10.31.10
Posted in Country Living, Fall Activities, Football, Green Living, Growing Green Kids, Holidays, Parent-child relationship, Politics, family, honesty, integrity, sportsmanship at 4:50 am by Administrator
First of all, I can’t believe September and October have just scooted by me! What happened to life slowing down a little after school starts? Seems it is just the opposite these days.
FOOTBALL: This is one area that has been on everyone’s mind and kept us busy this fall. Alabama is just a football State, that’s the best way to sum it up. After UA won the National Championship last season, anticipation and expectations have been really high this season. I was told by our son this week that his Dad and Mom were the only two people he knew that cheered for both University of Alabama and Auburn University! Seems everyone else in Alabama chooses sides. Boy does it get hot even between Facebook Friends, especially a day or two before the next game. I like to think that most of it is just good fun, but sometimes I wonder. The closer the date comes for both teams to play each other tempers really get touchy, sometimes down right ugly! I can’t understand this. We have two great Universities with some of the best athletes in the Country, yet a good number of Alabamians cheer for an out of state team rather than cheer for the opposing in-state team. When they play each other, there is little of, “May the Best Team Win,” sportsmanship, but a, “Fight to the End,” attitude. Some people even seem glad when a team player gets hurt and taken out of the game, especially if the athlete is an important one for winning. I guess it may help to be an alumni member of both universities in order to cheer for both during football season. But to me it just seems a natural thing to do, alumni or not. This is probably the same in many states, but very noticeable in Alabama! Just a few more weekends of football left. I say, “May the best team win and good luck to both teams.”
Aside from the college level football games, we have enjoyed the Little League teams and the Pee-Wee games. One of our grandsons made two touchdowns in one game. His team won by two touchdowns. He could hardly walk straight after because his head was so big. He was so excited and proud of himself. We were proud as well. That’s been a dream of his since he was two years old. He’s now nine years old and it’s the first time his has played on a Little League team. We also enjoyed watching our two great-nieces (sisters) cheer for their Pee-Wee team. They were so cute and did a great job cheering at such young ages.
POLITICS: Well I know this is a nation wide battle right now. Every commercial time on TV is filled with this or that politician either asking for our vote or talking down the opponent candidate. I’d much rather listen for the pleas for my vote. Most of the political talk during this mid-term election has been conservatives verses liberals, Republicans verses Democrats rather than issues. There’s been more debates, cookouts, town meetings, etc. this year than I can remember, even on the local level. Seems the effort to replace Democrats with Republican candidates is more serious than ever. It’s almost like the issue has been to get rid of one party and vote the other one in regardless of the actual candidate and what they stand for. Here again, I have my own way of cheering for the team. For those that ask for my vote rather than talk down the opposing candidate, I try to listen and gather what real information is out there. Usually if they ask for the vote, they also tell you why they feel they are worthy of the vote and some information about who they are, their experiences, beliefs, important issues to them, etc. I pretty much vote out the candidates that allow negative ads against their opponent because these ads also tell me that the person running these negative ads is in fact a negative thinking person. We need positive thinking people in office. I like positive, all the way. One of my favorite sayings is, “The power is in the positive.” That’s the candidate I vote for; mine will not be a straight ticket, but hopefully a totally positive ticket. The election is right around the corner. I still need to spend some time researching the really positive verses the negative.
HOLIDAYS: Halloween begins the start of the holiday season with harvest festivals, church activities and other ways to usher in fall and the holidays. It starts with the candy at Halloween and we continue to snack on Trick or Treat goodies until Thanksgiving or the candy runs out. Then we have the great week of Thanksgiving which means more family time, celebrations at church and in the community and plenty of eating turkey, dressing and all the trimmings. By the end of Thanksgiving week, it’s time to get the last of the Christmas shopping done. I may run off a little of the new weight I’ve gained thus far with some of the shopping, but not nearly enough. Then the Christmas parties start from every club and organization we’re involved in. December usually has at least two parties a week. This keeps December very busy with lots of activity and more and more eating. Then the Christmas meal brings on more ham, turkey, dressing and all the trimmings. Who can resist? By the time New Year’s is over I have usually gained about ten pounds and face the “Lose the Weight” New Year resolution. I truly think that even with the best efforts, this trend is why people usually slowly add ten or more pounds permanently for every decade they live. At least it seems that way for me. But I don’t mean to sound completely negative. I’m learning how to cook and eat healthier even when it’s a party or other celebration. It can be done by varying the traditional recipes or what we serve altogether. And it is still delicious and fun!
