Here's some samples of things I've drawn recently and not so recently.
Enjoy.
Next up....abstract paintings!!!!! Get ready....I have 2 in the works as we speak.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Where is your art for *&^$!@ sake you may ask?
I picked up the pen again...and have started dabbling in some small projects. I'm not sure why but I enjoy drawing on business sized envelopes. Makes new art very portable. All I have to do to move it around the world is address said envelope to someone and poof...art on the move!
Here's some samples of things I've drawn recently and not so recently.
Enjoy.
Here's some samples of things I've drawn recently and not so recently.
Enjoy.
Chicken wars...and the end of it.
I've had enough. Since my last post all of our guinea hens are gone. Poof. Sucked up by the wildlife vortex. The culprit? Fox and great-horned owl.
While I can't do anything about the great-horned owl (besides making sure every living thing is indoors before nightfall for some reason the guineas started perching in the trees at night...and well...I couldn't really get them down from there or stop them from doing this...but a great-horned owl sure can.) However, I CAN do something about the fox.
ELECTRIC FENCE!
I can't say I had much of a choice at this point. After losing countless chickens and now guinea fowl to the local wildlife...and also learning that two neighboring farms have also lost every last one of their chickens to what was likely the fox...enough is enough.
After trying everything else I could think of (trapping, hunting, baiting, watching out...etc etc..I bit the bullet, figured out what supplies I needed and then spent a day installing a simple single-wire electric fence. Ironically, I haven't lost a feathered-friend since that day!! So far...100% successful.
I had previously bucked the idea of an electric fence because I couldn't seem to figure out how to incorporate a three-wire, 4 foot high fence into the fencing that already exists and still be able to access gates and so forth. Not to mention the expense of all of THAT.
One day in my conundrum, I came across Robert Plamondon's blog talking about this very subject. Very informative information regarding his successes using a simple single or double-wire electric fencing. I HIGHLY recommend you read his blog post about the "chicken saver" electric fence.
Made perfect sense to me what Robert was saying about a single-wire fence at just 10 inches off the ground. (Nose level for most chicken predators.) Why hadn't I thought of that??!!
Click here to read Robert Plamondon's blog post.
I went with a step-down version of the Parmak Super Energizer. The one I chose is good for 30 miles of fence instead of 50 miles. Still WAY more than I need...but I like Robert's input regarding bigger is better. I have no problem zapping the CRAP out of any predator that comes sniffing around.
I found the whole process much less difficult than I expected...although one snafu that I dealt with was the electrical receptacle in the barn that I'd be working with. Turns out most electric fence energizers don't work with the type of receptacle that has the test and reset button on it. Otherwise known as GFCI plugs. The GFCI type plugs are supposed to be installed anywhere there is moisture present or humidity...hence why these receptacles are commonly found in barns, bathrooms and kitchens.
I didn't really like the idea of coming home from work one day and finding the barn burnt to the ground because of my war with the chicken predators...so I called the electrician. He swapped out the plug for me and assured me that all would be well with what I was trying to do with an electric fence. (Sure enough...has worked flawlessly since!)
The steps to install my single-line electric fence turned out to be fairly straight forward and simple.
First, I picked out where I was going to put the wire for the fence, figured out where I was going to hang the energizer inside the barn and how I would run the wires to the outside of the barn to the fencing and grounding rods.
I then walked all around the outside of my existing fence and pulled up all the weeds so there would be no issue with grounding because of weeds and tall grass touching the wire.
Next, I placed my plastic fence posts that would hold the wire. And then I ran the aluminum wire attaching it to each post as I went.
Next I pounded the three 6 foot grounding rods into the ground and then finally I hung the energizer and ran the wiring through the outer barn wall and clamped it to the rods and the aluminum wire of course to the other connector on the energizer.
Our barn is incredibly dusty...so I also stapled a piece of a feedbag to hang over the energizer as a shield of sorts. (seems to be working very well to keep dust off).
With the fence complete and everything attached per the instructions from Parmak and tips from Robert's blog...I held my breath as I plugged the energizer in. VIOLA! Just as I suspected...it immediately started clicking (the normal click, click, click you hear from any electric fence) and the digital meter on the front read 13.4. That should zap em!! ( I also took a voltage tester just to be sure the fence was working and tested the voltage flowing through the wire.....yep it was zappin!)
And so far...I haven't lost a chicken yet. Maybe...just maybe...this will do the trick and I can keep the flock size to about 36 birds or so.
