Wednesday, April 22, 2009

First Fruits!

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I gotta tell ya, it's really really exciting, when you find your first eggs.  These eggs are even more exciting- all but one of these are guinea eggs!

Guinea eggs are pullet sized (those are Spice's hands); they run about 3 guinea to 2 hen eggs, size-wise.  They're a bit pointed, usually; and likely to have faint spots on the pointed end.

We haven't actually eaten any yet- it's too exciting just to look at them!  :-)

But we will; and we'll let you know how they cook and all.  

The info available says a guinea hen can lay 100 eggs a year.  We've got 7 or 8 hens (we think- they're tricky to sex, and even trickier to keep track of).  So- if we could keep them collected- that's a mess of eggs.

And- no kidding- they feed themselves to a great extent.  A month ago, with snow cover still in place, we were feeding our whole batch of birds about 1 and a half scoops of feed a day.  Now that the birds are out, finding seeds, grass, and early bugs- we're down to half a scoop a day.

The guineas, alas, tend to lay all over the farm- not in the coop.  Finding the nests can be really time consuming.  But- these eggs were all laid in the coop.  Hm.  Maybe we could breed a strain that lays eggs at home? 

It's been done, many times, folks- but not with guineas yet.  We'll have to see what we can do.

Oh, yeah- and the ticks.  Our tick season has started- and so far, they seem to be down.  But it's early.  Instead of 20 ticks per dog per day- we're down to 1; and ticks on us- once in 3 days or so.  Instead of 5 a day.  Is it the guineas?  Of course we have no control- so- can't say.  

But we've got less ticks- and eggs.  

So; that's my little bit of cheer for an otherwise rather gloomy Earth Day.  All that lousy news is getting to be a bummer.

If you're looking for a little cheer; dig out a copy of The Land Remembers, and read the chapters on eggs, and Easter.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

This is why.


We've got a bit of a real live phenomenon going on just now.

I'd embed the video- but they're not allowing it yet- you have to go to the YouTube site, in order to see the whole thing about - Susan Boyle.

If you don't already know how this turns out, I won't spoil it for you.

I'll just say- the audience reaction is why- humanity is NOT headed for the ash heap.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Spring.

I'm worried about all the worrying out there.  Too many people, getting too scared, and too sad.  We need to remember the good stuff is still there; and some of the good stuff- always will be. 




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Happy Spring- whichever way you say it.  And if you take a careful look- yup, there's a little bit of chocolate still on the corner of Smidgen's mouth.