Meara, Meara, on the Wall...

Meara will be six tomorrow.  I can't believe it!  She has grown up so much, especially since becoming a big sister herself.  I can't wait to shower her with love and attention tomorrow!  (How is it possible to love our children so much?)  

Baby Meara

My 1 year old pumpkin Meara

2 year old angel Meara (She smiled like this for a very long time!)

3 year old leafy Meara

4 year old witch-conducting-an-orchestra Meara 

5 year old kitty Meara

Last-day-of being-five Meara  

Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and...

I consider it my duty as a parent, especially a Catholic one, to steer my girls toward their respective "callings."  So far, the older two haven't expressed a real interest in a particular career.  But today I was brushing Caeley's hair and she was reminiscing about the Ravens game on Sunday.  Here's our conversation:

C: (half to herself):  Man, 37 to 7.  That was a great game.

Me:  You remember the score?  You have such a great memory for details like that!  You'd make a great football commentator.

C:  Girls can't do that, like...

Me: (cutting her off) Oh sure they can!  There are women down on the field interviewing players for halftime shows and stuff!  There are women news anchors, too!

C:  Well, yeah, but it's not like it could be the Halftime Show with Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Caeley (insert our last name here)!

Me:  Well, you never know!  I could totally see you doing that.

That's where our conversation ended, but it's kinda been on my mind a lot today.  Raising girls is so interesting.  Just the other day I saw her really looking at herself in the mirror.  I mean really.  Kinda giving her reflection the old once-over.  There may have been some Hollywood lips going on too, but I can't be sure.  She's becoming so aware of herself and her place in this world.  She's wondering where she fits.  She's trying to figure out what our society will "let her" become, while at the same time working through who she is.  It's a scary prospect, at least to me, for us to be moving into that new phase....the world beyond dolls and innocence.  The world where she already feels pigeon-holed into certain career choices.  The world where she already thinks that refection staring back at her should look a certain way.  Maybe even different from what she sees.  I'm really starting to feel that urge to hold on tighter.  To freeze time so she will stay my baby a little bit longer.  I'm not ready.

I don't know what Caeley will be called to, and I'm glad I don't have to worry too much about it right now.  But I do know that she has an amazing memory, a head for numbers, facts, and more importantly, names and faces.  She loves people.  She loves to talk.  She loves to be dramatic.  She loves to be in the action.  And she loves football.  Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, watch out.

Soup on Saturdays

With the advent of the not cool weather, I'm considering a new tradition in my kitchen:  soup on Saturdays.  I've had more than a handful of friends over the past year suggest a real day of rest on Sunday.  For me, this means spending Saturday working around the house, in the kitchen, and in the schoolroom so that my Sundays can be a day for focusing on God and family.  To that end, starting yesterday, I've decided that I will avoid cooking dinner on Sundays by creating a huge batch of soup on Saturdays.

Is that a mint leaf?

My first soup was black bean soup, and the making of it yesterday proved quite adventurous.  I used an online recipe loosely, adjusting to taste as I went along.  I had taken out the homemade chicken stock, and pre-cooked beans from the freezer early in the morning.  (Side note: I highly recommend using dried beans and cooking them in large batches.  You can freeze the beans in two cup portions and always have your "can of beans" ready, without the can!  Plus, it's super cheap to do it this way, even when you do buy organic beans.)  The onions were sautéing beautifully, I added the beans, and the first two cups of stock.  I went to add the next batch of stock, and about a half-cup into pouring the stock into the pot, something (perhaps my guardian angel?) stayed my hand.  For no apparent reason, I decided to smell the "stock" and it's a good thing I did--it turned out NOT to be stock after all, but the mint/sugar concentrate I make from my garden mint!  I use the concentrate to make a delicious summer beverage called "Orange Mint Tea."  WHOOOPS!  I quickly put the rest of it on the counter and tasted the soup.  It had a sweetness that wasn't horrible, but I did need to do some doctoring.  I added my mom's homemade salsa she had brought up, which was her first attempt at canning and was delicious.  I added some Lizano Salsa, a green, spicy condiment used in Costa Rica that we had hiding in the cupboard.  I added more cumin, more salt, and let it simmer.  After it cooled, I pureed it slightly with my hand held immersion blender-the best kitchen gadget ever!

