General News From the Ridge

Been awhile since I've posted, and since I've got a cold, can't breathe through my nose, and thus won't be sleeping well even I go to bed, I'm sitting here processing photos for my gallery, and well, blogging ;) Plus there's been quite a bit going on in these parts...at least for our little world.

So let's see...chicken check-in (or as one of my coworkers has dubbed it "the chicken saga"). On the meaty side of things we ate the first of our now-frozen meat birds. I must say that it was the best chicken I think I've ever had. Just delicious. And huge...I think our family got 3 meals out of 1 bird!!! More than all this though, it's been very profound being to close to the cycle of life, and to raise an animal then eat it. Pretty much impossible to not think about its life and being. I think for some people that freaks them out...to have established a relationship with the animals we eat. One thing's for sure: I'd like to start processing our birds here.

On the pullet front, we've still got all of them. Plus a few weeks ago a coon nabbed one of the last remaining 2 Rhode Island Red hens of our original flock. Can't very well have a hen without a flock, and after some time of watching her try to assimilate (poorly) with the pullets, Kelly heard or read that as long as chickens wake up together, it's like they've always been together. So for a couple nights in a row after Red (as we call her)and the pullets were asleep, I'd take her down and put her on a roost in the new hen house. The third night she went down on her own and we now have a flock of 12 birds again! Though just barely because a couple days ago...

We had a Coopers Hawk attack the chickens!!! Was just sitting in my newly-moved-into-the-heated-cozy-house-from-the-unheated-now-very-uncozy-barn working away when out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadow flick across the yard. The chickens all saw it too, cuz they *froze*. Didn't think much of it, though a few minutes later I heard a big squawking ruckus and looked out the window to see the hawk's tail disappearing into the bushes where the chickens hang out. So I hauled ass out there armed with a couple of Raelin's rain boots to watch it fly under another bush, catch one of the pullets, and proceed to stand on it. Until it say and heard me yelling profanity and waving rain boots. Both the boots and hawk took flight. Haven't seen the hawk again, though it took the rest of the day for all the birds to come out of hiding. Things were terrified. The next morning they seemed to have remembered that something had happened and they should stay under cover...by afternoon they'd forgotten and were back out in the open like nothing had happened...

We've also been busy buying stuff; happily very little of it new/full price. First there was the impending visit from Boston friends followed by a long visit by my brother and no place for any one to sleep. Kelly ended up finding pretty much the exact couch/sleeper we wanted in Uncle Henry's (if you don't know about this, well, you're just missing out ;): an LL Bean Ultralight. It's great. Small, very light, and folds out into a full size bed, which is surprisingly comfortable. I should know as I've spent several nights on it between Liam being night weaned and having the cold that I now have ;) Anyhow, the couch lives in the former-playroom-that's-now-my-office. We have an actual *grown up* room in our house! Very exciting and Kelly and I gravitate to it each evening after the kids are in bed.

Couple other smaller purchases are a new digital camera to replace the one that got left in a backpack out in the rain. Not so good. I went to charge it up and there's a pool of water trapped in some layer of the LCD. Not so good. Amazon to the rescue and a big upgrade for not a big price. Right around the same time I managed to blow out at least 2 of the speakers in the Subaru. Didn't even have the music that load but a track came on with a big bass hit right at the harmonic resonance of the cones are crunch; they were gone before my hand was halfway to the volume knob. Once again Amazon to the rescue with a pair of inexpensive Alpines. I've wanted to put new speakers in that car for some time now, so I wasn't too bummed to lose the stock ones ;)

And the big purchase: a truck! A friend of ours is selling his 97 Tacoma. I've been wanting one of those trucks since they came out. Until now though, we've never really had a need for a truck. Very serendipidously I have a client that I haven't billed for 4 months right when my buddy decides for all that he's selling, and the invoice will almost pay for it. Beautiful vehicle...just need to get it checked out by a mechanic and wait for the check to come in. Will be *so* nice to be able to finish cleaning up the wood piles around, get soil and compost moved, buy building supplies, the list goes on and on. Very stoked!

Anyhow, we're well into Fall here. Lots of stunning colors and crisp temps, though right now we're getting a warm rain. Hopefully the wind won't know all the leaves down...