Two Weeks Makes a Difference...

Two weeks makes a lot of difference around here...especially with the help of the drying north winds. If we lived in a different part of the US, they'd be called "Chinook winds." But then, if we lived in SoCal...they'd be called "Santa Ana winds." Regardless of what you call them, they dry the air and the soil very quickly! We were able to move Willow back to the south paddock a lot sooner than we thought...it was actually a little better than the north for a few days. With Willow's return comes the return of the mourning doves...

We seem to have a flock of these peaceful creatures. Their coo is so very soothing... They hang out with Willow, wherever she is. We've counted as many as 11 hanging out, scoping out any leftover grain that got missed!

Jasmine and Half Pint are still a bit on the "nappy" side. Half Pint is one of the kittens that was abandoned by their mother last year. We brought her in to help her survive, and she's a happy house (and out) cat. We know she got out at an unfortunate time...she's starting to show the evidence of her escapades! We also have a week old litter of 3 in our bedroom closet. There's a female tabby that has wanted to be a house cat for the longest time. With a male in the house, that was a recipe for trouble. When Tiki took a walk in the wrong place, and crossed the Rainbow Bridge, that left us with all girls in the house (animal wise, excepting the snake). We decided to see how she got along with Half Pint... We tried to change to calling her Pita...she's always under foot! However, we find we continue to refer to her as "Mama." She's had two litters and was a reasonably good mom. This year, she decided she wanted to be IN the house...her kittens were born 4-3-2011...in our closet. It could have been so much worse!

Look how big the chicks have gotten! My gosh, they're pretty much ready to make the big transition to outside!! We're still battling a raccoon or something outside, so I'm not in a big hurry to put them out. We are learning that when Jasmine starts having a fit...let her go. Last week she caught the 'coon(s) before they got in far enough to cause trouble. That's our girl!!

They're currently living in Jasmine's traveling kennel, and part of the bedroom. Bruce tells me the floor is protected... I know not all of it is, but isn't that what carpet cleaners are for? Oh well....

My initial theory about which are roosters and which are hens seems to be firming up better each day. The ones with more of a crest are more aggressive, they're starting to challenge others, and there are pretty much just 3 of those...there are a couple I'm not sure about yet. They could be hens with a larger crest, or roos with a smaller crest. It won't be a lot longer before they'll let us know for sure!

Stuck Inside but it's Spring

It's been a wet and stormy week here in NorCal... The picture above is of the South Paddock...the paddock we keep Willow in...I guess, 6 months of the year. This was one of the worst days we've seen. To be fair, this was one of the worst storms we've seen too.


That doesn't keep the chicks from growing another inch! Here they're about 7 weeks old, and really starting to resemble chickens. If you see little blue spots on their shoulders, those are the ones I'm calling roosters so far.


They're pretty people friendly. They don't fuss when we put our hands in with them. They graduated from the Rubbermaid tub, to Jasmine's puppy crate. It's easier to clean when they're finished. The next phase will be a wading pool with wire around the sides. And soon! This one, if I'm correct, is a pullet.

Here's a picture of a couple of the critters you don't see very often...the Chinchillas!

This is Tawny (the dark gray chinnie) and her daughter Prissy (Aprisa, which means fast in Spanish). Prissy is about 2 years old now, and I think that makes Tawny 3 years old. We bought Tawny, not knowing she was pregnant...what a Super Bowl surprise her babies were! They make such a cute Yin-Yang here!

What's a dog to do on a wet, cold night but make an appeal to be top dog? Here's Jasmine trying to get into Bruce's lap because the kitty (very pregnant kitty) is on the sofa...

She enjoys a few pets and pats...sits for a few pictures, but can't believe she's being displaced...

"What do you mean I'm a little big for a lap-puppy?"

And that's us for the time being...see you next time!

Buff Orpingtons at 6 weeks

Here are the 7 Buff Orpington chicks at 6 weeks of age. They're pretty much people friendly...they just need a bit more "hands-on" before they get too much older. I think I may be able to make a reasonable guess as to which are pullets and which are roosters.

What a precious face! Even in the ugly half-feathered state! Okay...but look at the crest at the top of "his" beak. It's far more pronounced than the crests of the chicks in the next picture.


