So there I am.  It’s a little after 7 am, my beautiful girls are curled up on the couch watching a little public television, and I head outside to do the “chores.”  The chicken coop is not yet attached to the chicken run, thus the birds must be placed in a box and taken to the run where they are released for their day of frolicking.  This has gone very well until today.  I got 4 of the 10 into the box while the other six decided to detour the box and go straight for freedom.  Awww nuts!  There they go.  Now exactly what am I going to do?  I try to catch on at a time, but they are too fast and they keep herding away from me as i approach them, so then I think I can just get them to walk to the run.  No such luck.  Eventually I get a little nervous that they will slip through the fence into the neighbor’s yard, so I run to the door and ask Meg to come out.  So, the two of us herd the chicks back and forth around the yard and eventually pick up one or two at a time and get them into the box.  Safe!  Enough adventure for me - I need to get a cup of coffee.

Well, in order of how things happened yesterday, here goes the important and big news.

First: the bunk beds showed up and were assembled for the girls. Both girls really like them - however, Ella was found this morning on the floor. She will happily tell you that she fell out of the bunk bed.

Second: After school Meg, Ella my parents and I all drove out to a local farm and picked up 11 little chicks to raise in our backyard. I am pleased to report that all 11 have made it through the night.

And then finally for those of you that know us - we have been pulling for Obama to get through this brutal primary. Looks like he pulled through just fine. I’m proud to be a supporter of his. The energy and poise he shows are just flat out amazing to me - each and every time I see him.

I think that is all the news I have to pass along for now. I am sure there will be more about all of these exciting events in the near future.

tomorrow and we’re headed for a winter storm with 5-10 inches of snow predicted.

It’s no wonder that Wisconsin is known for heavy drinking…

So where exactly does one begin when the decision - at least in my mind - has been made to acquire both chickens and honey bees for one’s backyard.

As of today, I know that I will have access to chicks this spring, and that the cost of those chicks will be pretty very doable.  I found someone that has agreed to set some eggs for me when the weather is nice enough to raise day old chicks.  That is really good news.  Looks like the next step for getting ready for the chickens will be where to put them once they show up.  I need to choose a coop design that will be sturdy enough for them to live in andbe safe, but light enough that we can move it around the yard.  I guess we’ll see how that goes.  This summer structure won’t really cut it during the winter.  That brings me to the next point - what do I build for the birds to overwinter?

So then there are the bees.  Where do I start with them?  I have a contact name to call, but haven’t gotten there yet.  I need to find out if there are any regulations within the city, county, or state that I need to pay attention to in order to get started.  Fortunately, i think that this endeavor will not be a solo effort - my Mother-In-Law and my dad have agreed to supply support on several levels - not the least of which will be money, space, and expertise.

Oh, so many things to get done.  All this talk of spring makes me think of not only the chickens and bees, but what to do with the gardens - when to start the seedlings so that they will be big enough to go full steam ahead when the ground is warm enough, but no so big that they outgrow the seedling pots (yogurt containers).

Ok - I guess I will stop now and think warm thoughts and try to get all of this snow to go away.

Compost bin built with scrap wood from Re-Store and using directions from any number of vermiculture web sites - $6.34

One pound of Red Worms from UNCO Industries, Inc. - $24.95

One stainless steel counter compost pail - $24.95

Not having to trek to the compost pile when it’s NEGATIVE 11 - Priceless

(Not being able to format blog post correctly - really stinkin’ annoying)