Clucker Caper

It all started with "I sure miss having chickens." That was me.

Friend Clare: "We used to have chickens, too. I would love to have some for eggs."

Clare and I were just daydreaming about how we could have a little garden in her back yard, for some organically grown greens and other goodies we both love. The garden plan segued into adding organic eggs.

Thus began the Clucker Caper.

I found five large (about 4 x 6 1/2 feet) pallets, with decks, for $5.

Clare dug up some poultry netting she had stashed in her garage - she figured she had paid 75 cents for each 50' roll an some clearance sale.

In full scrounge mode, I scored about a dozen free metal T-posts for the pen.

After some sleuthing and arm twisting, we found a feed store that just happened to have 4 adult 1-year old hens, already laying, that had been brought in on a trade (gotta love small town bartering!). $10 each.

Collin volunteered to help build the chicken house and pen, and Than and Lee jumped into the project with little persuasion. Lunch from Sonics will get me a LOT of help from the punks!

As these sort of plans go, the last element came first: the hens were available unexpectedly, I brought them home in a dog crate, and the pressure was on! The boys had the chicken house up in about 6 hours - they were very creative in some of their building and problem solving. I'm sure their Grandpa Dennis was smiling...


Two Barred Rock, two Americana hens.
"Chickens do NOT live in a dog crate....these guys better get the hammers out in a hurry..."

"Come on guys, we're dreaming of our new home...nice cool  breeze, shavings on the floor...custom perch...you know, all the fixin's..."

 

Max and Jayden came along later to help.  All the boys know how to run a saw and hammer!

 

We re-purposed a couple of metal bread pans for feeders, and cut up a plastic milk carton for water font.  A few more hours on another day to put up netting and posts for the outside run, build a ramp and sliding chicken door.  It's a real Clucker Castle now!

Our first eggs!  Only took about two weeks for the hens to adjust to their new home, and they didn't molt - one of the dangers of moving laying hens!  They don't lay while molting, so we were very happy they felt comfy enough to just pick up their job - laying lovely eggs!

 

 

In the carton with "store eggs", it's evident how superior "real eggs" are - FRESH!  Brown eggs from the Barred Rocks, greeny-blue eggs from the Americanas.  White eggs from some poor caged egg-factory hens down the road.

 

Before long, all four hens were producing - what a beautiful sight in the nest box...or nest bucket, which is what this is.  Picked up a 5 gallon bucket along side the road, made a great nest for the girls!

 

Happy hens...

 

Total cost of hens and house: $45.75.

Add in a bag of feed.

Cost of fresh eggs: priceless!!

Mini Eden

Apartment living brings out creative solutions for gardening.  I recently taught a little workshop on container gardening, which proved a two-fold blessing.  Researching the most efficient containers for desert conditions provided the information I needed for myself.

I always like to have samples and how-to displays for any subject I happen to be teaching, so by the time the workshop date arrived I had located resources for buckets, made and planted about a dozen different containers, and had a simple how-to handout worked up!  Win-win! 

So here is what my little piece of Eden looks like - the patio faces south, which can be a challenge, but there are two Shoestring Acacia trees providing dappled shade, so it's perfect for desert growing: morning sun, afternoon partial shade, evening sunsets!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desert Gems

We have had enough rainfall to bring on the desert wildflower show - spectacular!  The cacti are such camera hogs, I'm starting with some recent shots from just around my "yard".

The yellow blossom is on a cholla - they have the NASTIEST, SNEAKIEST thorns, with HOOKS!!
I'm looking up the pink flower - not all flat paddle cacti are prickly pear, but it probably is. 
The fruit, which develops by about mid August, looks like a red apple.  Tortoises LOVE it!  I'll be making sure Tuff gets a treat - although I think the fruit is still larger than Tuff, he is still a pretty small Desert Tortoise at only two years old!

Puppy power!

Three of the four orphans - being fostered at the Wright Zoo!  3 weeks and growing...

Morning light...

Strong families don't just "happen".  It takes time, training, lots of love, lots of activities together, true commitment to each other - both kids and parents.  A key element for LDS families is scripture reading as a family, as well as family prayers.

The Wrights start off their day together, after breakfast, reading and studying scriptures. The older boys have returned from early morning seminary by this time, so they have already had time in the scriptures with their peers and instructors. 

Gathering around the kitchen table as a family, helping the younger boys read and understand gospel principles, sharing the light of Christ, lends a special and unique strength to a family.

The new look of "the good book"... all the scriptures and standard works of the church, downloaded to ipods and ipads.  Amazing!  No one need be without an encouraging word throughout the day!

A happy family, led by the Spirit, dedicated to doing the Lord's work.

Family - sealed for time and eternity.

PUCKER UP

Winter in Arizona is citrus season.  Lemons, grapefruit, limes, oranges of all sorts. 

One of my friends just down the street has a HUGE lemon tree.  I brought home 70 pounds of lemons last week. Honestly, folks just GIVE them away. Every other yard has a lemon tree, or other citrus - wonderful!

Now what do you do with 70 pounds of lemons???  You juice them and freeze the juice!  Summer lemonade is a BIG thing around the citrus zone! So you start preparing for those tall frosty glasses of reviving juice when the citrus is in season - NOW!  By the time it's 105 degrees here, the lemons are long gone.  Freezing is fast, easy, and preserves all the good pucker power!

So here's the process:

Than helped - to the end!!!  All the guys had a turn using the squeezer! That was a LOT of lemons.

Our lemonade recipe uses

1 1/2 cups lemon juice, so we froze the juice in sandwich bags - just the right amount!

ARIZONA LEMONADE

Make a simple syrup: 1 3/4 c. sugar and 1 c. water heated to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Chill the syrup (we keep some in the fridge in a quart jar, ready to go!).  Mix the syrup with 1 1/2 c. fresh squeezed (or frozen) lemon juice and 7 cups cold water.  Add a few ice cubes to tall glasses, pour in the fresh lemonade,  lean back and enjoy!!

You don't have to come to Arizona to enjoy this lemonade.  But it really does seem to be better here! We have the patio and chairs just waiting for you!

PS:  If you try this with bottled processed lemonade, you will NOT be getting the real deal!!

Pear Pie

At age 7, Collin became famous for his Fresh Strawberry Pie.  It was memorable.  Fresh berries from our own garden, hand picked by Collin.  Perfect crust, just-right glaze - and luscious sweet ruby berries. That family reunion was crowned by Strawberry Pie.  I still get an occasional "I'll never forget Collin's pie, it was the BEST strawberry pie I ever ate" comment from Anne and Matt!
Well, he's done it again.  This time, he collaborated with friend Madeleine, who sadly cannot eat strawberries.  They opted for a fruit she CAN have - pears! 

They deemed their Pear Pie a success last year, and vowed to do it again.  During Maddie's recent visit to Arizona, they once again presented us with PEAR PIE.

Using your favorite pie crust recipe (or purchased refrigerated crust works just dandy), put bottom crust in 9" pie pan; prepare the filling:

5 firm ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced

scant 1/2 c. sugar

1-2 T flour, depending on juiciness of pears

Gently mix, then spoon into crust; dot with butter; top with lattice crust.

Bake 15 min. at 400 degrees; lower oven temperature to 350 and bake about 40 minutes until the pears are fork-tender in center of pie with the filling bubbling.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Don't let the simplicity of the filling fool you - this pie is bursting with fresh pear flavor, unmasked by spices.  Divine!