Cat, meet chickens. Chickens, meet cat.

Oh no.  I am wondering what I have done.   Yesterday was the first day with the chickens.  It was a great morning.  Sam and I went out and fed them and talked to them.  I realized that they really poop alot in 12 hours!   I decided to get Biddy out and hold her and feed her from my hands.  I hear you should handle them a lot.  So I opened the door and waited.  Here she comes.  Grab her.   Oops, I missed.   There she goes.   Sam and I chased that chicken for a half an hour.  She was fast and curious.  I finally called Sharon (who laughed at me) in a panic.   As I was standing there feeling failed, the chicken came and sat down right under my legs.   I GOT HER!   Phew.    So Sam and I put her back in the coop and did the high  5.

Later, Sam let the cat into the yard.  Maggie was over checking out the chickens.  The neighborhood kids were screaming and wanting in to see them and the cat started pacing on the fence.  Carson's big chicken saw the cat and started squawking.   I don't mean she was clucking.  She was screaming.  It was the most horrifying sound I have ever heard.  We finally got the cat inside and the chicken stayed on her perch branch for the rest of the evening on the lookout.   She really is the Boss Hen. 

All night I kept asking Sharon, "What have I done? I am not a chicken farmer!"   And after tossing and turning all night long with worry about the chickens,  they are safe and snug and still sleeping this morning.  

It is a new day on my backyard farm.

The Chickens are here.

We drove to Washougal, Washington last night to the Corbitt's house to get the chickens.  I cooked dinner and dessert in exchange for some chickens.  Good trade, I think.  I was shocked to see how many chickens, roosters, and turkeys they had.  There was a tom turkey that was REALLY talkative.  
We knew we didn't want brooder chicks that we had to keep under a light, so we went for the adolescents.   Carson picked out a 5 month old Black Gold Americauna who she initially was going to name Shimmer but soon decided that Boss Hen would be more appropriate.  Her chicken will rule the roost and lay before the other 2.   Sam picked out a Delaware hen (we hope it isn't a rooster).   She is white with brown feathers and she puffs her neck feathers out.  Her legs are greenish and she should lay green eggs.  Sam named her Spidey-Worm.    I chose a speckled Maran who will lay dark maroon eggs.   I named her Biddy.    We brought them home in the dark and put them in their tractor last night.  I had terrible premonitions of raccoons getting them their first night here.

Boss Hen

Spidey-Worm

Biddy Hen

And I shall name her Biddy Hen.

My chicken tractor was delivered by my friend, farmer Sam, today.  My Sam and I went out and did our final preparations for the chickens.  I got them chicken mash to eat, pine shavings to sleep on, and a galvanized water fountain.   Our friends live on a "farm" in Washington and have offered to share their pullets!  They are 5 weeks old and ready to go outside.    I am getting a Cuckoo Maran!!!  We are also getting a Wyandotte and an Americauna.  Carson's only request is for hers to be black and shiny.   HMMMM??   I took Sharon to the urban feed store and showed her the adorable little chicks.  How could she resist?   I don't think she knows that ours will have feathers not fluff.

 This is the Chicken Tractor.  I will take suggestions for how to paint it. 

Sam is well versed in chickens as he has chickens at school.  He is hoping to feed his many spiders and worms because he knows they are a favorite treat.    I will post pictures of our very own chickens as soon as we bring them home.

A pair of Marans

OH MY GOD!

I just realized that the horrid story I have been hearing all these years about the nurse in WV who killed her husband in 2005 with a paralytic agent and then set the house on fire was SHELLY from my nursing class.  When I heard about it before I didn't recognize her married name and they had her reported as Michelle!  How could a girl know!!  Jeez! 

story about killer here

The Great Homework Project---being rejected!

Well, homework is on the slide.......No longer does Carson care about getting prizes and spinning wheels.  The sun has been out and it is spring.  NO ONE should EVER have to do HOMEWORK! 

Meeting of the minds.

Yesterday I hosted the first of many mother daughter group meetings.     When Carson was a baby, I read and amazing book called The Mother Daughter Group  . The idea is that you form a group of moms and girls when the girls are young and carefree and they develop support systems within the group so that when they become adolescents they have many friends and mothers to confide in and go to for advice and support. 

When we moved to P-town I left behind a huge group of supportive mothers that I depended on EVERY day to help me through the rough spots of motherhood, relationships, my job, etc, etc, etc.  I loved their children like they were my own and felt a huge hole where they had been.    I have been seeking strong supportive women since moving here and on a whim called up Kari and Catherine and asked them what they thought of a committed group of moms and girls that will meet through adolescence.   Both were excited and wanted in.  So each of them invited a mom/girl they knew.  I didn't know the moms or girls that were invited by them which I think makes this even better.
Yesterday we had an ice cream social and the girls did art projects describing themselves.  We had a great time and for two hours the girls played and laughed and so did the moms.  
Next time is swimming and a pizza party and then we plan to do camping, hiking, and volunteer work over the summer.    Here are some photos of all of us and of the meeting.  Yes, I do plan to get my HORRIBLE Dorothy Hamill haircut whacked off this week.