The four chicks from left to center, I believe, are pullets. Their crests are barely visible. The "boys" are also developing color on their cheeks already.


Hey...it's a theory. There are distinguishing markings at this stage of the game, so I'm recording my observations... I also marked each of the 3 "boys" with a permanent blue marking pen, on their feet and a spot on a wing, so I could track them a little easier.

The chicks have really...really grown! We need to move to a larger brooder, but the weather is no help! We've had so much rain and snow pack in the mountains this year that everything is at capacity...including the ground! The following picture shows that the stream has come over its banks and is literally flowing through the narrowing between the pasture areas in the South Paddock.


The next picture is showing the stream flowing high on the left, behind the berry vines, and on the right you can see the same stream well over its banks, flowing in front of the big willow.


Once again, the shady summer area is under water. Within 10 minutes of this shot, the water had risen up to the fence post on the far right. When the reservoir is full...it's full. Our stream is fed from the reservoir's overflow. There has never been a time when I've seen this area dry...but it gets interesting to see how high this water will come!


Willow is still in the North Paddock, which is extremely wet too, but does have higher, drier areas. It looks like we're going to need to drop a ton of rock or two in there to get it to be safe. The same on the other end...We need a way to keep the drainage open. Oh what fun... I think I need to buy a bale of 3 way hay and a couple bales of straw, spread it out in both paddocks and let Mother Nature work!

Buff Orpingtons at 4 weeks

It's been 7 days since we added these kids to the family. Everyone is doing well...well enough that we had to step up the tub size this week. These Rubbermaid tubs get a work out around here. They can be used for so many things! I may give serious thought to turning this batch into a plastic pool before they're ready to be out on their own. That has a lot of merit with this many babies. It would be a good way to introduce them to the other hens as well.

They're socializing pretty well too. I try to handle them daily...the cat has met them...that was hilarious, wish the camera had be available! I had put the chicks in the bathtub while I cleaned their tub. It's a great little place for them to hang out...and easy to clean up afterward! Anyway...while I was out scrubbing up, hubby came out to talk to me, and Half Pint decided to introduce herself to the chicks. When Hubby found her, she was lying on the floor of the tub with the chicks climbing on her...that's how this house rolls! Jasmine has bathed all of them at least once.

There are some other things going on here... My peas are up about 2 inches inside their cloche. I'll let them get a little bit taller before I remove the frame and plastic. I'll remove the plastic as soon as the chilly weather gives up. I probably could take it off now...but it helps keep out curious kitty cats. I picked up rhubarb plants and asparagus plants...some day-lilies and I'm not sure if there was anything else...I got a little carried away as it was. I put the rhubarb and some of the asparagus in the beds today, and I put one package of day lilies in a barrel. There's another barrel right beside it...I think I have another package of the same kind...or there's another color too...I'll have to think about cluster or contrast!!

When we built our beds in the very beginning, we covered the bottoms of the beds with hardware cloth. I can't tell you how incredibly smart that has proven to be! All around the garden, we're constantly stepping into gopher tunnels...that collapse beneath our feet. I want to know where they're tossing all this dirt! I want it back!! LOL!

Our perennials and bulbs are blooming. So far we've seen the camellia bloom, the paper-white narcissus, snow-bells, and some of the daffodils. The thyme...I'm finding thyme in a lot of areas all of a sudden... I'm not sure if I bought that much more, or it's spreading some on it's own... Interesting. Not that I mind. I love the thyme and use it regularly.

My climate here is supposed to be a Zone 9...if that means hot and dry, seasonally wet where it usually doesn't get too cold...not much below 32°, then that's pretty much what it's like here. I'm finding my herbs do much better in the shade here. The summer heat is just too much for most plants. Container gardening only works well with clusters of pots with almost constant drip irrigation. The transpiration rate is just too high in the summer. Containers get too hot and become cookers here in the summer. On the other hand...solar cooking is incredibly easy (I'll bet!)!

Buff Orpingtons Join the Family

Today, we added 7 baby Buff Orpington chicks to the family. They're 3 weeks old, so have their wing feathers, and straight run...so we'll see how my odds work this time. I tend to end up with more roos than hens. Not to worry though... We found a new feed store in Chico! I love the place!

