Weird, Wild, and Wonderful

A recent conversation with a relative faced me with an interesting question. What do you like most about life in the Pacific Northwest?  This post outlines the things a Mid-Atlantic native finds odd, interesting, and noteworthy about life here.

1)  Language.  For example:  I see/hear the words 'car prowl' often. It means car break in.  Or, 'prowler' I'll hear. A prowler was spotted in the 900 block of 35th Ave.  Weird, eh?

2) Hyper Local.  Everyone here recognizes the value of purchasing goods from LOCAL supplies. Whether it be produce, meats, or holiday gifts from local artists. Everyone here gets the 'local' movement.

3) Neighborhood clicks.  If a fellow Seattle-lite asks you where you live, you don't say Seattle.  You specify the  neighborhood "Ballard", "Queene Anne", "West Seattle", "SoDo".  There is a distinct sense of community in each neighborhood that is just so weird to me.  It is very nice, but weird.

4) While driving over a mountain pass, we kept seeing signs marking "chain up area".  What the hell is that? Well, to travel over certain mountain roads during winter months, you are required to have snow chains in your car, and be ready to 'chain up' if conditions require.  In Maryland they were illegal, and here they are required by law!

5) Composting is Huge.  We have a garbage truck, a recycling truck, and a compost/yard waste truck.  Even restaurants and cafes will have a Compost Bin next to the Trash and Recycling receptacles.  Some  cities even ban the use of plastic bags (like Edmonds). Carry out isn't given in Styrofoam containers, no, instead, in compostable containers.

6) Freedoms.  It's funny that living in Maryland I never felt restricted in my freedoms, until I moved here and realized how really controlled by the government life was there.  Here, I can purchase beer, wine, (and in February hard liquor) in the grocery stores and other locations (like Costco)!  And this state is an open-carry state, so if a resident chooses to openly carry a fire-arm, it is totally legal without any permits required.  Note, they are banned from certain areas (bars, government buildings).  But how wonderful it is to have a CHOICE.  It's funny that I never thought of that as a choice I had to make until moving here.

My absolute favorite thing without a doubt, about living here is the beauty. It is incredibly beautiful to see snow capped mountains even in August. Or seals in the bay.  It is truly beautiful.  Just driving out of the neighborhood to run an errand we frequently get such amazing views of the Olympics behind the Puget Sound, that we will pull over to admire it.

House Renovations - Stage 1

This week starts our house renovations.  There is so much that needs to be done.  The list of things we'd like to do includes:  kitchen (complete renovation, is mostly original 1950's), main bathroom (needs new cabinet/counter and a second sink), the bonus room needs updating (adding a closet and putting in new flooring), and the siding need something to make it more aesthetically appealing (nothing wrong with it, but is very drab).

The biggest project by far will be the total overhaul of the kitchen, but the plumbing needs to be take care of first.  Our house is cute and mostly updated, except the kitchen. It is just plain ugly. It has white cabinets, white Formica-like counters with gold swirls, and some type of plastic flooring. Some of the cabinets can't open without hitting the updated appliances (I guess old appliances were smaller). For example, to open the cutlery drawer completely, I need to open the oven or the drawer will  hit the oven door after being opened 6 inches.  To fit the new fridge, they had to cut a hold in the top cabinets, the edges were left raw with visible cut marks. There is a large burn hole in one of the counters about 2 inches long and 1 centimeter deep.  

This week plumbers will be here for 3-4 days completing 3 different projects.  All the original galvanized plumbing from the 50's is being removed and replace with PEX.  The new water lines will be insulated.  Then, they are moving the washer/dryer out of the kitchen to hookup they are installing in the bonus room, and patching up the walls where they were removed from.  Lastly, the sewer pipe exiting the 2nd bathroom will be regraded (it is pitched slightly the wrong way, making the toilet difficult to flush and prone to back up).

