Long Time No See

I haven't posted in awhile.

Got two new chickens. A Black Sex Link (named Peck) and a Rhode Island Red (named Brown Sugar).

Celtics are starting playing again.

Red Sox lost the ALCS so did not go to World Series this year. Tampa Bay won the ALCS, but lost World Series to the Phillies.

Let's see... Matt Cassel, backup quarterback for the New England Patriots, is the starting QB since Brady had to have ACL repair. We are on top of the AFL East, at 6-3. Go Pats!

Well, that's about it for now. Maybe I'll start posting more and more again. Oh yeah bay-bee!

We are the CHAMPIONS!!!

I meant to post this as soon after the Boston Celtics took home the championship, but sleep was more important at that time. :) What a game! Celtics blew out the Lakers 131-92. Banner 17 is going up in the rafters! Congratulations Boston Celtics!

Finals Game 6!

Okay, so the Celtics lost Game 5 (98-103). Boston still leads the series 3-2. Perkins has a hurt shoulder and didn't play . Garnett was playing like crap. Rondo has a hurt ankle and has not played well the past couple of games. But we still overcame another huge deficit (17 points, I think) and came back to tie and ALMOST win. This is on the road too, mind you. I have no doubt that we are the better team. However, we need to not dig ourselves out of holes, but CAUSE the hole for the other team instead. Tonight we are back in Boston playing, and I have a VERY good feeling that tonight is the end. (Of course, the conspiracy theorists say that this will go to Game 7 for ratings.) Since here on the East coast the games start at 9pm and run to midnight or later, I decided to go to bed a little earlier last night. I have not been getting much sleep the whole playoffs. But for sure the Celtics haven't either!

GOooooooo BOSTON!! Gooooooo CELTICS!!!

Game 5 tonight!!

Boston Celtics made a historic comeback on Thursday to win Game 4 97-91 against the Lakers. They were down a total of 24 points at one point, at down by 17 at the half. Most 'fans' I knew stopped watching at the 1/2 figuring it would be over. Not me! I kept on keeping on and had my fingers crossed. It was well worth it! They fought back and won. The series is now 3-1 in favor of the Celtics. If they can win tonight, they will be NBA Champions, and it will be extra sweet as they will have won in LA. If not, all will not be lost as they will return to Boston for Game 6. Oh please, oh please take this series on 5 games and show the nation how good the Celtics really are!!

GOOooooooooooooooo CELTICS!!!

New Cats!

It has been almost a year since my cat Mina disappeared. We lost her on August 23rd, 2007. Since this month is "Adopt-A-Cat" month, we decided to get a new cat. We came home with two. They are so sweet! The first is a 2 year old male. He is a black domestic short-haired (DSH). The second is a 9 week old female. She is an orange tiger with splashes of white, and also a DSH. Their names at the shelter were Re-Run and Winter, respectively. They now have new names. Indiana (Indy) and Miss Sissyboodle (Sissy). Mina never was a lap cat, or one to crave affection. Every once in awhile she would jump in your lap when she was in the mood. These two cats are the most laid back, loving, affectionate cats! We love them! Here are some pics:

Sissy

Bella and Sissy Face-Off!

Indy

Sissy

Sissy and Indy
Sweet Sleeping Cats

Eastern Conference Champs!

I know this is late. I have been too busy with everything but my blog. The Celtics beat Detroit to become the Eastern Conference Champs. Yes! This is the first time the Celtics have moved onto the NBA Finals in 21 years. Yes, 21! They are calling it the "Drive for 17!" And since I have been slacking, tonight is actually Game 4 of their pursuit of a 7th banner in the rafters. They won the first 2 games at home, and then lost the first game on the road. Since it is a 2-3-2 match up, the next two games will be on the road, and then the last two (if needed) will be back at home. GO CELTICS! Win number 3 tonight for us!

Celtics WON ON THE ROAD!!!

Okay, I know I haven't posted in a while, but some times things get busy. Anyway, the Boston Celtics won Round 2 in against the Cavs in 7. They hadn't won a game on the road... Then on Thursday, the Pistons, in the Eastern Conference Finals, beat the Celtics at home... Panic quickly set in, as the Celtics could not seem to get it done on the road in the playoffs. (Although they were great during the regular season.) Watching last night, at Palace Hills... in Detroit... quickly went from quiet anxiety, to excitement! The CELTICS were 20 points ahead!! They had multiple scoring runs. However, the Pistons showed they were a playoff team, and kept inching closer. Celtics offense started going downhill. And then... and then... THEY WON!!! CELTICS WON Game 3 on the ROAD!!! This is what Celtics fans have been waiting for all postseason long. This renews our faith that Celtics really will go all the way! GO CELTICS!!!!!

