Chicken Door?

Sadly, the new Kitty Door works equally well for chickens. I glanced up from dinner to find Henrietta making her way into the kitchen. Notice Murphy relaxing on the deck just outside the door and you can just make out Jake asleep in the chair. Apparently they don't mind that Henrietta's in the kitchen eating cat food.

But I'm not too happy about it. I'll have to remember to keep the screen door closed.

New View

Now that we have the wonderful new "kitty door" in the kitchen, we reinstalled the old one on the east end of the new room between the garage and the house (where it works perfectly for the first time in twenty-five years.)

The view to the east includes this small garden. (Top, before weeding; bottom, after.) I started this garden years ago primarily to eliminate the need to mow among the trees. I put in a few hostas for structure and transplanted some native ferns. Most of the rest of the plants are native. So the maintenance is mostly deciding which weeds to favor over others.

I always eliminate dandelions. I like them and I have plenty in the lawns. But they're too aggressive in the gardens.

And I always preserve B's favorite, wild geraniums. They're beautiful and a bit too delicate to make a statement without encouragement.

I was reflecting on my choices as I weeded. Take out Creeping Charlie (too aggressive - and face it, no matter how much I pull out, it will always be there); keep most of the Lysimachia (attractive ground covering foliage with great yellow flowers in season.) Keep some of the Celandine and a few patches of violets. It turns out that most of my efforts are to steer the plants I like to places where they look good.

Building Progress

I took this picture of the upstairs kitchen plumbing in case the building inspector didn't show up before the builders started to insulate and sheetrock in preparation for installing a temporary sink. He did come in time to see it, of course. He's been great about helping me with many stages of the project.

Anyway, here's the picture later in the day with the temporary sink in place.

And the view of the creek and the bridge from the kitchen window.

This is the living room last week before windows.





And now, though the window is partly hidden by the sheet rock leaning against it. There's a great view north to the garden (and primary deer grazing area.)

Picture the woodstove on the left and the computer desk on the right. On the very edge to the right is the door to the bedroom.

New Kitty Door

Okay. It's more expensive than the average kitty door - by a factor of 100. And it requires human assistance. But the cats love this door. They can see me in the kitchen and they can assess which other cats are about to ambush them on the way in or out.

In all honesty, they liked the old sliding door just as much. But I love this one. I can open it with one hand and without throwing my entire weight behind it. You know the routine: let the cats out, let the cats in etc all day long. Three cats out, one in, two out, one in and so forth.

Not to mention how much easier it's going to be to go out to the deck with a drink and a snack in my hands.

And So it Grows...

We're making great progress.

This inside second floor view shows the connection to the log house. On the right, where you see the ladder, is actually where the stairs come up and the apartment door will be there soon. The bathroom will be on the left. In the middle will be a closet and, eventually, a door to the second floor of the log house.

More pictures later. There's an army of workers out there now and I'm going to work for some relative peace and quiet.

Let There Be Light

It's a little hard to appreciate my new favorite device from these pictures. But this "before" picture was taken with room light and flash. See the plywood circle on the ceiling?

It was replaced with this "Sun Tunnel" somewhat like the ones we have at my office. There's a lens on the roof and a highly reflective tube through the ceiling to this diffuser.

This "after picture was taken with no electric light and no flash. I should measure the light. But it's as bright as a florescent and I can easily work at my desk with no electric light. This room has no windows. So the Sun Tube also means I don't have to turn on the light just to walk through to my bedroom. I can't wait to get more of them! Let's see, one for the top of the stairs, one for the bedroom hallway, another near my favorite reading chair...


The building guys had never seen one of these. So, I I was happy to catch this highly unusual event on film: men reading instructions.

Errant Hen

This hen has been hanging around the construction site since we began. All our efforts to catch her and keep her with the other chickens have been thwarted. I admit my efforts were somewhat halfhearted because I thought she might be nesting. And I love to watch hens raise their own chicks.

Sure enough. As we started to clean up the pile of scrap lumber, we found this nest with fifteen(!) eggs. You have to admire the craftsmanship. Carefully arranged walnut leaf stems.

What to do? I want to move the lumber. And I want to save my new garden where she's been dustbathing.

Greg stepped in. Last week I gave him some eggs to incubate with his grandchildren. He offered to add these to the eggs in his incubator.

Last night the hen was roosting forlornly halfway up the new back stairs. I had no trouble picking her up and returning to the chicken coop. I feel a little bad about that. But it will be nice not to see new damage to the garden every day.

There's one hen still at large somewhere in the yard. I haven't seen her yet this morning, which leads me to believe that she's nesting somewhere, too.

New Best Friends

There's Brud.


And Greg and Gary.


And all the helpers whose names I get mixed up.

They show up like clockwork with incredibly noisy tools, creating unbelievable temporary chaos.



But with all due respect for the builders, this is my new best friend.

It opens.

And closes.

Incidentally, it locks, it's energy efficient and beautiful.

But the big deal is that it opens. And closes.