This year these three things have made Fall a very busy time in Alabama and will continue to be through the rest of the year. It is for me the busiest time of the year, but I love it. The weather is cooler but not yet the dead of winter and there are plenty of friends and family to enjoy along with the activities. It starts with a fun time for fall, a Thanksgiving time for our harvest and blessings, a celebration time for the birth of Jesus Christ, and a new start for the New Year. What other time of the year offers all this? Busy, yes, but also good for friends, family and good for our own soul.
Written Oct. 28, 2010
Peggy Williams
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Posted in Baby Chicks, Country Living, Eggs, Farming, Gardening, Green Living, Growing Green Kids, Laying hens, Roosters, chickens at 4:36 am by Administrator
Lucky for me, gardening in August took a back seat with the major tasks of just keeping shrubs, flowers and whatever was still growing in the garden alive by watering. We had over ninety days of 90 plus degree heat with heat indexes often over 100. Everything was suffering. It has been so hot that even though it is time to plant the fall garden we have delayed it because of the heat.
Our chickens have also suffered from the heat but seemed to have adjusted. For those that are interested this blog is about how the little chicks my brother sent me in the spring have survived, all 24 of them, and developed, particularly in August. My brother ordered 12 hens and 2 roosters. The company sends extras because they expect a certain percentage of the chicks to die soon after birth. Well for the people (us) who thought fourteen was a large number, all 24 survived, plus the one chicken we already had, making 25 total. Were we ever in for a learning experience!
Up until this month, the main event was just keeping them fed, watered and free of illnesses. Maintenance is what I call it. We got them through the mail the first part of March. They quickly began growing. But this month we hit a milestone in their development. I have been sharing on Facebook the adventures of the chickens and their development during August. I will share these comments here as well as they outline what one can expect of chickens from five to six months old. Hopefully it will help novices like me understand what to expect at this age.
The Monday of My Week (on Tuesday)
by Peggy Williams August 3, 2010 at 12:53pm
Today has been my Monday for this week. Started with one of the chickens “flying the coup” and the dog playing with it and almost de-feathering it before she let it go. I was looking out my kitchen window and saw her walking about seeming a little disoriented and with an almost naked back. She did not even squirm when I picked her up to take her back to the coup. She has one cut close to her tail feathers (what was left of them). Richard (age 4) and I played chicken doctor and patched her up as best we could. So far she is ok, a little shaken, but ok. Hopefully she will live. That was only the start of my chicken day!
About six P.M. I checked on the injured hen from earlier today. She is reviving, walking around with her antibiotic cream & bandages on her. But before dark, we decided that too many were getting smart and flying over the fence so we did what the ‘chicken book’ told us to do and clipped their wings. So we caught 24 chickens and you should have heard the noise! Better yet, you should have seen Wayne and me trying to catch them. We both ended up on the ground a time or two! But we came through it with just a few scratches.
The five roosters had been really pecking at the hens badly so we decided to separate them. We put them in a smaller area and boy, they did not like that! They began fighting each other and carrying on, going crazy. I guess they were trying to decide who the King of the Hill was since now they didn’t have the hens to peck on.
Before dark, everyone had found a roost and all was quiet. The chickens made it fine. But we are aching and grunting when we move. Our old bodies are just not young like they used to be.
August 5, 2010 The injured chicken is improving daily. It will take time for her feathers to grow back. It looks like she will live though. We got our first egg from the new chicks today! It was very small. I hope they will eventually get bigger.
August 14, 2010 I got nine eggs yesterday from the chicks. They are growing up. They have just started laying about two weeks ago and the eggs were really small. But now I’m getting more each day and the eggs are getting bigger. Anybody out there need a rooster? We have eight of them. I thought we only had five. Don’t need but one!