Time will tell....
While I can't do anything about the great-horned owl (besides making sure every living thing is indoors before nightfall for some reason the guineas started perching in the trees at night...and well...I couldn't really get them down from there or stop them from doing this...but a great-horned owl sure can.) However, I CAN do something about the fox.
ELECTRIC FENCE!
I can't say I had much of a choice at this point. After losing countless chickens and now guinea fowl to the local wildlife...and also learning that two neighboring farms have also lost every last one of their chickens to what was likely the fox...enough is enough.
After trying everything else I could think of (trapping, hunting, baiting, watching out...etc etc..I bit the bullet, figured out what supplies I needed and then spent a day installing a simple single-wire electric fence. Ironically, I haven't lost a feathered-friend since that day!! So far...100% successful.
I had previously bucked the idea of an electric fence because I couldn't seem to figure out how to incorporate a three-wire, 4 foot high fence into the fencing that already exists and still be able to access gates and so forth. Not to mention the expense of all of THAT.
One day in my conundrum, I came across Robert Plamondon's blog talking about this very subject. Very informative information regarding his successes using a simple single or double-wire electric fencing. I HIGHLY recommend you read his blog post about the "chicken saver" electric fence.
Made perfect sense to me what Robert was saying about a single-wire fence at just 10 inches off the ground. (Nose level for most chicken predators.) Why hadn't I thought of that??!!
Click here to read Robert Plamondon's blog post.
I went with a step-down version of the Parmak Super Energizer. The one I chose is good for 30 miles of fence instead of 50 miles. Still WAY more than I need...but I like Robert's input regarding bigger is better. I have no problem zapping the CRAP out of any predator that comes sniffing around.
I found the whole process much less difficult than I expected...although one snafu that I dealt with was the electrical receptacle in the barn that I'd be working with. Turns out most electric fence energizers don't work with the type of receptacle that has the test and reset button on it. Otherwise known as GFCI plugs. The GFCI type plugs are supposed to be installed anywhere there is moisture present or humidity...hence why these receptacles are commonly found in barns, bathrooms and kitchens.
I didn't really like the idea of coming home from work one day and finding the barn burnt to the ground because of my war with the chicken predators...so I called the electrician. He swapped out the plug for me and assured me that all would be well with what I was trying to do with an electric fence. (Sure enough...has worked flawlessly since!)
The steps to install my single-line electric fence turned out to be fairly straight forward and simple.
First, I picked out where I was going to put the wire for the fence, figured out where I was going to hang the energizer inside the barn and how I would run the wires to the outside of the barn to the fencing and grounding rods.
I then walked all around the outside of my existing fence and pulled up all the weeds so there would be no issue with grounding because of weeds and tall grass touching the wire.
Next, I placed my plastic fence posts that would hold the wire. And then I ran the aluminum wire attaching it to each post as I went.
Next I pounded the three 6 foot grounding rods into the ground and then finally I hung the energizer and ran the wiring through the outer barn wall and clamped it to the rods and the aluminum wire of course to the other connector on the energizer.
Our barn is incredibly dusty...so I also stapled a piece of a feedbag to hang over the energizer as a shield of sorts. (seems to be working very well to keep dust off).
With the fence complete and everything attached per the instructions from Parmak and tips from Robert's blog...I held my breath as I plugged the energizer in. VIOLA! Just as I suspected...it immediately started clicking (the normal click, click, click you hear from any electric fence) and the digital meter on the front read 13.4. That should zap em!! ( I also took a voltage tester just to be sure the fence was working and tested the voltage flowing through the wire.....yep it was zappin!)
And so far...I haven't lost a chicken yet. Maybe...just maybe...this will do the trick and I can keep the flock size to about 36 birds or so.
Time will tell....
oh RATS!
I have a hunting camera in the barn to keep watch over the goings on in there after dark. And I kept getting these photos of this long-tailed blur. RAT!
These little buggars are much smarter than I expected. After multiple attempts using various bait (peanut butter of course was one I used that failed)...turns out left-over chicken wing bones from any restaurant that serves wings does the trick. (Mice and rats both gnaw on bones and I suppose they can't resist the smell from the sauce of the remaining bits of chicken on the bone).
I couldn't believe the speed and acrobatics this rat could do inside my trap! Amazing climbing, zipping around and maneuvering skill. I can't imagine having one of these get in your house. Ewww.