By the way, Red Sox seem to still be doing pretty well, also.

Game 4 vs Cavs...

All right. It was a disappointing loss on Monday night. The Celtics have not won yet on the road during the Playoffs! They kept it close though, unlike game 3, where the Cavs beat the C's 108-84. This one was 88-77. Okay, doesn't look close, but they kept it by a point or two all through the first three quarters. If only the C's shots were making it, they would have won. So, tonight, Game 5, the Celtics are going to come back with a vengeance! And then carry this momentum to win in Game 6 and move on to Round 3! I have faith...

Round 2 NBA Playoffs!

TD Banknorth Garden in Boston

Hey, since I have been gone, the Celtics almost lost playing against the Atlantic Hawks in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs. Ouch! I missed the last 3 games or so, and was surprised to find out they were going to a game 7. I was a little bit worried! However, they pulled through and ran right on over the Hawks, moving on to Round 2, vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers! King James! So, they have played the first two games now, and have won both. Game 1 was a low scoring 76-72 win over the Cavs, and LeBron only made 2 of 18 shots. Yes! Game 2 they shut down the Cavs again! Final score 89-73. So, still a little low scoring, but they kept James down to 6 for 24. He still ended up with 21 points over all. Now tonight... Game 3 in Cleveland! Which will be tougher since we are on their court now, with their fans. But if we keep doing what we have been... we will be on our way to Round 3 pretty soon! GO CELTICS!! You can read more about the Celtics and the Playoffs on theCeltics main page or find out more about the playoffs in general on the NBA Playoff site.

New Chickens!

It has been a bit since I last posted. Took a long trip to Texas. Glad to be back, that's all I have to say about that. Before we left, however, we got two new chickens. They are a breed called Silver Laced Wyandotte. As all our chickens, they have names. These two are called Lacy and Joe. (Yes, just like Killer, Joe is a girl...) Joe has more white than Lacy, and is a little bit bigger. Both very beautiful. Here are some pictures. They are both 7 months old. They have already started laying eggs as well! We get 3-4 eggs daily now! I think we can save a dollar or two now, whenever we go shopping... hahaha! :) Hey - fresh eggs are the bomb! Now, honestly, from looking at these pictures below... I couldn't tell you which was which. But they sure are pretty!

Sunny AND Warm???

Whoa...

I think it was March 28th - less than a month ago - we had more snow. Talk about DEPRESSING!! However, this past week the temperatures have slowly climbed, the sky is bright blue, the sun nice and warm, yellow, and bright. Well, I guess the sun is ALWAYS that way, but down here on Earth, I'm finally noticing again. :)

It feels great to spend time outside and look forward to seeing all the transformations taking place. The grass turning green, bulbs coming up, buds on trees, and flowers blooming.

Time to start planning another garden!
(Oh, and Red Sox continue their winning ways!)

Red Sox doing better...

April so Far

APRIL 8 vs Det	APRIL 9 vs Det	APRIL 10 vs Det	APRIL 11 vs NYY
Win 5-0 W: D. Matsuzaka L: K. Rogers	Loss 2-7 W: J. Bonderman L: J. Lester	Win 12-6 W: T. Wakefield L: N. Robertson S: J. Papelbon	Loss 1-4 W: C. Wang L: M. Timlin
APRIL 12 vs NYY	APRIL 13 vs NYY	APRIL 14 at Cle
Win 4-3 W: J. Beckett L: M. Mussina S: J. Papelbon	Win 8-5 W: D. Matsuzaka L: P. Hughes	Win 6-4 W: M. Timlin L: J. Borowski S: J. Papelbon

Red Sox vs. Tigers on Opening Day

WE WON (yesterday)! 5-0. Phew - Red Sox Nation can take a breath now, and get ready for some even better games to come.

