Monthly Archives: July 2011
Chicken Shadows
Posted by Lesley on July 30, 2011
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{this moment} Walking
Posted by Lesley on July 29, 2011
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{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -Soulemama
Porterweed: The Drama Queen of the Garden
Posted by Lesley on July 26, 2011
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When we planted our butterfly garden, part of the installation was one pretty little blue Porterweed plant.
Less than a year later, and the once petite plant is now a Medusa taking over the patio.
I think it ate the Button sage that was to its right, and the Cassia tree looked to be next. The flowery snakes were starting to slither up through the tree’s branches.
It was tolerable because the blue spikes were so striking. But then the rain came, and its as if the big, blue diva had a tantrum. Almost every flower was dropped to the bricks overnight.
So even though it scratched my skin like a dry loofah to do it, it had to be done – the Porterweed was lopped into manageability. Porterweed is in the Nettle family, aka stinging nettle. The leaves are covered in stubble – fine, itchy, little hairs.
I love anything that’s flowered and anything that’s blue (ask my sister and she’ll gladly tell you about my affinity for Smurfs – can’t wait to take D to see the new movie) but the Porterweed is about to be banished to the only place suited for a Medusa – the corner.
It’s not all bad; this will actually solve three problems at once: One, the Porterweed will have plenty of room to spread out. Two, I’ll never have to touch it again because, Three, it needs to grow tall enough to hide that darn fence board that keeps coming undone.
Oreo Needs a Coop
Posted by Lesley on July 24, 2011
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Oreo has definitely outgrown her cardboard computer box/chicken coop. She’s gotten used to her wings and flies out whenever she feels like it now…which is all the time. We had to either drape a towel over the top or accept her following us around the house. An upgrade was overdue, so it was off to Lowe’s for supplies.
There were quite a few design concepts discussed ranging from simple to extravagant. Since I had the cash, simple won out. Oreo is cute and all, but I still want to know what these organic eggs are costing us. The chicken coop supplies were $53 bringing our total up to $83. Of course, she’ll cost us more money in feed; chicks have to eat too. But that should be it. Chickens live off needs not wants – she needs food, water and shelter safe from the racoons. Done!
To this point, we’re at $2.37 a carton. That’s a conservative estimate based on the fact that she’ll produce between 200 and 250 eggs per year for two years. To put it in a different number, I’m hoping for about 35 cartons. And for one last number, $53 really isn’t a whole lot of money to spend for a full family day. A trip to Mote Marine and Selby Gardens would have cost us $51, and Ringling would have cost $60. Yes, Oreo has been a good investment.
{this moment} Cooper and Oreo
Posted by Lesley on July 22, 2011
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{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -Soulemama
I have to break the rules and comment on this moment. It’s a series and belongs with an explanation. Cooper’s face changes from cool to losing his cool because Oreo is pecking his neck and arm. Her beak is too small to do any damage, so it was hilarious to watch. And Cooper loves animals so much that he’d rather have a chick that pecks him all day than no chick at all. But I wouldn’t….we’re working on discipline because every time she pecks my foot, I can’t stop imagining her beak five times its size!
Love Thy Neighbor
Posted by Lesley on July 19, 2011
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It’s a good day when you wake up to a bag of mangoes on your doorstep.
There’s a huge mango tree around the corner from us. We watch it constantly. It’s on our nightly walking route. It must produce 100 mangoes each year, and it seems like we watch each one ripen individually…especially this year.
Timing is crucial. For as slowly as the mangoes ripen, they’re usually gone overnight. They must pay or get paid to have someone come in and clean out the tree. We missed a harvest one year, and now we’re like stalkers. But this year Cooper knocked on the door a week early…so then came the real waiting. Every day that passed had surely been a week. John was swearing that he had begun involuntarily salivating at the sight of the tree. So just when I didn’t even want to walk with them any more, the mangoes have arrived. Yes, it’s a good day.
But no thanks to me or John, Cooper’s our ticket. We never see those neighbors. If I ran into them at Publix, I wouldn’t know them but Cooper would. His cute little face has been knocking on their door every year since we moved in to ask for some mangoes. He absolutely loves them, and who would say no?
He’s already like shopping with a coupon at garage sales and now he’s getting a dozen mangoes delivered to our door for free. Good day, good kid! Here’s the sun setting behind the mango tree tonight…
…and a couple of mango facts:
- Mango is the most widely consumed fruit in the world.
- There are hundreds of mango varieties ranging in size from 6 to 26 ounces.
- Mangoes or mangos are both acceptable spellings according to Webster’s. (But I sided with spellcheck on this one because it’s not potatos or tomatos.)
This is a mix of mangos bought at the Old Miakka Farmers Market. The varieties are Edward & Earl, Van Dyke and Apple mango.
Source for mango facts:
Thomas, C. (2006). Melissa’s great book of produce: Everything you need to know about fresh fruits and vegetables. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.
An Etiquette Lesson for Lukey
Posted by Lesley on July 17, 2011
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We added to our menagerie this weekend and welcomed Ella and Woody for a sleepover…but of course, not without incident. Just when it seems Lukey is becoming one of us, he goes all four-legged on me and gnaws off one of Woody’s fingers.
What an animal, right? Poor Woody has seen better days…but that is part of his appeal. Woody has a story to tell. He’s a world traveler and a trusted friend. Now he has one more adventure under his belt after grappeling with a dog ten times his size. Still, tell that to Ella…
Lukey learned his lesson, but the incident happened about three or four hours into a 24-hour visit. Every time I thought we had put it behind us, Ella would say, “I need to tell my mom that Luke bit off Woody’s finger.” And I’m not exaggerating on this. She said it on the way out of the Straz Center after seeing Mamma Mia. Uh-oh. But Mom took it well, and Woody never lost his smile.
Unexpected and unwelcomed amputation or not, we loved having them…especially during meals.
The sky was falling with french fries; even Oreo tried to get in on the action.
{this moment}
Posted by Lesley on July 15, 2011
4 comments
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -Soulemama
It’s Good to Be Luke
Posted by Lesley on July 13, 2011
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Oreo’s First Flaps
Posted by Lesley on July 12, 2011
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Oh, they grow up so fast…Oreo is already starting to fly. I realized it while getting dressed yesterday morning. The usually muffled chirping kept getting louder and louder. When I popped my head into the hallway, there was Oreo waddling my way. It seems she’s already growing and flying out of her Dell box.
It was off to Goodwill today to find suitable chick housing for when we’re out. There was only one cage to choose from, so although she’ll probably outgrow it fairly quickly, for five bucks I was sold.
The only problem with the cage was two holes from where feeder dishes should have been. Two easy exits, but nothing a roll of color duct tape can’t fix.
I lined the floor with comics and added an extra strip of duct tape along the bottom because Oreo deserves nothing less than a designer cage. And although the roll of duct tape cost the same amount as the cage, Oreo has been a bargain up to this point. We’re in for $30 so far:
- $10.00 – Oreo
- $2.50 – Chick starter feed
- $7.50 - Bale of hay
- $5.00 – Cage
- $5.00 – Color duct tape
I’m expecting the bulk of her expense to come in about three months when she’ll be big enough to live outside. Safety will be the priority. Even in urban yards like ours, predators lurk. But by Christmas, Oreo will be paying us back. We’re expecting at least 200 eggs next year!
