More Chicks

This mama bantam hen has a whole dozen chicks. Eleven of them she hatched herself and one I gave to her from the other pens because it was running around in that pen and the mamas aren't done hatching in there. I didn't even know this hen had that many eggs under her!

These are the other two mamas setting in the pen with all the roosters. I am sure I will have to move them once they are done hatching. Right now they have two chicks under them. I saw them when the hens went to get water and food today.

And, unfortunately, we have one lone duckling again. A few days ago when I candled there were 3 still alive in the eggs in the incubator but this is the only one that hatched. He is a bit brownish so it will be interesting to see what color he/she turns out to be.

Ugg!

So I was going to do a quick little post this morning on how I had tried to braid my garlic...

How I had planted some ginger root, repotted my mint and worked a bit on the bread bowl (still not enough going on to take pictures) and then I went out this morning...
I think once you have been around your animals for a while,  you know when something is wrong or different and I knew the minute I went out the door. I don't know how I knew or what exactly was wrong. It might have been because the pigs didn't woof at me like they always do. The chickens were quite but the pigs made no sound. I went to them first to see what was wrong. I always have the fear of them getting out. They were out alright but not completely. They had gotten though the weak spot in the fence to the chickens pen. What a relief! They were in the chicken pen but they at least weren't loose! I had leaned a pallet up against that weak spot between the pens and they had never bothered it before but it rained good last night and softened up the soil for them and they toppled the pallet and broke through the fence into the chicken pen. I have three large pens all are connected. They also were not interested in eating the chickens which was also a plus.
So I lured them back into their pen. It was pretty easy. They, of course, wanted that food. Then I set to work fixing the fence. I wired it together better and then put the pallet against it and wired the pallet to the fence....but...the pallet wasn't quite big enough and one of the pigs went around and broke just a little spot on the other side and went through again. I go in the chicken pen and try to get him to go back through the hole. He pays me little or no attention. I try luring with food but he has already eaten and wants to root in the chicken pen more. I ran in the house and got the duck eggs. My pigs LOVE eggs. He fell for it and squeezed back through the little hole (you would have never guessed that huge pig would fit!). I set to work wiring that hole closed then went and dragged another pallet from the house and wired it on the chicken pen side over that hole. I have checked on them a few times since and it seems to be holding but they like that chicken pen and they are steadily trying the fence on that side and I have also seen them now trying the fence on the duck pen side so I don't doubt that they will find a way out again. I think I will call Phil and have him bring home another pallet or two. 
I didn't even mention the chickens getting out while I was trying to put the pallet in or the fact that the septic is stopped up so I had the pleasure of washing my hair in cold water in the outdoor sink this morning( I did sponge bathe in the house, of course).
Sigh, it is going to be another long week.

The Pleasure of Herbs

Hope you all are having a wonderful Mother's Day!
Yes, I know..another book. I have entirely too many and some are useful and some aren't. This one I have already put to use though.
The Pleasure of Herbs has a rather odd way of presenting its information. It does it monthly. While I understand the concept of trying to make the book interesting, I think most people have an herb and just want to know how to use it and to do that with this book to find information on a specific herb you have to use its glossary. However, if you actually have time to browse through the book, you will find that there is a lot more to the book than that.
This isn't a "coffee table" book, there are no color pictures just black and white ink drawings which might have normally made me put the book back (I like pretty pictures!). But as I skimmed through the book I immediately saw a recipe I wanted to try, I then saw, some good tips on propagating herbs, a lathe house used for shade on hot summer days (we have plenty of those), herbal footbath, beautiful herb garden designs (even in black and white), starting from seed, herbal soaps, potpourri, rosemary cake etc.!
I got the book for $ .99.
Here is my first recipe from the book. You just can't go wrong with a bread made with cheese and bacon.

Quick Caraway Cheese Bread

4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I had a mix of cheeses)
2/3 cup crumbled bacon
2 teaspoons caraway seeds

Grease bottom only of 2- 9x5x3  loaf pans (my loaf pans are larger than that so I used my long loaf pan). Mix together everything but the bacon, cheese and seeds, then mix them in. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans.

I wanted to add that after eating this, I was very surprised to find that you really couldn't taste the bacon at all. The caraway had a nice light taste to it though. I think next time instead of oil I will melt some bacon grease and grease the pan with bacon grease and see if I can add a bit more bacon-y flavor to it.