Chickens Milestone: 20 weeks

Today the chicks turned 20 weeks old!  It's an important milestone, as they are no longer adolescents, and are now 'pullets', or young adult birds.  This is also when they are due to start laying eggs -  I could have my first eggs any day now.  Last week I started switching their feed over from 'grower' to 'layer' ration.  This is supposed to happen at 20 weeks, as the layer feed has more calcium (and other nutrients) that laying hens need. However, I ran out of grower ration 2 weeks ago, and didnt want to buy another 25 pound of it when I needed a pound or two to last me from weeks 18 through 20. So I started to mix in the 'layer' feed to transition them over slowly (a few people in the farm co-op told me it was OK to do so).

Back to the eggs.  I could have some anytime now. The first few eggs are usually 'odd' (in terms of size/shape). They are usually small and odd shaped.  This happens while the chicken's system is getting used to laying eggs. After the first few, they are more or less 'normal' eggs.  I'll be sure to post pics of my first few eggs.

I am slightly concerned that my girls will not know where to lay their eggs.  I may be worrying over nothing. Their egg boxes are in the top of their coop, a place where they seldom venture. So I'm worried they won't know to lay them in there, despite me putting some 'fake' eggs in their nestboxes.  This helps them to know where to lay.  They seek out someplace tucked away and quiet.  I keep showing them the nestboxes, so they know where they are.  Also, they free range in the yard all day, so Im worried that the urge will strike to lay, and they will do so someplace in the yard, and I'll never know they laid. There are several places in the yard that have lots of little smooth eggs shaped rocks, so Im worried they will mistake this for a nest and lay there.  Who knows, I may be worrying over nothing. 

Then there is the daylight issue.  With less than 12 hours/day, most hens stop/slow down laying in the winter.  Some people provide artificial light to trick their girls into laying through the winter.  I am currently doing nothing.  So with the diminished daylight, my girls may be slower to start laying. So much to worry about!

Power of networking

After writing my last post, I decided I needed to get some hands-on experience with bees to help me decide if this is for me.  I've read books, but doing things is different than reading about them.  Especially when the risk is getting stung, and I'm unsure how I will feel after doing my first few hive checks. I am usually very afraid of all bugs in general.  Who knows, after doing it a time or two I may decide that this isn't for me. If that is going to happen, I'd weather find out sooner than later, and find out BEFORE I've spent a bunch of money on hives and supplies.

When I was looking for chickens, I posted on the local farm co-op website, and someone ended up giving me chicks.  So, I went on a local beekeeping forum, and posted that Im a beginner looking for some hands on experience.  I got a reply to my post, someone not to far away is willing to let me 'babysit' his hive for the winter and he will tutor me through it, then, come spring, we will split the hive in two (each taking 1/2). At that point I'll have to purchase/build my own hive and will have gotten an education.  So, if I discover this isn't for me, I'll be out about $100 for supplies (smoker, bee brush, beesuit, hive tool), which I can always resell on craigslist/ebay.  In my mind, this is way better than having a large hive up and running before discovering any aversions to beekeeping.

Next week it looks like I'll be heading to his place to meet him, and check out his set up.

Everything is going well here. We are in the process of starting work on our house for the first remodeling project (replacing all the old galvanized plumbing with PEX). Once this is done, we'll be able to start the main job (remodeling the 1950's kitchen). 

Thinking of spring... Goals anyone?

So, whats next?  I've been giving this a lot of thought.  Recently we went to a barter event, which got me thinking what kind of other products I could make or harvest.  Many people were trading homemade canned items, jams, jellys, preserves, salsas, sauces, honey, homemade soaps, candles, etc.

Goals: 
- eventually harvest enough from our garden to can the extra for use at barters (which are pretty common around here)
- additional livestock

What about animals?   I REALLY want goats. REALLY BAD.   I've read numerous books on care.  Recently I think I've decided goats are a bit "much" for me right now.  But they're so freaking cute.  They are more care than dogs.  Milking 2x/day.  Everyday. God knows Im not averse to hard work, but what about going away for a weekend?  Or going on a daytrip?  We just moved here and there is so much exploring we want to do.  I'd need to arrange for goat care.  Much harder than for dogs. So I will probably get goats eventually, but just not right now. 

What I like about chickens is the ease of care.  At most, 20 minutes a day.  Many people I talk to leave their chickens for a weekend and they are fine (they fill up LARGE feeders/waters, which is fine for a few days).  Additionally, all the petsitters I've contacted and are interviewing, are OK with chicken care. 

