Saturday 18 May 2019

May 18, Victoria Day Weekend

I was up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 this morning. According to my Fitbit, I had very restless sleep and only slept in one hour stints between being restless or awake. Fabulous. Oh well, might as well be up now rather than continue to fight it.
Just got up for the kettle - I have coffee now. All is good.

Mother's Day was this past Sunday and it was very nice. I received very thoughtful gifts from both children and my husband. Daughter made butter chicken and rice with naan bread (one of my favourites), so I didn't have to cook. Lunch was out at a local little restaurant with husband's mother. She appreciated the chance to be out and enjoyed her meal.

The weather (yes... I'm talking about the weather) has been cold, rainy, rainy, and more rainy and then cold. I am sooooo far behind on weeding, cutting back perennials that I didn't get to in the Fall, and whipper snipping around the fences and edges. Ughhhh. Maybe some will get accomplished this long weekend. (Although, it's calling for rain).

I've been on a quest for a few more chickens. I was down to three sad, partially bald laying hens after finally getting rid of the two roosters. One of them keeps laying eggs with very delicate shells which break in the nesting box. I've starting giving her extra calcium, so we'll see if it helps soon. I called up a hatchery (Frey's) that also sells ready-to-lay pullets. I was told they were back ordered, at least for the interesting kinds I wanted which were barred rocks and Columbian rocks. Then I tried the local co-op, but they get their birds from Freys and I was told forget it until September. That made me very sad.

I went looking on Kijiji (an online buy and sell site) and found a few options, but then remembered that it didn't go so well the last time I did that, with birds that I believe were carriers of a respiratory disease, and three roosters!

Finally after mucking around on a site called Backyard Chickens, I found out about a place called Pullets Plus about an hour and a half away from here. They sell either brown or white pullets. Yawn. However, they are open on Saturdays until 3:00 and have birds available now. So... later today hubby and I will go on a "chicken roadtrip / date" and pick up a few brown hens. I will still keep my name in for September for the other more interesting breeds, but for now, little brown hens will be fine.

In anticipation of the new girls, after work last night, I cleaned out my chicken coop, washed and disinfected feeders, waterers, and nesting boxes (which are actually just plastic bins from Dollerama, but work remarkably well, especially in terms of keeping them clean), laid down fresh shavings, and gave the girls a good talking to about being nice to the newcomers. This is wishful thinking as I know there will be an established pecking order and an adjustment period. I just hope nobody gets too severely bullied.

This weekend is Victoria Day weekend, with Monday being a holiday. Many folk like to go camping this weekend, weather it be in trailers, RVs or tents. None of these are our thing, but good on those who do. In my classroom, I had students away to get going on an early camping weekend with their families. We will get together with friends tonight after supper for drinks and a fire. I'm going to make a hot cheesy dip to bring along.

My ant issue continues (for those of you who actually remember that I had an issue with ants in my house). I thought they were limited to one area in the kitchen. Nope, now they have migrated to the den. I currently have a spray bottle of Lysol cleanser and a roll of paper towel ready to attack every time I see more of the little buggers "go marching two by two hurrah, hurrah". For the record, liquid ant poison and little round ant traps do not work.

The fox that showed up on our back porch continues to be seen around our area. I have no idea why it wants to hang around this vicinity. There is a lot of human commotion happening. We are always coming and going, and the new house which is built kitty corner to us has lots of action and people all day long. It could have a huge woods to reside in if it just walked five minutes to the south. I don't exactly know where its den is, or if it is male or female, but I would really like for it to change locations. I am not worried about the chickens during the day. They are in an enclosed run. If we are home, the chickens are closed up in their coop by about 8:00 in the evening. However, there are times when we are out, and the kids are out, and we aren't around right at roosting time to close them up. I have no doubt that a fox could scale the fence and pop in the little door. Oh well, nothing I can do about those times except maybe try to heard the hens in early, before we leave.

We watched the final episode of Big Bang Theory and daughter and I had a cry at the end. I enjoyed it and recorded it every week so I could watch it. But I think there were series that were more meaningful to me. I was a religious Seinfeld watcher and still reference the show (low talker, man hands, spare a square, working on the Pensky file...). I remember the last episode of MASH. Now that was a tear jerker! As an eighties gal, my shows that I watched were things like Magnum PI, Hillstreet Blues, St. Elsewhere, WKRP in Cincinnati, Cheers, Soap, Unsolved Mysteries... I didn't get into any of the night time soaps like Dallas. One thing I can't abide with these days are the so called reality tv shows which are just staged competitive ridiculous fluff, such as The Bachelor, or Naked and Afraid. Seriously, who came up with that concept??

It's now 6:20 a.m. and the sun is starting to shine in my windows a bit. That's nice to see. I'm going to start to catch up on some of your blogs now and finish my coffee. I'll leave you with some morning tulips that have just stated to show their colour, a bright little forsythia, and the girls  just starting their day.




27 comments:

  1. Such a busy post. It sounds as though you have a fun weekend planned for you. I wanted to camp this weekend, but we could not. I am very upset about it.

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  2. Good luck Jenn with finding some hens. Foxes are so beautiful but at a distance if you have chickens. Like you I'm so far behind in annual planting & weeding the perennial beds, yesterday's wind chill was brutal & I lasted about 20 minutes outside. Your forsythia bush is so full, ours had maybe 2-3 blooms! Cheers to Victoria Day weekend - Sunday looks warm so maybe some gardening for us both. ... Mary-Lou =^..^=

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    1. The forsythia got a severe trimming back last fall, which is probably why its doing well now. Hope you get some of your gardening done, too.

