Monday, January 30, 2012

It's more like Poopageddon

Now that we've expanded our furry/feathered family poop patrol's taken on a whole new meaning. It's more like poopageddon these days, it's constant and never ending . I now start my days an hour earlier to ensure i have enough time to take care of the dogs, the girls and now our sweet Chance before starting my "real" job during the week.

The most physical and challenging part for me is cleaning out Chances stall. The barn we moved him into needed to have the mud shoveled out and leveled. Shoveling and carrying out buckets of poop and mud has kindly reminded me about muscles i forgot i had! I'm hoping as i build up my muscles and body core my back will become a bit more happy and get back to where we tolerate each other. It's all good though you wont find any complaints here. The joy and love these animals bring me is wonderful and i am incredibly thankful i get to live out my dreams in reality.

chance

As a side benefit I'm envisioning all this over time will bring me legs, arms and perhaps a bit of the butt of my youth ha. And of course a bountiful garden harvest this summer, ohhh the fertilizer i am composting from the chickens is really awesome.

Happy Monday friends, I hope you have a great week, I better get going i have another round of poop patrol to get to and love it, i really do!

Friday, January 27, 2012

This week

Coop
The girls left the garage and went to their home. We'll be buttoning up the final touches this weekend.

The Coop!

The girls
They seem to be adjusting well and growing so fast. They have tripled in size over the last week. Even Goldie is starting to get bigger.

This week

first bath
Black Magic got a new name. We named him Chance, as in second chances and he had his first and much needed bath. He did great with the water and is getting more comfortable with us everyday.

Chance
Monkey walked him for the first time by herself. She did great and her confidence with him is growing stronger everyday as well. As a mama and an animal lover i love watching this special bond they share developing, it really is wonderful.

Chance
Of course after his bath we took him to the pasture to graze on some grass and bask in the sunshine. This sweet and patient new friend of ours is filling everyone that encounters him with such joy and he is definitely enjoying all the attention too.


friday sunshine

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo


Happy Friday!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

an update and another introduction

Introducing our new best buddy! He is the most sweetest, kind and gentle friend anyone could ask for. I would like to introduce Black Magic...

Black Magic

I met a lady at the tack store yesterday who had rescued a ten year old Mustang gelding who was in need of a new home right away. I was at the tack store buying bedding in hopes that the adoption of another horse i was trying to help would be going through soon. I decided to change gears and brought this guy home today instead. We've only spent a couple hours together but let me say i am head over heals in love with him,

Magic

and I'm not the only one :). He is such a tender soul and i cannot wait to spoil him! Oh my gosh we are so excited and thankful we found him.

my new buddy!

He needs a little weight, a good bath and lots of love. He is cute now but once he loses his winter coat i think he will be very handsome too.

The girls are doing great, growing so fast i swear they have over doubled there size in a week except for Goldie. She is the youngest and still small. She's eating and acting normal so i hope this week she'll grow a bit. The music man finished their house this weekend and boy is it nice. We are expecting more rain tomorrow so after we dry out I'd like to find some time to paint it pretty.

Monday, January 16, 2012

some building and introductions

The music man and i visited the local hardware store and purchased some material to help re purpose a dog run the old owners left behind.

deep thoughts
Once back from the store we didn't waste anytime unloading and getting started. The rain was coming and it was cold.

coop
There was a quick plan, some welding, banging in nails and a bit of leveling the bottom part underground for extra protection.

my assistant
Of course there was also some supervising from my assistant.

We still have a bit left to finish but were close and i am anxious to share our new additions. So without further ado i would like to introduce the girls...

Betty
This is Betty. Monkey named her and the music man sings to her. Do you know that song black Betty? Miss Betty was quite upset when we got home and was chirping non stop, he started signing and she quieted right down, apparently music relaxes her too. Betty is a Barred Rock.

Dixie girl
Dixie girl, she is an Americuana and will lay blue green colored eggs, she's the most mellow of them.

Goldie Locks
Goldie Locks, well she is a golden laced wydotte and so pretty. She is also the youngest of the group at just over a week old.

Lucy Lou
and Lucy. This young lady looks like a penguin now but as she grows her feather will take on a green metallic shimmer as she's a black autralorpe.


I am so excited to have these ladies and think they will be a perfect friend to my garden. The fertilizer will be composted to help nourish our stripped soil, there clean eggs a welcome addition to my recipes and there company, so fun.

I just read back over the above and laughed out loud, it sort of sounds like a beauty pageant doesn't it, funny.

cutie

I have waited years to be in a place where i could have chickens. I wanted to free range them but we have to many predators, even during the day. So once they are four months old i can turn them out into the garden and let them pick and eat the plants in between plantings in daytime.

