And then there were 3...

 Mother Nature came into play with the addition of those 4 eggs. Being they were laid 1 week later then the initial 3, they began hatching out 3 days ago. See the little beak raised between the back larger 2 hatch-lings?

 On that day, I found 2 of the 4 extra hatched out.  The scenario I imagined was not what I thought I would find during my tool grab on Thursday. Being they are so much younger, I thought for sure the older nest mates would smother the younger chicks or dominate the food train mother, in worst case scenario. Instead, I found all traces of them gone. Not even an eggshell. I searched inside the potter shed as well as the ground in front of the entrance, with their dive bombing parents yelling at me the entire time. My assumption is mother Robin disposed of them herself. Her "instinct" indicating they are the weaker links and as in the normal ways of many in wildlife, the weak are rarely kept or tended. 

So now, the Potter shed thieving Robin is back to feeding just 3 mouth's. 

Telle est la nature {Such is the nature}.

Sweet Dreams,

~Tammie

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Photog share & Year 2 Mrs. Robin in the potter's shed

 Remember last year when a certain Mrs. Robin made a nest on my garden hoe blade that leaned on the back wall of my potter shed? Her eggs hatched out & the babies survived, flying away by June. I finally had my shed back with plans to thwart such an event from ever keeping me from enjoying the benefits of a potter shed.

That didn't work out so well... She's back and this time she made a nest in the corner of the shelf under the window. It began as 3 eggs...

 Within a week of our discovery, 3 became 7... As of the other day, what I assume were the first 3 eggs, hatched out. I have not been back to grab my tools since this shot taken last Saturday.

Apparently my sharing of the shed with her 2 years in a row does not cause enough distress to where she does not feel it to be a proper nesting sight. In fact, I think she is & feels far safer being hidden yet surrounded by the openness of the field. Safe inside with a view from both windows and the missing door  giving a great defense from sneak attacks.{yeah, I never did get that back on}.

I'll keep you up to date on how this whole 7 eggs things work out.

Photography has been my consume all of late. I've stepped down from my previous consume all of the gardening and animals. As mentioned before, it became too much work and not enough enjoyment being the main & majority source of labor. The garden is not as big. We are bringing in a trio of Welsh Harlequins due to hatch the end of this month and will keep things simple from now on. 

I have debated a new site, like I have not done that a hundred times. I may very well do it this time, linking into this site or simply share the link for those who wish to stop in and watch my progress and experiments within photography. I'm hooked on themes & story telling with my photos. No matter how small, my drive is behind the inclusion of a theme.

 I thought I would share my latest practice & experimentation which consisted of Panda & a guy friend. Yes. He's a guy and not a boy being this Fall they become Freshmen.

This time out was not about capturing the right light as most know really makes the shot. I've had some beginner issues using my new 50mm 1.8 lens. Getting both faces in focus, finding the right angle, the right pose & surroundings to make it happen. This happens to be in the #1 slot of the top 5 in the shots that day.

I really do not like having my signature copyright image overlay in the photos but stealing images is rampant on the net. Not giving credit of source as well as playing it off as their own. I try to make it more discreet but hard to hide should someone post or share elsewhere..

Yes. That's Panda. Lil Miss going on 14 in 6 weeks. 

I strongly feel railroad tracks have been overdone in the sense of so many doing "the walk down tracks" look. My own treasured photo from May 2010 showcasing my 3 kiddos is of that very scenario, taken with a point and shoot. I love that photo and will recreate the same shot every 2-3 years as they grow for a series on my future "old lady hall of photos". Just not a shot I would willingly take for others.
 I discovered this great abandoned warehouse environment a few towns over. The railroads are dominant in our area from the Past industrial meets farming life. The two of them proceeded to do their own thing, wanting to explore around the factory as I snapped away.  It's not the common railroad scenario, giving it exclusion from my above mentioned notation.

