New Drive Band for my Spinning Wheel~

It was driving me nuts to have a new drive band and not having it on my wheel.
Thought I would be brave enough to take it part, but I thought back to when I had to originally put it together... was a massive royal pain.

I just couldn't get the first cheap replacement drive band to melt together...
thought it was me, no matter what I did, I could not get it to work.

So I bought a Majacraft band. $$ But worth it.

 Practiced on the old band, with the video using the small candle to heat the band ends and to stick it together... it worked, not perfect but I could do it.
So I am thinking that first replacement drive band, maybe had sat too long?

Anyway, with the new Majacraft band, was quick and easy, let it set for 20 minutes and started spinning.

So now I am happily spinning again!

 

 

DS ~ Saved a couple of Hummingbirds~

I opened the garage doors so the lad could get the empty pallets put into the hay shed and two fighting humming birds zipped in.

One ran into a spider web and got stuck, so the Lad climbed all the way up into the rafters... to save it. Pulled all the webs off it before he let it go.
Very tiny male.

The female is still in there, so I went back into the house, after I set a number of bright red things just outside the garage door, hoping to draw her down and out..
DS crawled back into the rafters, and saved the female too.

This garage is very tall... can fit a super sized motor-home in it.

Did take a photo of the female, also covered in thick spider webs.. we cleaned her off before we let her loose.

She was not at all happy. LOL

Turkey Poults ~

Newest additions to the farm.

They hatched at day 25, which is pretty early. Had them under a Speckled Sussex, I feel bad, but I brought them into the house.
Need to raise them with some chicks.
Two are almost dry, the other two are still wet. More photos to come.

4 Turkey poults,  Bernadette/Cpt Morgan.   Who knows what color they will end up being.

Peony Flower~

   

My 3 Peony plants, managed to make it through last winter.

One gave me this beautiful flower to enjoy.

Hardy plants ~

 Well, at least most of my Rugosa Roses are doing well. One of the very few rose plants, I haven't managed to kill.
Moved to this State, and my very green thumb, turned brown.
Had DS put the chicken manure/shavings/straw around them all winter.
The Rose hips are a plus as the chickens and horses love them, so they make nice treats.

The very hardy, French Crab Apple tree, is holding its own, even with the damage to the trunk due to Rabbits. 

Added a Black Berry vine along the Hen house yard fence.

 It should be hardy enough to survive here, too. 

First Grape Vine I planted, has survive another winter, surprised but happy to see.

All three Peony plants also made it, and it looks like I might have flowers this year.

Flowering Dog Wood ~

Looks like the Flowering Dogwood has survived another year. 

Hopefully we will be able to put some more in around the property one of these days.

Flowers last a long time and are quite pretty.

New Tom Turkey, Captain Morgan~~

DH and I, went ahead and got a Tom Turkey for our Turkey hens.
Wasn't planning too and really didn't want one.
However....
They are in love with Stjarna and before one of them gets stepped on..... though I had better get them what they wanted.  One of them was also pacing the gate to get out, meant, if we needed to go some where, we couldn't.

I need happy guard dogs..... LOL

DH named him, Captain Morgan.

Had to fast tract him into the main area around the house because of the heat.
He lost a lot of chest feathers in the transport and when I had DS try to keep him still enough to de worm and dust him.
He is an impressive 45lbs, so hard to handle...not mean at all, just big!

So far, knock on wood, he is good with all the other poultry. 

 

 

 

First Double Rainbow ~

Took the photo a few days ago.
First double rainbow I have seen since leaving NW Oregon.
Was quite pretty.
You can even see some rain in the above photo.

Newest additions ~

 Blue Wheaten Ameraucana went broody on me 21+ days ago, so I gave her some eggs to hatch out.
After DH was finished with the other side of the new hen house I put her in there and she stayed on the eggs.
Thought I heard soft cheeping the other day but I did not want to push in.
Since my move to this State, I haven't had much luck with full sized hens raising chicks.
Knock on wood so far... she is doing well. Of course it had to be my BW AM hen.
Only have 5 of them. Had planned on raising a lot more of that breed, but its kind'a hard when my best goes broody.

Chicks are from Welsummers, one Buff Orp egg and I am pretty sure the huge lighter chick is that one and two pure bred BW AM eggs.
Saw 4 chicks, sure there are more under her some where. I hope any way, as I put 9 or 10 eggs in her nest.
I know pretty sad when I can't remember how many. LOL
I let her and her eggs stay in the hen house until about 3 days before they were due to hatch, before I moved the nest box with the hen and eggs in it.. lock stock and barrel, to their new home..... while I tried to keep and eye on things I am sure other hens added eggs.
Am hatching out bantams every 21 days in the house and just put a number of eggs under a Welsummer who has also gone broody.

