Hen House

One of my favorite things about our home is the outhouse. It's the Cadillac of outhouses, I tell ya. It has a concrete toilet, a wooden dowel for the tp to hang on, a coat hook, and vents with shutters! I think it's pretty special.

However, the chickens were in need of a home that is better than the chicken tractors that we started out with, and so we decided to remodel the outhouse into a chicken house! I love it, and hope you will enjoy a little tour:

Standing in the front looking in. What appears to be a jagged hole near the ceiling is actually a heat lamp reflecting the sunlight. We use it when the weather dips below freezing to prevent frostbite, which our birds experienced the first winter we had them.


This shot shows the perches and the vents with shutters at the top. You can also see the corner of the nest boxes to the left. Do you spy the egg on the floor?


Here is a better shot of the nest boxes.


I am working on a new way of using the animals to increase our food production. This little garden spot is last year's chicken yard. The photo was taken the second week of August. See how small everything is? That is because of the drought. We've only had three rains from the end of June until now. Even though things look pretty green, nothing grew or produced very well after early July, until the fall. This little patch and my row of tomatoes are what we chose to keep hydrated and nurse along. It has paid off well. The soil is just beautiful in this spot. It is so rich, loose, and nearly weed and bug free. Our plan is to rotate the location of the chicken yard to enhance the garden spot. We are working on a plan for housing them through this transition. We will either have lanes for them to travel to and from their house, or we will build a portable chicken house on skids.

Late Tomatoes

Here it is October first and we are just now getting a decent tomato harvest. We've been getting a couple of the little yellow ones here and there for a few weeks, but not enough to really do anything with. Today I was able to harvest a nice little mess of them. What a Yummy salad they will make!

Hot Toddy

I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck. It started with a headache that nothing would touch on Saturday. Now I have all the symptoms of a full blown URI. My wonderful husband hauled the tv, vcr, and DVD player into the bedroom, and I'm piled up in bed watching "You've Got Mail." I'm plotting to use my neti pot laced with colloidial silver when I finish sipping this soothing drink. I did a web search to get the proportions right, and I'm not measuring, so these are estimates. I'm using a four ounce juice glass. Put in two ounces of boiling water. Add a heaping tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of lemon juice. 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger, and an ounce of whiskey. Stir thoroughly to get the ginger mixed well and the honey dissolved. Take your time sipping. It makes me feel better than any cold formula drug, let me tell ya!

P. S. I just dropped and shattered my neti pot! *sob*

Amazing Opportunity!

I promise you this is not going to turn into a blog promoting other blogs or givaways. This one is just too good to pass up, though! I've wanted a grain mill for YEARS but there is never the extra money in the budget to acquire one. I am thrilled that Heavenly Homemakers if hosting a Nutrimill givaway! Simply go to: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/nutrimill-giveaway-from-paulas-bread/comment-page-57#comment-111825 and enter the givaway. She offers several options to earn extra entries. This is one you DON'T want to miss!!!

Oh How Much You Miss!

A few days ago I told you to enter for a chance to win a Mrs. Meyers book. Amazingly, I won the drawing!!! I was thrilled! It was the second day of school, and I was having an I-can't-homestead-and-work-full-time meltdown when I saw the package sitting on the deep freezer. It took a moment to remember what could be coming in the mail. I was just expecting a book, but I picked up the box I got a whiff of my favorite herb (Which I can not grow to save my life!) and felt the weight of the box. I knew that there was more than just a book inside. Melissa put so much thought and love into the things she sent. When I opened it... wow! I was just speechless. Inside were a delightful apron that makes me think of Holly Hobby and Little House on the Prairie, a precious doily, a peach colored, heart shaped pin keep, homemade goat's milk soap, Never Lose Heart, by Joyce Meyer, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Home, a set of homemade note cards with matching adorable envelopes, a spray of lavender, and get this, a thank you card!!! Can you believe that? Melissa was thanking me for taking the time to read her blog! Her generous spirit flowed from the contents of that box and enriched my life in ways far beyond those tangible gifts! I was simply overwhelmed. It was interesting how perfectly her gifts fit my tastes, too. Peach is one of my favorite colors, and I have a LOT of heart stuff. (My husband asked me after about five years of marriage, "You have a thing for hearts, don't you?" I had never thought about it, but when I started looking around I discovered that apparently, I do!) LOL! Thank you so much, Melissa! Your gifts are treasured!