da coop da coop shalalalalala da coop da coop

Yesterday we FINALLY got a break in the weather. It was around 62 all day, so I got to spend the day outside working on the new coop, yayyyy.

The framing was very easy with this design, which was why I chose it. I've looked at several ones online, and though I like some of the fancy barn-style roofs, they have no internal frame at all. Most are just plywood thats nailed/screwed together. Not gonna fly here....or actually, it probably would with the winds we sometimes get, lol. Anyway...this has an internal 2x4 frame to add support, strength, and weight.

The skylight actually looks kinda neat on there, and I'm sure will bring a lot of questions. I just figured it would let light into the coop sooner and get them up and moving a bit earlier. As you can see, its VERY dark tinted, so it won't bake them out. The underside is covered now in a heavy plastic mesh, and I'll be taking the screws off its frame and adding a piano hinge to the back. This way, the coop gets plenty of ventilation when we hit the hot humid July & August. The back side has a 30x30 door for cleanout that needs attached today, and the right side needs finished. That's where the nest boxes will be. I'll be making those from part of last years old chicken tractor. It's a little bigger than I intended to make, but it's already assembled with a hinged roof, so it will work perfectly. When the other side is attached, I'll be putting the roosts in, made from 2x2's. Then all it needs it painted, moved, attached to the run,a door ramp attached, and it's ready for the birds. Sometime whenever I get back to work, I want to cover it with T111 siding, or I'll get the lumber from my friend Jim and use it for lap siding. For now, this will have to do the trick.

I used the Lowes gift card I got for Christmas for this, and only used $88 of the $100 on it. The other $12 will be for the 2x2's and anything else I might need. I had all the nails, the shingles, and the freebie skylight already, so that kept cost down. (remember the "packrat" post? LOL) If all goes well, it will be finished today and set in place. I'll give it a day or 2 for the paint to dry, then get the birds outside and start disassembling the giant cage in the garage. After that will be the REALLY fun part, and that will be getting the dogs used to the chickens being next to their fence. That's gonna be fun............ugh. Austin (bloodhound) will whine and cry, wanting to see them. Hank (basset) will sit and bark. Jack (sheba-pom aka ratdog) will want to chase them. Copper (beagle) will care less. The problem will lie in Ace (border collie mix). He loves to chase birds off the fence, so this will be irresistable for him....he'll be the tough one. I may have to somehow cover their fence so they can't see the birds, but we'll just have to play it by ear and see how they do.

Saturday morning babble

Yesterday I posted another "wanted" add on freecycle, this time for a wringer washer. I've had a bug up my a$$ for a long time to get one, and hate the thought of new to the tune of $900. By the time I got back in from collecting eggs, I had a response for one! Even better was that it was 10 minutes away. I went to take a look, and was slightly dissapointed that it was sitting outside, and full of water. Well...........what the hell, maybe it's fixable. I drag the heavy monster up the yard, get it in the truck, and head off for some more errands before going home. Remember when I shut off the cable a few weeks ago? Yea......I just kept forgetting to drop off that box and wireless modem, ooooops.

Anyway, I get home, flip the washer out of the truck, and hand turn the motor. Hmmmm.....not froze up. I oiled the bearings and pulley's, run an extension cord out, and give it a whirl. IT WORKS!! The agitator works, the gearbox operates fine, and the wringers are free and roll in both directions. Oh yea! It needs more cleaning, lubrication, and obviously some paint, but I'll get to that after a few other projects like the chicken coop, which I'll be starting today.

I was able to get nearly everything for the coop with the gift card I got for Christmas, so there is no worry about spending cash we don't have. All I will have to purchase now will be a few hinges and door latches, which I'll more than likely get at the Habitat for Humanity store up the road.....gotta love new hinges for a buck a package! I should have the frame and siding done today, then possibly paint and shingle tomorrow. Hopefully by mid-week, everything will be finished and I can FINALLY have my garage back!

It looks like we'll be adding at least one more to the flock today too. I saw an ad on craigslist last night for white bearded silkie chicks, and we both really want one. So, why not, 7 bucks and a really cool lookin' chicken to add, lol. That way we can say that we have an even dozen layers since the one older one from Tammie doesn't lay anymore. Damn addicting chickens anyway.......

and now....back to man stuff lol

WHEW.......I gotta work on covering myself after that last post, geeeeeeez. But, I think I have something.

