7 Random Tidbits to Start the Weekend

1)  Today, I picked up the 24 pounds of canning peaches that I ordered last month through our local grocer.  Do I have a single solid plan of what to do with them?  Nope.  I plan to...can them..., in some way, shape, or form.

2)  We were generously given some peafowl last week.  One peacock(who seems to have vacated the premises) and a peahen with a few peachicks.  I like them.  A lot.

3)  The weather here has been very fall-ish and lovely.  Cool rainy days that smell sooo good and lovely crisp sunny days, too.

4)  I love closing up my chicken coop after dark when it's rainy because the night crawlers are all out doing their night crawler thing.  I just walk around pointing my flashlight at the ground and watching them vwoop back into their holes. 

5)  My sweet Mattie dog was bitten by a rattlesnake last weekend.  She was very swollen and sad, but is much improved now, thank heavens.

6)  I am ready for some football!

7)  Campfires are good for the soul.  A few s'mores don't hurt, either.

top: me, A, and C ~ the fire pit builders!

bottom: Mr. M, my sis Jen, C, me, and A

Collar for my Doggie

Oh hey.  Remember me?  Good. 

I've made a couple things recently and I've gotta share.  Today I'm sharing the dog collar I made.  Our Border Collie, Mattie(pictured here with a very handsome cowboy I just happen to know ;)),

is such a sweetie.  She's a working dog, so she helps out when we're moving cattle.  She keeps an eye on the kids when they're in the yard and "protects" them from anything: the horses across the fence, the cat, and especially anyone who pulls in the drive.  And when they get too rowdy for her she trots off and does a little gopher chasing, her favorite hobby.

We've had Mattie since the year we got married, so she's seen a lot of changes in the last few years.  And, she's had a lot less pampering.  Which is fine by her, she's just not that kind of dog.  I was brushing her about a month ago and took off her collar.  She has such long hair I usually don't see it at all, so I was surprised that it looked like this:

It used to be red.  And not quite so dirty.  Yuck, poor little doggie.  So, I made her this:

 

I used the clasps, slider thingy, and d-ring from the old collar.  The old collar was 3/4" wide, so I cut a piece of fabric 3"X22", pressed it in half width-wise, and folded the long edges into the center crease and pressed again.  Then I edge-stitched with some contrasting thread, placed the hardware, and stitched across the width to secure it in the same manner as the original.  Cute, huh?  Much better than the old version.  The next time I do it I'll add some decor-weight fusible interfacing because I noticed it's a little floppy after a couple weeks' wear.

Chicken Littles

Because I, apparently, don't have enough going on in my life right now, I ordered some new chicks in June.  They were hatched on June 14th, and promptly shoved into a box and Priority mailed to me.  A neighbor split the order with me and I ended up with 10 little birdies.

Here they are the day I received them.  They spent a couple weeks in the porch, then a few weeks in the garage.  Baby chicks need to be kept very warm until they start to get feathers.  Like, sauna warm.  We achieve that with a nice heat lamp aimed at the brooder.

Here they are in the big coop 5 weeks from the day I received them.  Isn't it crazy how fast they grow?  They're in the feather growing stage and look like a bunch of awkward teenagers.  So far, they're getting along well with the older hens and are really enjoying their new home. 

I cleaned out the coop for the first time in way too long in preparation for moving them out there and it turns out I have a renewed love for my flock.  Chickens are so fun to watch, they're like therapy that feeds you.  Speaking of which, these pullets(young female chickens) won't be old enough to lay until October, so, since the birds take a break in the winter, we might not get eggs from them until next spring.  Which is fine, because we're getting plenty from our few older hens right now.

And here is sweet Miss A holding what looks like a Barred Plymouth Rock.  She's a master chick chaser, which has come in handy on more than one occasion.  And, yes, she's wearing a sparkly gown and tennies.  That's my girl!