I mentioned two dreams the other day and an incredible week, the second part is that within the next few weeks I'll be seeing my second dream come true too! I am in the process of rescuing a horse, but more on that later right now i am celebrating my wonderful helpful hubby who can build a mean coop and our new chicks.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Oh this country life...

Is SO perfect for me, i love it! I do enjoy our space here and not seeing people when i go outside but do miss the interaction with neighbors sometimes. I could never go back to living in the city though, no way. As you know I've met the animals in my area but since my last post i met a human neighbor too. It was fun and i think she may be the neighbor that knows everything about everything kind of neighbor if you know what i mean...

This week has been very exciting around here and i can barely stand it. Our family is growing! No not that, haha. The music man and i have been working hard in our spare time preparing for our new addition. Tomorrow can't come fast enough for me, I will be fulfilling the first of two dreams I've had for years and i cant wait to share with you here.

Be back soon with some pics happy Friday!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Out on my walk today

When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body. I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Out on my walk today

I love where we live and have settled into country living. I LOVE it! The dirt, gardening, all the animals, incredible star filled nights and the quiet at the end of a day, are awesome.

If i had one complaint and it would really only be one, i would say that it can be a bit isolating. Everyone here has long drive ways and gates, not like the city where you would see people by simply walking out front to grab the mail or pull a weed. Although I've met the animals in my neighborhood, being a social person and someone who works from home as well i have been longing to meet some people too. Well today i met these girls who seem to be around Monkey's age and their sweet horses while out on my walk with the brown dog and it was great. Although i haven't met many people around here the one's i have, have been very nice.

Second week of the new year and i am still busting out a three mile a day walk on a regular basis. Here's to good health and keeping this pace up, fingers crossed.

Monday, January 9, 2012

weekending

I lost an entire row of spinach to the rabbits while we were away for New Years. Apparently they like Popeye's food too, dang it. It was a hard and disappointing way to find out the fence we had around the garden needed some more work done. I was feeling a bit like Mr. McGregor trying to keep out Peter Rabbit so the music man and i spent a few hours this weekend adding chicken wire and more stakes. Although my spinach was gone, it doesn't appear they got into anything else.

fresh veggies

I was able to harvest some rainbow chard, tomato, onion and red peppers that i sauteed with salmon for lunch. It was good and gave us the energy and motivation to finish fortifying our fence. I'm hoping it will be enough to protect my seedlings and other plants going forward.

sunset

After working outside all day i went with the music man to his gig and spent the evening visiting with friends and listening to him, it was a really fun night.

Yesterday we had his band mates over for Pasta Sunday. Armed with a new recipe i was ready to end our week with a hearty meal and some more good company. I made homemade pasta for the first time and it was incredible. Making the dough is fast and simple it was the shaping of the Orechietta that was time consuming. I didn't mind though, I cranked up Andrea Bocelli, poured a glass of wine and got my groove on, before you know i had enough pasta to feed 13 people.

Orechiette
This dish will definitely visit our Sunday's again. It was a huge hit, there weren't even any leftovers!

I am so thankful and can't think of a better way to end a week while getting ready for the next then celebrating life with family and friends over a big ole plate of pasta, yum.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

one word or maybe more

It's that time of year when we all think about the highs and lows of the past 365 days and look forward to the new year ahead. For me this last year was one with BIG changes. Here's a few of them, my oldest moved out on his own, my youngest graduating high school, a long awaited move for the music man and me and exploring life in a new "thankful" kind of way.

a new perspective

I am entering 2012 with a renewed energy of self, a new perspective and so much excitement for all the possibilities and adventures to come, whoohoo!

My word for 2011 was thankful and oh my gosh am i so thankful for this word and how it has affected my life. I've been thinking about my word for 2012 and have settled on not one but three. These three keep coming back to me so my words for January are challenge, focus and simplify, i hope to carry these not just this month but throughout the year as well.

I plan to challenge myself creatively in both my photography and here in this space. I enjoy my time in blogland but find I'm often at a loss when it comes to opening up and being me in writing anyways, so stepping out on the writing part is definitely a challenge...

I'm focused on the "little things" that make pieces of my everyday beautiful. I hope staying focused will help me meet my goals. I'm famous for getting busy with life and putting things off. I hope being focused on focus will help me achieve them.

I am committed to continuing the path of simplifying my life. I have found over the last couple of years the more i ditch the clutter around my house and in my head i enjoy and appreciate what i have so much more.

If you're not familiar with Shutter Sisters "one word project" you can check them out here. This is a group of talented women who are incredibly inspiring, enjoy.

So how about you, do you have any resolutions or goals?

Thank you for stopping by i always enjoy your visits and look forward to your comments. Happy New Year, i hope this year is filled with many blessings and i can't wait to share our adventures and peek in on yours over the next 365 days.

xxoo
Jen