Today I went to with my uncle to do some good 'ole swappin' with someone I met off my craigslist post for tools I was selling/trading. Of course I couldn't say "willing to trade for guns", so I just said "hunting items". I got a response from someone, and we talked back and forth in email, then realized we were writing 2 minutes apart, so I just gave him my cell number. He wanted my drill, and he had a couple of .22 rifles and a .50 cal muzzleloader, so I told him I would be out in the morning. I took my uncle with me, since he wanted to go to The Log Cabin shop, which cooncidently was 5 minutes away from this guy. Off we set at 9am, smiling about the thought of new rifles.

I get there, and he carries out the rifles. NICE! A Remington Targetmaster single shot, a Marlin 60 semi-auto with a 3-9x scope, and the muzzloader. I was alllllll over the .22's, but the 50 was a bottom line CVA, which didn't interest me at all. After talking a bit, I swapped a DeWalt drill for both .22's, and we headed for The Log Cabin. I think I was about 16 or 17 the last time I was there, and all I could remember was wall to wall muzzloaders and cannons. Let me tell ya, I fell in love with this place. More rifles than I could count. The walls were lined with leather gear, possibles bags, tanned hides, leather pieces, books, cast iron cookware, buckskin clothing, indian beading supplies, tomohawks.......ok, I'm in Chris heaven. At that moment the theme from Jeremiah Johnson rang through my head, and I wanted it ALL. As I walked around looking like a paste eating kid on a candy buzz, my uncle got the breech plug he had re-tapped and walked with me a bit. "hey Butch, you NEED that 32 caliber kentucky rifle, don't ya?". Nope....couldnt talk him into it, lol. I grabbed a catalog and we left, then headed to the gun shop for sling swivel stud kits and a new .22 cleaning rod. Again, I tried talking him into 2 AK's and a nice Armalite AR, but he only wanted an M1 Garand.....picky picky picky.

I dropped him off at home, and went to visit the folks. Of course, dad had to see the rifles and claimed the Marlin for himself. I told him to go ahead, and that I would take his Remington 700 since I just got the other Remington, and he could put that Marlin next to his other Marlin. Sounded fair to me, lol, surprisingly he said no. I sat around for a while and talked, mom made us both a lovely meal of frozen dinner mexican something-or-another (ya gotta mix those things all together and coat em with tobasco just to have some kind of flavor, just like the corned beef hash MRE's, blahhhhh), we talked some more, sharing more favorite shooting stories, then I headed for home.

Both rifles needed cleaned, and afterwards are spotless. I made a good trade. That makes three .22 rifles within a week, so Lisa gets to claim one. She likes the look of the Marlin, but likes the weight of the Remington better. I just gotta get slings for all 3 now, and possibly a scope for the Marlin 25. Looks like back to CL again.....

Yea.......gun talk......no more of that emotional stuff........what was I thinking? LOL

Different route today-a story to tell

We all enjoy the internet obviously. We've all made connections with groups, websites, and people. Some of us have made friends online. Some of us have turned these e-friends into real life friends. I've met quite a few people from online, many of which have become close friends. I even have a buddy who met a woman online from another country, and is now living there with her. It's been a wonderful thing at times to sit in front of this screen, and this the story of *my* great internet connection.
It was 1997. I had been away from my ex wife for quite some time, and living with a friend. We were both single, and spent most of our off time fishing. I wa still pretty new to this whole internet thing, so I sat in his place for hours surfing, reading, and printing off page after page. It got fun, and it got addicting.

