This 'n That Thursdays: Keeping Chickens

From Fowl Visions

From Sean1983.com

I love the idea of keeping chickens!  I had a flock for a while that eventually succumbed to predation, but as soon as I can get a coop and run built I intend to get more chickens.  Two of my favorite breeds are pictured above.  On the left is the Barred Plymouth Rock, a large, handsome, black-and-white bird developed in the United States that lays light brown eggs. It is a color variation of the Plymouth Rock breed.  On the right is a Buff Orpington, a color variation of the Orpington, which is a heavy-bodied English breed with distinctive leg feathering. The Orpington also lays light brown eggs.  Both breeds are cold-hardy and make excellent backyard birds.  Buff Orpingtons need a little more protection as they are too heavy to fly and their feathers do not protect them from rain, but with access to shelter they are excellent layers.

This site has a picture and information about building the type of coop I would like to have for my birds.  It also gives an enjoyable description of the trials and tribulations of keeping chickens.  Overall, though, the joy of chickens far outweighs the sorrow, and I can't wait to have my own flock once again!

From BackYardChickens.com

Holiday Hits: International Respect for Chickens Day

By Blue Gate Farm

Have you hugged your chickens today?  You should, because it is International Respect for Chickens Day!  This is a chance to show our appreciation for the bounty we have received from these fine feathered friends.  Around the world, chickens are one of our most important domesticated species, and they deserve a day of respect from all of us.  They have given us so much and ask very little in return, so thank you, Gallus gallus domesticus -- I don't think our species could have thrived without you!  You are a super bird indeed:

Wish List Wednesdays: The Nogg Modern Wooden Chicken Coop

The nogg

Shortly after we moved to rural Georgia I was given a free-roaming flock of six hens and a rooster.  That first year they all thrived, and by fall I had over two dozen birds.  However, the following spring local predators, especially the foxes, had discovered my chickens and in a few months the flock was wiped out.  I would like to have chickens again, but to keep them safe I must have a predator-proof coop and run to put them in at night.  I have been checking out my options lately, and that is now I discovered the nogg.  This small coop is designed to house up to four chickens in style!  Constructed of naturally anti-bacterial cedar and designed with fox-proof latches, the egg-shaped nogg will weather beautifully over time while keeping a small flock safe.  I am not sure how practical or affordable it is, but the sheer beauty of the nogg makes me wish I had one for my yard!
   

Terrifying Tuesdays: The Birds (1963)

Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"(1963) is a horror classic that scarcely needs an introduction, especially to those who enjoy the genre!  Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), a wealthy San Francisco socialite with a penchant for practical jokes, impulsively follows lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) to his family home in Bodega Bay after he turns the tables on her and plays a practical joke of his own at a pet shop.  Almost as soon as she arrives, though, the local birds begin behaving very strangely.  Melanie is hit on the head by a large gull, Mitch's mother Lydia (Jessica Tandy) worries because her chickens are off their feed, and another gull dies slamming into the door of Annie Hayworth's (Suzanne Pleshette) house where Melanie is staying for the night.  As the weekend progresses, the birds become more and more aggressive, and several people are killed as a result.  Melanie finally ends up barricaded in the Brenner family home with Mitch, Lydia, and Mitch's sister Cathy (Veronica Cartwright) as they attempt to survive yet another bird attack.  Melanie ends up seriously wounded, and in the final scene of the movie the four pile into Melanie's car and start to drive out of town, literally surrounded by crowds of menacing birds.

The ending of the movie resolves nothing, and we are left to wonder if these people will survive, and also if the rest of the world will face the same menace.  We are also given no explanation as to why the birds are behaving so badly, and it is this feeling of unsettled dread and uncertainty which makes this movie so effective.  The use of eerie sound effects rather than music throughout most of the movie also promotes a feeling of vague terror.  I feel the need to give this movie a Gore Guide rating of "2" because there are several rather gruesome attacks and death scenes, in particular the one with the close-up of the farmer (and those who have seen the movie know which scene I am talking about).  However, in spite of this rating "The Birds", which is based upon a 1952 novella of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, is an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece and a must-see for all who have an interest in scary movies.

Interesting Fact: Alfred Hitchcock, who liked to appear in cameos in his films, can be seen walking two dogs past the pet shop at the beginning of the movie (the dogs were his own).

Gore Guide (0=none to 5=extreme): 2

Current Events: Take That, Terrorist!

Obama nails Osama!!!  Thank you, Mr. President, for keeping your promise!  And high praise is due to our soldiers who carried out the successful operation against Osama bin Laden, the evil terrorist who killed thousands of innocent civilians here in the United States and elsewhere around the world.  This is one of those rare current events topics that I felt the need to post on my normally news-phobic blog.  How ironic that yesterday I watched a series of superhero movies on television, because, for today at least, President Obama has achieved superhero status.  Hopefully the death of Osama bin Laden will send a message to terrorists everywhere that they will suffer the consequences of their actions.  "The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine" -- this variation of the quote certainly applies here!  Read more details of the story, and watch President Obama's speech below:

Okay, news brief over -- I am now returning to my regularly scheduled blog programming!

    

Mystery Mondays: Laura Childs' Cackleberry Club Mystery Series

The newest offering by Laura Childs (author of the Tea Shop mysteries) is the Cackleberry Club mystery series, set in the small midwestern town of Kindred.  Three suddenly-single women, Suzanne Dietz (widowed), Toni (divorced), and Petra (husband in nursing home with Alzheimer's), decide to open a business together called the Cackleberry Club.  Part restaurant, part bookshop, and part knitting store, the mainstay of the business is the restaurant, which specializes in serving an amazing variety of egg dishes (recipes included at the end of each book!).  Petra is the cook and knitter while Toni is the waitress and book club leader, but Suzanne is the business manager and CEO who put up most of the money to start the Cackleberry Club.

The three friends are making a success of their enterprise, but every once in a while murder will rear its ugly head, forcing Suzanne in particular to investigate and solve each homicide to keep their business running smoothly.  A bit of rivalry with Carmen Copeland, a romance novelist in the next town over, and a possible romance with a local doctor keep Suzanne on her toes as well.  There are three novels in the series so far, and while I personally prefer the Tea Shop mysteries, the camaraderie of the three women in these books as well as the delicious recipes makes them worth reading.  Check this site for an excerpt from the first novel as well as all of the recipes in the book (the Cherry Pie Muffins and Bodacious Bacon Quiche sound especially delicious!).  And here is a super easy recipe from Bedeviled Eggs, the third installment in the series:

Eggs in a Basket

1 can refrigerated biscuits
8 eggs

Separate biscuits into eight portions and press into greased muffin tin cups.  Break one egg into each biscuit basket.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-20 minutes until eggs are set.  Garnish with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, Hollandaise sauce, and/or any other topping if desired.  Serves 8.  (I told you it was super easy!)
         

Holiday Hits: May First Holidays

From On the Wings of Dreams

The first day of May is May Day, but it is a day to celebrate other occasions as well, including Lei Day:

From Away Soiree

It is also Mother Goose Day,

From BookBest

as well as World Laughter Day:

From Inspirational-Short-Stories.com

And it is the last day of National Dance Week:

Enjoy any and all of the holidays you choose to celebrate today!