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Finished painting. Now if only we could find someone who does blown-in foam insulation and who would actually call back. None of the interior work can start til we get that done.

Unfortunately, we lost Squeak last Friday to unknown causes. She had been under the weather for a few weeks; tried mite dusting, yogurt, and keeping her in a quite spot, but to no avail. I had been just about to start getting her broody to raise the chicks we have coming in 2 weeks. I’m hoping we can get the silkies to do it instead; otherwise it will be heat lamps and the kiddie pool again.

We ordered a new tractor today, a Kubota L5740, a mid-size one. No cab, because we will be attaching a backhoe. Also ordered a front bucket and a 6′ bush hog (larger won’t fit through the woods). 0% financing, although it’s a bit disconcerting taking on debt again, especially as it cost way more than our car. Rather than paying it off fast, we’ll probably make payments and put extra in a high interest savings account every month.

Yet another sign we are hicks. Rusty pickup truck, riding mower, commercial mower, tractor, chickens, guns, and having gone to the emergency room with a chicken-related injury. And we once used an old toilet as a planter in the yard. Window air conditioners (not our fault–no basement, no duct work). OK, not the Subaru. And the fact that our new chicken coop is nicer than most third-world human housing. Not the servers and vanity domains, or the complicated a/v setup. Tacky lawn kitsch…could go either way. But here’s the thing. My boss has a barky dog and he got an anonymous letter from a neighbor in his mailbox about it. Here, nobody can either hear or see whatever annoying or eccentric thing we chose to do. I can no longer even fathom living somewhere where we’d be in a position to annoy neighbors, nor do I want to.

Dude, I can’t wait to drive that tractor around. Seriously.

Also, check out the Squidbillies art! Deerbait and Moon #1.

-epe

The Spore folks reconsidered after a lot of bad press and complaints. So, our pre-orders are back on!

The new John Williams score for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is out. How can an 80’s kid possibly resist?

Not to mention a Richard Cheese-ified version of the Indiana Jones theme on Itunes (Plus, so no DRM, if I read the fine print properly).

Baby chicks–Ameraucanas– (and keets–pied) should be here by June 27th or 28th. With any luck the coop will be mostly done, if we can find someone who can blow in insulation before then. If we’re super super lucky, we will get Squeak and the silkies to raise them.

Icky’s on chemo. So far so good, but he can’t have any doggie visitors for awhile. We still aren’t exactly sure what’s wrong with Cupcake’s liver and lipomas, but she goes in for more work on Thursday.

-epe

Coop II work continues. I feel queasy thinking about all the inside work that has to be done before we can get chickens in (insulation, wallboard, plastic sheeting, nestboxes, chicken dooors…) We’re hoping for more Ameraucanas and some pied Guineas this year.

Icky starts chemotherapy this week. He’ll be on Chlorambucil and Prednisone.

Fortunately, this weekend has somewhat made up for the indignities of last week (see post of mammography)…

It must be fall:

• Honey crisp apples were available at The Apple Shed, along with fresh donuts, cider, and those dried bunches of indian corn to hang on your front door
• Red (rooster) is finally getting pretty feathers again after getting them all plucked out by our insane hens all last winter
• Lots of things to burn…especially after the clearing we’ve paid Mike Means to do. Rather alarmingly a lot, as Pee found out after lighting one huge pile on fire and having to tromp through the pine trees stomping on little smoldering spots started by floating leaf ash. But the wood smoke added tremendously to the general atmosphere of fall. Along with what must’ve been a large amount of carbon. :}
• Dark chocolate peppermint Starbucks Frappuccinos in bottles (whoot!), a seasonal flavor
• bright blue skies
• slight coloring on the trees, although they’re pretty crispy from the drought conditions this summer
• a new batch of easter pullets almost ready to start laying…just wish they’d hang out someplace other than the barn for now (poop machines)

We would’ve liked lower temperatures (60s F would have been nice), but otherwise, not bad.

