This is my greenhouse that I'm turning into a chicken house. There was so much stuff that kept getting put in there that I couldn't even get in there to get chicken feed, let alone use it as a greenhouse. I'm going to cover the front windows on the left with plywood so it doesn't get so warm in there. There's the windows on both ends for ventilation but I still need to put chicken wire over those to keep our little escapees in and the other critters out. I'll cut 2 little doors, one of each side of the big windows, for the chickens to get outside into their fenced area which I need to attach to the greenhouse and expand. Lots of work but it's the best way.

This is my Sicilian Buttercup rooster. He was kind of funny looking when I got him a few months ago but he's getting to be very nice looking. They loved all the long grass in the area I moved them to over the weekend. I need to get to the store and buy supplies to get the big chicken house built! I'm thinking seriously of getting the 5 Rhode Island Red hens, guess they're actually called pullets since they're less than a year old, and I really don't have anywhere to put them. Stephen and I may have to raid Pat's wood pile and put together another temporary chicken coop.

Here's a better picture of the 5 Barred Rock chickens. After they got moved to the shade and long grass yesterday they were so happy! I called on 5 Rhode Island Red hens today. Do I dare buy them? I'd have to get another temporary chicken house ready to use until I get the big chicken house done. I'm thinking I'm going to need a pretty big chicken house!

I moved the chicken yard yesterday over where there's almost always long grass and weeds. The chickens had been in an area that I had cleared last year so there wasn't much in the way of grass or weeds there. None of them wanted to even go in their houses last night, they were enjoying the cool green grass and the shade. I've got to start building the chicken house soon and I'm thinking of building it somewhere in this area except it's a little too close to the clothesline for my liking. I don't want our sheets and towels smelling like chicken poop!

I love this picture of Tim. It was taken last summer when we went to Ruby Beach on the coast of Washington. It's so beautiful there! It took us longer than we thought to get there since Missy, one of our boxers, gets car sick and we had to stop a few times but we got there in time for the sunset.

Here's a picture of Stephen at Hurricane Ridge just outside of Port Angeles. I don't have very many pictures of him, just whatever I can take when he doesn't see what I'm up to. On this day last Fall we went up to Hurricane Ridge visitor center and then Stephen and I hiked quite aways up from there while Pat and Tim hung out around the visitor center.

This picture is from the snow we got this past December on the 1st and 2nd. It stuck around till the 18th and then left. That was probably the least snow we've had in the 4 winters we lived here, certainly less than the 3ft we had the previous winter! Stephen is still complaining about that. It wasn't so bad but it sure stuck with us a long time! It was actually quite beautiful but was getting a little scary on about the 3rd day in a row of it not stopping. I started having visions of it getting so deep it would cover the windows and I was getting very worried about how much was on the roof, especially on the skylights over my bed and over the living room! It makes me feel cold now to look at a picture of the snow but it's not very warm here anyway. We had a few days recently when it was very hot but ever since then it's in the 60's and 70's, not even warm enough to bother opening many windows, makes me feel guilty when I think of all the people suffering in the extreme heat in other parts of the country right now.

Something about this picture that I just love. This is looking from my living room towards my dining room. I wiped out the hard drive on my computer last week and am still reinstalling things on it. I was just going through some pictures that were backed up on the external hard drive and found 2 that are among my favorites, this is one.

Here's Tim on his birthday with Missy watching him open one of his presents, probably hoping it will be a squeaky ball.

I still haven't finished my latest apron! I hurt my back last week and when I went to Seattle for the weekend I ended up not being able to do much but lay around reading and then when I got back I've had so much to do around here that I couldn't find time to sew. Stephen and I are cleaning the chickens houses tonight, taking a break now.

Here's Joey and Aaron at a park in Savannah, Georgia. Aaron had some dental work done that day and his mouth was hurting so Joey was being extra nice to him.

Here's a picture of Aaron at a park in Savannah, Georgia. He's such a sweet boy! I miss him and his brother so much!!

Haven't had time to post on here or sew lately. I wish things weren't so busy. Here's a picture of Joey and Aaron at a park in Savannah, Georgia.

These doggies just adore each other! I don't know what they would do without each other.

This picture is of Shane with Joey and Aaron during one of Shane's leaves.

Here's a picture of our 5 Black Silkie chickens. You can't see them very well at all but even when I get close ups they look like a ball of black fur! They're really fun, a bit mischievous, one of them in particular likes to grab the S hook and run with it when I take the hanging food or water feeders down to fill.

Tim and I went strawberry picking with Pennie and her little boy Carson yesterday. Pennie started a Farmgirl Chapter, just her and I are members so far. Our chapter is called "The Farm Chicks". Tim and I first went to her house and she gave us a tour, what a beautiful place and I love the pond with the ducks and all the other animals. Here's a picture of Pennie, Carson and Tim after we got done picking. I don't know why this one came out so small, I'll have to try to upload it again but for now here it is.

We dug 2 deep holes to put my new clothesline poles in and the kids (Joey and Aaron, my 2 grandkids-- I can't be old enough to be a grandma!!) wanted to stand in one and get their picture taken. Thunder and Missy, our 2 boxers, wanted in the picture too.

Here's the front view of the apron I finished last night. I just strung the cable on my new clothesline poles so decided to hang the apron on it for the picture. As you can probably see it's pretty breezy today, nice change from the last couple days when it was hot here. On the upper part of the apron and across the area where the pockets are is a dark line but it's just shadow from the other lines. Look how blue the sky is! What a gorgeous day!

***Posting to this 2/27/07 Will it ever be warm enough again to hang clothes on the clothesline? I can barely get myself to go outside and clean the chicken houses. Most of the time I don't feel as old as I am but I sure can't stand the cold weather the older I get.

I love this picture too. This one is after a busy day of visiting with Shane. Joey was pretty wiped out. I didn't know how he would do with the night flights and connections and general lack of sleep during our whole trip but he was an absolute angel! I miss those boys already! They flew from Seattle to Savannah, Georgia last night with their Mom to live with Shane.

I just love this picture. This is my son Shane (who I just found out yesterday is in the hospital with malaria). I had gone to see his graduation from basic training and while he knew that I was flying there with his dad and stepmom he didn't know that we were bringing his then 6 year old son Joey. We had to not even tell Joey we were bringing him until the night before we left so he wouldn't tell his Dad when he called. There's an arcade in the picture and Joey was hiding in there and was supposed to wait till I called him to come out but I got so swept away with emotions at seeing how much Shane had changed in the short time he had been in basic training I forgot and then we heard Joey call out "Daddy!" and ran into his Dad's arms. I think we all shed some tears. In this picture Joey is showing his Daddy where he had lost his first tooth.