Repairs Are Endless

The Circle of Life: with life comes death,with age comes growth, with usage comes wear. Repairs are just a natural part of life.  Having been potted and re-potted two or three times since its capture from the cow pasture back in October 2017, the olive tree has been officially placed in its final pot.  Not trusting the salt laden ground to adequate growth in minerals and nutrients, the olive tree was placed in a scrap sonotube pot.  Having been hanging out in storage since the Work Box build back at the February of 2018, the Planner decided it was good usage of a natural material.

Next on the agenda was a modification to the chicken coop nesting box.  Since having been released to stay and play with the senior flock, the Pity Pets have taken to sleeping in the nesting box.  Not healthy for long term living conditions and happy coop life, a nesting box door was attached. 

Taking my initial design, the Planner came along and made it better by adjusting the length and adding a middle strap so that the "door" can be easily stored out of the way during the day and is guaranteed not to fall out when the hens have their nesting box parties.  Worse, when the rooster crashes the party and a fight breaks out.

Next was securing the chicken run door.  Not made of the best quality and not designed for outside usage, I would say this door has held up better than expected.  I mean it survived being zip tied during Hurricane Harvey and came out on the other side without damage.  A few bracings later and the door was good to go.

Door open, door closed, senior hens cannot be bothered with repairs underway when there are eggs to lay. Stand aside humans.

Having spent all day Saturday working, the Kid and I were sitting on the deck watching the hummerbirds (that is hummingbirds for all you non Rockportians) when nature stuck.  Spring winds have a history of being gutsy, but NOT this gusty.  The winds blew over the 10' tall Esperanza. One minute it is there, the next minute its a gonner.

Blew it, root and all, right out of the ground. Damm, sam!  Another thing to repair.

After a few tears and several attempts to replant, it was pulled. 

A quick trip down to the local mom and pop plant store informed me of my planting fallacy.  Esperanzas are drought resistant (which is on the many reasons why they are popular by Plan473) and do not like to have wet feet.  YIKES!  Being planted as a barrier to the outside shower, the poor plant suffered root rot.  The five gallon replacement brought back, already in bloom, was planted further out from the shower to allow for better drainage.  Good thing about our soil is that it drains fast.  Bad thing about our soil is that it drains fast.  Several more were purchased later in the week from the local big box store but were only pint sized varieties and were planted in various locations around for future growth and bloomage to offset the lack of shade from Harvey damage to the oak trees.

Another repair made to offset Harvey damage was to add a sun shade to the chicken run.  Trees that protected the chickens in years past were blown over or stripped of foliage.  Those stripped of foliage that survived still have not fully recovered and offer little protection from the intense summer sun.  Recommended by another Harvey shade sufferer, this simple 8x10 back yard sunscreen worked perfectly.

Light enough to hang from the coop without damage to the wire yet strong enough to withstand the gusty winds without damage.  Not needing to be told what to do, the chickens immediately flocked to the shade.  Another simple fix to a much needed repair.

Last but not least on a weekend full of repairs, the Planner tossed his well worn, age made comfortable, irreparable boots.  Leather is treated regularly for durability, laces are replaced when worn thru and broken, soles are glued and stapled until one day, the boot dies.  Never wanting new shoes, the inevitable was done.  Shoe laces were salvaged and shoes were tossed.  On a side note, I will have you know, this pair of boots sat on this chair for over a week and never once did one or both go missing.  NOT ONCE.  My boots sat outside one night and poof, Why the Boots! 

Hummingbird On Film

Plan473 consists of an acre and half of native grasses and flowers, half dozen potted plants picked especially with hummingbirds and butterflies in mind, and two sugar water feeders always filled fresh and clear from April to October.  After almost four years of filming and photo, a hummingbird has been caught on film. Years of planning, planting, and pruning have finally paid off. 

It was a very exciting moment!  

Pity Pets Update

Hearing a great commotion in the coop late one evening, the culprit was not four footed and furry nor sneaky and slithery,  It was two footed and feathered.  Just two days into her new surroundings, a rebel has developed.  Just two days and this little brown leghorn was already causing trouble. by wanting to roost in the coop.  Much to her dismay, the senior coop residents did not want her.  After much squabble and bickering and roost resettling, the tiniest of the new additions took solace on the coop door window.  What a pitiful little thing she is.  She is half the size of the next largest hen.  While not picked on by other hens, she is already an outlier.

During the day the senior flock are given the boot and the coop run door is closed allowing the little peepers free time to explore the permanent water and pellet feeder.  Of course, this is not always done without some resistance by the senior flock.  Most don't care but Nose Nellie is not having this separation.  Not aggressive by any means, although if looks could kill in this picture...., she is however super nosy.  Every time the roosting shavings are cleaned she comes a running with her little chicken butt swinging as fast her legs will carry her.  She has to be right there under your feet and rake while cleaning the shavings.  She scratches and pecks at the old shavings and new shavings looking for any edible item. When the coop door is opened to collect eggs, she hears the door squeak and there she is waiting for any bug to fall.  Most of the time she is a lucky duck as the wood roaches love the space between the coop door and the coop.  When the door is opened, the roaches fall off its perch to ground below and immediately beaked by Nosy Nellie.  Of course on the day of this picture she is nosy for all the right reasons.  She sees food.

Two weeks and having already grown in size, the Pity Pets are looking much better and are out growing their temporary residence.  Looks, however, can be deceiving.  Having had ample time to eat both starter feed and pellet feed, I thought it would be fun to introduce them to sweet treats.  Cutting a sweet red apple into quarters, one quarter was thrown into the coop for the new flock to taste and the rest to the gullets outside the coop. Instead of attacking the apple as the rest were doing, the Pity Pets looked at the apple slice with distrust. For hours that quarter of an apple just sat there, unpecked. How pitiful.

The apple may have been untrustworthy to the residents inside the coop but to the residents locked outside, this apple sitting there in all its red beauty was just too much.  First it was Nosy Nellie.  Later in the afternoon it was the doggo. Red apples are some of her favorite sweet treats.  Pity she did not get a quarter. Guess she figured if she stared long and hard enough at the apple slice, her mind powers would bring it to her.  It didn't by the way.