hen house happenings

the girls spent their first night in the hen house. i was a nervous wreck, absolutely certain we would come out this morning to find six dead chickens. luckily my worry was in vain (as per usual). hurray!

we had talked about getting chickens for quite a while, even at our old house. when we moved in to our home though, we knew this dilapidated shack in the back would be an ideal place to house our yard birds. i need to take pictures of the inside coop, which brandon has made quite nice for our little peepers. in the meantime, here is the run, where they spend the waking hours. 

the string to the left is my pea trellis, inspired by poppies in sisters.

it has a nice roof to keep them dry and brandon burried the poultry wire about a foot deep to keep predators (i.e., raccoon, fox, harvey, etc.) from digging their way in. brandon has poured many hours into this taj mahal of chicken love. my primary contributions were using the staple gun to secure the wire and painting the door like a good hippie. yes, it is brown and turquoise. yes, those are leaves stenciled across it. what of it?

harvey regularly entertains this pose.

off of the right side of the building shack (see above picture), there is another door. brandon set it up so we can access the nesting boxes (and eggs) without having to disrupt the birds too much.

the mottled one in front is the only one with a name: frankie.
mostly because she looked like a franciscan monk when we
brought her home, with a large white spot on her head
and a circle of black "hair" around that.  

we have three buff orpingtons (the orangish ones), one plymouth barred rock ("frankie") and two unknowns. we hoped to have three orpingtons and three barred rocks, but the feed store put two similar looking breeds together and we ended up with two of the others. we think they might be black stars. in which case we have a brood consisting of the left column below:

from my free-range chicken garden book

and lest you think our life has been taken over by chickens, i will share a photo of the sour cherry crumble pie i made last night. as you can tell it was a hit, with each of us going back for seconds. even my grandma would have wanted more than a "lil' sliver" of this pie! i am looking forward to having another slice tonight while i sit out on our back deck, watching the chickens peck around.

as of late

holly inspired me to put together this "fun" post. lately i've been a bit serious in life and on the blog, so here's to being light in spirit!

Current TV show(s): parenthood and modern family are my TV addictions these days, which have identical story-telling styles and subject matter, with differing approaches. both however make me think incessantly about becoming a momma.

Current Food: i'm trying to drink green monster smoothies daily. mostly in hopes of obtaining miraculously clear and radiant skin. results are questionable thus far.

Current Movie: i really want to see friends with kids but our theater has yet to show it.

Current Wishlist: a different mattress. neither brandon nor i wake up feeling rested when we sleep in our own bed. we do however feel rested when we stay at other folks' homes, which is maybe a sign that we are to visit friends and family more often?

Current Music: um, i'm really into hawiian music lately. (is that totally bizarre?) it soothes me greatly and since i have little-to-no idea what they are singing about, it keeps me from getting drawn down a rabbit trail of my own convoluted thoughts.

Current Book: last child in the woods. this book is making me incredibly grateful for my childhood, and the unstructured playtime i enjoyed among the sagebrush- and ponderosa-filled trails between my friend's house and mine, lots of exploring outside at lei's ranch, and watching my mom cultivate her garden and greenhouse.

Current Worry: if i will have enough vacation time this summer for all of the glorious trips on our horizon. can anyone say "first world problem"?

Current Indulgence: enjoying all of the samples with my recent sephora order. why yes i would love a minuscule sample of a product i can't afford in real life. and yes, i will stretch it for months like the thrifty gal my momma taught me to be!

Current Obsession: checking on my tomato starts that are refusing to grow. although a watched pot never boils, i have yet to hear an adage about carefully observed and lovingly coaxed tomato seeds refusing to sprout.

and there you have it folks, a totally self-centered post that brought me a bit of mid-day joy.

those who have known

the most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. these persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. beautiful people do not just happen.

– elisabeth kubler-ross

my intention for this month is to seek light, which takes on many forms (i hope!). even though this quote is a bit heavy and is from the expert on grief and loss, i found it speaking to me about the ways in which the heaviness of all of our lives brings to light our goodness. i think the defeat, suffering, struggle, and loss work to erode away the shells we all try to maintain and forces us to reveal our otherwise hidden tenderness.