Panda is showing her own interest in Photography with plans of having it as her Minor in college.. which is in just 4 years... She has become my assistant {the reflector holder} as well as a source of inspiration & ideas with our themes. The clothing and hair for this very shoot were all her doing.

There is something about this shot I just love. The softness of her face and the playful shadows dappling with light from the apple tree above. I would have played more within this area but alas, the heathens were tired and hungry. An area in the plans for another day playing with light & shadow experimentation. 

To see the full set of this practice session, which I titled Summer of Youth, hop over to this Flickr link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95517275@N02/sets/72157633434194768/

I'll try not to be so absent from my posts in the future. The decision on the start of another site may come into play being I have less Farm Chick and more Shutterbug going on in my life. I'll let you know what I decide.
Sweetest Dreams,
~Tammie

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Queen of the Pallets, strikes again!

This month in the land of The Unusual Farm Chick, we are playing Pallet Queen. Yes. I declare myself Queen of the Pallets. The Captain has brought many a truck load of so called "broken" pallets home from work to use as fuel for weekend Bonfires. I have been eyeing his piles for some time and finally have the opportunity to attack. I drug out every pallet piece, laying them out for size comparison as well as quality before the dew had even dried from the grass blades. The Captain came walking out to see where I had disappeared to. Most husbands would have the look of bewilderment to come upon such a scene. Not my husband. He gets that look of amusement throwing in a statement of "I wondered where you were so early this morning. What are you making now?". yep. My King has only amusement for my antics throughout the years.

"I'm building a couch. Here, hold this up for me", as I try to size up two pallets. Like a good King, he does what he asked and does it with a smile holding back his laughter.

I know what some of you are thinking. A couch? Really Farm Chick? Have you gone bonkers? Yes. Well no. I guess when people think couch, they think of the soft indoor seating pieces. This is an outdoor couch. One that will have cushions custom made from even more upcycled items. A couch my Captain can enjoy sitting back in as he sits by his most enjoyed Bonfires. So I guess you could call them Bonfire couches... complete with cup holders... Far more comfortable then a bench. It's all a part of the Bonfire area remodel. My gift to him for his summer enjoyment.

The first couch in RAW FORM:

 I'm not the first to build such things from pallets, nor am I the last. There are so many being wasted, thrown to the landfills because of a broken slat or company disregard. Some people have even made a business of remodeling these free to cheaper then a cup of coffee pallets, making furniture or other useful items. Albeit, the pricing is not even close to a budget minded individual. A simple engine search using the words " pallet furniture , Pallet chair , pallet couch , pallet projects , etc will produce MANY sources of inspiration & how to's. The hard part on working with pallets, besides being a pain in the Arse to dismantle the pieces, they come in many sizes and shapes. Rarely ever being exact in size to similar pieces. Creative Problem solving is very common when utilizing Pallets for recycling.

I have utilized a few various kinds of pallets. Most think of the typical square shape with slats. I have found a source for 3 tier shipping pallets at a local Garden nursery, which is the source for the framing of my Potter shed last Fall.

 Now I have 2 Fireside couches using pallet wood and a few additional pieces found in the scrap cart of Home Depot for 51 cents each. I still have some paint touch ups left before I do the cushions.

The almost finished Pallet couch ensemble:

Including the price of screws as well as the scrap lumber, I made these two pallet couch projects for under $12. The screws were $10 a box and I still have a small amount left to utilize in this next project.

A Fort Club house for the kids, in the woods!

Another shipping 3 tier pallet found at the Garden Nursery Free wood spot. Even has a poly roof piece:

You'll need to stay tuned for the this next project's finished look. Little Man & I are busting out the tools to take on this next pallet remodel as soon as he gets home from school. I have a most adventure inspiring style in mind and can not wait to get it out. I'm hoping to incorporate their Zipline into this but I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to clear more between the trees as well as rip away the poison oak I have found twining around a few trees. I'm the only one in the family who does not break out in ugly blisters when dealing with these things, so you know where I'll be in the morn. Playing in the woods!