Who knew mint wasn't a horrible ingredient in black bean soup?

I have to say, the end result was really tasty.  The sweetness of the mint concentrate was similar to a splash of lime juice that some people stir into their black bean soup upon serving.  As we said grace last night, I was truly thankful that I hadn't ruined all the ingredients and that we had a great dinner.  And I'm even happier that I don't have to cook tonight while the game is on!

Relishing Sage Spirituality

I've truly been meaning to post something less crunchy, less country, and more Catholic on the blog.  When I'm falling asleep at night, I think of all the things I could write about.  And then I'm stricken with fear.  Fear that I'm not smart enough, not educated enough about my faith to say anything that makes any sense or is "right" theologically.  Or I'm nervous that what I have to say won't come out right!  I am gifted to have so many friends who are either very spiritually mature, or who "do" theology or the Bible as their professions, and sometimes even both!  (Can you imagine how lucky???!!!)  While this is a wonderful inspiration to me, it has also given me a sort of complex about my own spirituality.  I know that I shouldn't let  those feelings hamper my enthusiasm to share my faith here, but it has.  In the past couple weeks, I've come to really appreciate Moses' hesitation when God tells him that it's his job to go to Pharaoh and personally request the freedom of the Israelites.  He says, "If you please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past, nor recently, nor now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and tongue." (Ex 4:10)  Like the Lord tells Moses, I have been waiting for some inspiration, for God to "teach me what to say" and give some idea of how to share my faith on my blog in a way that seems natural for me.  I DO truly love the stories of how people find their faith, grow in their faith, and encounter God.  I think this is what makes me love my Saturday morning Bible study so much.  But faith journeys are such personal things, and I think it's harder for me than I thought to be a public "witness."

Since my inspiration hasn't come yet, I'll put my tongue in my cheek and talk about sage.  Not as in "a wise person," which is what I'd like to be, but the herb.  I tried my hand at drying some sage in my dehydrator and it turned out so well!  It took WAAAYYY longer than the instruction manual said it was going to take, but I am super excited that I never have to waste any of my herbs if I don't want to.  It was a fair amount of work, as is any type of food preservation.  (I'm just starting to learn about all this stuff, and it is really giving me such a respect for women who HAD to do this in the olden days just so the family could survive the winter!)  It was also shocking to me how little sage I got from what looked like such a large clump that I cut from the plant.  I had nine trays full of leaves, and got two normal sized spice jars out of it.  Luckily, I have an enormous sage plant, and could get at least another three or four rounds out of it and still have enough to (cross fingers) overwinter in the hoop house.
 
I finished my second food preservation experiment today.  For the first time, I saved all my green tomatoes from certain destruction in the compost pile.  With the burst of hot weather, and then all that rain, I actually had a fair number of them, and hated to chuck them.  I googled a recipe for green tomato relish and decided to try it.  Although my quantities were completely estimated (I had three full flower pots of green tomatoes, and wasn't going to count them all out!), it turned out SO yummy.  It's tangy, sweet, slightly spicy and smokey, and was the perfect condiment on my leftover meatloaf sandwich during the game today.  The best things about making this relish: I could do all the chopping with my Cuisinart and didn't need to core more than a few of the tomatoes because they were so small.  And I was also able to use up all my green peppers and mini-bell yellow peppers, which I was afraid would go to waste because they were so small and so green.  I'm very proud that I didn't waste so much hard garden work, and can't wait to share the first (or last?) fruits of my harvest with friends and family.  I think this will end up being a yearly tradition!

Considering Chickens: Episode 4: All the Eggstras

I think this will be the final installment of the "Considering Chickens" episodes.  I don't want to beat a dead horse.  Or a dead chicken.  Today I'm wrapping up all the loose ends (or eggs?)...all those "egg"stra things that go along with beginning a backyard flock.  (Plus, I'm running out of stupid chicken puns.)