Soooo...........  I've decided that bees are the next livestock that suit my current needs.  I read 2 books on beekeeping (about a year ago).  After initial set up, they require 15 minutes per week - usually just checking the status of the hive.  Uhm, OK - I can do that.  That doesn't include harvesting the honey at the end of the season, which will require several hours.  For a hive or two, it can be done easily in a weekend.  But they are also a bit of a long term commitment -  usually you cannot harvest the honey until their 2nd fall.  Hives are started in the spring, and harvested in the fall. When you harvest, you must always leave enough honey to get the colony through that winter - after the first summer they haven't built enough of a honey stash to last them the winter plus have some leftover for you to harvest.

Our local ordinances allow up to 4 hives on a lot smaller than 10,000 sq feet, so I'd be fine starting with one. Additionally, we have a 6ft perimeter fence which drives the bees up when the leave/enter the hive. With the other ordinances, this makes placing the hive on the property easier (has to be xx number of feet from the property line, etc).  Beekeeping classes start in March, and Im keeping my eye out for the classes at the local center.  There are other programs in the area that will put a hive on your yard and care for it for you (hive hosting).  So I have several options to consider.

PS:  After writing this post, someone posted this article:  http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/  

Slaughter Class Follow-up

This morning was the slaughter class, about 20 people showed up with total of about 15 chickens. It was about what I expected, I am surprised that chickens have so little blood in their bodies.  The method used (slitting the jugular) was simple and quick, and the chickens didn't seem to suffer. This is the method I think I would use, however with the addition of the killing cone for the flapping reaction as the brain shuts down. It was quick and simple, I definitely left feeling like I could do it.  He showed the entire process, all the way through gutting.  I even got to pluck/singe someones chicken! 

The people there were interesting. Most had kept chickens for a while, some people were brand new (like myself), and some hadn't even got their chickens yet.  Some even had other livestock (rabbits) that they had experience processing. The people were very supportive of each other, for example, one woman did not want to actually kill her bird, so swapped with another woman who didn't want to do that part on her bird either.  Then they continued the process with their own birds after the bird had bled out.  

It was a very interesting experience, and wasn't as 'bloody' or 'gory' as you would think.  I wish hubby had come with me, I think he could have handled it and would have loved to share that experience with him.

Slaughter class

This Saturday I am going to a processing class. Someone with the farm co-op is offering to show fellow co-op members how to slaughter/butcher chickens in his backyard. For free!   I am excited to gain this new knowledge. People are invited to bring their chicken and supplies (sharp knifes, a cooler w/ice).  I am not bringing one of my girls since they are only 12 weeks, but am going to watch everyone else and learn how to do it when the time comes.  Or, for if something happens to one of my girls and she needs to be put down, then I'll be able to to it quickly and humanely. 

Hubby has declined to come with me.  He is freaked out by it for some reason. He claims he is attached to them already (altho he has only ever touched one once, and refuses to hold them).  After the class I'll post my reactions and thoughts about it. 

chickens vs cat

This past week the chickens have started free ranging in the yard, and are good about going to roost at night.  The dogs can't be trusted still when the chickens are out, but the cats are fine with the chickens.  They can handle themselves, as seen in this video where Henrietta runs off Elliott.

Also, today I dug up some wild black raspberry bushes growing at various places in the neighborhood (in the alley, the park) and transplanted them in our yard. Hopefully some will have fruit next summer!

Getting into the routine

I am getting into the chicken routine.  They really don't require that much time/effort after the initial set up. I finally fixed the floor of the coop yesterday, and cleaned it out. It was difficult b/c I had to put them in a temporary pen so I could get in there and fix it.  Anyhow, now our routine is about 15 minutes in the morning of care (put out fresh feed/water, open up the coop to the run).  In the evenings the girls go to roost all by themselves at 6:20 (it gets dark about 6:40).  We find it cute/funny, that they go up to the roost and get  settled in all by themselves.  Our evening routine is that we empty the run, close up the run access, move the coop (it takes 2 people), and pick up the food for the evening. All in all, in the evenings it runs about 15 minutes as well.  I, of course, spend more time outside w/them during the day, watching them or giving them treats or kitchen scraps.  Today I took this video of the dogs/chickens, after I gave the chickens some milk as a treat. They loved it!