Guide to Egg Sizes

I just ate a big double-yolker egg for breakfast this morning! MMMmMmmMMmMMmmMMm!!! Killer, our Barred Rock, is also our best egg layer. Every once in awhile she lays monster eggs. Dixie, our bantam buff, lays smaller eggs, of course. I went ahead and thought it would be neat if you saw a side by side comparison. The double-yolk egg is larger than most, so Killer's eggs are smaller from what you see here, but not by too much! No matter the size, they sure do taste good!

Red Sox - Opening Day 2008

After a pretty rough start to the season for the Sox, they are back home today for Opening Day. Game start is at 2:05pm. They are playing the Detroit Tigers. I sure hope they have better luck than they did with the Toronto Bluejays! They got swept, and it sure didn't seem too hard for Toronto to do so.

Regardless.... GOOOOOOO SOX!

Okay, Spring yet?

After our wonderful March 28th snowfall, the ground, which had been visible almost everywhere, is now mostly covered again. Yesterday was beautifully sunny, BUT FREEZING!! The wind was blowing making it feel colder than it was. We tried to take a walk but the wind made it unbearable.

Today, however, is still just as beautiful and sunny, but it is very calm, and the temperature is rising. I hope the ground starts to peek through again!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo!!!

New England Weather is very fickle. Why did I move back here? Well, it definitely wasn't for the length of time that winter lasts, that is for sure! It was snowing when I woke up, and it wasn't just a little film on the ground. It was already at least an inch. I drove to work, swerving and skidding, but made it alive. It kept snowing until there were at least 2 more inches on the ground. Then it turned into spitting rain. So, the feeling of Spring disappeared for today. This weekend is supposed to be sunny and warm, so I pray to God that the snow will melt again leaving us brown grass and muddy ground.

Okay, I hope this is the LAST time I write about snow. I'm ready to write about green grass, buds on trees, sunny days, and flowers.

Til next time!

Last Laugh??

I think Old Man Winter read my blog and decided to scare me. I woke up this morning, went to feed the chickens, let them out, and let my dog out and lo and behold... it had snowed. Okay okay, I admit it. It wasn't like 6 feet or anything, more like 6mm, but Old Man Winter decided to spit on me anyway and laugh. I had just written how I hoped we were done with snow. I'm not complaining, really, even though it sounds like I am. How can I possibly complain when it is 52 outside and any remaining snow is sloooooowly disappearing??

Oh, another sign Spring is here: Red Sox played in Tokyo yesterday and today. They won yesterday 6-5 (against Oakland A's by the way) but the Red Sox decided they didn't want to produce any offense today, and lost 5-1.

But Baseball=Spring as well!
Later!

HAPPY EASTER!

All right, so I'm a day late. Happy Easter anyway! We had a great time dying eggs (of the hard-boiled sort) and filling plastic eggs full of candy. Then I hid them out in the small area of our backyard that was snow free. That morning we saw 2 Blue birds flying around, having fun. This better be the last snow we see until next Winter. I'm starting to get that Spring Fever. It has been beautiful the last 5 days and getting warmer. The wind picks up every once in awhile, making it chillier than I'd like, but at least the sun has been out constantly! Time to start planning another garden and get ready for summer!

Signs of Spring...

Snow is slowly melting and the ground is visible in many areas. My wife pointed out to me that some bulbs in the front yard have sprouted and are coming up. Does this mean we are finally in the last days of winter? I hope so! The chickens are enjoying having their entire fenced in area to play around in instead of holed up under the coop where the snow hadn't piled up. We are thinking about getting 4 new chicks to build up our flock, now that the coldest days of winter are over. I looked into McMurray Hatchery to see what kinds of hens I might be able to get since they have a great selection. However, you need to get a minimum of 25 chicks to have them shipped to you. Maybe someday, but my coop wouldn't be able to handle that many!

Oh - Dixie has officially started laying eggs. They are much smaller compared to Killer's. Awhile ago I thought Dixie might have started to lay eggs, but I know for sure that was Ginger, as these eggs are way smaller. So it's official, Dixie and Cluckers are a bantam hen and rooster. They are full size and still small.

Looking forward to Spring and being outdoors more and working on a new garden and more! What a LONG winter this has been!

Happy March!

And yes... it IS snowing.

Snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow...

Are you tired of seeing that? Yeah, so am I. Why is something so beautiful so much of a pain?

Poor chickens are cooped up today. There is too much snow to let them out. They always seem pretty happy though. I bet Ginger is thinking, "Glad I don't have to put up with all that snow anymore!"

