The Wonderful Egg

 

We feel fortunate every day to go out and gather a dozen or more of these organic eggs from our beautiful hens.  My daughter lives near San Francisco and she sent me an article in their newspaper about how much the cost of organic brown eggs have gone up.

Chickens who are let out to graze in pasture lands every day lay healthier eggs and are not loaded with cholesterol.  The eggs are a golden yellow which means they eat a lot of greens out in the pasture.  They are only supplemented with chicken feed.  This makes a big difference in the cholesterol. 

Petaluma, California is noted for the egg capitol in the country, but there is only one farm which is not pasture raised chickens.  However, in Windsor, California, only thirty minutes away, there is a chicken ranch that is totally pasture fed, and they move them from week to week so they always have enough grasses. 

Some people in that area are paying up to eight dollars a dozen for organic brown eggs.  That is really like “golden eggs”. 

It would be interesting to know what the going price is in your area.  If you would like to respond leave a comment on my blog.  I’d love to hear from you!  

Happy Valentines Day!

 

 

Happy Valentines Day everyone!  I would like to think that I am going to get a cake like this tomorrow, but I really doubt it.  I hope you are more fortunate than I am. 

Some of us like chocolate, some of us like any thing that is sweet and gooey.  Others prefer a bouquet of our favorite flowers.  Right now, I am trying to lose weight so it is better to just keep going for my walks and think about being slimmer.

I have clothes in my closet that I can’t wear and my goal is to get down enough so I can at least feel comfortable in them. 

I would like to hear from you out there what you received for Valentines Day!  Just make me drool with envy!   Please write to me about your day. 

AND----HAPPY CHOC0LATE SURFING! 

Anyone Up For A Ride?

 

We were cleaning out the coop of my 22 hens the other day and filling the feeder when to my surprise I turned around and two of my hens were in the wheelbarrow and trying to coach some other chickens to hop in and go for a ride.  My Orpington (in the foreground) is usually the last to be convinced to try anything new.  Before it was over, there were five of them in the wheelbarrow waiting to catch a ride. 

They were a little skittish at first but eventually thought it was the greatest thing since lettuce.

Every time they see the wheelbarrow now they get all excited and jump in, making those cluck cluck sounds to each other.  Chickens are not boring creatures, they are a lot of fun. 

Since we have had snow again I have not been working in the greenhouse.  I have started to walk a mile up and down the driveway five times just to keep my energy level up and the blood flowing.  I have resolved to do this everyday because it gives me strength in my legs(we have quite an incline). 

I do have lettuce growing but I brought it in the kitchen so it won’t freeze.   My chickens will love me for that.  Spring is coming! 

Readers from Russia

A good number of readers from Russia liked my post on Fancy Hen Houses.  You are probably thinking how crazy some cultures are(Americans).  I have to say I agree.  Its one thing to have a warm coop for your chickens and meet the needs of feeding and etc.  But giving them portraits to hang on the walls and special tables is pretty "out there". 

I love my chickens and talk to them but I would not spend 100,000 dollars on a house for chickens.  I really don't think they would know or actually like it.  Chickens have a small little pea brain and I agree that they get used to hearing a certain voice or sound and depending on the pitch , they make a happy clucking sound or a "tuck-tuck-tuck" sound for something that tastes good. 

People that spend that sort of money on a "hen house" may be considered to have a pea brain also.
I am sure you all agree, but if some of you want to challenge me, please leave a comment on my post. 

I would love to hear from you.  Cluck-Cluck.

Greenhouse Gardening

We received a greenhouse for Christmas and we have working on getting it up.  To do it correctly one must get the ground level and place pea gravel in where you dug it out, for drainage. 

As I watch the construction on it daily, I am getting impatient.  I want to plant some vegetables and get things growing.  I dream of what beautiful plants there will be next summer. 
I have tried to get a picture up, but for some reason my computer is being stubborn.  And, yesterday, we had more snow, so that disrupted the progress of it going up. 

I am very excited about growing things that we haven't been able to grow here because of the temperature and zone.  I saw on a seed catalogue there are 50 different colors of tomatoes!  I really get excited about this. 
Hopefully I can get you excited about growing your own garden too!  It is great fun. 

To Grandmother's House We Go

Over the River and through the woods

To Grandmother's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

through the white and drifted snow

Over the river and through the woods

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the nose

As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the woods

and straight through the barnyard gate.

We seem to go extremely slow,

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the woods

Now grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

               (Lydia Maria Child, 1844)  

Sleigh Ride in Austria?

                                 
How many of you have ever been on a sleigh ride in Austria?  Especially at Christmas time. 
One can imagine the swishing of the runners sliding through the snow and the clopping of the beautiful horses.
The icy air hitting one's lungs and the steam off one's breath.  The white, glistening snow and the very quiet of the world this encompassing scenes of nature offers. 
There is no automobile exhaust, no televisions, no newscasters, no cell phones.  Just quietness and fresh clear air to breathe. 

This is what our Christmas carols are all about if we take the time to think about the words we sing so automatically every year.  There is a real world out there that exists where the simplicity of life is to slow down, instead of going to the shopping malls to get"just one more gift.

Try to enjoy the season with family and friends around a fire sipping hot chocolate.

De-stress and enjoy the season,  along with your imagination to take you to Austria if you wish!