Ladies Arrived

All 4 girls

 Last night Gail brought over my ladies. It was almost dark, so they'd be ready to roost for the evening.  We clipped their flight feathers, as she thought since are still young and light enough to try for our 6ft fence.  Next molt when their new feathers come in they'll be too heavy to even try for the fence.

The farm co-op warehouse didn't have wateres, just nipples to make do it yourself waterers.  I don't think they've figured out how to drink from the nipples yet, so I put a dish of water out for them. I went to Hayes feed store on my back from the doctors and they were out of regular waterers. Ick. Ill have to go back Friday when they have more in stock.

Oddly, Charlie was more interested in the ladies than Chloe. I thought it'd be her, since she has a high prey drive when it comes to small animals, but she is fine.  Charlie now is fine off leash in the yard when they are in their tractor (its fully enclosed). 

Coop stress

Yesterday we took both cars to pick up the coop. I thought the coop can go in one car, the run in the other.  The run itself is 8ft long w/1ft handles on each end.  That wasn't going to happen.  So, we had to go to Uhaul and get a pickup truck.  After a tedious drive home, we got the coop in the back yard, and returned the truck before they closed at 5pm. Whew!

I am slightly disappointed w/certain aspects of the coop, that seem to make no sense to me.  For example, the wire on the run isn't even chicken wire. The holes are 1inx4inches!  Totally useless!  And the whole floor drops out to be a ramp into the run. Stupid for 2 reasons - 1) it blocks the yard access door when the floor is down 2)  what if some chickens want to be in the coop while others are in the run?!  Needless to say there need to be some alterations on it, that I think we can handle.

The problem is I started putting up galvanized 1/2inch wire last night on the run (in the dark, with a headlamp on), but I needed help to hold it down and staple it on.  So Im freaking out and in tears, b/c chicks arrive Monday and hubby will be at work all day Monday. I at least want to get that up before the ladies arrive Monday - we can alter the floor later in the week. So here it is, Monday morning, and Im stressed out. 

I figured out how to post pictures today, so that will add some variety to my posts.

birds & coop

This past week I got the yard cleaned up. Composter is in the ground and rodent proof. 

The guy who is building my coop expects it to be done next week, so this week I set about finding some laying hens. Ideally, I wanted pullets (juveniles 10-20 weeks old about to start laying).  I'd prefer them closer to 20 weeks, when they start laying.  So I looked on craigslist, and posted on a local forum asking around if anyone knew of anyone selling some.

A lady on the forum emailed me and said she'd give me some FOR FREE!  They are 10 weeks old (younger than I had wanted) but are Rhode Island Reds and Black Stars. Both breeds are good layers, docile, and hearty breeds.  Being that I already spent a lot of money on the coop instead of building it myself, Im feeling guilty for all the $ Im spending on the chickens since Im not working right now.  So I emailed her and told her I'd take 2 of each (after I got over being freaked out that a total stranger would GIVE me birds for free).   Yay!!!!  So I tentatively have some girls arranged!

Up and Running

I am excited to have the blog up and running to document the progress on everything.  My main reason for blogging is that I wanted to 'diary' the progress on the house/property, but didn't like the idea of an old school hand-written diary.  I also wanted a forum to share details with my close friends and family who are interested in the more minute details of our urban farming ordeal.

Last week we moved into the house. 1950's goodness - the kitchen is all original and needs to be remodeled (more details on that in a later post).   We've now been in the house for 6 days, and are mostly unpacked.  Being that hubby works and I have not sought employment yet, I've been able to get a good bit done around the house.  The most notable projects were replacing the fence (hired contractor for), moving a failed compost pile, laying some brickwork, and clearing out the yard of debris.  Hubby installed wonderful rain barrels over the weekend, and they are already almost full!

I also ordered the chicken coop yesterday. I had originally wanted to build one myself, however, I have so much other stuff to do around the house I feel like I'd never get around to doing it. 

My vision for our property is: living as simply and as sustainably as possible while growing as much of our own food as possible.


Today:  yardwork out front, digging holes for the composters.