Nothing else new really. Winter keeps you cooped up inside more days than I would ever want.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a Happy Valentine's Day to all those looking for some loving. :) Hope it's a good day for you!

Rain Rain Go AWAY!!!

Rain sucks in the winter time, ya know? All it does is coat roads and driveways, and turns to ice. Then, you go out and try to shovel it, and end up breaking your shovel. If there's any snow left over, it turns to solid ice as well. Why else does it suck? Because my chicken coop has become less and less rain proof this winter. I need to go back to the drawing board for the roof. It leaks like a sieve. Well, I guess it leaks like a hose, since the leak is pretty much only in one place, but it causes the poor chickens to have damp hay that needs to be constantly changed.

There will definitely be some re-modeling this spring!

UPSET!!!!

Patriots lost. NY Giants won. What happened?????? 17-14. We were outplayed... no perfect season for us. But 18-1 has to count for something!

Ciao!

Our first casualty...

When keeping chickens, you need to prepare for predators. What carnivore wouldn't want to eat a fresh, tasty chicken? Despite my fencing and the layout of my coop, we lost our first chicken yesterday.

I noticed, around 4pm, that none of the chickens appeared to be outside of the coop. I thought this meant I had some more eggs to gather, since we have been getting at least 2 eggs a day.

I went out our back door and walked to the coop, and stepped into the penned area. As soon as I entered, a hawk flew from underneath the coop as fast as it could right past me and up into the trees behind the house and barn. My first thought was that it was one of the hens, but I've never seen one of my hens fly that fast. As soon as I saw Ginger, lying on her back, legs up in the air in the corner under the coop, I knew immediately that it was a hawk that had flown by me. Yet I went to her body with the hope she was still alive. If I had only been 10 minutes earlier in checking the chickens...

Earlier that morning, Ginger had jumped up on the corner of the fence and was just sitting there, ready to fly out. I ran outside and gently prompted her to go back in. I assume she did the same later that afternoon, and while sitting there, the young hawk swooped in and took her by surprise.

RIP poor Ginger...

Cluckers and Dixie were inside the coop, cowering, silently. Killer, was nowhere to be found. My first thoughts at that point were this - the hawk got Killer as well. There was no sign of a struggle, and none of Killer's feathers; only the large scattered pile of Ginger's feathers.

I headed out towards the barn, and out into the woods, as I saw the hawk flying up in the tree-tops, just waiting for the coast to clear so it could go back and finish its meal. As I rounded the corner of the barn, I saw the back-end of Killer underneath our Christmas tree that I had taken out back and propped up in the snow. I called her name, yet there was no movement, not even a gentle cluck. "Oh no," I thought, "Killer was attacked too!" Killer never made a sound as I went to pick her up. Good news! Killer is alive! She had flown under the tree and was being as quiet and as still as she could. My breath let out in a relieved sigh. I didn't even know I was holding it. I brought her back to the coop and shut her inside. I also found two warm eggs... the last pair of eggs from Killer and Ginger laid before the brutal attack.

Today, I went out and bought some bird netting. It is light, black mesh, with square openings about 1/2 inch length and width each. It is made to cover plants in the summer, etc., to prevent fruit or vegetables from being eaten by the birds. It took me an hour and a half, but the coop, and its penned in area is now covered by this bird netting. From only a few feet away, the netting is almost invisible. The coop is now protected from above and the sides from any swooping hawk.

I had tried to plan as best as I could for any predator that might fancy a tasty chicken for a snack. I was told that this hawk was probably a juvenile and too dumb to realize the danger to itself by flying directly into the coop. Stupid as it was, our poor chicken still didn't make it.

Sweet Ginger. We will miss you.

Two Chicks a Laying

Just an update on the egg situation. I went out and checked for eggs and found 2 in the nest today. One was much smaller and speckled. Since Dixie is our smallest hen, I knew who the mother was right away.

Hurray for Chickens! They are starting to earn their keep 'round here.