I have the start of a decent sunburn, and about 100 welts from black fly bites; normally not the best start of a weekend. However Sobe ran herself out yesterday in short order, and sat out on the lawn with us (first time ever)  for a mighty fine few hours of yard work and fowl watching so I’m oddly content.

It doesn’t hurt that the lawn is mostly mowed ;).

Debt free, baby.

We could only show 90 days tops, but we went from $81k to 0 in about a year (stock sale, annual bonus, more than half our income, plus some proceeds from the sale of a relative’s house).

Now we can buy another truck. And alternative electric sources. And finish the barn’s 2nd floor. And a chicken cam. And a new coop. And new siding. And a monolithic dome. And our outrageous property taxes. Er…

It’s definitely Providence (a Rhode Island Red) laying eggs. The other day we kicked Squeak off the nest and Provy ran right in to sit there. Squeak chased her back off and she stood around with her legs crossed (figuratively) til we set her up in the other dog kennel. Sure enough, later there was another brown egg (even darker this time). Squeak’s currently sitting in a bucket in our kitchen (screened) to break her off her empty nest. Paul’s got a sign on it that says ‘Bucket of Chicken–do not eat,’ which Sobe can’t seem to read.
In other news, Cupcake was diagnosed as hypothyroid–which means, maybe after being on a pill for awhile, she may start losing weight! I hope someday she can run as fast as Icky and be able to jump up and down as easily as he can.

And, finally, my mom and I went out to the outlet mall and replaced all the chipped lids for my Corningware–I had only one left that was OK.

Ever had your clothes washer unbalance a lot, have trouble draining, and leave the clothes all wet? Try checking the coin trap, even if it involves pulling out a screwdriver and removing the front cover. You’d be amazed what you might find…your washer may be eating socks after all (ours did).

Looks as if our Philips Pronto TSU3000 remote has finally cratered. We made it about two and a half years this time (we had a Pronto Neo before that, and I think yet another Pronto before that). The third button from left (under LCD), which we usually used for the Replay’s skip 30 seconds button, became stuck down permanently (bubble underneath crushed), which probably is causing a permanent interrupt condition keeping the touch screen from working. I’ve ordered a new Philips RC9800I from buy.com since it’s color and less than $300 (unlike their other color remotes, one of which doesn’t even have hard arrow/select keys). Yay, the smell of new electronics.

Does anyone else hear ‘Zoysia Grass’ and think ‘Zoidberg Grass’? We’re also going to try to plant bamboo in the woods, hoping that’ll be more invasive than all the other invasive, crappy, clingy stuff in there.

There’s a garter snake hanging out in front of the barn all the time. Ever since the garage door opener broke, we’ve had a bungee cord attached under the door so we can open it from outside (no handle). We think the snake’s trying to have sex with it.

Things we found in the shed while cleaning it out:

• Boxes of metal parts, mostly rusty
• A very large light fixture
• An old lantern stuffed full of fiberglass insulation and mouse poop
• Large metal fan
• Two large boxes full of glass panes (it seems that the diassembled greenhouse we found in the barn had more pieces) and a few panes of plexiglass
• Very many metal parts possibly related to that disassembled greenhouse
• carpet squares
• large stove parts (?)
• tar paper
• roofing squares
• plywood
• large metal wheel with gears
• old metal scale
• very heavy metal safe. We thought we had the combination but it appears to be rusted shut
• Assorted wood pieces
• Smallish but very heavy old metal desk, with drawers stuffed full of fiberglass insulation, mouse poop, and at least one mummified mouse. Drawers in said desk were rusted through due to mouse urine.
• Live mouse family
• Live 1.5′ garter snake
• TONS of fiberglass insulation interspersed with mouse poop and chewed nuts/seeds/junk
• About 6 wasp nests
• About 4 mud wasp nests
• Many plastic pipe fittings, some stuffed full of fiberglass insulation/mouse poop
• Metal pipes and faucets
• Metal chains, various sizes
• Large sack of some kind of white, powdery stuff containing vermiculite and perlite, which promptly burst open and made the rest of the cleanup miserable
• Lots of dirt
• Unidentifiable things–feces? Mummified animals? Owl balls? I don’t want to know
• bits and pieces

We’re talking about an 8′x8′ shed, here. Unbelievable.
How about a nice shower and decontamination?