Food and Drink

You will need a feeder, waterer, and grit feeder.  If you are raising the chickens as chicks, or hatching out eggs, you will need a smaller feeder and waterer for baby chicks than what you need for adult chickens.  The baby feeders and waterers are smaller, and the good news is that they are cheap.  You can also use small bowls or lids or whatever, but I hate having to refill them and like how much the legit baby feeders and waterers hold.  I buy two of the feeders, using one for food and the other for grit.  Grit is basically a bunch of tiny rocks that the chickens have to eat because they don't have stomachs like ours that digest food.  Here's a peek at the inners of a chicken:

When a chicken eats, the food goes down into the crop, where it needs something to help grind it up.  If your chickens are totally free range, chances are they will find most of these tiny rocks laying about in the yard.  (Mine used to hang out on the gravel driveway eating up small pieces of gravel.)  If your chickens are cooped, you definitely need to offer grit.  Some people say you can mix in right into the feed, others say you shouldn't, and I'm not sure who is right.  I don't see why it would matter, since it's all going to the same place.  Regardless of how you do it, without these little pebbles, they can get all "crop-stipated," which is potentially fatal.  (That is my non-scientific term...don't try Googling that one.)

As for what to feed your chickens, it shouldn't be a shocker that I would recommend choosing the best quality feed you can afford.  The health of your chickens, and therefore your eggs, depends on it.  In fact, you can tell the quality of a chicken's diet by the color of the yolk and strength of the eggshell.  Healthy eggs have bright orange yolks as opposed to the muted yellow you find in a grocery store.  Greens, and lots of them, especially kelp, are partly responsible for this lovely orange color, and it means your eggs will be higher in all those wonderful things like CLAs and Omega 3's.  So, don't skimp on the feed.  And don't forget to give the chickens your kitchen scraps---watermelon rinds, mushy strawberries, spinach leaves, kale, etc.  They will eat almost anything!  Baby chicks go crazy for a spoonful of plain yogurt, which supposedly gives them an immunity boost!  They love fresh pasture, of course, and when  stinkbug season comes, they will eat your stinkbugs!  Be warned, though, that eventually they get sick of them!  It took me weeks of reconditioning myself after we were chicken-less to remember that I couldn't walk outside the back door and throw my garden scraps to the hungry, eager ladies.  I'm looking forward to spoiling them again with treats!  (There are TONS of "chicken treats" for sale these days on all the chicken websites.  I think it's kinda funny, since they are so happy to get your leftovers.  I am curious about the dried mealworms, but that's probably the only pre-made chicken treat I'd bother spending money on, since we don't exactly have those to offer from our own plates!)  It's common sense, but always have fresh, clean water available.  Especially in the summer!

Helpful Books

There are so many books out there about raising chickens, especially since Martha made it all fashionable.  To be honest, I'm not sure how necessary they are, now that there's so much information for small-flock raisers on the Internet.  That said, the one book I really frequent is Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens.  There's a lot of information in it that doesn't apply to me at this time (showing and butchering chickens, for example) but I do love the book for what I use.  I had forgotten how much I also like Living With Chickens.  It's geared more specifically toward the backyard flock owner.  It is rather brief, though, with gorgeous pictures, so it's more like a book you'd stick on the back of the toilet than something you'd reference in dire need.  I did like it, though, especially as a "non-overwhelming" introductory read.  And for raising baby chicks, I thought Success With Baby Chicks was good, although it, too, is meant for larger scale chick-rearing.  And speaking of baby chicks...

Raising Chicks

I know I just mentioned using a book for raising chicks, but I have to say that I really shouldn't have bothered.  I was PARANOID about my chicks last time.  I had read too much information about all the crazy stuff: disease, cannibalism, pasty vents, etc.  Most of these things pertain to large-scale chick-rearing operations.  Here's what you need to raise chicks:

1.  A heat lamp.  (Babies have to stay warm!)

2.  Some sort of brooder box, bathtub, or large bin to keep them contained.

3.  Pine shavings to line their box with. 

4.  Chick feeder(s) and waterer.  

5.  Chick feed and grit.

And here's what you need to know about how to do it:

1.  Keep them warm, dry, and away from the elements until they get their feathers, usually about 8 weeks.  (Placing their brooder box in a barn, garden shed, or garage with an outlet are possible options.)  2.  Keep their bedding clean, scooping out the poop individually when you can, doing a total overhaul of bedding when it gets really nasty.  If water spills, get all the wet bedding out ASAP.

