Prayers please

I won't go into details, but, I want to ask for prayers for some peace in my life right now. I'm really trying to make my marriage work. It's very challenging to make a marriage work and to have any stability when you're married to a man who refuses to grow up and has no desire to grow spiritually in many ways. I was never raised in a household where people were given to strong drink. Anyway, please just pray for my sanity. I at times feel like I'm going crazy living with this man. Thank you.

Cabin Fever, Chickens & Gardening...

Well, our temperatures have been so very crazy. Lately, they have been anywhere from 32F to -44F! Last night it was -17F. I've had my kerosene heater burning out in the chicken coop. I start it at 4PM, then go out at 9PM to fill it back up. This keeps it running until I go out in the morning. BRR! It actually keeps the coops pretty warm, along with the 3 heat lamps (2 in the upper coop and one above the roost in my lower coop. With all the very cold temperatures I've been looking at all the chicken and gardening catalogs. I'd love to get some Dark Brahma hens this spring (photo above borrowed from BYC forum). At our local fair I saw one hen and I was so impressed with her beauty, carriage and size. I couldn't find a photo of a hen that really could express the beauty of these gentle giants. If we don't move this year I'm going to work on Eric to give me his other storage shed, so I can have more chickens. Here is my 2009 CHICKEN WISH LIST (all hens plz):

1. Dark Brahmas

2. Blue Laced Wyandottes

3. Columbian Wyandottes

4. Speckled Sussex

5. Salmon Faverolles

6. Barnevelders

7. Cuckoo Marans

8. Welsummers

9. Silver Gray Dorkings

10. Golden Lakenvelders

11. Delawares

12. Black Austalorps

13. More Buff Orpingtons

14. Buff Silkies

15. Anconas

16. Buff laced Brahmas

17. Red Caps

Among other's I'd like to get were Partridge Wyandottes, Red Chantecler, Buff & White Rocks, Black & White Jersey Giants and Red Leghorns. I wouldn't mind having some more Dominiques too. Oh, well... a girl can dream can't she? I went from 360 acres to less than an acre...so it's okay to have big dreams! Also I'd love a few Bourbon Red & White Palm turkeys, a few Pearl Guineas and some ducks!

My gardening wish list is too large to list all of it here. Though, I have ordered early from Sand Hill Preservation Center. The seed I ordered from Sand Hill is as follows: Lemon Basil, Roma tomatoes, Opalka tomatoes, Provenzano tomatoes, Spring Brooder Yard Greens seed mix (for my chickens enjoyment), Beurre de Rocquencourt bush beans. I'd love a huge veggie garden, but, my backyard is so very shady. I'd love to have a ton of tomato plants and I would love the "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden" book by Carolyn Male. Personally, I usually prefer the flavor of paste type tomatoes. Though, I do like the flavor of Anna Russian (a pink fleshed tomato), Brandywine's (also pink fleshed & red skinned varieties).

Also, I'd like to get some more miniature fruit trees from Stark Brother's Nursery. The last peach and nectarine trees I got from them had fruit the first year, 2 peaches and 2 nectarines! Yummy! Their mini fruit trees you can plant in a 10" pot and sit in a nice, sunny area and you can take them inside a garage or lighted basement during the winter. I really want a lemon tree, as I go thru lemons so quickly. I love to eat lemons, as well as put them in my tea, water and especially use for making desserts. Has anyone in this brutal Northeast tried having a mini lemon tree? Any successes?

Well, off to watch the Top Chef that I slept through! I'm so addicted to that show!

Awards for my blog..from Sharon at PrimThyme

Sharon at PrimThyme has given my blog the Lemonade Award & 2 other awards

Thank you so much, Sharon!
This award is passed to bloggers for showing great Attitude and/or Gratitude.The rules of this award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.
And now I get to pass the award on to 10 blogs that I enjoy reading. I don't know each of the bloggers so if I don't know the names, I'm just going to mention their blogs here. I think these are great for finding new and interesting blogs to read.
1. Sara at Harvest Moon Homestead
http://harvestmoonhomestead.blogspot.com/
2. Nancy at http://chickenherderfromwestville.blogspot.com/
3. Susan at http://bearswampreflections.blogspot.com/
4. JoAnn at http://boonedockswilcox.blogspot.com/
5. Amy at http://twelveacres.blogspot.com/

6. a blog I have just came across http://kyfarmlife.blogspot.com/

7. Darlene at http://maidinmontana.blogspot.com/

8. http://wrensongfarm.blogspot.com/

9. http://achornfarm.blogspot.com/

10. Sharon at http://theoldoakswing.blogspot.com/

Chicken Whisperer?

Well, well, well.. where has the time gone? I hope all are doing well. This year has so far been full of surprises. Last Saturday, I go out to the chicken coop to get the girls taken care of, before I left for work. Lo and behold, I find Cluckster (pictured above) laying in the far darkest corner of the coop. She was trying to cluck to me as usual and it wasn't coming out, just her frail body was moving up and down in rhythm with her usual clucks. It was obvious she wasn't doing well. I rushed her into the house to warm her up, I gave her Baytril and Metacam. She was so very weak she didn't fight me at all when I had to open up her mouth to medicate her. I thought for sure that I was going to loose my sweet old Cluckster. By the way her leg felt, I thought perhaps she fell off the roost and broke her leg or twisted it, or perhaps the bumblefoot she has battled had moved up to the leg joint. I sweet talked her, while I held her next to me, finally, into eating some boiled egg spiked with ProBios and I mixed some Nutri-drench in her drinking water along with a bit of Terramycin. Though, I discontinued the Terramycin after one day. I've also been rubbing her leg and joint with Neo-sporin plus. Her comb is waxy and red now and she's back to her old cluckie self. Thank the good Lord that she is doing better. She is now fighting me every time I medicate and rub her leg with medication. I'm beginning to feel like a natural Chicken Whisperer. Cluckster loves it when I sing to her! Hahaha!

One of my wonderful pen pals sent me a "Chickens Rule" notebook for Christmas, to inspire my writing! I'm happy to say that I've finished my first rough draft of an article to submit to a poultry magazine. I've been talking to the editor via email and I'm fairly excited. There's no guarantee that I will get the article published, but, I'm going to try and try again.

Well, I'm off to bed... it is very cold, -22. I have a kerosene out in the coop to keep the girls warm. I do thank the Lord for his many blessings and provisions this year and in the last year. He truly has gave me more than I deserve. Why he loves me, I have no idea, but, I'm so very thankful.

Ps- I've been getting 5-8 eggs a day through this horrid cold weather. Not too bad for hens past the 2 year old mark!