Carson's Homework

I always have to laugh when she comes home with this homework.   Sure, let me check your spelling.  Ha ha ha.

Entomology 101.

The kids down the street have chicken pox.......Of course they do.   They also had lice, step throat, and a multitude of other ailments that they have been willing to share with all of us.   The spots didn't stop them, however, from playing all weekend with my kids.  Carson had the vaccine, but Sam didn't.  Hmmmmm.  14 day incubation period puts us at about April 10.  I'll let you know.
They found sow bugs and slugs and had races and made bug homes.  Gross.  Sam drown his in about  2 minutes, but then put some dirt in the water to make them some mud.  Yet still, they remained dead.

Today my mom sent me a box of things from my Gramma Eloise's house.   I got her favorite sweater....a white cardigan with butterflies all over it.   It still smelled like her.   The kids were so excited to play in the big bag of gramma's jewelry.   Many of the pieces I remember from my own childhood.  In a time where everything seems so disposable, it seems so noble to buy what you like and then actually keep it forever.   While she never really had any expensive pieces of jewelry, she always looked like a million bucks when she left the house.  She was never without her coral lipstick and her clip on earrings.  Usually she had some sort of a fancy pin on (butterflies were her favorite).  
I remember her for her bowling league,  Friday night Moose Lodge dinners,  her amazing pie baking talents, her canned green beans and applesauce were like no other, her open toed high heeled sandals for every occasion including mowing the lawn and weeding the  garden, her amazing bee hive hair do which I used to go with her to get set weekly at Elsie's salon.  
She walked to my house to babysit me when I was little and then finally got a drivers license sometime after I was born.  Her first car was a Ford Pinto with a little round porthole window that she swore was the easiest car to make the turn from Crematory Hill to Hampton Road.  

It's so hard to believe that both of my grandmothers are gone.  It is also unbelievable that I was lucky enough to have them for so long in my life.  They lived long enough to meet my children.  Here they are in the jewelry. 

The Great Wolf Lodge = The Super WalMart of waterparks

I couldn't believe it.  I packed up my kids and drove north.   97 miles from Portland was the exit for Great Wolf Lodge.  Seriously, it was an exit on the highway.  There was, however, a Dairy Queen right across the road.  We spent the next 36 hours locked away inside this "resort" where anything you wanted could be purchased with the scan of the wristband (i.e. mark of the beast).  You couldn't believe this place even if you had seen it.  There was a wave pool, an obstacle course pool, a kiddie pool, a huge play area where you got massive amounts of water dumped on you every 5 minutes, hot tubs, water slides, corn dogs, nachos, and beer.   For those few hours, we were living the American Dream. 

There we were....Three moms and six kids.  So while two moms were trying to get some fun in on the grown up water slides, the third mom was trying to maneuver with 6 kids under the age of 8.  Wow.  I do have to say that the big water slide was the most fun I have had in a long time.  The adrenaline rush was just right.   I was only a little shaky when it was over.  

Then there were the wands.   Jesus, the wands!   So you buy these wands (with your wristband) and go on a quest.   Really,  they are more for older kids, but who cares if you can read the directions?   You aim them and wave them at things and they light up and talk and move.   Kinda reminded me of the old time shot gun games that you played at amusement parks, only futuristic.

Just when I couldn't take one more minute.....we were gone.  

50% chance of rain

That means 50% of no rain, so you have to go for it.  We had gorgeous weather and views in Astoria yesterday.  The last time we went to Astoria with no plans, we didn't see anything but the bridge.  Many people told us to "Give Astoria a Chance".    So, we did some planning and had a great time there.  

We hit the Maritime Museum which was surprisingly fun.  We did the museum and then went on a tour of an old Coast Guard Ship.   We learned a lot about the Columbia River Bar (otherwise known as Graveyard of the Pacific......) and how treacherous it  is to maneuver in a ship.   We took the cute little trolley up and down the riverfront.   The kids hit and AWESOME comic book store there and got some fun reading material which they devoured on the whole car ride home.  Carson and Sharon climbed the Astoria Tower for some awesome 360 degree views.  Last on the agenda was a stop in Seaside at the most awesome candy store.  We spent 30$ on candy before playing on the beach for an hour or so.    Spring Break fun!

Afternoon delight!

People were making fun of us!

Packed up the subbie and headed out to Mosier today to check out the Mosier Tunnels.  Had a little lunch in Mosier.  I discovered my new favorite pre-hike treat...A delicious pint of porter with a shot of espresso.....mmmmmm.     

 We scooted up and up and up to get through the tunnels and then got to scoot down and down and down.    cool old tunnel pictures here.
We were the only dorks on scooters, but we had a good time.  We took the scenic route home on Route 30 and passed all the waterfalls.  We ended up at the Vista House on the hill.  The only thing missing.........Dairy Queen.

Garden Curse

Our garden will be cursed forever since our children broke St. Fiarce (patron saint of Gardeners).  Or we will find ourselves in a drunken stupor on Taxi Cab Confessions since he is also the patron saint of Cab Drivers.