I actually caught two rats over a period of about 2 weeks (elusive, smart buggars). And haven't had any more photos so I'm thinking done for now with rats. Never a dull moment.
Always something going on in that barn. The gift that keeps on giving.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
KFC drive thru
No. Not the human version of KFC, but the apparent wildlife view of our chickens. After all...why not visit the local KFC?
I used to like our chickens to roam freely in the backyard. Well, for multiple summers in a row now, that's not turned out all that great for the chickens.
Last year we had a fox visit regularly for about 2 weeks. (lost about 10 birds to that buggar). And again this summer...for about 2 weeks...and again...lost about 10 birds to that buggar. (I'm thinking was the same fox...but I suppose could have been a different one.) Doesn't matter really.
So I've learned a few things about chicken predators over the years.
Fox:
Raccoon:
Possum:
Hawks:
The solution?
Close up the barn at night...just before dark. (Auto doors work great! Battery powered, open and close automatically at sunrise and sunset).
Netting over the chicken yard if at all possible.
Shore up the chicken yard fences. Wire fencing down into the ground at the bottom of your fences will help deter digger/tunnelers too.
Purchase replacement chickens. Now this of course is futile if you don't first make attempt to deter predators. Here's my latest batch of replacements.
Stay tuned. There's never a dull moment around here. Always some predator lurking about.
I used to like our chickens to roam freely in the backyard. Well, for multiple summers in a row now, that's not turned out all that great for the chickens.
Last year we had a fox visit regularly for about 2 weeks. (lost about 10 birds to that buggar). And again this summer...for about 2 weeks...and again...lost about 10 birds to that buggar. (I'm thinking was the same fox...but I suppose could have been a different one.) Doesn't matter really.
So I've learned a few things about chicken predators over the years.
Fox:
- Hunt during the day, usually early morning.
- They kill multiple birds at one time, then gather them all up and take the entire chicken away leaving only a puff of feathers as evidence that you lost a bird. They'll come back later if they can't carry them all at once.
- Impossible to catch in the act. They seem to know when you're home and outside and then patiently wait until nobody is around to attack.
- The photo below surprised me. Fox at night...I'd found our rooster dead one day after a fox attack where I found no less than 3 piles of feathers. Tied his body to this tree and set up my camera. Look who came lurking after dark. Apparently fox hunt at night also.
Raccoon:
- These little rascals are nocturnal. Night time hunter/seeker/troublemakers. Is rare if you see them in daylight and if you do it's probably because they are ill/sick.
- If they can get into your chicken barn they will eat eggs and also kill your chickens right off their roosts.
- They leave the chicken bodies behind. (Often times incriminating another animal as the culprit..such as a possum)
Possum:
- These guys are scavengers mostly....but I've come to believe they're not chicken killers but rather eat on what the raccoons leave behind (hence the incrimination).
- They'll eat eggs and already dead chickens, but I don't believe they kill chickens.
Hawks:
- Daunting when you have these aerial predators around because apart from netting or overhead protection of some sort...you will lose chickens to these ruthless predators.
- You can't really do anything about these feathered fellas and gals because it's illegal to kill them. If they do kill one of your birds...might as well leave the body so they get their fill. They will come back hour after hour, day after day to eat on that dead bird until they get their fill.
- Not only do hawks kill living chickens or living things in general, but they will also eat on road kill or something freshly killed on the road.
The solution?
Close up the barn at night...just before dark. (Auto doors work great! Battery powered, open and close automatically at sunrise and sunset).
Netting over the chicken yard if at all possible.
Shore up the chicken yard fences. Wire fencing down into the ground at the bottom of your fences will help deter digger/tunnelers too.
Purchase replacement chickens. Now this of course is futile if you don't first make attempt to deter predators. Here's my latest batch of replacements.
Stay tuned. There's never a dull moment around here. Always some predator lurking about.
Why vehicles on railroad tracks don't mix well...
In June this was the result of a vehicle being abandoned on the Norfolk Southern Chicago double mainline in Swanton, Ohio.
An intermodal westbound train derailed around 10:20pm on Thursday night, June 6th after striking an abandoned vehicle on the tracks. Miraculously no one was killed or even injured in this accident but nearby buildings and parked vehicles were damaged from flying debris and rocks for the railroad track.
It took Norfolk Southern crews until Saturday morning to restore railroad traffic. Meanwhile Amtrak trains were also affected and unable to run through this area.