3.  Keep them fed and watered.  (Don't let them drown in any open trays or dishes of water!)

3.  Make sure that poop doesn't get stuck to their vents because then they'll get all constipated and that's bad.  

4.  If you want them to be nice chickens, you have to cuddle and hold them frequently.  

Our 8 Welsummers from our first flock lounging in the extra tub under their lamp.

5.  Control the temperature.  The chickens will tell you how to do it:  If they are scattering out from under the heat lamp and huddling on the fringes of the brooder, they are too hot.  Raise the heat lamp up!  If they are huddled together shivering in a ball directly under the heat, they need more warmth.  Lower the heat lamp down!  Ideally, they should be either resting peacefully, or walking about happily under the heat. 

***The common-sense rule of thumb is this: if they look peppy, alert, and are peeping and growing nicely, things are good.  If one of them gets droopy, lethargic, and stops eating and drinking, you might need to consult a book or the Internet.  If one is getting picked on and pecked at by the others, you might need to intervene.   All the other scary stuff you read about in chick books just doesn't happen too often to people that are caring for a small flock and doing so diligently.  

Chickens on the Internet

I love the Internet.  You can really find just about any fact you'd ever want to know there.  I think it's especially useful when taking up a random, non-mainstream hobby like chickening.  I ended up using the Internet for most of my chicken questions.  When Meara came screaming down the hill from the coop covered in red, microscopic bugs, I threw her in the shower and after both of us were bug free, I was hitting Google for answers.  "Red bugs on chickens" provided me with the answer I needed.  It's free, it takes up no shelf space, and 99.9 percent of the time, you'll find more information than you need for all chicken-raising questions.  I know I've already mentioned some of them, but here are my favorite chicken websites.  Some are hatcheries, some are places to buy chicken supplies, and some are informative chicken websites.  I hope they prove useful to you as well.

My Pet Chicken

Murray McMurray Hatchery

Randall Burkey Company (Rhymes with turkey?  That's too funny...)

Chicken Crossing

Shop the Coop

Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart

It's still a month until our ten little ladies arrive.  Can I go that long without a chicken post?  I think I will have to turn my attentions over to the "Catholic" part of this blog, since it seems we have the "Country" part well represented thus far.  :-)

Something to Crow About

 We saw Peter Pan at Wolftrap this Sunday.  I thought it was a delightful show and the girls loved it also.  Peter Pan was played by Cathy Rigby.  I'm not sure if people know or remember her, but I knew I had "heard that name before."  I didn't realize she was a former Olympic gymnast, nor did I realize she is FIFTY-EIGHT years old.  Within the first few moments of the show, it was obvious that this woman had amazing physical ability, but to combine that with a great voice and acting talent....God's gifts were not lost on her!  I found myself getting a little choked up at the beginning of the show.  The orchestra was fabulous.  The set was perfect.  And then, of course, Cathy just blew the house down.  I've finally realized that I get so choked up at performances and things like this because it's such a simple, clear way to see the beauty goodness of God.  He really has given to each one of us such special talents and gifts.  When you go to a play, or a concert performance, a puppet theater show, or whatever, it's like seeing SO many of God's people using those gifts and sharing them so unselfishly with others.  It's all in one place, and all working together to form this beautiful whole.  It is just overwhelming sometimes.  I think it's so special.

I've always wished I had that kind of talent---to act, or sing, or play an instrument.  But alas, not so much.  I do have a wee something to crow about, but first I have to share my reference.  Here's a YouTube clip of Cathy Rigby singing the song "I Gotta Crow"...it's short, and if you want to see a fifty-eight year old Olympic gymnast look like she hasn't missed a beat, here ya go!

I'm feeling rather proud of myself because I built the Omlet coop yesterday!  We picked it up on Sunday on the way home from the play.  The van was stuffed LITERALLY to the gills with these boxes.  We couldn't see the girls in the back of the van, they couldn't see out the windows, and I was amazed we made it home safely!  I finally unloaded them in the rain yesterday afternoon and decided to get started.  I've never really built anything all by myself.  Caeley did help a lot, so I will give her due credit.  And thank goodness for the cordless drill, which I called an "electric screwdriver" when I called Ken to ask where the battery was.  Oops.  I think that people who have careers building things, who get to see the fruits of their hard work so concretely every day, must have a huge sense of accomplishment and pride in their work.  Sure, I didn't build a house or anything, but I'm proud that I took this project on, told myself I was going to do it, and I did it.

