hqueen's collection of Far From the Usual stuff.

frustratedearthmother

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There's only 1 of the 3 roosters that I've got to keep an eye on. I guess the good news is that I'll be so bundled up he shouldn't be able to to actually hurt me.
That's a good thing! I hate a mean rooster! I think I'd ask the owner to pen that roo separately while someone else is taking care of him. Might be ok for him to get flogged - but not you!!
 

hqueen13

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@sumi I'm hoping to get it listed today, so I'll post pictures once I get them on my computer. I really really hope we can find a buyer soon for a good price because it IS a beautiful piece.

FEM, he's been fine with me before, SR has said he's just had to keep an eye on him. Today I actually opened up the coops, even though it's still cold. They've been pinned in for a couple days, and today the sun is out and the wind is gone, so there is warmth even though the temps are still very low. This should keep him from bothering me.

Dealing with chickens in weather like this is just not fun. It was 10 this morning, compared to yesterday's 7 on the farms. They've done a great job making horse waterers that work well when it's cold, but there's nothing for chickens that's convenient and easy to deal with. I don't understand why! It doesn't make sense! I actually managed this morning without too much trouble. I think I've got the hang of the configuration of everything so that it stays as thawed as possible. It's supposed to warm up over the next few days, but rain again on Wed, so that's not going to be fun. But it's cash, which is a good thing!
 

hqueen13

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Chickens wrapped up without too much fanfare. It was raining on Thursday, and rained pretty dang hard. I let them out anyway because it got really warm in the process, and the rain eventually did quit that afternoon.
Friday I had my appointment with my accountant, and she was late, which was a bit frustrating because I would have grabbed lunch first if I knew she was going to be that late. Oh well. It all worked out, and I got some things cleaned when I got home. I left to go do chores for Cowboy and Coyote for the last visit, and then picked up DR to bring her back home so she could stay with me for the weekend since we had the workshop with her and KN. The BF and I ended up getting cheesesteaks from a sub shop near the house, and they were terrible. There was about half again as much meat as was warranted on the sandwich, and it was dried out. I ate more fries than anything. It was late, so I didn't really want to be eating at that point anyway.
Saturday was great, we had the workshop and it was a lot of information really fast. We rode a little in the afternoon, but even though it was short, it was a lot of work. It was kind of like a duck in water, you can't see all the effort going on, but there's a LOT going on! We all ate dinner together at a nice restaurant nearby, and then DR and I headed home again.
I got up Sunday morning and headed to the barn. Chores went pretty easy, and then I got sucked into talking to some new folks that just arrived that morning, which was nice. I stopped by the hardware store and got the last chimney cap that we needed, and then stopped by SR's to pick up my check and chat with him for a few minutes. I headed home, and then the BF and I headed out to do errands and get some lunch. We got home again, and I took a bath and relaxed for a while, and he worked on a project he'd been fussing with. We cooked a double batch of chili and mashed potatoes for dinner so that he could make lunches for himself for the week. We also got all the laundry done, and I hung up a bunch of heavy stuff in the basement close to the wood stove so it would dry fast. The stove is doing pretty good, though keeping it hot enough is challenging. DR heats with wood, too, and so we had a pretty extensive conversation about how to run a stove. She doesn't like to start fires, but she knows about burning. I think the wood we're burning just doesn't burn all that hot, which makes it challenging to get the stove really warm.
So not much to report. This week is a bit busy, but hopefully I'll be able to get lots of stuff done.
 

sumi

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The stove is doing pretty good, though keeping it hot enough is challenging. DR heats with wood, too, and so we had a pretty extensive conversation about how to run a stove. She doesn't like to start fires, but she knows about burning. I think the wood we're burning just doesn't burn all that hot, which makes it challenging to get the stove really warm.
I burn a mix of coal, turf (peat) and wood in mine. Turf doesn't burn very hot, but it lasts long, wood is a mixed bag, some burn hot I found and some so-so, but coal, omg, HOT! You can't sit right in front of the stove for longer than a few seconds, because you'll burn up. I like to load up the stove with coal sometimes, like when I need to go out for a few hours, I let it burn nicely, then turn the vent nearly completely shut, so the fire stays idling and the stove hot-hot. It will happily stay that way for hours and hours. If you guys can get coal over there, that is a good way to get some serious heat out of your stove.
 

hqueen13

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That's a thought, it's not cheap here, but it is a thought, @sumi We don't have peat here, though. We're doing a little better with it, the other trick I learned is to make sure that I start it, and load it up pretty full, and then reload it before I turn down the dampers and close the door. This morning it got going quick. Yesterday afternoon I was pretty proud of myself, I started it back up again from like 2 embers, LOL. I was determined not to use a match LOL. It took me like 15 minutes just to get it started, but I DID it! Somehow there is so much satisfaction in that, even though I wasted quite a bit of time doing it :p

Not much else to report. It's about to get COLD again, so we stocked up the wood last night. That is, of course, after a rain snow mix rolls through, AGAIN. I don't think they're calling for much, but it is supposed to drop to 19 tonight, which isn't good for anything wet. I've only got Cowboy and Coyote this week, so not a huge work load, and the weather is supposed to break by Friday when I've got to do barn chores where Storm is again, so that's a good thing. I'm just not looking forward to chipping up frozen poop out of the area where Cowboy and Coyote's hay feeder is.
 

hqueen13

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Ehh, you really do get used to it. It sounds crazy, but you do. And, honestly, once you get down to a certain point, it all feels the same. Really. Once it's below about 12 or so, it's just cold, and that's all there is to it.
We survived, no big deal, really. You figure out your routine, you know what to do with hoses, and water, and all that stuff, and you just keep doing it. The temps have broken, and it's going to be really nice here today and tomorrow, I think almost breaking 60 by Wednesday. As beautiful as the weather is, I don't appreciate the tease, and the swings make it hard on the animals and humans, and lots of people end up sick. And it means the mud is back. It is still freezing overnight at least for the moment, so it's solid in the morning, which I appreciate because I don't do well in slippery mud. And since it's mud, it means you still mostly have traction on it, which is helpful!
Other than that, not much happening. We went to the dump this weekend and took care of all of the trash. We ran some errands, and that's about it. Nothing exciting, LOL.
Not much else to report. Still spending too much, and not saving enough, LOL
 

baymule

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If I get spring fever at the pleasure of a sunny day, I can just imagine your joy followed by disappointment when winter shows back up.
 
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