One day I stumbled across the AOL singles/dating thingy. I thought, hmmmm, wonder whats in here? I did the little search engine deal, and low and behold, pages and pages of single women close to me. WOW, how cool is this?? I start looking, and the more I looked, the more I laughed. "Divorced-8 kids-more tattoos than teeth".....ok, pass. Next-"Cuddly bunny for you", hmmmmmmm. The pic pops up and it's quasimoto with a slight drool problem and scars on the knuckles from dragging the ground. ( I'm not that bad at judging people, just exadurating a bit lol) I'm looking, and laughing, and really enjoying myself. Sure, it was wrong, but hey, it was amusement.
I looked at those a few times, then one night one particular profile just seemed different. Same age as me...divirced.....2 kids....local.....lets see the picture. Oh yea, she's definitly NOT the hunchback, this one's beautiful! Somewhere in the profile, there was a spot for something like "about me", and this one just had one line. "hillbilly girl with all her own teeth" OK, that one made me laugh out loud!! The little icon was lit up saying she was online, and I thought, what the hell, and sent an IM. She was kida standoffish at first, but we got to talking. It lasted at least an hour and a half. I really liked talking to her, and told her to just call me. She was at a friends, it was 1am, and she said she would call when she got home. Well.....she did. At 2:30, just to see if I would actually wait, lol. We talked on the phone till at least 4 or 5 am, and she had to work the next morning, ooops. I told her I really wanted to meet her, so she told me where she worked. I had to laugh since I knew exactly where that was. After all, I put the sprinklers in that building....yea, I think I can find it, lol.

We met the next morning. I was in the store, and she came running in, 20 minutes late. I kinda snickered as she ran past me, and I said "you look like someone who was on the phone too long", to which I got the response "and you look like the ass that KEPT me up so late". Joking right off the bat, I like this. She came back around, wearing that lovely store blue managers vest, and we talked for a while. I asked her out, and we went out that very night. Yep....Country Kitchen, lmao nothin' but class.
After that first night, we dated for just a few months when I moved in with her and the kids. The following May, we bought a house and moved from the old farmhouse she was renting. After about a year, I asked her to marry me, and a year after that,. on September 9th, 2000, I married my Lisa.
So here we are, pushing 11 years together, and 9 years married. I've never been happier in my life. I've said it before, and I'm not ashamed to be a guy that says such things. She is my life, my guiding force, and my light down this path we are on together. Don't laugh at the e-dating websites and commercials, theee things really happen folks........look at me.

By the way.......this is the actual picture I found that night. Now how could I pass her up????

Cold Monday....again

Today it's in the lower 40's and raining. Over the weekend it was very warm, but rained like mad pretty much non-stop. Arrgh this weather will make ya nuts, but it's typical Ohio. I was hoping to start the new coop, but I'm not really a fan of working in the rain. Maybe it will clear up later in the week. I really hope it does, I need some motivation.

Between this weather and the layoff, I've really gotten myself into a funk. I don't want to do a lot, I lack motivation, and I just want to sleep. I'm trying my best to fight it, but it's tough. I want to start the coop, but the weather sucks. I want to work on Lisa's sewing room, but the money for drywall isn't there. I want to work on preps and a BOB, but there's that money issue again. Ughhhhh why couldn't this have happend in the summer. I'll come around soon, just hopefully before Lisa has to kick me in the ass to get me started.....


I talked to my boss last week, and he things I may be coming back in another week or 2. They're getting a few jobs here and there, but they're all small. His intentions are to bring me back into the office, and start up the inspection and service department. I'm really hoping that works out, I miss doing that since the old company went bankrupt 5 years ago. I like the challenge, I like going different places every day, I like not carrying tools every day. Again, I'm hoping it all works out in the end, but I'm not holding my breath.