Why do it after 8 years? We want to get some chickens.

When we watched the oscars this week, there was some blatently obvious “lobbying” from people in tuxedos that i’ve never heard of. The main thing they were trying to get accross is that in order to enjoy a movie the “right” way , you had to go to a movie theatre and interact with other humans. I call shenanigans. I’m betting the closest thing these clowns get to a regular theater is to drive by them for previews and opening nights. Anyway…

10 reasons i’ll be at home.

1. Only I yell at the screen at home
2. The floors not sicky
3. No odd fishy smell
4. Can pause to pee
5. It’s not so bad when we’re the only ones laughing
6. I’m not deaf when I leave
7. The seat is always good
8. No driving!
9. It’s cheaper to buy a dvd then go to the movies
10. Alchohol available at the consession stand

First impressions of our new GE FL washer and dryer.

And now, very badly rhymed poetry.

Twas the night before wash day, and inside the house
The washer was leaky and sometimes too loud

The stockings were draped cross the basket in pairs
In hopes that the front loader soon would be there

The comforters nestled on top of the beds
While visions of king-size loads danced in our heads

And Paul in his short pants, and I in my coat
Had just gone gotten ready to walk near the moat

When in on my desk there started a ringing
I answered the phone; it was Home Depot pinging

Away with the pickup we drove like a flash
Took off the cover, and laid down our cash

The Christmas displays of the hardware and gadgets
Was nearly enough to keep us distracted

When what to our wondering eyes should appear
Our front loading washer and dryer came near

With the appliance guy pushing the boxes in sight
We knew we’d be doing some laundry tonight!

More rapid than eagles, to the front curb he came
And called other workers to help him by name–

Well really, he only called one to come help–
To lift heavy boxes with nary a yelp

To the side of the curb! To the back of the truck!
Now load them both in, ‘fore we run out of luck!

As dry leaves that before the wild leafblower fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, jump back toward your eye

So up to the hilltop we drove heading back
With truck bed all loaded; stopped once for a snack

And then, in a twinkling, we drove up the hill
Sliding on ice over dry glacial till

We stopped and unloaded the boxes on carts
And took off the packaging, checked all the parts;

They were clad all in metal with plastic controls
Electronic dials; big front-loading holes

A bundle of manuals was hidden inside
With samples of dryer sheets; also of Tide

The stainless steel wash tub–all dimpled with drains
Also the fins, so on clothing it rains…

The dryer contained a bright light and a rack
All the better for drying the things that go ‘clack’

The feet of the dryer we removed with a wrench
Moved onto the washer, which would serve as its bench

We shoved the stacked set to the back of the niche
After hooking up hoses and adjusting the pitch

They were tall and imposing, a rather high pair
And I laughed when I needed to climb up a stair

The click of some buttons and twist of a dial
Soon reassured me we’d wash in awhile

I spoke not a word but went straight to the door
Flinging in clothing so quickly it tore

And filling dispensers with plenty of soap,
I started the cycle, crossed my fingers with hope

That soon all the laundry would pass through them cleanly,
That both would consume electricity meanly,

Soon the washer was beeping, wet clothes inside lying
Happy washing to all, and it’s now time for drying!

. This gets my vote for best corporate holiday card this year. Thanks Crown Castle! (our cell tower tenants).

In other news, now that we have the space for a standard sized washer/dryer, we’ve ordered a new washer and dryer set from Home Depot (who, unlike Sears, weren’t dicks about trying to sell us something more expensive–and who offered a 10% discount if you opened a Home Depot charge, and will refund the delivery charge…). We arrived at that choice after reading various laundry forums here and here. Hopefully we’ll be washing comforters by Wednesday night!

I’ll admit it. I was heavily influenced by this endorsement from Alton Brown.