Towel Rolling

On February 12, 2019February 11, 2019 By CarynIn Life Hack

I am not a fan of folding laundry. I am also easily distracted, and getting distracted from folding laundry is REALLY easy.

I have improved in that I now try to wash and dry a load a day. (We have an Aerobic Treatment System at the house, which means if we wash many loads in a day, or run the washer and the dishwasher at the same time, the tank for settling the, eh hem, solids, could overflow into the next tanks and instead of the sprinklers in the back spraying sanitized gray water, there would be… solids. That is pretty strong motivation for not over running the system.)

But folding? Blah. But yesterday was wet so working outside was not happening, especially for painting. So I folded. And because I am easily distracted, I decided to make a video on how I fold/roll towels. Our cupboards in the bathroom are high, and I found that rolling the towels makes them easier to place on the high shelf, and easier to stack. It looks fancy too, so bonus. So here is the video! (And yes, I had fun playing with the title frame.)

And here is a picture of my laundry “helper” because everyone loves pictures of mischievous cats.

Cat helping with laundry by laying in the basket.

But I really want to be outside painting the coop.

Recycled Bottle Wind Spinner

On February 11, 2019February 8, 2019 By CarynIn Craft

Awhile back I shared my new obsession with bottle cutters. One of the reasons for the obsession was that I really wanted to experiment with the material, and I had the idea to make a wind spinner.

I love the wooden wind spinners that look like they transform their shape as they spin. I thought: “Could I do that with recycled materials?” Turns out I can! The bottle string is light and strong and fairly easy to shape with a little heat. And if anyone else wants to make a cool looking spinner with recycled materials, I made a video to show how I did it.

Not only is the spinner fun to watch in the wind, I hung it near the coop to scare away aerial predators and wild birds that may be carrying avian bird flu. (That is my story and I’m sticking to it. It is not at all that I have a fixation with kinetic sculpture.)

Wild birds

On February 10, 2019February 8, 2019 By CarynIn Wildlife

Since we moved into this house, we’ve known that we eventually want chickens. At our last house, we would put out bird feeders to attract wild birds to the windows (mostly for the edification of the inside cats, but to also entertain my kids as well). We did not put up feeders at the new house.

Male cardinal picture taken by the trail cam

Wild birds can carry avian bird flu, and if you are raising chickens, I have read that one way to help keep your chickens healthy is to NOT attract wild birds. So no feeders. Now, we have a bit of wooded land, which is happy fun land for wild birds, as our trail cam reports, but we will take steps not to actually attract them to the house or around the coop. Our chicken feeders will be closed at night (which is good to keep out the rats and mice), and I’m considering getting an automatic feeder that only opens when the chickens step up to the plate. Wild birds are too light to activate the lever, and the design keeps the chickens from knocking too much out onto the ground.

Now the handsome guy above was doing a great cleanup job on a bit of rabbit. He really seems like he is eyeing the camera, huh?

We also have other wild bird patrols.

Successful hunter, photo credit to my eldest

The outside cats also catch wild birds. In town I know people get riled up about the neighbor cat taking down their window entertainment, and I have to admit finding the bluebird of happiness dead on my front porch was a sad moment, but she is doing her job out here in the country. (I do love bluebirds, and it is sad that this is the first one I saw. It is nice that they are in the area. And the little hunter did get praised for her skills, because we are good cat minions.)

Nightshade

On February 9, 2019February 7, 2019 By CarynIn Flora

So when we moved here over a year ago, in the dead of winter, I noticed yellow fruits on withered stalks all along my walks in town. Nothing ate these fruits, so neither did I, but I did wonder what they were.

Summer rolled through and headed toward fall and there were beautiful purple flowers. Beautiful, purple, poisonous flowers. Everywhere. I was told they were Silverleaf Nightshade. Toxic to most mammals (but not goats, go figure). I have not seen these invasive plants on our property, but will certainly be on the lookout!

As a bonus, here is a water color of a different Solanum species that was done by a student in England in the 19th century. Enjoy! And while you are there, check out other water colors on Watercolour World. Neat!

Brooder table

On February 8, 2019February 7, 2019 By CarynIn Craft

I’ve been working on my chisel skills again. It is a good thing that I’m making stuff for chickens and they aren’t known to be tough critics, as I still need more practice! But I’m pleased with the way this table is coming out, all things said.

I decided a while ago that I wanted to make chicken “furniture” for the coop; items that are movable rather than built-in so I can rearrange. Being a first time chicken owner, I know I’m going to want to rearrange. (Heck, I just like rearranging in general.) So with all our designs, we are thinking flexibility first.

I’ve read that chicks are more traumatized by being picked up from above, rather than approached from the side, not surprising since most threats come from above). I’ve also read that Faverolle chicks are particularly prone to little chicky terror. I have a 2×3 foot dog crate that I planned on using as the brooder, so to raise it up, I decided to build a table. The shelf underneath will hold nesting boxes when the hens reach that age, and the crate will be my isolation unit for injured chickens when I no longer need it as a brooder. Once the whole thing goes in the coop, I will install a 45 degree “roof” over the crate so the chickens can’t roost up there.

I went to the lumber store and was absolutely thrilled that there were prefabricated slabs in the sizes I was planning to make. (I do have a biscuit joiner, and was going to biscuit together 1×4″ lumber, but this saved me time and, believe it or not, money!) So then I just needed three 2x4x8 pine boards. The legs are 36″ tall, and the outside dimensions are 24″x36″. For the top rail I made a large dovetail joint, and for the shelf (which is 18″ off the ground), I cut mortise and tenons. I did take pictures of the best cuts, but all the joins needed to be filled with wood filler. I sanded down the whole thing and rounded the edges to reduce splintering and potential harm to my hip if I run into the thing.

I have not finished it yet, but am planning on rubbing it with Tung oil, just to make it easier to clean later. When the coop is done, I will assemble the top and shelves permanently, but for now it will stay in 4 pieces because those are easier to store!

Critters and Craft

Month: February 2019