This and That

Blooming hydrangeas from the yard.

These ladies seem pretty happy with their new digs.

A new pair of simple wool ankle socks.

Sprouting peas, zucchini, onions, and basil.

A little matte black spray paint goes a long way.

Home blend pickling spice.

First Whole30 breakfast. Two days down - so far so good.

Weeks Nine and Ten

I know I snuck the picture of our chicken coop in last, but it's really starting to come together. Matt put up the walls and roof over the weekend, and with the help of my MIL and FIL, we were able to lift the hen house (formerly the dog house) onto its stand. That thing was heavy!

We still have a lot of work to do before we call this project done. As far as I can tell, we still have to attach the nest boxes, doors, windows, chicken ramp, trim, and then paint the hen house, but the run portion of the coop is fully functional. It's nice because now the chickens have somewhere to go during the day when Matt and I can't be outside with them. They still have to go back into the basement in the evenings until the hen house is finished, but hopefully we'll have it done within the next week or two.

One thing I should mention that really surprised me, and might be helpful to other beginners: our back yard isn't totally fenced in (yet), so the chickens could potentially escape if they really wanted to. This was something that worried me at first. I was convinced they'd try to hop the fence or run away, but they don't tend to move around all that much. Occasionally we have to herd them back toward us if they wander off too far while they forage, but for the most part, they seem content to stick around. They spend half their time preening and sleeping in the shade, anyway.

Lace Striped Sweater

I started this project (Ravelry link) on March 16th, using the Lion Brand Fishermen's wool I had in my stash. It's not the most ideal wool for a project like this because it's so itchy against the skin, but because this was my first knitted garment, I didn't want to invest any extra money. I was essentially viewing this as a practice attempt for the real thing.



Things started off okay. I finished most of the body portion quickly, but then the sun came out, and I started spending most of my time outside, so I put the project down for awhile. 'Awhile' turned into almost two whole months.

Well, recently this part of Oregon has reverted back to its typical cold and rainy self, so I was able to get back to my knitting. Luckily, the pattern is really simple, so it wasn't hard to find my place. It only took me a few evenings worth of work to make and attach the sleeves, and to finish the rest of the sweater. And, like usual, this project was a lot less intimidating than I thought it'd be.




After soaking the sweater, and laying it flat to try, I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It fits really well! I do have two major issues with it, though:

1. It's really, really itchy.
2. Off-white doesn't go well with my skin tone.

So, from now on I'll invest in better wool for my knitted garments. As for this sweater, I hear Rit dye works pretty well...

Painted Frames

I needed some color in my life, so I painted a few old wooden picture frames, and stuck them up on my wall yesterday. It took two or three attempts at arranging, but I think I like how it looks.

Week Eight

Amelia Pond

Seven and Starbuck

Starbuck and Olive

Just a quick chicken update: these girls are big enough now that they look like proper chickens. Unfortunately, Matt and I haven't been able to finish their coop yet, so they're still living in the basement for now. It's not a terrible situation, especially because we let them outside daily, but we need to get their coop up and running as soon as possible. We have all the materials needed to build it, so now we just need some extra time and cooperative weather

A couple weeks ago, when I first let the girls outside, I had a box (or rather several boxes taped together) I would use to keep them contained and safe from predators. Nowadays, I just grab Starbuck, place her somewhere in the yard, and the other three girls follow. Yesterday, all four chickens hung out under the same rosebush for nearly two hours while I weeded the vegetable garden. They don't seem to want to travel very far.

And the funniest part, for me, is when they've decided they've had enough. They walk straight back into the basement, without any intervention from me, and roost on their perches in the brooder with the door wide open.

Easiest pet ever.

But I totally get the whole chicken poop issue now. It's pretty disgusting.

Ranch Dressing

We're harvesting radishes, peas, spinach, lettuce, arugula, and endives from our garden these days, which means we're eating salad for dinner almost every night. For our salad, I like to make my own croutons and dressings. Most salad dressings don't take very long to make, and can be prepared only moments before serving. Ranch dressing, on the other hand, is best if prepared a few hours in advance so the flavors have time to develop.



Still, despite the fact that it takes some thinking in advance, homemade ranch dressing is worth the effort. It's one of my favorites, so I thought I'd share my recipe with you so you can try it at home. Enjoy!

Ranch Dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise, depending on desired consistency
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1-2 tablespoons chives, chopped
 Juice of half a lemon
A few drops of Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Freshly cracked pepper
Salt, to taste

Optional
Fresh Dill
Minced Carrot
Paprika 



Mix all the ingredients together and pour into an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3-5 hours before serving to let the flavors meld. Serve over salad or as a dip for vegetables, chips, and breads.

Week Six

This week's chicken update is short and sweet. We've been too busy to work on the chicken coop, and there hasn't been much physical change with the girls, so there's not much to report.

The weather has been uncommonly nice here, so I've taken the girls outside for an hour or two each day, and they seem to really enjoy it. I'm tempted to let them roam free in the backyard (under my supervision, of course), but they're still a little too small for that, so I generally confine them to a small area in the yard while I sit close by with a book.

Amelia Pond's comb is turning a nice, bright pink, and she's always been the most aggressive and curious of the flock, so I posted the above video on the forums at backyardchicken.com to get some opinions about her gender. It seems she is indeed a girl, so I'm almost certain we won't have any roosters to give away this year. What a relief!

Because of our schedules, we're hoping to finish the chicken coop by the beginning of June, so I'll keep you updated as we make progress. My weekly updates will probably become less frequent now, but I'll still post anytime something exciting happens. For instance, the girls are just now starting to display some pecking order-type behavior. So far, I think Starbuck is top dog because she's the largest, but with Amelia Pond's personality, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up boss. Then again, you can't discount little Olive Snook. She's feisty. The only chicken that will remain out of contention is Seven-of-Nine. She's seems content to be assimilated.

Here are a couple more helpful chicken-related links I've run into that may be of use to you if you're just starting out with backyard chickens:
Best Treats for Backyard Chickens
Types of Chicken Poo (don't read this if you're eating something)