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie

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New Garden residents & Zentangle treasure

I'm back & finally settled into routine after the moving trip of my little brother & sister in law. Some of my plants were dead but thankfully nothing like it was when I left The Captain in charge of the seedlings a few years ago. The mass of my herbs are dead with a few holding on. Hopefully by planting them yesterday, they will be rejuvenated and thrive. The garden, as I have mentioned before, has been mulched with wood chips. The fight of the weeds is in yet another year of experimentation. I know, your thinking that whole nitrogen robbing thought as many do when I mention the wood chips. Have a look at this site which is my reason to give it a go*.

I left a few spots bare for the purpose of direct seeding, leaving FAR less space which will need my attention. The spot closest to you in the picture, with the 2x4 barrier is the flower space, just in front of the Potter Shed.

Speaking of the Potter Shed, have I mentioned a Robin built her nest in there on the Garden hoe? Oh yes, I believe I had mentioned it just recently. For 2 days after the nest was spotted, we had rain & cold. Surely the Robin would not lay her eggs in that short of a time... But I was wrong. So ALL work on the Potter shed roof and door as well as the painting of the interior has been put on hold long enough for Mother Robin to raise her chicks.

As you can see, she is rather protective and watchful over the Potter shed. There simply is not a solution I can deal with that would prevent me from disrupting her off the nest. I take breaks from the garden every 30 minutes to ensure she can get back in there as well as when I see she comes back with worms hanging from her beak, I leave the area so she can feed the babes. I had hoped she would become accustom to my presence and not be such a nervous Nelly every time I would be working in the garden. Instead she yells at me from every fence corner to the shed rooftop, flitting between the Bentwood arbor and the expanse of the wide open grass just beyond the pickets. Silly Bird. Or is it more like silly human...

Mama Robin is perched on the middle temporary roof beam, above, on the Potter shed I made.

Another new Garden resident is this little songstress who has belted out such charming calls, I can not help but hope he or she stays. I have seen it coming & going from the shabby coffee can house as well as bring what I can only guess is a mate. I'm not too knowledgeable on bird species but from what I was able to find as a possible match, this may be a Winter Wren ,{correct me if I'm wrong. I truly would like to know the variety}. For Winter Wrens, In their life, they have just one mate. The male finds nest locations and the female will choose amongst them her preference. I saw her visiting this nest last Sunday. I'm not sure if she has chosen it or not but this other bird has been bringing little twigs to insert into the hole. At times, it becomes comical watching it try to fit them in through the hole when the only obvious solution is to NOT clench it the beak sideways.

Before I go, I must share a most treasured gift I have received. My Mother in law has been enjoying the hobby of what is called Zentangle. Panda quickly picked up the art herself and both have been enjoying workshops and time together with this new passion. Now, I must explain WHY this gift is even more special. On this very shelf, I desired something of my 3 wee ones to be framed. I thought I might take them out & do a photo session for the perfect shot to be framed & placed in this very spot. Then, to my astonishment, I opened this Mother's Day gift and could not have been happier. It is the PERFECT piece to go in the spot I had long contemplated filling. I will treasure this for a lifetime.

Obviously, It is a tracing of each child's hand and filled with the art of Zentangle. You may wonder, What exactly is Zentangle? This site**link will be far more helpful then I could explain.

Be sure to have a look around the site linked above. Zentangle is such a beautiful form of ink work. I for one, could never sit still long enough to produce such pieces.

As you can also see from the photo, my Rugosa Roses are in bloom. I am not able to identify it's exact variety name but they are a hybrid. A mix of Rugosa with another Rose Variety, the parent for it's multi petal form. Which ever variety it may be, it has a scent I wish I could fill the air with all day long. Thankfully, they are a continuous bloom rose I can enjoy up into the Fall.