Little Door Update

I sent the little door home with my friend and commissioned  him to paint it.  100$ if I like it or 50$ if I don't.
click here.

Dude, that's funny.

Keeping Portland Weird...One person at a time.  

This guy was walking his cat through the Park Blocks this weekend. 

House updates

It seems as if my home projects never end.  For the last few weeks I have been prepping and painting my 2nd floor.   The prep and the clean up are so horrible for my ADD personality.  I like to roll the paint on and finish a wall in 10 minutes.  I do not like to fill holes, sand, and cut in.  It has been a test of my strength  to get it right.   We started with the "guest room".   Finishing that lead to my bedroom.  I have had some ideas in mind for the room and finally got it together.  That room is almost done now and I have been working on the playroom (carson picked an awful color blue) and now the hallway upstairs.  I didn't realize how bad it really was until I started covering up the ugly. 

I sent the little door home with my artist friend to paint a tiny mural on.  Commissioned, of course.  I should finish the hall this week and get started on the old family photo collage we are going to do.  Some photos are of our real families and some are well loved instant ancestors from antique stores.

Blooming Clematis

When I got back from WV I noticed that the clematis was in full bloom hiding behind the trailer. 

NO TREASURE FOUND BEHIND LITTLE DOOR

I have been wondering what was behind this little door.  So I opened it.  Part of me really hoped to find and old diary, love letter, or other little treasure  hidden behind the door.   Instead I found a pile of dust.   Wouldn't it be fun to write a story about something you found behind this little door?  Maybe  I will pitch it to Carson.

What the hell have I done?

All I wanted to do was paint my bedroom.....Now this.....  We tore out the plastic Pergo-like flooring and found some fir underneath.  Overall, it is in pretty decent condition.  Now we have to live with it until we can save some money to refinish it.    That is on the bottom of the list at the moment.  I also am going to go ahead and finish painting the upstairs.  We only have the playroom and the hallway left so I may as well do it now.  I want to reglaze the bathtub, get a new front door,  and build a deck with a hot tub.  
Pauly came over to help us pull the flooring.  Now he has taken about 1500 sq. feet of the awful stuff to put in his house!  He didn't sign up to be our son's male role model and it's a good thing because he could be my long lost goofy twin.  Here he is getting stuck between our bed and the wall.   Sam loves Paul and when we aren't doing a house project asks when he will be coming back.  They are good buds and find humor in the same kind of jokes and bodily noises.

Inside my bedroom..

When we first moved into this house everything was yellow and tan-yellow.  It was like the previous owners bought a paint sprayer and painted most of the house tan or yellow and then mixed those two colors and painted the rest.
We exhausted ourselves and our wallet renovating the main floor.  (Actually, we didn't do any of the  work ourselves, but...).   Now I feel like the upstairs is in need of some attention.  So room by room we are painting and fixing and replacing.  The guest room is done!  However, guests will still be sleeping on an Aerobed since we wanted to still use it as an office for the 45 weeks of the year that no one is visiting.  The room will also convert easily to accommodate a Japanese Intern or exchange student in the near/distant future.
Now we are on to my bedroom.  I designed the whole room around my awesome Jesus and Mary pictures.  I know, kind of odd for a non believer to have HUGE Jesus and Mary pictures on a mantle in her bedroom, but they are so intriguing.   (Thanks for impulse buying them for me, Mom).  I also got an amazing tapestry made by women in Pakistan  from  old Saris to hang on the wall.
I will post pictures this weekend.

Carson helps.

Poor Sharon doesn't know that I also plan to make her paint the hallway upstairs this weekend too.   Pauly is coming sometime to take all the awful Pergo upstairs (which is also a variation of tan yellow).  I am hoping the hardwood underneath is in decent condition.

The Dody animals.....photos by Carson

Another beautiful day in Portland.

I am grabbing them up while I can, cause I know that the rain will soon return. I am also thankful that Carson will gladly stop playing with her friends to go for a hike with her family. The weather and the scenery were very Denver-like this weekend. Except I don't remember any blooming trees in Denver in Feb.

February Thaw.

This picture is extremely offensive if you are living on the east coast right now and your children have had two weeks of snow days.......
These are the flowers outside of Richmond Elementary.
The Pacific Northwest rain payoff = spring like weather and bloomers in February. We visited Portland during the February Thaw a few years ago and didn't believe that it rained all winter.....We were fooled.

Today Sam and I were out all day. We picked up Carson on the bus and walked home from school today. Everyone was happy for this day.

from now on, i will only shop at Cargo

I am in love with Cargo. This super coolio store in the Pearl is full of world treasures. Today I got a paper mache mask (I could have bought all of them), an old cigarette advertising poster from China, and what I thought was an Oni (Japanese monster) for Carson. It turns out that it was a Daruma, which is a small red wooden doll that you make a wish upon. When you make your wish, you color in one eye and when it comes true, you can color in the other one. Carson said, "mom, that is no Oni silly, it's a Daruma"! As if I would and could possibly know the difference.
Here are some paper mache masks. I got the girly one.