Those of you who've visited here know that I've almost never had a door that open without hauling on it or closes without kicking it and leaning on it. You know I have a simple life here. And I tend to make do with daily inconveniences rather than spend any money. And I especially resist replacing things if the old, barely functional thing, however inadequate, will have to be discarded. In this case, the old door can be reused in the new space between the back door and the new garage. It will help me remember never to take for granted the ease with which my new door opens and closes. And locks.

Watch this space for the new patio door leading from the kitchen to the deck.

New Garage, part 2

By the middle of week two it looked like this:

Yikes. I'm getting the full impact of the fact that this is really an entirely new house attached to the existing one.

In addition to the garage, I get this lovely new entry way. You're looking through the wall that separates the garage from the entry. Unlike the old woodshed, this area will have sheetrock walls and a real floor - and windows! Remind me that I'm going to need doorbells. I really can't tell the difference between woodpeckers and people knocking.

You have to appreciate these stairs. I worked really hard to make this design work. I love Brud Nash and his crew. They never tell me something can't be done. Brud says, "Nothing's impossible. It just takes a little longer." Just wait 'til I show them how I want to connect the new second floor to the existing one.

Murphy thinks the stairs are okay.

Meantime, we finished repairing the pasture fence and brought Charlie home. Not as easy as it sounds. Apparently he's fallen in love with one of the neighbor's horses. He whinnied and looked back while I walked him the entire half-mile home. Back in his own pasture, he took the full 150 yard length of it at a full gallop several times, jumping the four foot wide drainage ditch as if he were half his age. I wish I had pictures of that.


While we waited for Charlie to settle down, we proceeded with one of the other ongoing projects: the garden fence. For some reason we've decided to get serious about keeping deer out of the garden. I've always compromised by resisting the temptation to grow lilies and rhododendrons and resigned myself to a certain amount of damage to the blueberries and fruit trees. Come to think of it, that's no compromise. It's a total victory for the deer. So, we're putting up this six-foot fence.


We removed quite a lot of sod. And moved it to the chicken yard. They're really appreciating the grubs and slugs that came with it. I'll keep you posted on how long it takes them to completely scratch it up and return it to it's original condition as a dustbath.

This month has been better for doing "things worth the writing." No time for writing "things worth reading."

Skip over things I'm doing that keep me late at the office. I'll write about that eventually at Dryden Democrats.

At home, we've skipped spring cleanup and plunged directly into building an addition. I had to reroof this side of the house this year anyway so I seized the opportunity to add a garage and living space above it.

Here's how the old woodshed looked when we started.

Here's how it looked by the end of the week.

Right now I'm off to finish repairing the pasture fence so I can bring Charlie home. He's at summer camp with the neighbors.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

This is the nest box in my hen house.

This is an opossum in the nest box. Yes, it's the one I was feeding last winter. But I draw the line at moving into the hen house.

So, I deported him to Lansing.

On the way back from Lansing I had a chance to stop for this picture of Coltsfoot - one of the first real signs of spring.

Metaphor for Life

I like to step out onto the deck first thing in the morning to stretch and breath and admire the stars or rising sun, depending on the season. This morning the robins were so loud I could barely hear the coyotes. I'm pretty sure there's a metaphor for life in that somewhere, but I can't quite get my head around it.

Easter Weekend

As KAZ illustrates, the deer are becoming increasing domesticated. That's Murphy on the log. Doesn't he look a bit like an albino raccoon? This particular deer has been coming up on the deck recently looking for more bird food. I've been making a half-hearted effort to chase them away when I see them. Maggy's favorite line now is a quote from when I run out on the icy deck waving my arms and yelling, "Don't make me put on my boots!"

Speaking of Maggy... She and Andy colored Easter eggs yesterday.

Chicks - The Avian Sort

Simon has posted a picture of his new chicks. See the little yellow ones? Those are my new Buff Orpingtons. I picked them up last night. I've been raising chickens almost longer than Simon's been alive. But he has this nice brooder box. Mine still live in a cardboard box 'til they're big enough to withstand outdoor temperatures. He's got that nice little feeder. Mine still get an old bowl. I have a real drinker, though. There's really no substitute for that if you want to keep the bedding reasonably dry. Mine is a hand-me-down from Bill's lab thirty years ago. I actually asked for a chicken feed hopper for my birthday this year. Sigh.

[Link corrected 3-21-08]

Spring!

Don't despair, Leendalu. It is spring!



The ground is still mostly snow covered. The maple sap is not running yet. I've been hunting in vain for emerging noses of snowdrops and winter aconites. Cornell and even Ellis Hollow, at slightly lower elevations are a couple of weeks ahead of me in that regard.



But I know it's spring. Not just because I heard geese flying overhead in the dark last night. Not just because Orion is no longer high in the sky when I get home from work. Not even because I watched bluebirds in the field outside my office yesterday. (I should note that in all my years of casual birding, I've never actually seen a bluebird before. It's the state bird of New York. So, it can't be that uncommon. Hat tip to Dave in the building department for noticing them and telling me about them. This photo is from Web Earth Online. I had my binoculars with me, but not my camera.)