I've looked every day in job classifieds since the layoff. Unless I want to be a paralegal or dental assistant, there's really not much out there. The sunday paper usually has 2-3 pages of jobs listed, but the past several weeks barely had 25-30 total. I've called on a few, only to be dissapointed by the pay scale. One was to a horse farm. They wanted someone to do maintenance, cleaning, painting, etc. Sounds good right? Maybe something I might enjoy? Well...I call and talk to someone for 10 minutes about duties (which I can more than handle), then find out the job starts at $8 an hour. Wow. I havent worked for 8 bucks since I was a teenager. I called another about groundskeepers at a local BIG golf course, the one where they have the big Tournament of Champions every year.......$8.50 an hour. Garden center help-$7 hr, Construction labor-$8 hr. I called one this morning for outside sales for a major tool & equiptment rental company. I guarantee that I know the workings of these machines more than any other salesman they have;c'mon, I USE them every day. But....I have no sales experience other than retail in firearms 13 years ago, so they aren't interested in talking to me. I've posted a few tools on craigslist to sell or trade, but have gotten very few responses. I'm going to the garage one day this week to go through more to list and try. I gotta do something.
Well......other than my being depressed and worried over this whole mess, I'm working on some other things too. Last week I brought home another rifle. I had bought my sister a .22 Marlin wayyyyy back in the Woolworth days, I was probably around 20. She's shot the thing *maybe* twice, and it's been sitting ever since. After a 2 hour phone conversation last week, she told me to take it. (its out at mom & dads) I had completely forgot what it was, but I got it when I went to visit last Friday. It's a Marlin 25, .22 bolt action with the detachable box magazine. It need a sling kit installed, and a scope, but for now it will do just fine. When I went to visit my uncle on Saturday, he showed me a couple that my cousin had brought over 10 years ago. There was a nice Ithica 37 featherlight 20 guage, and an Interarms MKX (98 action) in 30.06. Apparantly, my cousin doesnt want them, he just brought them to my uncle to "hang on to". One day this week I'll call my cousin and see if he wants rid of them. My uncle told me to just take them, "after 10 years, they're mine" lol, but I'll ask first. They'd make nice additions to the cabinet here. I'll soon be bringing home dads 700 adl in .222 remington as well. I plan on heading out with the neighbor to shoot coyotes one of these nights, and this will do the job just fine. I already have a bipod and 6.5-20x Leupold that will make fine additions to it, so it will do well for varmints too. (IF I can find somewhere to go now) Plus, I'm working another .22 from someone off CL. He has a very nice old Marlin 75 with scope and sling that I want, and he may trade for one of the drills I am trying to sell. We need the cash, but this would make a great little first 22 for Lisa. He's supposed to get back to me this week and decide, so we'll see. I'm also gonna work on the neighbor sometime again, and try to talk him out of the 3030 Marlin he has that hasn't been fired in 20+ years. I know this isn't the best time to get back into gun swappin, but somehow I'm happy to get back into it, and won't spend a dime out of pocket.
Well.....enough for now. I gotta go take care of some of my house-husband duties, lol. I'm actually in a bit of a better mood now that I got to sit here and vent......

Good days....whew

Yesterday I responded to my friend Tammie from our local homesteading group, and went there to get 2 3x3 foot skylights she got from freecyle. While we were talking, she mentioned that she wanted me to take one of her doe rabbits. She ended up with one buck and 3 does, and it was a bit much for her. I gladly took the doe and the skylights and she pointed out the fencing she had taken down, and the shed that will soon be gone. (sold) She's not going to get goats again, so the whole area can be opened up again, and a new coop built on top of her hill. I asked what she wanted to do with the fencing, and she told me to just take it. It took 2 trips to get everything home, but luckily she's just 5 minutes away. On the last trip, I put together a box of tools that she might need since she's taken to woodworking and left them at the back door. I hate just taking things and giving nothing in return.

The fencing will be more than enough to cover the frame I made from the remnants of the storm-destroyed carport. It's going to be 15 feet long, 8 feet wide, and around 4 or 5 feet tall to the top of the round top of the frame. I wouldnt mind the 3 foot height it is now with no legs, but Lisa wants to be able to get in and see the girls, lol. It's a good idea for cleanout anyway, so it will be taller. I'll have a door at one end, and the other end will attach to the coop, which the skylights were for. My plan is to put one of the skylights in the roof of the coop. It will let light in earlier in the day, but since its dark tinted/smoked, it wont be too much heat. I may use both in the roof, depending on how it all lays out. Besides, it will save on materials that I have to buy, which is important right now with the layoff. Since the poles and fittings are just slip-fit, I'll be putting in self-tapping sheet metal screws at each joint. That way its a bit stronger, and won't want to come apart when I move it into place. The forecast calls for mid 50's tomorrow and through the weekend, so I plan on doing as much as I can on the whole thing.

On Sunday, the group recived an email from Marissa, (who has the rescue/shelter I got the roosters from), and she had 6 more young roosters. I emailed her on Monday and picked them up yesterday. I should have taken care of them yesterday as soon as I got home, but it was just too cold. I really didn't want to be out there with wet chickens for a few hours in 25 degree weather. I put them in the garage in cages, gave them feed and water, and let them go till today. I waited till just after noon to get started since the front of the garage area where I work at was in full sun. Surprisingly, it got pretty warm as I was butchering them. Things went a bit better than the last 5 did lol I was wayyyyy out of practice in cleaning birds. It's been over 15 years since I've cleaned a pheasant, and at least 7 or 8 since I've dealt with waterfowl, but things fell into place more with each bird. By the time I got to the last one, time seemed to fly and I was carrying in a cooler of 4 cleaned birds for Lisa to wash, wrap, and get in the freezer. So, that makes 9 I have cleaned in the past 2 weeks. 2 went to Farmergeek and Divahick, 1 was dinner while they were here that same day, and 6 are in the freezer....not bad for free eh????