My dad taught me well-always lay everything out and make sure you have all the parts.

Finished with the first steps of the base and front.

My test chicken.

Ailin was certain this was a new play house for her.  She even started climbing the ladder.  When I told her she couldn't, she started bringing little kid chairs into the run instead.  SO FUNNY!

Tweaking the lid hinge so that it slides better.  You can see the inside of the coop here: nesting area on the left, roosting area on the right (the slatted roosting floor isn't in the picture).  I'm super excited because this will double as my "brooder" for the chicks, and I won't have to buy or use anything else.  I can install the back side, and leave the roof off for a perfect little chick brooder box.  The chicks will also be very used to their coop from day one!

The mostly completed coop.  The extension for the run won't ship until October, so the front enclosed area (which you can't see well in this picture) will be much bigger and will have a door.  We don't need it yet, thank goodness!

Not gonna lie.  I was tired.  But proud.  Er, Er, ER-ER!

Considering Chickens: Episode 3: Birds of a Feather

By far, the most fun part of considering chickens is choosing the breed you will raise.  It is, though, kinda like starting to look at new cars.  You think you know what you want, and then you get online and look at another car with better features and more options and then you're all confused.  Same thing with chickens.  It can be a bit of a "What the flock???!!!" experience.  I'll try to be helpful by breaking down the criteria I think are important to consider for backyard chicken owners.  (Please remember that these are recommendations for normal people, with normal homes and a bit of space.  These would not be the same criteria a farmer would use!  Also remember I am taking into account that these are going to be pets for us!)  Before I get down to business, I'll tell you what I did on our first chicken go-round.

The first time I wanted chickens, I knew I wanted only females.  I knew I didn't want to order a large quantity, so I asked my farmer friend Will at Whitmore Farm if he could guarantee me a flock of only females.  Of all the breeds he raises, he can only "sex" the Welsummers.  (Sexing is the ability of a farmer, hatchery, etc. to tell the gender of a chick from birth.  Some breeds look nearly identical at birth, while others, like Welsummers, have slight differences that make them easier to distinguish.)  That was about the extent of my research into breeds.  I knew that getting chicks locally, thus avoiding the "mail order" chick process, was a good, safe, and healthier way to start my flock.  (There's obviously a higher risk of death when chicks are sent through the mail, and more incidence of disease or sickness when they come from a large hatchery.)  There's also something SUPER fun about driving around in a mini-van with two excited little girls and a box full of peeping fur balls.

I wanted something different this time.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVED our Welsummers.  They were beautiful birds (the female version of the Corn Flakes rooster for those of you that remember the Corn Flakes rooster) with sweet personalities.  They were not, though, the best of layers.  Chicks start laying an average of 5 months after birth, and that put us into November of our first year with chickens.  Their lay rates depend on the amount of daylight they receive.  We got very few eggs that first winter, which I figured was kinda normal.  But after looking into it more this time, and talking to others with Welsummers, I realized that they are not known as the best layers.  As a potential flock owner, you can select breeds that will really lay much better and make all those COLD mornings of feeding and watering the chickens worth your time and chapped hands.

That meant that this time, I had to consider the "where" and the "who" of acquiring chickens. There are quite a few online hatcheries, the most distinguished is probably McMurray Hatchery.  They have tons of breeds, great availability, BUT you must buy a flock of at least twenty five birds.  (Great idea if you want to split a batch with another chickening family.  Not such a great idea when you only want ten.)  Immediately I was limited to a place that would sell in a smaller quantity.  I ended up going with My Pet Chicken,  a lovely little online "all things chicken" retailer, which also happens to be the place from which I ordered my coop.  They have been an awesome choice so far---they have fabulous customer service, they answer emails right away, and best of all, you can order as few as three chickens.  They can mostly guarantee flocks of females-only, although they are honest that a rooster might slip in here and there.  (Please, dear Jesus, no rooster.)