As she starts taking them out, will make sure to check.
Here are 3 of them.

Hopefully, when they grow up, they will lay a nice 

dark Olive green egg.

Newest Bantam chicks ~

 Belgian d'Uccles and 1 d'Anver. Just 5 in all again.

Since I had an issue with the d'Uccles and I had to cull 4 of my hens.
Set aside their eggs for the last week, so I stuffed the incubator full of eggs and will have to hand turn 5 to 6 times a day for 21 days.

My incubator is so small, it can only auto turn 7 eggs

at a time.
That way, I will hopefully have replacement stock.

Bantam chicks ~

First batch of bantam chicks are growing up.

They have their first feathers.

White Quail d'Anvers, a Blue Millie d'Uccle and a Silkie.

 

The newest chicks, two splash white d'Anvers, two d'Uccles and two Easter Eggers.

I do wish I had a bigger incubator.
Have another batch due to hatch in a few days.


One of my large Blue Wheaten Ameraucana's went broody, so I stuck some full sized eggs under her.
 Mostly to add Olive Eggers to my flock.

 

Dyfra

Dyfra is badly allergic to many of the bugs in this State, so this year, she is going to wear a full fly sheet, a mask and lower leg protectors.
Along with being covered in fly spray. Plus her allergy meds she is fed twice a day.

She had No issues in the Pacific NW.

Peach Tree~

At least one of the fruit trees are blooming 

and looks quite pretty.

Hoping to have some peaches this year.

New tiny Hen House~

 The small Hen house is slowly getting done.
One side is mostly finished so I moved some of my d'Anvers in there.
The other side is for my Blue Wheaten AM's, so we should get it finished, I hope anyway, by next Sunday.

Yup, lots of SNOW ~

 Okie dokie....

 this is officially the most snow I have seen since 

I moved here. 

You have to shovel to get any where.

Also very glad, DH and DS are home.... would of taken me half the day to feed and water everyone.

Icelandic's are super happy. LOL

 The snow drifts in the round pen, would be at least to my arm pits.

Very glad the wind scrubbed in front of the hay shed, other wise, that would of been a bear.

 Getting to Maggie was really hard, most places I walked, snow was over my boots. Maggie's gate, I couldn't get it open, but since it is a self gate, was able to bend it so I could squeeze in. She was ok.. still had plenty of food and water.

 Glad we have a good snow shovel... DS digging out a much needed path from the hay shed to the main horse pasture.
Thank you DS!

  The horses and animals packed the snow down around their shed. Less work there.

DH will try to get the long driveway opened up to the road.
The plows finally came through, and the snow is piled up at the end of the drive,... would say.. at least to my arm pits. Should be fun.

Wee bit of snow piled up, as DH tries to get in front of the garage doors cleared.

DH trying to get to the road.

Snow ~

 Mostly taken from inside, hard to see how deep. 

Depending on where the snow was blown around.... any where from 5" from where the wind has blown it away to nearly 16" as per my boots.
Some of the area's the wind hasn't gotten too is about 20"... which meant snow inside my boot.
:P

(now compared to Donner Lake, CA, NH, even some years in Oregon... this is nothing.)
Though I might revise that, if we get the another 12" of new snow today, the News Channels, are saying we should get in this area.

And a little later in the day, snow getting much heavier.

If this keeps up, this will be the most snow I have dealt with in this State.
Is over the tops of my farm boots.
That and the very high winds make it tough going.

Eggs ~

Beautiful color eggs.

On the left, we have a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana egg, in a deep turquoise color and 

to the right, is a blue/blue egg from my 

Crested Creole Legbars.

 

Chicks have been moved into the Play Pen ~

 First batch of chicks have out grown the guest bathroom.
OK, should say the Silkies are massive, and that's the reason they had to move out.
Normally I would have them out of the house well before now, anyway.
But with the cold weather... haven't been able too.

So the playpen is back up and now they are in the living room.
Silkies, couple of d'Uccles and my White Quail d'Anvers.

I do have 4 more smaller chicks in one of the bedrooms and I have more in an incubator due to hatch out in 10 days or so.

 Belgian d'Uccle Bantam.... with some wild colors going on.
Very friendly too.

Propagating plants ~

First snow of the season... so what do I do?

 

 Well, I decided to try propagating a Parlor Palm, the Ficus and a Jasmine I have in the house.

Keeping my fingers crossed, in a few weeks I will 

see some roots.


Hopefully, I will get my green thumb back.