I am growing onions for the first time this year. We are still having crazy Montana-like weather here (another asshole snow storm yesterday) but I managed to get the perky dudes in the ground after work a few days ago.
Although it is chilly and feels more like February than April, my gardens are exhibiting a zest for life and hope for warm weather. Below photos: spicy mesclun mix, spurge (not the horrid spurge), purple leaf winter creeper, oregano, strawberry, tulip.
Today I build the chicken coop. Yes, my birds are still in my bathroom. They are giant and cute. Their little chicken personalities are emerging. They play and hop. They often sound like giggling sophomore girls getting ready for homecoming dance. I imagine them saying things like how do my tail feathers look? And, my comb? Am I calling too much attention to my husky thighs if I walk like this? I hope my man will help with the coop or it could end in tears and an early cocktail hour.
Bossy likes to run and cause trouble. She would be the bitchy girl at the dance who would convince unassuming Ida and Clementine that the rooster didn’t like them so she could cluck over and steal a dance. In most photos I take, she is racing by declaring you’re not the boss of me!
As for an update on my panicky pooch, we have been giving her Bach’s Rescue Remedy twice a day and some extra treats and attention and it is totally working.
click to enlarge my plot:
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9 Comments
Dear Prom Chaperone,
Love the photos!
I smile at your analogy of prom chicks and your chicks, they are so big!
I am sure the coop will be a huge success & I predict that the early cocktail hour will be because of this triumph.
Happy building…..
xoxo, The Gram Momma Chick
I started with 15 day-old chicks that were supposed to be pullets and I have (so far) 3 roosters in the bunch! I am attached to all of them but 2 roosters are going to have to move to a new home, boo hoo!
Aren’t chicks the most fun?
I just totally got lost (in a good way) for at least 20 minutes on your blog! What fun–I definitely plan to visit again.
A few things: Your Alice has a lot of the same markings as my Coco. Coco’s half Alaskan Malamute and half Labrador Retriever… I can see the lab in Alice, but do you know what else? Wow she’s a pretty dog.
I love the blue walls, but I can see why it might have taken you a while to get used to them. They do show off bug very well, though. *grin*
The only plant I know of as “wintercreeper” is a euonymous, and it doesn’t have any sort of bloom that I’ve ever noticed. Any chance you have a hellebore hidden in yours?
Last, but not least… how did the chicken coop go? 🙂
Hi Nicci,
I am so glad I read your post today to warn you that your spurge (myrtle or donkeytail spurge or Euphorbia myrsinites) you planted may not be as well known as the devastating leafy spurge, but it is listed as noxious in at least two western states and we just listed it in Salt lake County, Utah (noxious in WA & CO). It appears to not have been a problem for decades, but in the last 5 years or so it has escaped garden plantings, and it has literally covered large foothill slopes adjacent to our glorious Wasatch forests and we are hearing of more and more reports of kids & adults that have severe reactions to the white latex. Some even have blisters and swelling, as it is similar to the latex in leafy spurge which has been known to cause temporary blindness in wildlife and livestock. Definitely not a plant to have around kids that could get it in their eyes and mouths. So… I know it is really cool looking, drought tolerant, yada yada, but… there are plenty of much “nicer” natives which can fill the bill. Take buckwheats, penstemons, oenothera, etc. This is a very important issue to me both professionally and personally as I see invasive species changing our most loved natural lands and altering them in ways that can never be reversed. As you would like your bug to see polar bears, I really want my bug to see meadows full of diverse wildflowers, not single species monocultures. Hope you will see it that way too.
Every time I read your blog, I want to be a gardner. Seriously, I want to get a big hat, rubber clogs, some cute gloves and I want to plant stuff. I want to be Garden Girl. Yup. Inspiring!
Your chicks are so cute and BIG! I can’t believe how fast they grow. I’ve had mine a little over a week and they’ve changed so much! Wanna see? http://yikthechick.blogspot.com/
First attempt at blogging so don’t expect greatness. 🙂
trb: coop pics soon!
kathi d: oh my. Three roosters?! What will you do with the dudes?
Blackswamp: I noticed your Coco right away! They are similar. Don’t know what Alice is…pit bull? boxer? rott? All perfection, for sure. I am doing research on my ‘wintercreeper’. Very curious.
Sage: Thanks for that info! So, I should yank it? Dang. I do really like it. And there are cute (or not-so-cute, depending on your perspective) mini spurges popping up all over my drought-resistant front yard. But, I agree and will pull. Thanks for the info!
Kelle: Get your hands in the dirt! In Florida you can grow things like lemons! And greens all year!
Lisa yik: I will check out your chicks. Welcome to the world of poultry raising.
Hi nicci,
Few… I thought you might not be easily persuaded and I would be bummed that I can’t even get my message across to people concerned with the state of the world! Anyhow, you should dig up as much of the root as you can, 4″ is recommended. Wear gloves to avoid any exposure to the skin, and do throw it in the trash. I know… I try to compost as much as I can, but these guys shouldn’t be messed with and you would hate to have it spread via compost. Also, monitor for new guys, it could be a couple years until they are truly gone. Good luck!
If my roosters will get along together and not fight, I will probably keep them all. I’m far enough out that the neighbors shouldn’t be concerned. If they fight, I will try to find good homes for all but one. I’ll hate to give any up though, since they have all become “lap chickens.”