Where did the time go?

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I posted! Where did the time go? I know I got over heated in the excessive heat again and that knocked the feather stuffing out of me for several days. I've spent extra time doing chores as it's imperative that the critters have ample water and are tended to in the heat. They all have fared well. A couple of the younger goats are thinner looking, but that's "fixable". The continued to drink and eat hay, but I did cut everyone back on grain as it adds heat to their bodies in digesting it. I may have cut them back just as they were in a growth spurt so it became more noticible. They are happy and content though and definitely enjoying the temps back to normal.

We finally got some rain a few different days. This has made a difference in the farm crops and the corn along side the roads is looking so much better! The soy beans that looked so puny have perked up and done some growing too. I just hope that coming out of a drought and getting rain will make a good difference. I hope that it didn't stunt the seed/kernal sizes. My garden is now happy!

One of the bad news items was I couldn't sleep with the temps over 80 at night. Now I can finally sleep better with the temps back in the 70's at night. What a difference a few degrees makes just for sleeping!

I Collect Cookbooks!

Is it cook books or cookbooks to be correct? Which ever way is right, I LOVE cook books and I buy used ones all the time. I usually get them at Good Will as they use to be REALLY cheap there. Lately, they've been upping the price on some books. They also no longer have any books in their "last chance" store and much less of a selection in the regular store. This has been a bit of a disappointment as of late. It's not a priority in life and I'm not unduly upset. It's actually, just another sign of the times I guess.

But that being, I hadn't realized the last few times that I was in Good Will that some of the cook books I had picked up were higher priced than the usual 4/99 cents buy for the majority of the books. I then got to the registered and was a bit surprised at the total being more than I expected. That didn't click at first as I just assumed hubby had found a super buy and between the 2 of us I lost track until it was time to pay up. I just paid and didn't think much more of it.

I didn't think much more of it that is, until yesterday, when I expected my store total to be less than $20 and hubby had gone to the car. Instead it was over $35!! And guess what!

What you ask, of course! They had tagged almost all the cook books at 99 cents, 4 at $1.99 and the remaining 4 at 4/99 cents. WOW! I'm sure glad I got some that are REALLY nice looking. I was so busy looking AT them that I didn't notice all those little sneaky tags on the very bottom of the "rib" proclaiming the new pricing.

What a bit of a disappointment. I realize that they had been far too cheap for reality for some time. But I was enjoying my finds and a very happy cook book collector. Being we've had to deal with job losses, medical bills with hubby's stroke and amputations and all, I was considering cook books to be necessities when I could pick them up sooooo cheaply. But now that I'm going to have to be paying a dollar or more a book, I'm going to have to rein myself in a bit.

And, heaven forbid, I think I'm going to have to consider my cook book finds as luxuries! I might have to quit buying so many of them too.

I'll still greatly appreciate and enjoy finding a Taste of Home book that I know retails for over $20 for only that $1.99, but now I'm going to have to take this luxury a bit more seriously.

I guess I'll have to reconsider buying 20 cookbooks at a time and heading to my van with a huge smile! Yes, times are always changing, and they "done did change again", darn it all.

Is it time to decide if I need more book shelves or is it time to say NO MORE for me? Do I need a 12 step program because I like to read cook books?

Or maybe I better check the Good Will prices at the store in the town South of us which we'll be heading to the first of the week. Maybe they haven't caught up with this price increase for used cook books like the store to the East of us!

New Chicks

I found a solitary little chick with 2 of the setting Bantams in the barn! I was surprised as they had a slew of eggs amongst them and the number had gradually diminished to a solitary egg and they were setting fast but bickering over it. I gave them a bunch of newly collected eggs, thinking the last egg wasn't going to do anything and yet they still wanted to set. That solitary egg hatched! The chick was pretty mobile and now there were a bunch of eggs which had been set on for a good week. When I picked the chick up both hens came a flying and attacked my legs. The hens weren't heading back to the eggs so, in my human mind, I decided to bring the solitary chick to the house. He could keep the 2 just hatched chicks company and the hens could continue their quest to hatch a brood. Earlier this Spring a couple chicks hatched in the goat pen (same nest site) and were stepped on by the goats. So my hope is I can keep him safer and give him a chance along with buddies.

I now have 4 cute little chicks in the brooder. They are all 4 looking to be Bantams. All 4 are different so it will be interesting to see the outcome when they feather out.

I also have the last 4 chicks that had hatched (incubator) in a brooder and they are just about feathered.

Of the 4 surviving chicks who have hatched out this Spring, there are 4 PULLETS! What luck as to the sex! Unfortunately I've lost a few and one was my fav, a feather-legged blondish red pullet. She was one that was really calm and could be picked up easily. I think she became a predator's mcnugget and I was dissapointed to lose her.

I hope to have more chicks hatch soon. There are a few turkey eggs in also but I don't think any of them have been fertile this year. Tom needs some more maturing I guess. I'm not having good hatches at all this year! Last year was great and this year a disappointment. I do suspect it's a fertility issue due to the Cochins being so densely feathered in the tush area. I know some folks pluck the rear of their Cochins to improve fertility. Do I REALLY want to do that? I sure like the Cochins immensely so it's under consideration for next Spring. I'm about done hatching now due to it being July and wanting the chicks who make it to have some body size so they can thrive during the long, severely-cold Winter here.

Who'd have thought breeding chickens would be such an undertaking!

4th of July and Ice Cream Floats

I hope you are all having a nice Independence Day here in the US and hope Canada enjoyed their's on the 1st!

I have the above 2 graphics to share with you and a great treat fit for the 4th and many other times too! I really got a kick out of the patriotic chickens!

I LOVE making floats! It doesn't need a recipe, just a few minutes to put them together and then enjoy the sweet and cold treat!

I especially like root beer or cherry Dr Pepper with vanilla ice cream. Orange pop makes a nice creamsicle flavor. Citrus type pops are a good refreshing flavor.

Sparkling lemonade or flavored is also a great float maker. I especially prefer the peach or cherry lime from WalMart. Some of the flavored sparkling waters are better with a flavored ice cream. The sparkling peach water is GREAT with peach ice cream or other fruit type ice creams.

Once you get started you can look at the pop and bottled sparkling water selections and know if you'll want to try it or not!

The sugar/carb free pops and sparkling water/lemonades are also great with SF (sugar free) ice cream for those with some dietary needs.

Relax and enjoy!