Jess172 journal: I want to do it all!

[Jess172]

Like your greenhouse! It looks very similar to mine. The only problem I have is I have yet to find a way to heat it. I used to use a kerosene heater-until the kerosene got so expensive it wasn't worth it financially. I'm thinking about trying to make a rocket mass heater for it.

Thanks! We too are still trying to find a cost effective way to heat our greenhouse. Please let me know how that heater works out if you decide to make one. That seems like a project right up my hubby's alley.... It was so nice last weekend we decided to start a few seeds, and now it's turned off cool...again
I can't tell you how over this weather I am and of course my chicks are being shipping during this cold snap. Oh well, positive thoughts for nice weather and heathy chicks and maybe it'll happen

 

[Denim Deb]

I'm over it as well. We had beautiful weather over the weekend, and they're calling for more snow tomorrow.

 

[Jess172]

I'm over it as well. We had beautiful weather over the weekend, and they're calling for more snow tomorrow.

I know how you feel we aren't supposed to get any this week but you never know. Oh, and fair warning if you ever decide to move to Kentucky.

This is probably the most accurate thing ever spoken about Kentucky!

 

[Denim Deb]

W/the way the weather has been lately, it about describes here as well! I was out in my bare feet the other day, now I'm back to my Carhartts!

 

[Jess172]

Chickens for me, you, and everyone else!

Well my chicks are on the way! There was one small hiccup, one of the breeds I wanted didn't hatch but the hatchery had another breed I wanted so they substituted them.

I guess our enthusiasm for raising chickens and planting a garden is rubbing off on people we know. I found out today that 3 of my hubby's co-workers have decided to start gardens and/or raise chickens. And i now have two people who want to buy any extra chickens we have once they get bigger. I'm really glad people we know are taking on the same interests as us. Now we can go through the trial and error together.

 

[Denim Deb]

I came up w/an idea today, and will be stopping at Lowe's tomorrow to get some furring strips. I have one 2x6 table in there. The top is chicken wire. So, I'm going to run Christmas lights along that. Then I'm going to use the furring strips and some plastic to make a 2x6x1 ft box that I can place on the top. I'm going to make it 2 layered in the hope that the air space between the layers will help insulate it.

It's supposed to be cold and windy on Wednesday, so I figure that's something I can do outside. I have a wireless thermometer that I'll put in there and have the other half in the house. Then I can check from inside to see how warm it stays overnight.

 

[Jess172]

Oh let me know if that works! ive got furring strips and plastic in the garage and christmas lights in the attic that i could use. Me and the hubby are still trying to brainstorm and haven't come up with much other than toying with the idea of sawdust. Put it on the floor and maybe it would heat up during the day and give it a stir in the evening to release the heat all night. In theory anyways. There's always the chance it could spontaneously combust though.

Aaaaaaand I spoke too soon about not getting snow. We have a few scattered snow showers coming through right now. Supposed to be over tomorrow but we weren't supposed to get any in the first place. You didn't happen to send your snow my way did ya?

 

[Denim Deb]

Maybe. We were supposed to get flurries starting early, now they're calling for it to start later. But then again, they're now calling for 1-3" instead of an inch. Does anyone have a white flag I can wave? Maybe if we all surrender, it will stop snowing.

 

[Jess172]

Got my chicks in the mail today!
They are so much fun to watch. Even though it got really cold last night they all arrived heathy and happy. They're all settled in the brooder eating, drinking and doing what ever it is chicks do. I could probably sit and watch them all day but that's not going to happen. My youngest daughter has had the stomach virus for two days now and has been getting up sick before 5am both days and staying up late at night. It would be nice if I could get a nap in today but probably not gonna happen. Oh and our tiller that we've had on order for two months finally came in. The hubby is on his way to pick it up right now so that'll give him something to tinker with today.

And one more pic of the chicks just because I'm so excited about them

This is my 7 month old beagle pup Jax checking out the chicks.
The plan is to slowly, under supervision, introduce him to our chicks and ducks (arriving in two weeks) so that he won't chase them when they get older. That's the plan anyways. Beagles are stubborn when they want to be.

 

[Denim Deb]

That's for sure! My son used to have one. Maybe if we had had animals when she was younger, she would have been fine w/them, but I could never trust her around any of them.