August 15, 2010 GOT 10 EGGS today. Anybody need eggs?? Better offer than the roosters! 
Those Darn Roosters!
by Peggy Williams on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:30pm
Four year old grandson, Richard, wanted to come spend the night yesterday. He helps me with the chickens, usually just feeding them. But one of the roosters got out into the hen’s pen and I was trying to catch it to put it back in the rooster’s pen. The rooster dodged me and flew over the fence near Richard. He says, “I’ll catch him.” I said ok, thinking to myself that if I couldn’t catch the critter, he sure couldn’t and he would just run around chasing the rooster until he couldn’t run anymore. But in a minute or so Richard says, “I got him,” real loud and so proud of himself. He caught him by the tail feathers and didn’t let go even though that rooster was fighting like crazy to get away. And the rooster was about half as tall as Richard. He walked up to the fence and gave it to me and I put the rooster back into the rooster pen. That boy will do anything! I asked him how did he do that and he said the rooster was poking his head into some tall grass and he just slipped up behind him & caught him. Brave, helpful & sweet little man. Smart and cute too. Course we all know where he got his genes, right?
August 18, 2010 Getting at least six eggs a day & usually more. Anybody need any? We need help eating them, running out of different ways to eat them and also tired of eating eggs, eggs, eggs. Nice price too, just provide the egg crate to put them in! At least no rooster chasing today, yea!
August 20, 2010 Now have eggs running out my ears!!
August 22, 2010 Got eleven eggs yesterday, in one day. About to hit the dozen mark!
August 24, 2010 The only good thing I can think of about this huge egg recall thing is that I’m not having as much trouble finding people to help me eat the almost a dozen or so I’m now getting everyday. Started yesterday with about 4 1/2 dozen in the fridge, now only have one. But it’s time to go collect them, so I’ll be looking for help again before too long. Any takers?
August 26, 2010 My chicks gave me 11 eggs again yesterday! Wayne took two dozen to work with him today to give to co-workers. People tell me they will start slowing down soon during the cooler months. I sure do hope so. Meanwhile, we’re eating eggs, eggs, eggs! Very blessed.
August 28,2010 I hit the JACKPOT yesterday. My hens layed one dozen eggs in one day! We’ve been at eleven a time or two but just couldn’t quite reach that last one. We have 16 or 17 hens (still can’t figure one out - is it a rooster or not???) so the number should be going on up some at least. I’m going to try making an egg custard this weekend. Tired of scrambled.
I’ll end this chicken saga with a true story told to us by a friend last Sunday at our church homecoming. Her grandfather knew the weather was bad, tornado like weather. He began getting all the animals on the farm “put up” in their various locations. He managed to get all the animals to safety except for one rooster. The people were safe in the storm pit. After the storm blew over he found the rooster with all his feathers blown off! It was completely naked. She said that was funny looking enough, but a batch of Guinea chicks hatched soon after the storm and for some reason saw that naked rooster first and apparently thought the rooster was their mother. So now the picture included the little chicks following around after this naked rooster. My husband remarked, “That rooster got to see what it’s like looking after the ‘youngins’ every day didn’t he?” Our friend replied, “Yes and he didn’t like it. My grandfather said it eventually seemed to have a nervous breakdown running around without feathers and these little chicks chasing him. He just couldn’t take it all.”
Chickens are fun to raise from chicks. Some get attached and are under my feet the whole time I am in the pen feeding them, clucking away as if talking to me. I answer them and they cluck some more. Others don’t want me to go near them. They do provide good eggs and the fertilizer really helped with our garden this year. We haven’t yet moved into eating or freezing them for food, but we may. We’ll take that one step at a time. For a small farm, chickens are a good choice regarding animals in general. It helps if your dogs are not hunters. Our next step is to broaden the fenced area where they can free range with more space yet protected from our Golden Retriever that likes to catch them and terrorize them by plucking their feathers.
Written August 29, 2010
Peggy Williams
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