Sunday, July 10, 2011

A Typical Morning in the Hood


I awoke this morning after a restless night's sleep remembering the dream I had.
I dreamt that my 'first boyfriend' from 1977 was selling Krispy Kreme donuts for $29.99 a dozen and I bought some.

Well, cause it was my first boyfriend selling them.

When I got them, they were freeze dried and needed to be re-hydrated before you could eat them.
I wasn't too happy about it then.



I planned on getting a few good early morning garden shots for y'all, but the time I was properly caffeinated, the sun was a bit too hot on the flowers already.

I like to call they way I garden 'Square Inch Gardening'.  I strive to have every flipping square inch of the beds filled.  No need for mulch, very little weeding!
I've barely lifted a finger in the garden this year, and it's not too shabby if I say so m'self.

A year ago today was the garden walk.
Law.
I am glad I can only be on it once every five years.
It's stressful.

This morning when I let the chickens out it reminded me of a scene from this movie:
It's especially creepy since I have been told I look like Tippi Hedren when my hair is up.
I'm not sure what was up with the banties this morning, but they busted out of the chicken coop like bats outta hell.

Two of them ended up on the garage roof, and then - just their luck, they flew into the wrong neighborhood.

I haven't told you about the wrong neighborhood here have I?
Oh - it's the wrong side of the coop - that's for sure.
You wouldn't want to go there alone - or at night.


Out of the six straight run chicks I got this year - four are roosters.
Three of them being Black Giants.
They will strike fear in the heart of the faint.
If it not for the caffeine this morning, I do fear that the banties would have been victim's of a rural crime.
They are lucky I was there to intervene.
It's getting bad around these parts.
Chicken sponsors are still desperately needed to rehabilitate this birds.
You think I jest.

My all time favorite banty hen, Phyllis, has been missing a few days.

I started fearing she may have tempted fate and gone to the wrong side of the coop.




Since Janie Fox is on her way to the Coop - I thought I oughta dead head the daylilies, and when I went to get my bucket - lo and behold - look what I found -


I do declare, she is the broodiest bird in the history of birds.
She's one determined little bugger.
She was sitting on 10 of her little eggs that I know are unfertilized.
Going against what little instincts of 'right' I have, I replaced her 10 eggs with three big ole eggs that have a really good chance of being fertilized.
I can't stand to think of her sitting in that shed alone for naught.
I know I'll regret this, but for now, I feel happy, knowing her dream of being a mom will come to fruition some time in August.

Unless - they catch wind of it.



 Please wish Janie luck in staying here.
She's staying in the camper.
It's 90 degrees out as I type this.
I have six roosters that start crowing at 4am.
I'm making her walk six miles on Monday.
I'm not giving her any wheat.

Insert evil laugh here.

39 comments:

  1. I sympathize about "The Birds". When my DH was down and I had to tend the animals they would come at me from all angles and the ducks would soon join. I think they enjoyed hearing me squeal. We have at last count over 50.

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  2. Love your scarecrow's wardrobe!

    Di

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  3. Your garden is gorgeous. Summers are challenging around these part. It is expecially hot and dry this year! Glad you found your broody girl. My buff orpington goes broody all the time. I probably have fertile eggs since I accidentally ended up with a rooster! I would let her try to hatch some, but then I would probably end up with MORE roosters.
    Blessings,
    Lorilee

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  4. Lordy! Those are some bad boys you have there! Nothing worse than a mean rooster and I have the scars on my back to prove it from when I was a kid!

    I hope those eggs hatch for poor Phyllis! Poor thing. I think you did the right thing-playing God in a small way with a chicken...I think that is a most forgivable sin!;>)

    Hope the rest of your Sunday is great-down day here. I had hoped to go off for 2 days and it doesn't look like that is going to happen~:<( xo Diana

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  5. I am the same way about gardening. I want it all covered with plants, no weeds preferably :) It's getting there. I tend to want to move things around a lot, so sometimes it is slow growing around here. Your garden is so pretty though. And Phyllis is adorable!!

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  6. Square INCH gardening ...I love it!

    How in the world do you find names for all those chickens? We have three that are named Red, Reba and Dora...and added four pullets this year. We've had the pullets since April and no names yet. Maybe I should post mugshots and let my readers help me ...

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  7. Your yard is lovely! Have a great visit...I look forward to hearing all about it.

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  8. I am not hatching out any of my own this year because I don't want more roosters. And I got some Golden Sex Links which are nice birds and you KNOW they aren't roosters by their appearance as soon as they hatch.

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  9. Your garden is breathtaking, thanks for sharing with us.

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  10. And on top of all your accomplishments-you are a wonderful gardener. Is there anything you can't do? Loved all the pictures.

