worried about the health of one chicken with 'wry neck.' Thanks to the Brick's tender ministrations, she's been improving daily. Yesterday she actually struggled to get away from him -- a first. She is still hanging out a lot by herself, but I don't blame her -- the others are ruthless, and will jump on her at a moment's notice.
      Chickens can be very cruel to each other.

Dr. Dave, making a house call

     I talked to a friend locally who also raises chickens. She has Black Star and Red Star chickens -- 'sex-linked,' in that the males and females are different colors at birth. They're a mix of Rhode Island Reds and Whites. She finds that the Black Stars beat up on everyone else, but the Red Stars have been winners, both in docility and egg-laying. 
    "I'm having trouble with the Buff Orpingtons, though," she said. "They keep getting broody." I sympathized with her -- our Black Australorps (the Australian blend of Buff Orpingtons) have been famous for doing this. The stinkers. 
     I've been watching the flock peck around with a certain sadness -- we didn't get a fresh batch of chicks this spring, for the first time in five years. We plan to fix up the house and put it on the market this year...and the babies would take six months to mature and start laying. It just didn't seem worth it.
     Meanwhile:

Eight households get $100 to spend on groceries. No instructions -- whatever they want to buy. What did they get, and why? (From The Simple Dollar) Also:

Seven Springtime spending traps -- and how to avoid them.

RFK jr. closes his daughter's social media accounts... after she posts sexy photos and decides to bully people, along with her friends. Good for him!!

Case lot sale at Emergency Essentials. Good stuff here, for surprisingly reasonable prices. The nice part: it will be good to eat for years to come.

We just saw London Has Fallen.  Interesting...but as our friend pointed out, why does Our Hero and the President survive a helicopter crash (that kills everyone else in the copter, incidentally), an elevator fall and umpteen bazillion bullets with hardly a scratch? I also find it interesting that the director of Olympus Has Fallen -- the original movie, and one of my favorites -- refused to direct this one. (He didn't like the script.) Come to think of it, Mike Banning got shot at an awful lot in that movie, with little effect. Maybe his clothes are bullet-proof.
     However, the timing was chilling. I could see terrorists doing some of these movie actions in real life, including pretending to be police. Yow.

25 free things to do this summer. (From Faith Filled Moms)

15 secrets from IKEA. We got this store in the Denver area only a few years ago. We're big fans of their 99-cent breakfast...but otherwise, rarely go there. Many others do, though. (From Passionate Penny Pincher)

'I am tired of being poor, so I'm going back to work.' And spend a LOT. (From Millenial Moola. Be sure to read the comments, as well.)

The Frugalwoods got their homestead!  This has been on the burner for years...

The intrigue of colors. What stories do they hide? (From Chicken Blog)

Ten fun facts gleaned from a recent camping vacation. Try to do that right now in Colorado, and you'd freeze your tixer off.  (From Pretend to be Poor)

What it's like to spend a year in space. (For one thing, your skin is extra-sensitive. For another, your balance is impaired.) From Scott Kelly, who just returned.

23 different compost bins to build, from basic to fancy-pants. (Thanks, Backyard Growers.)

A beautiful Welsh cottage...and you can rent it. Or at least see inside, thanks to this post.  (From Our New Life in the Country) I love to hear Sue ramble on about her dogs and chickens and 'polytunnel;' wish we had one.


And finally, in honor of Abby the dog, who Does This All the Time. (She 'talks,' too. In fact, you can hear her on the first Charley the Snake Hunter video.)




Have a great week.