This morning (yes you read that correctly, morning) the Queen drove around for a few hours, exploring new territory and photographing new and magnificent scenes for my studio's upcoming release... releases... oh hell, I'm gonna sell some shit.
It's always thrilling to find that perfect something and take just the right photo, which can be tricky because of the hills and curvy roads out here. Sometimes the perfect shot was several yards back, but you can't always just throw it in reverse to go back and get it.
But sometimes you can.
The roads where you have the luxury of coming to a complete stop or backing up are my favorites. Otherwise I have to find a spot to pull off or give up and miss the shot completely. If it's worth it I will come back and scout it out again and sometimes I figure out a workaround. It's a challenge to be sure, but it's fun.
And of course, it's interesting to see where the roads lead. Sometimes they peter out, sometimes you have to cross a creek (and sometimes you can't because it's full of water so you have to find a way to turn the royal Mini around), and sometimes you realize you're somewhere familiar and just learned a new shortcut.
I came home feeling accomplished, and I created five more art pieces. I have more photos than that, but I also have other things to do.
After dealing with duck poop and feeding our brood, I worked on the coop/run. I attached another panel of dig guard, got the rest of the wire up for the netting, and even put up some netting despite the wind. All that's left are three more dig guards and probably three long pieces of netting.
Then the ducks will be outside ducks.
I have to clean out the coop, set up the food and water, put sulfur and cayenne around the fenceline to keep snakes out, and spritz peppermint oil/water around the perimeter of the coop to keep mice and spiders out... but aside from that I think they'll be okay until we can start getting fancy this coming weekend.
By fancy, I mean white washing the inside, building a front wall and door, adding roosts and a poop board, hanging the food and water on a pulley system, adding a tire for a dust bath, putting in the raised bed for greens, chicken swing, grit dispenser, cutting a chicken door in the side, adding windows, and if the King can get his hands on it, he found a duck "pond" on Craigslist for $50... yeah, there is a lot left to do. And we need some more pine shavings. And more chicken feed.
So tired... did I mention that I was tired?
Xena is looking better all the time, today she was even holding her head a little higher. She doesn't seem to mind having a box to herself and enjoys being able to eat.
After we mentioned we thought she'd been bullied away from the food, Mayor Tom observed the rest of the flock and thinks that was indeed the case. He's moved her siblings inside, I'm not sure if they aren't feathered out enough for the weather or if he's going to add another section to his coop for them. I can't keep up, his coop must cover most of his property by now.
Chicken keeping really is an illness... There were actually chicks in the tubs this time and I almost came home with some Barred Rocks. And there were ducks of course, but ducks no longer interest me... I think I will like Howard and Lucy much better once they're outside, but even so I never, ever, ever, ever, ever - do you hear me people? - EVER want to brood ducklings EVER again... and I am firm on that.
As I write this, our second batch of eggs has four pips. I'm glad I put them on lockdown when I did because they're popping like popcorn! Two of the pips are Australorps, and two are the buff colored eggs that we hatched last time but I don't know what breed. The Easter Eggers haven't pipped yet, but they're in good company and I know they do it at different times.
Hopefully we will hatch a larger percentage of the eggs this time since the incubator is doing what it should... which is another reason I need to get the coop done, because if I don't, we won't have anywhere to put the chicken babies. So... it's off to bed for me... I've got work to do tomorrow.
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