C Bar D Feed in Chico is our new spot to find chicks! They had QUITE a selection! They had two different deliveries of Buff Orpintons...some Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Browns...and more to come. They were in the most incredible greenhouse type tent to keep them nice and warm. What a place! They also had some Mille Fleur...cute as can be...but I'll pass.

This all seems to be good timing... We seem to be missing a couple of chickens out of the blue. One of the Cuckoo Marans is missing and so is the little white bantam rooster with feathery feet. The hen is still here...but we can't find the other two. The Marans have survived many, many months taking care of themselves...so the jury is still out. I'm not so sure about the rooster. He's been the hold out until he gets all the girls in at night...he may still show up with the hen in tow. We'll see...

The babies are in a rubbermaid tote in the living room with a wire top. We've had the joy in the past, and we need to introduce the house kitties to chickens...baby chickens! Half Pint is very interested...probably wants to play...I think not. Pita...well...she wants in the house so badly, I bet she'll leave them be. I'll post pictures as soon as I can. They're precious! May they all be girls, save one!

February: Whisperings of Spring

What makes a girl feel like strutting her stuff and feeling the wind in her face...Spring! Willow is feeling the warmth on her back and the fresh, warm (70°) air. Although it's technically still "winter"... Here in NoCal it sure makes you believe the worst is past. The strawberries are blooming...the first little hint of herbs that self seeded are showing up. Volunteer cilantro is always welcome! Our garlic is reaching for the sky, and the chard is putting on one more burst...though we've had chard available all winter. Our tomato seedlings are being weaned from the house to the greenhouse...and then on into the garden when we're sure there won't be another frost.

I planted snow peas last weekend. After I got the seeds in the ground, I covered the section with a tent of hardware cloth and covered that with plastic. They're starting to sprout pretty good this weekend. They haven't been watered quite as much as I'd have liked, but apparently enough to get the job done!

One thing that has started like crazy, is mosquitoes. Poor Willow! They're giving her a rough time, but not as bad as the flies do. Incidentally, we started Willow on Simplifly this year, hoping to break the fly cycle. I also started her on a general feed-though wormer for the typical varieties, and also ordered the specialty wormers from Horse.com. They make life so much easier! It's too hard to find some things here, and the price, including shipping, beats what I can find locally, if I can find it at all. Speaking of Willow...she's rattling her grain bucket! I guess I know what that means! LOL!

We're also blessed to have camellias this year!! This is the first year I've succeeded in getting a camellia to survive the summer...it can get so hot and dry!...and bloom the

following year. I'm so tickled! Since moving plants like this one into the garden, on the opposite side of the fence from the bamboo (keeps the hottest sun off them) is so successful...THIS is the year to buy gardenias!

I apologize if you're still dealing with feet of snow...Spring is coming...The narcissus say so, so do the snow-drops, and today a daffodil started opening up... Spring really is coming!

First Breath of Spring

Sometimes it's nice to be in California. We get the first breath of Spring as early as the first week of February...like today. It breaks my heart for the sake of friends across the US who are tired, tired, tired of snow...it was 72° outside today. Needless to say, it was a good day to be outside.

We moved Willow back to the south paddock today. It was pretty breezy, and she got a little spooked by some of the moving things, but she held it together very well, and trusted me. I didn't put her halter on for the short walk, but fashioned a quick halter from her lead rope. I have to admit I doubted my decision somewhat at one or two of those "spooky" moments, but she responded well to my voice, and we stopped so she could see what was frightening her. She needs more experience on the lead around the property. She's liable to be a handful out riding. We need to get past that.

We also planted snow peas today. They're under a wire A frame, covered in plastic to help them get off to a good start. Bruce has tomatoes that are getting big enough to go outside...if I'm brave enough! LOL! I'm thinking the greenhouse for a couple of weeks maybe. The weather could stay like this, or similar, but...it could also get downright cold again for a few more weeks. It's always hard to say. Tomatoes could be protected enough if we pay attention. It's a thought... *Ü* I saw a blossom on the strawberries today. That's another little sign... *Ü* Where's my asparagus??