When the Wind Blows

Geez Louise, but it was windy today!  The wind was from the North and bitter, too.  We were supposed to go with my sister and her husband to cut wood for Dad today, but it was too windy.  We'll try again tomorrow, but the forecast is for more of the same.  I decided to do the laundry and run some errands:  I took some eggs to my good neighbor, Lynn; took Dad his birthday sweater; and finally, I took the van to Fifield and got some chicken supplies.  Bernie does sell duck starter and feed, so I'll call him before the chicks and ducks come to be sure he has the starters in stock.  I was glad for the heavy load in the van because the wind pulled the van all over the road, and I was happy to get home.

My little red hen in the brooder box is doing well.  She sits so quietly on the eggs, and every so often she'll get up and eat or drink a little.  What I did was remove the divider that separated the two nest areas to make a single large next box, and I put a waterer and feeder in the far corner of the box so the hen has to get up and go to the food and water.  I check on her a couple of times a day, and she is looking good.  I hope she hatches at least six of the 12 eggs she's sitting on.  The single nest area will be plenty big for her and her chicks to start out in.  I figure the eggs should hatch May 5th or 6th.  I will fence of a little area in the coop run just for her and any chicks she hatches until they are big enough to mix with the other hens.

Here are some pictures of the brooder box.  (I don't have the roof shingles on it yet in these.)

I spent some time in the basement repotting and dividing my aloe plants, and I potted up my new hops rhizomes.  I'll take them out to the field as soon as I can.  I wonder when my St. Lawrence Nursery order will come; should be soon.  I'm waiting for my Shumway order, too.  I bought some Victoria rhubarb and loads of onion sets from them.  Hopefully the Victoria rhubarb will grow better than the McDonald has.  I'm very disappointed in the performance of the McDonald rhubarb here.

I hope Dad likes his sweater.