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  11. Phyllis looks like such a sweat girl, what breed is she?

    Hmmm...now on to the Lady Fox. 90 degress in the camper. She may be up before the roosters.

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  12. Phyllis looks like such a sweat girl, what breed is she?

    Hmmm...now on to the Lady Fox. 90 degress in the camper. She may be up before the roosters.

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  14. That's my kind of porch, screen door and all. That Phyllis is some kind of gal. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x4

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  15. Poor Janie! Although somehow I think she'll do just fine by being in your company!

    I love your garden! I wish mine would grow like yours but it's difficult to get anything to grow in sand and shade!

    Have fun and you two behave! Oh wait, those two don't quite go together do they?!

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  16. Beautiful garden... Oooh NOOOO FOUR ROOSTERS!!!...

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  17. Your garden reminds me of the one my great-grandmother had...it's so beautiful :O) have a nice day!

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  18. Your garden is gorgeous. I follow the same theory, the more plants, the less weeds. Those black roosters freak me out. law.

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  19. I love your gardens, Jamie! I also keep my flower beds packed to the gills. It does help with the weeding. But I am so anal, I still go out and make sure everything is dead headed.
    My husband does not like to have mean chickens. We just gave away 10 hens that terrorize the others. Now we might have some peace in the coop!

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  20. I love your type of old fashioned perennial looking garden. I like you idea of "square inch gardening" too. Mine is getting like that; it does solve a lot of weed problems!
    I'm getting chickens this year as soon as I get someone to help me with a coop!!!!

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  21. Jayme,

    I would have replaced Phyllis' eggs with fertilized eggs too. Let's hope they are not duck eggs.
    Have you started running any of the miles you are walking yet?

    Your Friend,
    Deborah

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  22. Love, love, love your gardens. The "chick photos" are fabulous. I never have understood the fertilized part, (smile). Explain?

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  23. Beautiful garden and chickens, Jayme! Even those rowdy roosters. I pack my 2 roos to their 'man cave pen' every morning as early as possible. I pack them back to the girls' coop after dark, when they're too sleepy to care about hanky panky ;). Let me tell you, it was getting bad in there. You're a wise woman to keep those evil roos separate :) -Tammy

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  24. Jayme, your garden is looking beautiful. Thank heavens you found Phylis.

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  25. It's a shame that your Black Giants seem to be beyond rehabilitation, because they are certainly a bunch of HANDSOME roosters!

    Sweet, sweet Phyllis ... I'm glad you found her.

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  26. Thank you for answering my question about the garden walk! smile. jan

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  27. Couldn't agree more...lovely flowers and scarecrone...your hard work certainly shows. Now, I'm putting myself out there, and will sound like the newbie chicken-keeper that I am, but here goes. We purchased our first pullets in March...I've lost sleep wondering if we have roosters instead. But I don't see the tell-tale sign, spurs, on ours. However, I don't see spurs on yours either...can you give a little lesson on telling the gals from the guys?! I'd like to get a good night's sleep! Thanks a bunch, -Mary

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  28. I love your garden. I hope to someday have something that beautiful! Maybe if I apply that square inch idea it will help. It will also allow me to get more and more types of flowers. I want a few of everything - but where on earth do I put it? *LOL*

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  29. Dear Ms. Janie... I wish her the best! We had a broody old banty who loved to sit, she tried desperately to procreate but alas it wasn't to be. The other hens were just mean to her, sad. Those bad boys need spankings, I can tell that just by looking at them!

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  30. Saying a little travel prayer for Janie! You gals have fun!

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  31. Agh!
    I wish my petunias looked that good. Instead, they are a shriveled mess.

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  32. I love everything about you home and yard. Everything looks beautiful and sweet. I adore you old tool shed along with the chickens. The scare crow is wonderful. Can I copy it all. Your property needs to be in one of those wonderfu country magazines~
    Hug...Dogwood

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  33. You have such a tender hear!!! Bless that dear mama-wannabe!!
    Have fun this week!
    Your garden looks amazing...as usual!
    Please don't book the squirrel completely...I still want to visit...someday!

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  34. You did a kind thing by giving your broody hen some better eggs. A maternal instinct like that should be encouraged! Nancy

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  35. I'm so jealous of your garden--and your chickens.

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  36. Jayme, I love your gardens, please tell me your secret, My coneflowers look so sad, I thought it was from the cats trying to make a cat litter box out of the flower bed, but its not just that, I dont know what Iam doing wrong or right, yours are so beautiful, I love seeing all the pictures, love the scarecrows, your chickens are beautiful to.

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  37. That's it! No roosters for me. I've heard too many horror stories. Does that make "me" a chicken? I am sticking to docile breed hens.

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