Dallas Giants

I don't think I've mentioned the Dallas Giants in this blog yet. (I guess I could use my search box at the top here and search my blog to be sure. I'll leave that to you guys.) I'm mentioning them as I am a transplant from Texas to New England. Well, I'm not really sure what I am. I lived in Massachusetts for 13 years before moving to Texas, and then came back. But I was born in Iowa. I guess I am a New South-Mid-Westerner. Regardless, I watched the Dallas Cowboys in the 80's-90's while living in Massachusetts. Then, by the time I ended up in Texas, the Troy Aikman, Emmett Smith days were pretty much over, and the Cowboys were back to a barely there team. The 2007 season has proven that Tony Romo and Terrell Owens, and Joseph Addai have helped to make this Cowboys team another contender. New York is playing them right now in the play-offs. I hope Dallas wins, only because I would love to see a New England Patriots vs. Dallas Cowboys Superbowl. Right now it's tied at 7. Oh, and Jessica Simpson, Tony Romo??? Celebrity news? Sheesh... give me a break!

17-0 and Chicken scratch

I stayed up to finish the game. Patriots won (no doubt here) 31-20. Today, the Chargers beat the Colts (YES!!!!!!)! That means the Chargers play the Patriots next week, on Sunday. 18-0, here we come.

Today was a beautiful sunny day... until 3:30pm or so. The clouds started to roll in. It has barely snowed this January, but tonight and tomorrow the snow is supposed to come full force. Up to 4 inches tonight, and 10-14 inches tomorrow. Whoa....

I cleared off a foot of frozen snow and ice on our trampoline that has melted and re-froze over the weeks to make it very heavy and looked as if the trampoline was about to snap.

And, the eggs keep on coming! I can't wait until Spring. If our measly flock of 3 hens can lay as much as Killer is laying this winter, we are going to have at least 18 eggs a week! We have not gone one day yet since last Sunday without an egg. In fact, we had scrambled eggs, with cheddar cheese and jalopenos for breakfast this morning. MMMMmmmmMmmMmm. I'm still not positive about a taste difference in regards to freshness.

The bad news with the warmer winter weather so far has been the foot plus of snow melting on the roof of the chicken coop. It has made it clear that the roof is leaking, and pretty bad. I cleaned out all the straw to put in fresh, but it was soaked in one spot by the next day. So, some definite re-modeling will be done next year. Besides the roof, I need to make another door in the front that I can open to gather eggs. Why? Because Killer decided to make a nest in the opposite corner from where I built the nesting boxes, and I couldn't reach it from the back door without crawling half-way in the coop.

Pigskins and Chicks

We know for a fact Killer is our egg layer. In the winter, without extra light added to increase the daylight, we have had an egg a day. Goes against everything I've read. Can't wait until Spring and to have all our hens laying. We have had eight eggs so far just from one hen. The eggs have grown a bit since the first one, too.

I haven't been keeping up with my New England sports posts, but in regards to football, the Patriots swept the regular season, 16-0. Take that Miami! Pats are playing Jacksonville right now as I type. The score just now turned to 28-20, Pats on top. Go PATS!

Celtics are 30-4. They just lost to Washington. Pesky Wizards! Celtics still have the best record in the NBA! Now if only the Bruins could become as consistent....

More Eggs!

I went to give the chickens fresh water and food this morning, and brought the flashlight to look for eggs, just in case. I never thought we'd get any this winter since I decided to let nature take its course, and not add extra light to the coop. I let the door down, and then opened the back to switch out water. I shined the flashlight in, and saw that Killer, our Barred Rock was already down off her perch and pecking at the food. I didn't see any eggs though.

Well, as I was almost to work, my cell rang. My son was calling to let me know he found an egg on the door. I asked if he knew where the egg carton was to put it in. And he said "It doesn't matter, Dad - I'm eating it for breakfast!" Then, when I said, "Hey, don't Mommy and Daddy get a chance at eating one of the eggs," he replied, "I found it! I get to eat it!"

My wife and I better get busy finding our own eggs!

Our first Egg!!

The chickens have survived this winter so far. The temp got 11 degrees below zero the other day, and the next morning, I was worried that I might not open the door to 4 living chickens. But, lo and behold they were all happy and healthy, AND we got our first eggs yesterday! I found one in the morning, but it was cracked and frozen, so I think it may have been laid earlier that night or early morning. Then my son went out later and opened the door to check, and found another in the same spot as the first! This one was perfect. My son then asked later, "Since I found the first egg, can I eat it?" First egg, meaning, first edible one. This morning for breakfast, I fried it up, put it on an English muffin with some ham... and my son said, "This is the best egg ever!"

Here's a few pictures, and a video, in case you were interested And as always, clicking on it will give you a bigger picture.