Catch and release

I found this Western Scrub Jay trapped in the chicken coop yesterday, flapping desperately against the chicken wire. Months of wrangling parakeets has made me an adept bird catcher, and I snagged this one in just a few seconds. The jay was a much kinder captive than the parakeets--rather than pecking angrily at my hand, he just watched me calmly.

We snapped a couple of photos and let him go. Once released, he flew to nearby trees and squawked loudly. "Nice," I thought, "now I've got a friend in the corvid family."

Talking about a renovation

Ole's finally made the long-planned move to his very own room. We had a few renovations to make first--to bring our house one step away from death trap.

First we tackled the staircase. The wide gaps between balusters and the long drop to the basement stairs was a childproofing nightmare. I shopped around for nets and screens and easy solutions, but adding additional balusters actually turned out to be the simplest and most attractive. Here Alex is screwing in trimmed and stained 2x2s.

Next I gave the stairs a fresh coat of a paint, and then we installed a padded runner rug down the stairs. Now Ole can slide down the stairs on his belly, every kid's dream. I also added a kid-height railing on the wall side, not pictured here.

Onto Ole's room. Here are a couple before shots...pretty boring.

BEFORE

With wood walls and a deck overhanging the south facing windows, the room is dark. My goal was to bring in some bright colors to lighten it up. I used turquoise, white, and shades of green. Also aqua and yellow (I had trouble focusing!). I've been waiting for a bright sunny day to snap some photos, but I can't seem to coordinate sunny and tidy, so I opted for cloudy and tidy.

AFTER

He'll move to the big-boy bed when he gets older, but for now it's a place to read and hang out.

I added white cubes to the closet for storage, and just a short closet pole for hanging clothes.

 Ole inherited my collection of Golden Guides--adorable pocket-sized nature guides.

I am pretty much in love with this curtain fabric aptly named "Windy Day."

So there it is so far, but there's still more to do. I'd like to brighten it up with some better lighting and a fluffy rug. I think he likes having his own space, though. Here he is snuggling with friends before his nap.

Chickens little

We added a dozen baby chicks to the farm family last week. We've raised chicks many times now, and the messy stinky little dinosaurs seem to lose their allure a bit sooner each time. So it has been great for me to experience Ole's enthusiasm and curiosity for them, and to see him quickly and appropriately shift to quiet and gentle when they're near. Someday I'll remind him of a time when he happily helped with chicken chores.

This chick listens to stories of the great outdoors.

Alex seems less enthusiastic.

This little one has a big personality.

Getting a squeeze.

Of course I love all my chicks equally, but if I were forced to pick a favorite...

Happy Monday!

Just a typical afternoon around here with Ole doing laundry and Pepper keeping a close eye on the baby chicks in the brooder.

Spring round up

As the weather slowly warms, we've begun surveying the yard to see how everything fared over the winter.
The bees look great! I can't remember a winter when we didn't lose at least one hive. I took the photo from quite a distance, though, because these bees are feisty! They're Carniolan honey bees, originating from eastern Europe, a bit darker in color than their Italian cousins. I have much more experience keeping Italian bees, but the Carniolans have a reputation for fending off predators and overwintering well. They are supposed to be gentle as well, but I have found them to be somewhat aggressive: sting first, ask questions later. So we look from afar unless suited up.

The greenhouse has fallen into a state of severe disrepair. A few years ago it was charmingly shabby, but now it is downright dangerous. For now we just talk about fixing it up.

Our tour went off track when the chicken chasing started. Look out, George!

And then there was poking the goats with a stick.

And a new favorite, putting handfuls of dirt on the dog.

But there are gentle moments, too. Here he watches the school bus rumble down the hill.

Now, let's get back to poking goats.