But this is the real sign of spring: the solar lights along my sidewalk are lit when I get home at night. For the first time in weeks, they're getting enough sunlight during the day to put out their feeble light for at least an hour after dark. I'm not yet getting enough daylight to feel energized. But I'm beginning to think it won't be long now.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Well, the main problem is there's no way I'm gonna get the carton to close. Seven of these eggs are "normal" jumbo eggs: 2.5 ounces each. The trouble maker there in the back is 3.3 ounces.

We've had our share of double yolk eggs over the years. But this is the first triplet I've ever seen. Too bad I broke the yolks. But you get the idea.

In other news, we've been having ice storms on and off for weeks. The radio story was "Power outages across Northeast." But here the headline would have been "Power continues uninterrupted." It really is newsworthy. The lights flickered several times and I was fully prepared for the power to go out. But, no. It stayed on. I've heard from friends on the southern side of town that their power was out. So I feel fortunate. Not that being without power is that much of an inconvenience here. This time of year refrigeration isn't an issue. If I just get that hand pump installed so that I'm not dependant on the electric pump, I'll be fine.

Reading for Fun

There's something very cool about waking up to the realization that the main item on my to do list is reading a book. I like reading, so it seldom makes it onto my to do list. I figure I'll get around to it whether it's on the list or not.

But lately, my job requires reading a lot of stuff that isn't that much fun. So I haven't been getting around to the fun reading. Coincidently, my book club is reading the delightful 800 page An Incident of the Fingerpost.

I'm just going to clean up the kitchen while I listen to Selected Shorts. Then it's reading for fun all afternoon.

The Earth is Not Flat

I don't have a lot of personal experience to support my belief that the earth is not flat. I've seen the photos taken from space. But they're - you know - just pictures. I've seen the earth from the window of an airplane. But I admit I've been too busy checking out the clouds or the details on earth to reflect on the apparent shape of the earth. People I trust have explained it to me and the logic seems sound. But it's good, every so often, to have first hand experience to confirm my beliefs.

There it is, the shadow of the earth. I took the first photo at 10:55 PM, just as the sunlight started to reach the moon after the total eclipse. And the second at 11:20 PM. Skeptic that I am, I admit it seems that the curvature of the shadow could be caused by the spherical shape of the moon. But (I tried this) if I hold up a flat card in front of a grapefruit, the shadow curves downward.

So, I guess I'm convinced. Well, maybe not utterly, absolutely, totally. But after trying the grapefruit thing, I have no alternative explanation. So, I'm pretty sure.

There's a grammatical thing about beliefs. And prepositions. You know, prepositions cause more trouble that you may realize. I can't seem to get my head around believing IN something. People don't ask me if I believe in the roundness of the earth. And if they did, I wouldn't know what to say. I have been asked if I believe in Santa Claus. Same problem. I believe that the cultural concept of Santa Claus is widespread. But I don't believe that Santa Claus brings the presents. Either way, "that" is not a preposition. In this usage, it's a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause. (Thank you, Miss McFadden and Sister Agnes. In the interest of full disclosure, I went back and deleted an erroneous "e" in Santa Claus before running spellcheck.) Okay. Maybe this is just a day for total nerdiness. But it won't overshadow the awe I feel at the mental image I now have of the earth's shadow on the moon.

Mortgage Bailout

Right wing talk show hosts and callers are pushing my buttons with sarcastic comments about the "mortgage bailout." They're unsympathetic with people who are experiencing foreclosure. (Note the unemotional phrase: "experiencing foreclosure" rather the the emotion laden "losing their homes.")

[ABC News photo shamelessly lifted from the 23,500 hits in a Google Image search for "mortgage bailout."]

It should be noted that when subprime mortgage homeowners started failing to keep up with mortgage payments there was nary a peep. Now that banks are finding themselves with all this devalued real estate on their hands, it's time for a bailout. Face it. We're bailing out banks and mortgage investors as well as subprine mortgage homeowners.

Generation Risk pointed me to Brad Delong's explanation in March 2007.

There's an interesting conclusion at The Street in a December article.

In the 19th century, Americans were shocked to learn that the West, the "frontier," no longer existed. It was a major cultural and economic turning point for our country. And now, in the 21st century, Americans are receiving a similar shock -- a recognition that our resources are not unlimited, and that we'll be forced to make tough choices about how we allocate the resources we have. That's the Savage Truth. (emphasis added)

I have much more to say about this. But I have to go to work.

Corn Products

This is the plastic band from my new box of Quaker oats. Not only is the band a corn product, but the manufacturer added a step to the process to be sure we know that. Do you suppose the ink is soy?

I like the fact that the plastic is biodegradable. But I'm not convinced about the "more sustainable" part of EarthFirst's claim for PLA film. How much oil did it take to grow the corn and process it into the bit of plastic? What ever happened to the old oatmeal boxes that were entirely cardboard with a bit of cotton string to open the box?

Oh, look. NatureWorks Polymer is a Cargill company. I'm trying to keep an open mind about this. But Cargill's going to have a really hard time convincing me their priority is protecting the environment rather than maximizing their profit.