The First Egg (in which I nerd out, again, over chickens)

a pale green egg from Loretta next to a regular white grocery store egg

Loretta was acting strange this morning. Lots of bawking and squawking and doing this weird feather thing that I can't even begin to describe with words. For a minute I wondered whether today was first egg day. I went so far as to grab a nest box, fill it with straw, and stick it inside of the coop.



And then I thought twice about it, emptied the box, and stuck it back in the corner of the run. I assumed I couldn't be so lucky as to have a chicken lay at 18 weeks. I just knew for sure my hens would take forever to mature, possibly pushing up into the 24 week range. I also assumed there was no way on earth the first egg would come from Loretta, the runt of the flock.

Thinking no more about her strange behavior I left the house to run errands, one of which was picking up layer feed for the flock.

This afternoon Jonathan rushed inside and announced in a somewhat frantic voice that he needed me to follow him immediately. "It's nothing bad," he swore and smirked mischievously. I knew.

There in the corner of the run where all of the chickens had hung out all day long was a lone tiny green egg. It was, quite possibly, the best moment of my year. It's incredibly gratifying to raise healthy chickens from babies to egg laying.




The little grey girl laid first. I just can't believe it.

Monday Evening

Anyone tired of chickens yet? Whatever. This is now my life.

Book #24

Amazon has a Kindle sale going on and I managed to go on a little buying spree over the weekend. (After having just ranted on my other blog about Kindle prices. Perfect timing.) 32 Candles was one of the novels I purchased and it did not disappoint. I tend to say I love everything. But I'm serious, I loved this book. It was totally engrossing. It's been several books since I'd read a page turner and I'd started to forget what losing yourself in a novel was like. I'm happy to have re-discovered that feeling.

"PMSing-which I personally thought could be better identified as 'the one time of the month when women saw shit clearly."

"I will never let a man hand me an Invitation to Crazy."

Sunday

Tonight I threw an impromptu dinner party for my aunt and uncle. I pulled together a meal and managed forage together a baked ham, fresh corn and green beans, mashed potatoes and cornbread. For dessert I served two options: Peach Cobbler and Peach Ice Cream. The adventurous folks opted for both together. Not to toot my own horn or anything but it was all so yummy.




But of course everyone comes for the chickens, not the food, these days.




They don't disappoint.

******

Life update.

I don't work this week because my temp job is over. (It was so bittersweet leaving my temp job buddies on Thursday.) I was so stressed about what in the world I was going to do after it ended when another job just landed in my lap. I mean, literally. I applied and within a day was hired. So awesome! This Friday I begin a job as a receptionist with a roofing company. It's not what I want to be doing with my life, obviously. But it's something. I'm comforted by the fact that I won't have a lapse in paychecks and also that it pads my resume with some office experience that I'm sure might be helpful in the future. The steady employment should look good as well.

Now I get to put together a wardrobe of office attire. That's really the part I'm most looking forward to.

Saturday

Old friends.

Friday

I did a number of things today. I bought straw bales. Got an oil change. Picked up half a peck of peaches at Hinton's Orchard in Hodgenville.



But my very favorite part of today was sitting on the bench next to the chicken run after dinner.

Thursday Night

I'm tired just thinking about all this.

Wednesday Evening

Ignore that fact that it doesn't have a door and that I haven't landscaped around it and made it super cute yet. Instead marvel at the beauty of chickens in a chicken run with a coop. I've given them permission to lay some eggs. Any day now, ladies.

Tuesday Afternoon

There is a growing list of things I've never purchased before that suddenly I've needed to because of the chicken coop. I'd never bought concrete mix or ordered lumber and stuffed it into a minivan. I'd never picked out roof shingles and loaded carts of landscape timbers and fence wire. And until this afternoon I'd never bought fence staples nor had I any idea what fence staples actually were. I love a good learning moment.

Monday Night

(the first in a seven day series to document a week in my life through pictures)



The AC adapter went out on my laptop so I'm using a desktop this week. (Sigh.) Pinterest has overtaken my life. I've developed a sudden interest in nurseries, wedding dresses, and vintage clothing. It's absurd.

Book #23 (Reference Books Count)

This was a great reference to chicken raising. It's actually the first I've read as most of the others I'd seen at the library were falling apart and 4000 years old. I loved the modern spin on poultry keeping that the author provided. AND, she basically proved that I do indeed need a pair of Hunter Boots to tend to the chickens in. YES!

Book #22

"Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both."

I cried. It was wonderful.

Book #21

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

I loved this book.

I confess to having picked it up at the library because I've never read it and it's on all of those greatest lists but mostly because it's only 97 pages and I'm behind on my goal. However, 21 books into this thing I can say without a doubt this is the best book I've read so far this year. Now I'm wondering what other classics I've neglected should be added to my to-read pile.

Book #20

I'm only ashamed that I didn't pick better trash to read. This was pretty bland.

Time to Get Serious

When I get asked in job interviews* what my strengths and weaknesses are I always mention how goal oriented I am as one of my strengths. I set goals and I follow through** come hell or high water. It might also be a weakness. If you look at it another way it appears I have an extreme inability to accept defeat.

This week I'm determined to make up those 8 books. I just can't promise that doing it will be pretty or intellectually stimulating. I've spotted some Carly Phillips and Jennifer Crusie novels on my bookshelf that are screaming to be read. This week is not for highbrow. It's for winning.

*I had a job interview last week. Cross all your parts that I hear good news in the next few days!
**This does not apply to weight loss goals. I fail those all the time.

Summer Recipes

I used to say I hated pork except for bacon and the occasional ham. Then I realized that it's sort of un-Kentuckian of me to dislike the other white meat. There are so many local sources for great pork. I've come to realize I only hated pork because I'd been eating it wrong for too many years. Pork doesn't need to be cooked to death which is an important thing to understand.

This has become my go-to marinade for chops on the grill. Especially because it helps me utilize some of the rosemary I've been growing.



Pork Marinade (30 minutes!)
1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh if possible
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil, or vegetable
3/4 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (kosher)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4-6 Pork chops

In a plastic bag put in the pork chops and cover with the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes but no more than 4 hours. Don’t do this over night or the pork will be inedible.

*********

A few nights ago I had the best pasta salad ever. I had to request the recipe and I made a huge batch to go with tonight's dinner and for a couple of lunches this week.

Pasta Salad
1 bottle of Kroger creamy Italian salad dressing
1 bottle of Wishbone robusto Italian dressing
2 16oz boxes of salad rotini
enough tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, shredded carrot and shredded cheddar cheese to suit your tastes

Cook your pasta, rinse & drain then mix with all other ingredients.

The key is using both of those particular salad dressings. All of the homemade pasta salads I've attempted before did not turn out nearly as well as this one.

{{photo credit}}

New Goal for 2011

Last night we went to a Fourth of July party at my cousin and his wife's house in Brooks. They bought a foreclosure home with 25 acres a year ago and have basically gutted the house and started over. It was tons of fun to see the progress they've made, hang out with their goats, visit with the family, and watch fireworks. However, when I got home and went through my pictures I regretted not taking more. Specifically, not taking more of actual people because I didn't want to bother anyone. (Which is a totally silly reason to leave your camera sitting at a table all night.)

My new goal for 2011 is to stop feeling self-conscious about capturing moments at social events. Candid photography is my favorite and I should have just went for it last night.