*blinks in confusion*

I generally manage to cruise smoothly through life without really taking any action. When I'm suddenly expected to actually *do* something, I often end up in a similar headspace of a tree sloth who, while reaching very, very slowly and with total concentration toward a juicy beetle, suddenly finds himself grasping, instead, a ping-pong paddle while facing off against Ariel Hsing in the Beijing Championship Semifinals.

Today was such a day.
( Read more... )

The Chickens Have Arrived!

My sojourn out to Lakeway this afternoon has rewarded me with a gorgeous pair of near-adult chickens, one of which Louie has already tried to eat. It turned out that George didn't need a ride back, Thank God, and he's got quite a setup out there by El Water. I brought him back into town, dropped him off in Travis Heights, and headed home with girls.

I thought there would be Substantial Drama in the creation of temporary chicken housing, but I had totally forgotten about the large plastic pond I scored at the Habitat Restore for $30 (retails for $300.) It was exactly the right size. I filled it full of oak leaves, sprinkled on some diatomaceous earth for pest control, put in food and water, and finally plunked down a window screen on top. Perfect! It's in the sun room for now with Pandora, so I don't have to worry about pest-proofing until I actually build the coop outside.

I'm anticipating having the coop done next week, after gathering data during the Funky Chicken Coop Tour of Austin tomorrow.

I will post pictures of the chickens as soon as I can get someone to hold a camera for me. That person might well be virgogrrl, who's coming over to see the casa later this afternoon.

The freshly made Oreo Cookie ice cream is waiting...