Author Archives: Joel

Today’s sunnier and drier than yesterday, so that’s good. It’s also cold and windy as hell. I’m about to buckle down and get serious about making bread, but before that I rummaged around chasing a memory to cheer me up. … Continue reading →

Okay, I’ve been doing this in the Big Chickenhouse for a long time and I’m better at finding them than they are at hiding them. Plus whenever they choose a nest that’s hard on my back, the rocks come out. … Continue reading →

Big Brother certainly chose the right day to leave. Wish he’d taken me with him. It’s been snowing for half an hour.

Stolen from the Vulgar Curmudgeon, who has recently changed his address – again… I gotta say it doesn’t sound happy in operation. Questions as to longevity abound. OTOH I couldn’t have done it, so what the hell do I know?

…it occurred to me: I sure am bundled up for late May. Cold, windy, driving heavy rain…this is May in the desert? Big Brother is on his way back to the Big City. I just this minute got a text … Continue reading →

Next step: Lots of painting. But not right away.

We could finish today. There’s not much left to do, just the flashing on the west side and the root edge. But we’re not going to finish today. Tomorrow’s fine.

I knew it was going to be windy this afternoon, but normally we can get at least a few still morning hours even on a windy day. So we started putting up the plywood, but those few hours were filled … Continue reading →

So yeah. I truly need one of these.

We broke for lunch fairly early today, though the work was going unexpectedly well, because I hit a wall and for once had the sense to stop. When I’m by myself and I’ve had too much work in the hot … Continue reading →

Big Brother and I are going to have dinner with some neighbors at 4, after which I plan to collapse in a heap.

More later…

2 is 1, 1 is none. I violated the rule that bites you when it’s violated. In October 2015, a Generous Reader sent me this… Only 3 1/2 years ago? Seems longer. Lots has happened since then, and this little … Continue reading →

That was T’s motto, or would have been if he’d started having a motto. And now it’s commemorated. Boot Hill got its sign. It is appropriately – and massively – overdone. 😀

If all is still according to plan, at this moment Big Brother is queuing up to board a plane in DFW, where he has been cooling his heels for almost eight hours. He booked this insane route, which (I guess?) … Continue reading →

I wanted to make a second bucket nest but I needed something better to line the cut plastic with. There was some cheap duct tape in the barn but it wasn’t enough to prevent a hen hurting herself. That link … Continue reading →

I have a few 6 gal buckets I can spare, and more press-on lids than I care to think about. Neighbor L suggested turning one into a nesting box to see if the Leghorns like it. I also like the … Continue reading →

Once a chicken gets an idea in its head…

A few weeks ago the base of my hummingbird feeder split its whole length and of course started to leak badly. I patched the split with some Seal-All, and that actually worked for a while. But the fix was temporary, … Continue reading →

So yesterday afternoon, in an effort to keep the Leghorns from laying their eggs under the nesting boxes, I hauled in a few rocks to block the entrance. This morning I found them scattered about… …and a couple of disgruntled … Continue reading →