My cousin Patty Foxen Brubacher arrives from California on Thursday morning to stay here in the Pacific Northwest for seven days–the first four and the last one with me. (Monday through Wednesday of the following week she’ll be with a friend on Whidbey Island.)

 

I saw Patty just a few times when I lived in California between sixteen and twenty years ago. Before that, I hadn’t seen her since the 1960’s when we were both teenagers (she stayed at our ranch in Cle Elum one summer for a few weeks with me)… so we have a lot of catching up to do! It’s going to be great!

 

Today Jackie (my sister) and I spent the last half of the morning after church erecting a new shelter in the chicken yard so this year’s new chicks–who will start laying eggs in August or September–will have places to roost, lay eggs, and keep to themselves if they want to.

 

I put the new chicks with the rest of the flock about a month ago; acclimation is still underway. They get chased a lot by the others.  I expect that Goldie/Buffy will start flocking with them (since they’re Buff Orpingtons, too) since she gets picked on by the other hens, too.

 

I made sure Goldie/Buffy met the new arrivals very early on and watched them grow so she’d feel amenable toward them when they were introduced to the flock. She’s a great hen; very placid and friendly, which is why I wanted more of her kind (and so she’d have someone to flock with).

 

 

But I digress. Back to the matter at hand: shed building. Jackie and I aren’t completely finished with the shed yet. It just got too hot to put the last few rods in where they go and put out hen boxes.  We’ll finalize it sometime this week when it’s cooler.

 

I really want to paint the hen house proper (the edifice to the right in the bottom photo) bright red and put a cutout of Snoopy and his bird buddy on top of it, but Jackie says, “NO WAY!”  I think it looks just like Snoopy’s doghouse. Don’t you?

 

Alas, the vote must be unanimous for anything to change on our property, so I will lose this battle.  But that’s okay…

 

What else?  I thank God for air conditioning!  Just three minutes outside right now and I’m drenched in sweat.  It’s too dang HOT for the humid Pacific NW!  Unless the goats and I duck into the trees, we can’t even go outside so they can forage. They’re all panting at least a little unless they lie still and do nothing.  That’s too hot!  I may have to put a big fan out there for them if this continues…