There is mention of Rain in the forecast for Wednesday so I have been rushing about to get so much done after being away for so long. Yet I feel I am running out of things I can do by myself. I can only recruit The Captain on the weekends for jobs that need more muscle then I can provide. I do believe I am hitting a lull in my daily amusements. 

I am sure it will not take long for me to find something to get into, being I flit amongst my interests like a field of flowers to a butterfly.. For the time being, I wish you the best of...

Sweetest Dreams,

~Tammie

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The Bee yard, my first swarm & garden finds

What a week this has been. From heat to snow and back again mixed with odd activity in the Bee yard, there has not been a lack of activity. Lets start from the beginning.

Last week I was out mowing the back and stopped my mower in the area by the beehive. Went inside to grab a water & came back to find the Bee's were up to something big. The sound of their buzzing met me before I even topped the hill drive. There was a cloud of Bee's off to the right of my single hive and thousands of Bee's "bearding" in front of it. I initially thought due to the drastic rise between freezing evening temps to almost 80 {F} in the mid afternoon, they were doing what is called Cooling off on the front porch. Also making me think that extra high Pollen we have been enduring caused a surge in brood. Potentially making the cloud of bee's an orientation flight for the newbies. Or so I thought as I went down the check list of possibilities.

Their Bearding I found:

And for those of you who like a little live action heres a 35 second video clip. My first time using video on the DSLR Camera {mind you, the mic on my camera is on the backside and did not pick up the intense Buzz going on} http://youtu.be/Z1YpB9lnOqI

With all the action happening, I feared a swarm. To the best of my knowledge they did not swarm that day since we went back to freezing temps and rain until yesterday. It is very possible to have happened with a newly made queen. I know my hive is exceptionally strong and filled to the brim with Honey so at this point, I can only guess. . But I am getting ahead of myself. Back to yesterday. Panda was home with Strep and I made her come outside in the sunshine while I finished remodeling the Bee Yard. As I shoveled wood chips of which I got 2 dump loads worth free from the tree trimmers down the road, I hear her say "Mooom, there's a bunch of Bee's over here." Pointing about 20 feet to the right of our Hive. I walk over to find a swarm of bee's clustered onto a wild rose cane just 1 foot off the ground. THIS is not good. I ordered a second complete Hive {Bee Free} for this very purpose and was not scheduled to pick it up until the 1st of May. The bee's in my hive were still bringing in Pollen which is telling me there is still a queen inside {confirmed later on}.

front side of swarm:

 Backside view of Swarm

So I dialed up a local guy from the beekeeper society and he was here in just 20 minutes with an empty frame box and all the gear for capturing a swarm.

Time to head out and catch my first Swarm!

 

This man has been a beekeeper for 46 years. Spending an afternoon with a pesky swarm {we had issues getting the Queen into the frame for a bit} made for a most informative & delightful day.

Eventually the swarm was boxed up and this kind Bee Keeper asked to have a look in my hive. It was FULL of Honey since I had not extracted their first Fall season. The downfall being there is not room for the honey to be made THIS flowering season. His solution? Bring me over a new super for them to fill. I will need another added on in about 2 months. He also brought me out a 1 box setup in case we have a swarm with another queen before I am able to pick up the new hive set up I ordered for pick up on the 1st of May.

He said my hive is stronger then any of his and my queen is still in there. He said that since the Bee's whom were going in had pollen on their legs showed they were collecting and not scouting for a new home.

As we awaited the swarm to finish walking into their new home {once the queen is in there, you can see them "walk" right in}. He took the swarm home and has made plans with helping me split our hive this year, utilizing a friends property miles away.

I rather like the looks of our Bee yard.

During all that excitement, we discovered a new addition in the Potter Shed. Seems by not getting that door on, our feathered friends found the Garden Hoe to be most enticing for their nest building.

No eggs in there, much to the dismay of the children but much relief to me. I NEED my tool holding shed this time of year and truly can not have boarders holding it hostage.