According to a WTOL ABC news article, Logan Guess has been indicted by a Fulton County Ohio grand jury on two counts. She will answer trial for one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and another count of interference with the operation of a train, a felony.
To view more images of the wreckage and read more detail visit the following links.
https://www.13abc.com/content/news/Woman-indicted-in-Swanton-train-derailment-512804361.html
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/crime/woman-accused-of-abandoning-car-on-railroad-tracks-in-swanton-indicted/512-52da3506-2a28-4824-b5b0-b7b5f4e28502
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/authorities-identify-driver-who-caused-train-derailment-in-swanton/512-84e49fbf-5d19-4076-8098-372fce288c36
Norfolk Southern railroad traffic has since been fully restored and all rail traffic is back to track speed.
An intermodal westbound train derailed around 10:20pm on Thursday night, June 6th after striking an abandoned vehicle on the tracks. Miraculously no one was killed or even injured in this accident but nearby buildings and parked vehicles were damaged from flying debris and rocks for the railroad track.
It took Norfolk Southern crews until Saturday morning to restore railroad traffic. Meanwhile Amtrak trains were also affected and unable to run through this area.
According to a WTOL ABC news article, Logan Guess has been indicted by a Fulton County Ohio grand jury on two counts. She will answer trial for one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and another count of interference with the operation of a train, a felony.
To view more images of the wreckage and read more detail visit the following links.
https://www.13abc.com/content/news/Woman-indicted-in-Swanton-train-derailment-512804361.html
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/crime/woman-accused-of-abandoning-car-on-railroad-tracks-in-swanton-indicted/512-52da3506-2a28-4824-b5b0-b7b5f4e28502
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/authorities-identify-driver-who-caused-train-derailment-in-swanton/512-84e49fbf-5d19-4076-8098-372fce288c36
Norfolk Southern railroad traffic has since been fully restored and all rail traffic is back to track speed.
beekeeping continues!
I was so thrilled to open my hive up this Spring and learn that the girls survived the winter!! Originally when I jumped into beekeeping my idea was to start with one and then end on two hives. I wasn't in any real hurry to get a second hive...but it just sorta unfolded in my lap this year.
Here's an image of the newly installed nuc (via Ramge farms...my local beekeeper extraordinare, thank you KENT!) into my second hive.
I continue to learn...somewhat by accident and somewhat by necessity when it comes to beekeeping and all involved.
My original hive swarmed this year. (can't say that I expected to experience that in just year 2...but there goes the learning again). Fortunately, the remaining bees made a new queen and they're back to doing what bees do best...grow, gather, store, defend, repeat.
I did attempt to recapture my swarm...but they weren't having it and left to who knows where...maybe some other beekeeper was able to capture them and re-home them. I'll never know. But I know more than before about swarms and what to expect and what to do next, etc. I also know that I've been delusional to think that my beekeeping adventure will end on just 2 hives. I'll bet that in time I may have as many as 4 or 5...but I'm in no hurry to arrive at that. Nope...too much learning still to do before that happens.
"Bees will do what bees will do. Beekeepers are just along for the ride." Rachel Dickson
Here's an image of the newly installed nuc (via Ramge farms...my local beekeeper extraordinare, thank you KENT!) into my second hive.
I continue to learn...somewhat by accident and somewhat by necessity when it comes to beekeeping and all involved.
My original hive swarmed this year. (can't say that I expected to experience that in just year 2...but there goes the learning again). Fortunately, the remaining bees made a new queen and they're back to doing what bees do best...grow, gather, store, defend, repeat.
I did attempt to recapture my swarm...but they weren't having it and left to who knows where...maybe some other beekeeper was able to capture them and re-home them. I'll never know. But I know more than before about swarms and what to expect and what to do next, etc. I also know that I've been delusional to think that my beekeeping adventure will end on just 2 hives. I'll bet that in time I may have as many as 4 or 5...but I'm in no hurry to arrive at that. Nope...too much learning still to do before that happens.
"Bees will do what bees will do. Beekeepers are just along for the ride." Rachel Dickson
Friday, April 19, 2019
Birthday traditon...not to be broken.
I started this tradition just a few years ago...and I liked doing this so much...that I insist on continuing this every year now.Celebration of my birthday with a morning campfire!! yes please!
And of course to prove that this tradition is still alive and well, here's this years photo.
MY April 2019 BIRTHDAY Campfire! just turned 25. :-)
Happy birthday to me!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)