Gardening At Work

I have been trying to bring a little greenery inside where I work by bringing in some plants. Plants tend to soften the look of any place they are put. I have these behind the membership desk where they can be seen when people come in.

Some of you may remember that I work at the Boys and Girls Club here and that we also got some raised beds for our children to garden in last fall.

Through the winter the children grew turnips in the gardens but since then they have basically sat empty until yesterday when our Unit Director got us some plants. I myself had bought trowels and seeds as well.

So yesterday some of  the children were taken out and they planted. They had tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, and the seeds to plant.

 It is a wonderful thing to be able to do with the children and I think it is catching on. We are located  here in the housing project here in Thomson and there has always been one house that caught my eye every spring because they plant a garden but this year I noticed that there are three houses with gardens right by the Club.

We are truly hoping no one bothers our gardens at the Club. We had initially wanted a fence around it but were not able to get one and the children in the neighborhood are a bit rough on anything left outside. Here are pictures of the ones with the plants in them.

Tomatoes and peppers

Cantaloupe and watermelon (I think)

Joining the blog hop  here.

"There was this SALE!"

So I had to stop at the store last night to pick up 4 things: milk, dish soap, soda for Phil and paper towels. I don't believe I have mentioned that Fluff had kittens under the house which is where the cats usually do but Fluff is a very small cat and this weekend we could hear the kittens crying. We tried to get them out but couldn't get them all to come to us at first but the other day we managed to get all of them---4 thin little kittens. Fluff was brought inside as well and was found to be sick and her milk had, for the most part, run out.

But we are pretty good at the kitten raising thing now. 1 cup milk, 1 egg and a drop of corn syrup makes the best milk for kittens (we have tried the stuff in the store before, it gives them diarrhea).

 Anyway, four kittens drink a lot of milk and go through a lot of paper towels so I had to stop at the store. 
When I got home Phil said, "Geez, I didn't know you were getting that much stuff!"
And I said, "But there was this SALE!"
And he said, "Really...again?"
It was funny but there really was a bit of sale. The marigolds were on sale!

 I might just plant them in the garden to attract more bees. I have some that I started from seed down there but they aren't blooming yet and I like having flowers in the garden. It is cheery to walk down and see something blooming amongst the vegetables.
And then they had sale stuff in tubs right as you came in the door and I passed them by at first because there were some very rude women standing around them talking "trash" about the stuff in the bins (ok, little vent, if you don't want the stuff leave it alone and try to watch your mouth in) but when I came back through no one was at them and I took a look. Not much was left but this was there!

Yeah! I wanted one of these! I had looked them up online and in the stores and they were always over $20. It isn't that I can't make jerky without it, I can, it is just that this will make it a whole lot easier. It was $2. The box had been opened but all the stuff inside was still wrapped in plastic.
So that was my joy for the day. I do love getting a good deal on something that I have been wanting.
By the way, the kittens are doing great. Gaining weight, though the little one in the second picture is incredibly needy and wants to be held all the time. Fluff is getting better as well but now, sadly,  just kind of ignores the kittens. 

Finally Peppers and RAIN!

We have been without rain for a week and a half or so and when it is nearly 90 F. every day, things get a bit...cooked. We have had a good chance for rain for 2 days and it rained not a half mile from the house both days (I actually have gotten to see a rainbow each day too!) but no rain for us. This morning it got a little dark then sprinkled and I thought that might be all we would get. I got out there and made my discovery in the garden and got a few pictures. After coming in, however, things got good and dark and it is finally RAINING! Oh, it isn't pouring but it is a nice steady light rain that will give the garden a good water that it has been needing.
Speaking of gardening here is the pepper part:

 And another!:

I finally am going to have some fresh peppers to eat. I don't know if it is the raised beds or the variety, Jimmy Nardello, that did it but whatever it was, I am glad.
(The rain is stopping- a bit sooner than I had hoped but at least we got some this time.)
I guess that is the way gardening goes. Last year I got my first onions and radishes to grow. This year the onions did nothing and I only got a few radishes (different bed), but this year it looks like I will get peppers and squash which I  didn't get last year. If I could just get a couple years together, I would be all set!
Here is a few more pictures. This is a cluster of tomatoes on one of the hanging basket tomatoes and the other is a bunch of blossoms on one of the larger tomatoes.