rain-proof

construction begins

I should have done this last summer, but I didn't. The chicken coop is large and airy and lovely but it does have an Achilles' heel: willful precipitation. Our usual dreary mist is ok; driving rain is ok. But when the wind blows and there is day after day of stuff falling from the sky then a considerable amount of it finds it's way into the coop. The snow was the worst since it remained in tiny drifts. Recent crazy rain has been pretty bad too since the coop bedding is a thick layer of wood shavings. If they get a little wet then I just distribute scratch (chicken corn treats) to the offending bits and the chickens peck and shove around that area and the dampness eases. But with continuous blowing rain the entire floor of the coop is wet. It is unpleasant for everyone.

Hand comfort sponsored by Gabriel, who knit me these hand warmers. It was very cold outside!

So I made a set of removeable panels to block unwanted water but let in desired light. The long top pieces are held on with wing-nuts, and when they are removed the vertical slats can roll up to make long storable lengths. Over time the plastic creases should ease out and it will look more uniform. It took a few days because of my resolution that "everything about the coop shall look professionally done and not haphazard." This meant painting the wood and with 40 degree days and 30 degree nights that takes a while to dry.

So tonight I got the panels up and celebrated by giving the girls two huge bunches of spinach and an entire new bale of wood shavings. They will have dry toasty feet tonight.

Let's not mention that at 4m today it was dreary and so foggy outside that I was thinking about tentacles reaching for me from the brush. Bonus: no visible snow in this photo!

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During 2008 there was one huge food transition for me. I'd always found avocados to be tasteless and dull, not worth the fat and calories to eat guacamole. Charlie and most of my friends would happily eat my share with beatific expressions and I could never ever get what they were so fired up about. But suddenly when we were in Cabo I fell in love with avocados. It was strange, to go from a state of complete ambivalence to actually craving a food.


It looks like 2009 is following that trend, and I don't even have the hormonal excuse that I had in Cabo. Tonight I bought a bunch of beets. I've always hated the damn things but wanted to like them because they have so many fantastic vitamins and let's face it: how often can you actually consume such an intense color? I kept trying them and just not liking them at all. But tonight I made matchsticks of three vivid red beets, a slivered root of fennel, and tossed it with a white wine vinaigrette. And if Charlie doesn't get home from work soon I am going to eat it all.

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Wednesday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Tuesday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Monday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Sunday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Saturday: 3
Eggs laid this year: 57