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  3. I watched the Big Bang also but the commercials cut out the part that showed week before then with the cast Did you get to see that? Where the real party with the directors and all. And the brainer I call him. Dancing of the movement all the kids, people do these days. I sure like the Sinfelt big time. I also like cops Life live not reruns. I have my fav cops. Curly, Kevin with the big guns arms. Danny of course. Sticks is my fav for sure.Bright little forsythia and roses so beautiful! Drop by to my blog. Click on my picture and I have my blogs . Peace, Serenity And Contentment. Let me know if you can get in. If not. I do have it on my side bar just click. Nice you had a nice Mothers Day!

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    1. Yes, I saw the special where they reminisced about the series, too.

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  4. Sometimes it feels good to be up really early, before anyone else is abroad - do hope those new hens settle in well.

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    1. I do like my morning time, just maybe not that early. I'm always the first one up in the family.

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  5. How does the FitBit know when you are awake?

    (Ha...that makes me think of Santa Claus!;-)

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    1. I think it's a movement thing. My daughter has a new Fitbit, with all the bells and whistles. It can monitor your heart rate and probably knows your IQ, too.

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  6. a friend in NZ puts honey in plastic milk bottle tops on the ant runs, mixed with poison...it works

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    1. I would do that, but for my feline friends. I wouldn't trust them not to have a taste.

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  7. Hi Jenn :) Oooh hot cheesy dip sounds good to me. :) I'm looking forward to photos of your new chickens! We have ant issues every spring, I hate to say it but we've resorted to an Ant KILLER spray (Ant Bgone MAX by Ortho), it works really well...those buggers somehow come in through the kitchen and my office windows, so Alex sprays around the outside of the window frame (outside only because of the pets here) a few times a week until they disappear. I hate using poison, but I also hate finding ants in my hair as they drop off the ceiling...shudder....you're right, the traps don't work.

    We're into Frasier right now, Alex got the entire series downloaded. We have Seinfeld too, watch it every few years or so! Every time I see a Penske rental truck on the road, I laugh my arse off...the only reality shows I like are Mountain Men, Moonshiners and nature-related ones! Oh gosh I remember balling my eyes out at the last episode of MASH!

    Your flowers are lovely! We have rain all weekend here too, which is good for us, the weekenders will be indoors!! :) Hope you have a nice long weekend!

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    1. I think I will resort to that. They're getting worse (the ants I mean). I'll post pictures of the new hens tomorrow.

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  8. Those tulips and forsythia bring a nice touch of colour. A lot of people in our new village seem to keep chickens and duck; there are always eggs for sale and my neighbour often gives us eggs when she has too many.

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    1. P.S. Your Easter lemon cake prompted me to do some baking today.

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    2. My daughter's boyfriend really wants us to get ducks. I would consider it if we had a separate place to keep them, but not the way things are now.

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  9. Wishing you success on your chicken run/date today! Your tulips and forsythia are gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks. It is evening now and we have four new hens, all look in good health.

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  10. Gorgeous blooms. As an 80s gal myself, I watched all of the shows you mentioned as well. The theme song to MASH alone is enough to get me feeling emotional. I reference Les Nessman as much as possible (not like anyone gets it these days).

    Quick question about the fox: Had he been hanging around when the roosters were still with you as well?

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    1. Mmmm, no I don't think anyone saw the fox before the roosters were gone. Good point. Still doesn't make me want to get more roosters, though. Ha ha.

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  11. If I were up so early, I could not type coherently. Lovely flowers.

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  12. Good luck with your new chickens! I don't have any, but my sister loves having hers. She mentioned recently that they eat a lot of bugs!
    I love tulips and yours are really pretty!

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  13. I get up that early most days, believe it or not. Sounds nutty, right? But I do love the early morning hours. It's so quiet in the house and around the neighbourhood.

    Ants are such a pain in the ass when they invade but I'll take them over cockroaches any time! I shudder at the very thought of having to deal with them. My parents had an infestation when they first bought their house back in the late 70s and had to bring in a professional company to get rid of them for good. Amazingly enough, there's never been a problem since then. That's quite remarkable considering it's been about 40 years.

    I'm not a camping person either but I wouldn't mind trying it at least once in my life just for the experience. My husband used to do a lot of camping in his youth and promised to take me when we first met. That was 17 years ago! HAHA I'm not holding my breath.

    I know all those shows that you mentioned! One of my favourites on the list was Soap. What a hilariously nutty show!

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  14. Beautiful flowers. Okay, so I am lost and going to look up Victoria Day....I am not a camping person unless I am camping in the nearest hotel with running water, soft bed and electric...haha... have a great week.

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  15. So late to the commenting world here! I'm glad Victoria Day was good -- sounded like you would be having loads of fun. And yes, brown hens are better than no hens and who knows? Maybe something sooner than September.

    Ants. UGH. I haven't seen them recently -- it's been better since I moved Lizzie's feeding station but I'll also sometimes see them in the bathroom and why there, I don't know. Your spring blooms are glorious. I must get a forsythia -- they're so pretty! And those reality shows drive me up the wall. About the only reality shows I like are Great British Baking Show and Dancing with the Stars and even Dancing is getting old!

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  16. So much to catch up on and that's what happens as we're a road trip now. And, I am so with you in that RVs and camping are also not "our thing." We like to travel on road trips and we also like to stay in hotels along the way. Hope the new girls will be safe from that lurking fox in the neighborhood. What is with all these really dumb reality shows these days. We also like the 80s shows you mentioned along with Boston Legal, which so was absurd and very off-color in many ways, but so much fun in others.

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