I leave for Texas on the first weekend in May. My little brother has been stationed to a base in Maryland. I am flying in to help them drive the distance from their current location since my sister in Law is now expecting. I am going to have a niece!! Soon, I will have my little brother, his wife and soon my niece within a day trip distance. LOTS of road trips to the East coast are in our future.

The Wine Cap mushrooms have been planted in 2 different spots. One in the backyard rock garden and a smaller ring under an old apple tree in the side yard.

This has become rather long so I best be off. Wishing you all.....

Sweet Dreams,

~Tammie

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Potter's shed progress, apples from heaven? & pie bread

The cement block compost bin is still lacking it's stucco finish being I have yet to buy the mesh & such. Instead, I started working on a Potters shed to store all those garden tools I have a horrible habit of leaving out. The notion is to have a spot I can leave them close at hand instead of trudging them the distance from our house to the back everyday. I am using pallet wood being it is so freely available. I emphasize FREE.. I found the perfect frame base already put together, re purposing from a 4 level pallet used by a locally owned garden center for transporting potted plants from their supplier. The perfect size for me to step inside and even The Captain would not woe from hitting his head.

I still have some finishing up to do as well as it's painting to match our chicken coop of a French blue base & white trimming. In it's current state, The Captain keeps chiding me it looks like an old outhouse. I guess it did not help my case being I was dressed in a dark old flannel with jeans and a neon orange beanie hiding my pulled back hair, which he burst out in laughter with first glance, exclaiming "You look like a bag lady building an outhouse!". Thanks Honey. I know I can always depend upon you for putting a smile on my face...

Being the work on my tool shed has been stalled due to the high wind, rain & my kidney stone out patient surgery, I will at least for now share the perfectly small 6 pane wood windows I scored for it's sides:

My potter's shed will sit at the back outside corner of the garden, butting up to the picket fence. Frog is begging for more flower variety so the space between the "bag lady outhouse" and the opposite end of the picket fence will be a 5 foot wide x 12 foot long strip of her flowers. I do believe it will look rather nice being flanked with her cutting flower garden and possibly some more woody herbs on it's grass  side.

Little Man & I went into the side woods yesterday looking for fallen tree limbs to collect for the winter fires. When what before our wondering eyes should appear? But apples! Fallen from the heavens, leaving a trail for the deer. O.k, not really from heaven but the very tops of these ancient apple trees gave a beautiful sight of golden apples laid out as though they are urging you to explore down the path.....

We were thrilled to see all the hoove prints amongst them meaning the hunters on neighboring property have not scared off the locals from our woods. We rather enjoy the chance encounters we have with the deer which may also be due to their leaving my garden alone. The two of us collected some of the most perfect organic apples into our button up shirts , backwards tied around our waists, made into a makeshift apron. We left our wagon of logs & sticks for just a moment to release our treasures onto the kitchen counter.Making quick of our work in the woods knowing what awaits us.

We sat in the living room, shredding apples for the delight of a Fall favorite. Apple pie bread! I clipped this recipe from an old Better homes & garden magazine some years ago and have found a link to share with all of you whom may very well find this to be a Fall favorite.

I add 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice when I add the flour in the recipe. They do not mention any spice and despite tasting nice without it, the addition makes it glorious. I also use GOLDEN raisins and on occasion add the streusel topping depending on my supply of walnuts.

The sonic blasting of the largest kidney stone today seemed to go well. I was surprised to discover, just 6 hours after surgery, to have such a blatant "battle wound". Panda was grossed out by it and the nurses told me it would turn even nastier as it sets in with blues, purples/black of healing.

But it's not as painful {yet} as it may look. I can not wait to get back to my workout routine {it's been a month!} and to finish up my outdoor projects without aching. I have another item I scored from a big name hardware store which was used in their garden center and will now be an organizer for the after school throw downs. THAT you will have to wait for as well, which is bare in it's current state. Lacking the layer of paint to tie it in to the living theme & appeal.

Until next time...

Sweetest dreams,

~Tammie

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