A Cosmic Experience. Nope... And warm chickens.

I am looking forward to a new apple.  I had hoped to grow one, as well, but I guess that isn't to be, for a while.

Let me explain.

Washington State University has produced an apple that they call Cosmic.  It is a good keeper, it's pretty, and it tastes good, for all that I have read the reviews.  Great, huh?

Well, I want to get a tree!  Would be a neat new apple to have!  Hmm.  Well, let's just look this up...

Uh, Washington... Only?  Um.  What?  I start reading, they are keeping it JUST in Washington State for 10 years, to support state industries. 

Poo. 

Well, I guess I will have to just see what other trees I can plant.  Or vines. Or whatever. 

But it was still kind of cool to know there is a brand new apple around... 

In other news, I think Salt and Pepper are going to be girls.  Salt has figured out how to jump up on the feed barrel, which leads to incessant peeping when I am getting feed.  Pepper just waits, and then nabs food as soon as it's down.  Neither are very aggressive, which I am happy about.  I just wish they weren't quite so quick to run under my feet when I feed.  I have to be very aware where they are, they are as like to run under my foot as I step, as to run beside me! 

The group has FINALLY finished molt, and are looking good again.  They are not unhealthy when they molt, but it does nothing for the general glamour of the place.  Plus, there are feathers EVERYWHERE.  It looks like a pillow fight went terribly wrong...  But, making sure they have some extra feed, and kept warm, they pull through like little troopers.

Oh, and to the end of keeping them warm.  Husband, bless and thank him, went and bought me some covers for the windows.  I had been using plastic 'fabric' for a bit, and then feed bags, but neither really did the job.  I was grousing, because we needed to cover the windows again, and it was going to be really cold.  I thought that there should be something better for what we were doing.  That's when he came up with the window covers.  They are like tin roofing, but clear acrylic. He put several screw holes set in on the edges, and put up the panels on both sides of the chicken house.  When I went in the next morning, it wasn't balmy, by any stretch, but the roof panels, now window panels, had kept enough heat in to have the water in the chicken's waterer thawed.  And the chickens were happy and lively, until they ran outside.

They seem to like being inside, now!  At least until the sun is well and full on the chicken house...

Getting back to posting...

I took a bit of time off.  I had family that was coming out to our house (to see the cat).  That stupid cat has a better social life than most PEOPLE that I know!  So I spent some time making sure the house was presentable, we had enough seats.  (This is something I have to do.  A flat surface, such as the area beside me on the couch, becomes a makeshift knitting table with amazing swiftness.)  Then making sure that it was as baby safe as I could make it. (Family brought... I think she is two years old, and she is a wonderful little umpty umpth cousin to me...) 

And I have changed my blog icon to reflect the cougar that seems to want all the attention.  I am going to try and get photos on the sides of my animals, so no one forgets old Tux, but I figure, with that cat, I can decorate for the holidays and such.  (Now how am I going to get rabbit ears on that thing?)

So, that was taken care of, and now that I am finally, but finally over that cold, (I had a nagging cough for over two weeks!), I went back to my spinning class.  Then some catch up on all the 'stuff' that I needed.  Let's just say, I am glad llamas and chickens eat more or less the same food, as I was feeding everyone the same thing for a day or two until I could get to the feed store.  I suppose I could have asked Husband, but he is busy with work, so I figured,well, cracked corn seems to fill up everyone.  And with the llamas being somewhat sloppy eaters, it gives the chickens "leftovers"...  (Re reading this, I might mention that Husband and Rudee did NOT have to eat cracked corn.  Though Rudee would, if I would let him...)

Fixed the fence.  You will notice there is no picture.  I did a hideous job that I am not proud of, but it does keep Rudee from going into the neighbor's field.  It did not, however, keep that little PITA dog of the neighbors for managing to nose UNDER the thing again, so I am going to get land mines heavy fencing, and some hog rings, and see if I can defeat the little monster that way. 

This is becoming personal...

I came home to the smell of fir trees.  I wondered what that was all about, when Husband told me we had a load of chips delivered from the power company.  In this area, if you let the company know that you would be willing to take them, they will give you the chips from clearing the right of way. (Otherwise they have to take it to the dump and pay for it.)  This is mostly pine, fir, and occasional other stuff.  But mostly fir, it smells like, this round.  We want to put a bunch of it on some of the sinking areas where the llamas walk from the back field to the front.  Also, my chicken yard could use a good going over, since the rainy season has floated away a lot of our work, leaving a mud ball out in front...

I am knitting a baby blanket.  I said it was a baby boy's blanket, as I am making it in blue with a "diamond plate" pattern.  Well, Husband disagrees, saying that the diamonds are all connected, and big. Diamond plate is tiny, and not connected.  Hmph.  Well, just so happens, I have a pattern for small, non-connected solid diamonds.  The gauntlet has been dropped, and so I know what I will be working on NEXT blanket! 

Speaking of Husband. You remember, the guy who doesn't like cats?  He was so disappointed, he'd tried to get me a Maine Coon, ahem, for ME, that someone was getting rid of on Craig's List. 

He hates cats.  My Aunt Fanny, he hates cats...

And I said that I would get some pictures of the tree that fell?  Here is the root ball. I can't reach the top well, so it's a bit tall taller than 8 feet (about 2.5 meters).

And the tree itself? I am guessing 30 to 40 feet or more (9 to 12 meters), probably more.  It knocked down a smaller tree nearby.  But, again, no one hurt, no fences down.  No llamas squished.  And we will have more firewood.  I guess it's all good.  So far. 

But I am not hauling firewood yet, mid August, either...