I almost forgot about the doe, oops. Tammie had told me she thought they had all bred already, but as soon as I got her home, I put her in with my buck. He took right to her, YAY! I was seriously beginning to think I had the worlds first gay rabbit, lol. MAYBE now that he's had a bit of *ahem* "experience", I'll put the first doe in with him and see what happens. If it's nothing, I may keep her for a possible future buck, but that all depends on how the first litter goes from doe #2. No lol I still haven't named them, maybe I'll come up with something soon....but I've been saying that since I first got them. I'm tryin to think of good metalhead kinda names, lol....maybe Biff, Wendy O, and Leather. Only from me, the headbanging urban homesteader, hahahahaha.

Prepacked, precooked, prepared?

Just when I thought I had seen everything, Lisa finds this in a grocery store ad on Saturday. Seriously......are people REALLY getting this lazy?? Pre-cooked, pre-peeled, pre-packaged hard boiled eggs. (actually it says "cooked", whatever that might mean)

It amazes me what can be found in stores now. Sometimes Lisa and I just have to laugh out loud at them. Some are so silly it's rediculous. We've seen frozen bread dough, frozen PB&J sandwiches, "baby" carrots, (that one makes me laugh every time), toaster this, microvable that....it's just insane. A walk down the freezer section of the grocery store is as entertaining as it is sad.

Let me tell a quick story on this very subject. A few years ago, Lisa and I had a visitor from out of town, and by out of town, I mean New Zealand. Yes, believe it or not, a long time internet friend came to visit US from the other side of the globe for a few months. After the first day or 2 with her here at home, Lisa needed to get some groceries. She took our friend there, and watched her amazement at the isles of frozen food. Our friend was totally shocked. Apparantly in NZ, frozen food is rare, and is actually more expensive than regualar old make-it-yourself food. She wanted to try a few of these frozen delacasies and purchased her own to bring home. After the first bite of her "frozen box o' goodness", she was apalled at the flavor of it and it ended up going to our dogs. She told us of how people there cook 3 meals a day. She told us of roadside markets and huge family dinners for no reason other than just to cook. She told us stories of a world that we could only dream of.... a world that used to exist here in this country.

So, what is it that american's find so appealing about all of this pre-whatever food? Is it a lack of knowing how to cook? Is it a lack of real time to prepare a meal? Is it convienence? Is it laziness? Is it just the cost? I'm going to say it's (for the most part), a combination of all of the above. As each new generation comes into play, kitchen knowledge gets lost or pushed aside for may reasons. People spend more time doing things to keep them out of the house. People just want food, and want it NOW. But mostly, people simply don't want to take the time to spend in the kitchen. Computers, video games, gyms, soccer games, shopping, movies, etc all take priority to our food. People make time for everything else in their lives BUT what they eat, then wonder why there are so many health problems in this country. The answer is simple, it stares them in the face every day. It's not the mirror in the bathroom, but the reflection of yourself in that magical plastic wrap over that Starvin' Dude meal you just took from the microwave. Look into it and ask "why am I eating this?".

Maybe I'm just spoiled since I get good meals every day. I'm lucky enough to be married to someone who loves to cook and bake. While many people I know spend their weekends running here and there, Lisa spends her time in the kitchen. She bakes bread for the week. She makes a huge pot of chicken soup to last the week. She will make a big batch of biscuit dough, cut it into shape, and freeze them for easy to heat biscuits whenever we want them. She will make 2 or 3 casseroles at a time, with the 1 not eaten that day going into the freezer. I'm a lucky man. These are the only "frozen" foods I get. Food is not only what we need to survive, but food is a gift for us. What we eat is special. What we eat has taken our time, energy, or money to grow, raise or buy the ingredients. The preperataion was from a loving wife that loves to cook, and even more, loves to watch people enjoy WHAT she makes. We have the privelige and honor to know that most of what we eat came from our own two hands, and not from a box out of the freezer.

Now if only someone gave me details on how to properly "cook" and peel those tricky hard eggs...wow.