Now for deciding on which breeds.    Here are the criteria I used:

1.  Lay rate:  This time, I really want to get more bang for my buck.  I want lots of eggs in the winter so that I really don't have to be buying eggs at all.

2.  Ability to Handle Confinement:  There are some chickens that handle confinement better than others.  Although I am using a movable coop, and plan to regularly exercise the chickens, I wanted to find breeds that will not go stir crazy and start pecking each other if I can't let them out for a day or two.

3.  Personality:  Just like people, there are some chickens that respond better to humans, and since these are pretty much the only pets we will ever have, I want them to be friendly!  Now, I have no proof of this, but it is my gut suspicion that most any chickens can be made into great pets, but this requires that you get them as chicks (obviously) and really handle them, bribe them with food, and get them used to human interaction very early on.  Not a problem for this family.  I will have a hard time dragging the girls away from the babies!

4.  Looks:  I really wanted a mixed flock this time.  Chickens, like people, come in so many different shapes, sizes, and colors, and I'm interested to try something new.  I wanted to branch out from the brown Welsummers into something a little more eye-catching.

5.  Egg Color:  In an ideal world, and as vain and silly as it sounds, I wanted a flock that would lay me all colors of the egg spectrum:  white, light brown/pinkish, medium brown, dark brown, and blue/green.  Due to availability of the chicks at My Pet Chicken, though, this is not possible.  See #6.

6.  Availability:  There are just not as many breeds available right now as there are in the Spring.  But I wanted to get my flock now so that we would have EGGS by Spring.  (Easter Easter Easter!  Eggs Eggs Eggs!)  This not only affected which breeds I could get, but also means that I will not have my total ideal with egg colors.  Oh well.

When I first sat down to research breeds, I opened up some of my books.  They were not as helpful as I had hoped.  I needed lots of information in one quick glance, so can you imagine my utter joy when I stumbled upon this website????!!!  This "Henderson" has saved every potential backyard flock owner HOURS AND HOURS of researching breeds.  Okay, I should say, hours and hours for those of us Type A people who would actually do something like "research breeds" in the first place.  (You can, from many places, order a "surprise" flock, where you will get a random assortment of whatever the hatchery gives you.  I imagine that could be fun, but this control freak is not going to leave her flock up to someone else.)  I referred almost exclusively to the Henderson chart, and also the information about each breed that I found on the My Pet Chicken website and the McMurray Hatchery website when taking my criteria into account.  The Dream Flock, the breeds I would've bought if ALL the chicks I wanted were available, would've contained some assortment of the following breeds:

Leghorns
Auracana/Americana/Easter Egger
Delaware
New Hampshire Red (or Rhode Island Red...I had trouble choosing...)
Sussex
Welsummer
Plymouth Rock
Wyandotte

Here is the flock I will end up with based on what was available for delivery in October:

Three Leghorns, which are prolific layers of white eggs.

Two Speckled Sussex, which are good layers of creamy to light brown eggs.  (Good winter layer, which is nice!)

Two Silver Laced Wyandottes, good layers of light to rich brown eggs.  (And another good winter layer, supposedly.)

And three Easter Eggers (also called Auracana or Ameraucana, but I won't get into the naming issues and rights of this breed!) which are good layers of the greenish or bluish eggs.

I'm so looking forward to the arrival of the miniature versions of the above birds in about seven weeks!  There's really nothing cuter than baby chicks.  (It's kinda like puppies.  You don't ever want them to get bigger.  Except with chickens you do, because then you'll get eggs!)

I should mention that if you want to skip the cute puff ball stage, you can also order pullets (ready-to-lay females) and roosters that are "started" for you.  Needless to say, this is a much more expensive option, with its own set of challenges, namely that you don't get to "people train" the chickens yourself.  That said, if you want an instant flock of layers, without the hassle of raising the babies, it's something to think about.  You could also do the reverse, and get the hatching eggs and an incubator, and hatch them out yourself.  Talk about an awesome homeschool experiment!

Anyway, my time is up.  Stay tuned for our  next edition of Considering Chickens...where I think I'll talk about all the "Eggstras."