Hello All

We're still here though we aren't doing a whole lot of self sufficient stuff that isn't on the blog already. This picture is of Michelle standing by our little section of the lake. We walked down there the other day and found that others have made a new path down to the lake so now I am trying to get walking down there ever day that I am not working. I didn't think we were going to get to today because it is overcast and thundering now and then but it has only sprinkled so we chanced it and got our walk in. I need all the exercise I can get as my job at the state park here requires me to do very little exercise.
Not much has changed here. We put in a new hot water heater over the weekend when the other one started leaking out the top. I hate it for my friend Diane who owns the house as we paid for the hot water heater so she will have to take it off the rent and she has a new car to pay for but that isn't my problem. We shouldn't have to pay rent and do without hot water too.
Phil and I have some money saved and are looking at properties but just have not found anything that fits our needs and price range yet so we will be working on getting his credit score up in the meantime.
I still have my chickens out there. I have a couple hens sitting on big nests of eggs. I didn't keep track of how long it had been but seems like one nest should have chicks soon if they are going to hatch at all. If they do I will probably have to take them and brood them inside as the cats get my chicks if I don't.
Phil has a new (used) truck. The transmission went in the old one. He actually traded future tile work for the truck so it didn't actually cost us any money but will mean some weekend work in the future.

Michelle also got her first car. It also is used but is running great and she takes it back and forth to  her work. She saved up for the $3000.00 car herself.

Still playing my violin without a teacher but I did buy a subscription to a site called Violin Lab. They have over 550 videos on violin playing and it definitely has been a help to me.

I am still crocheting and knitting as well. Sales have really slowed down since Christmas is over though so I am not crocheting and knitting quite as much. I try to make and sell my own designs as well but it is slow going.

I really haven't forgotten about this blog just nothing really worthy of writing about. I am thinking about gardening a little this year but only if I am able to get the garden in better shape. Will let you know if I ever do..

First Egg

Got my first egg from the new chickens! It is the white one in the center.

This was obviously from one of the two white hens in the pen and not one of the bantams but I watched one of the red bantams fly up to the nest today and it had no problems with that so I know at least the red ones can get up to the nest too.

I have been very busy knitting. Order after order for Minecraft hats came in. I finally had to stop taking orders or I would never get my grand-daughter's stuff done in time to send for Christmas. It was nice getting all those orders though. I am working on the last one today and then will be working on the more important grand-daughter stuff.

Today is my birthday. I was pretty sure I was still in my 20's but apparently I am 47. Phil got me several skeins of yarn, a styrofoam head to display my hats on and a nice set of circular knitting needles. Everything I really wanted. He is real good with birthdays but I really suck at them.

Thanksgiving was very nice. We had a meal at home on Thanksgiving and then a "Thanksmas" with our family that weekend. My brother and sister-in-law made me a very nice yarn bowl out of a thick wooden bowl that they drilled a hole in. Works great and is so creative. My other sister gave me an apron that has a towel sewn right into the front of it. I really like that as I am always tucking a towel into my pocket when I am cooking in the kitchen and I needed another apron (I am not sure what happened to my last one but I think it was worn during the pig butchering..). Anyway, there were other very nice goodies as well. Phil fried a turkey and we had another one in the oven and both were great.

Christmas is coming and I am almost ready, just have to get all these boxes packed and sent off so they get there on time! Time always runs out so fast and I am left scrambling to get out packages at the end but I  do try. I think Phil and I are going to have to sit down and do all this wrapping tonight...ugg....not my favorite chore...

From Quail Cage to Nest Boxes

The new chickens had a pen but no nest boxes. I had some quail cages but no quail ....

There are 4 quail cages, stacked on top of each other in sets of two but they weren't attached to each other so we could separate them if needed. So I took the top two cages this morning, cleaned them all out, cut off all but a few inches on the bottom of the wire. I then had to bend the remaining wire down so the chickens would not get cut on it. Turned the cage over so the solid part was on the top and I had some good nest boxes.
The really hard part was moving the big chunks of oak we still had from when the tree fell on the house but once I got them down, they rolled most of the way.

I think it looks pretty darn good.

It is possible I might have to put a step or a ramp on it for the cochin bantams but we'll see if they learn to fly up to it first.
Oh and the little brown bantam with the badly infected eye looks like it is almost completely better! The swelling is almost gone and the eye is open  and looking good.