Oops! I almost forgot R5F today.

As usual, linking up with Nancy at www.aruraljournal.blogspot.com for Random 5 Friday.

1.  We got a lot accomplished this week.  We got our problem tree topped, so we can drop the trunk when convenient.

2.  We finally got our storm shelter installed!  With the weather here lately, we might need it soon.

3.  The kids and I managed to empty one more storage unit!  That leaves just one, filled with stuff from the old house.  Hopefully we can get rid of a lot of it!

4.  DH scored us a deal on a pair of new handheld transceivers (HTs).  We are both ham radio operators, using some old HTs, and thought it would be nice to have a new pair we can pass to any of our kids who might someday, eventually, maybe if they'd get off their kindles and study for it, get their own ham licenses.  The radios are the 7w Baofeng 82 DX's I think.

5.  Below is a photo of a beautiful toad the decided to rest on our pool fence.  I don't know what species, but I enjoyed seeing him.

Gimme Shelter!

Installed at last!

The tree is done

The large Water Oak in our back yard had to go.  I hated doing it, as it was probably close to a hundred years old. But sadly, the heart of the tree was rotten, probably from lightning strikes,  plus a huge hole in the base of it, and insect damage all meant the tree was not really safe.

Dave tried to top it, but wasn't able to get high enough in the tree. So we hired an arborist to come top the tree. Dave would drop the remaining trunk later, and we would cut the limbs for firewood.

It only took an hour for them to top the tree.  The kids and I worked about two hours on the 3-D jigsaw puzzle of limbs, with me on the small chainsaw.

Unfortunately, the chainsaw safety gear, chaps, helmet, face shield, and ear-pro do not breathe well, and I got rather over heated in the sun and humidity.

Still, we got a lot done before Dave got home from work. I left him all the big logs to cut with his new Stihl 311.  It's really too much saw for me to wrangle safely.

We will be working on the pile more tomorrow, after the shelter install is done, and before the big storms are forecast.

R5F April 22

Well it seems that Friday has crept up on me...so here is a quick shot at my week. As always, linking up with Nancy at www.aruraljournal.blogspot.com for R5F.

1.  Moving 4300# of gravel by shovel is hard work!  The kids and I built a wood and gravel platform, 8x16', for DH's woodpile empire.

2.  The tree guy couldn't take down our tree yesterday because he got the bucket truck stuck in the mud in my yard.

3.  Wishing the Queen, HRH Elizabeth II  (EIIR) a happy 90th birthday!

4.  We had to split our chicken flock into two boxes.  The big chicks were picking on the little ones, due to crowding.  Seems all are happier now.

5.  I can't wait until we can let the guineas out to range on the bugs here.  Those two little grey assassins made short work of a huge wolf spider yesterday!

Dog(s) tired!

You'd think they actually DID something to get that tired!

Why do the goslings cross the road?

Our resident neighborhood geese finally brought out their goslings out for a swim.  This is the first time we have seen them.

Iris

I do love irises.

Random 5 Friday 4/15/16

Linking up with Nancy at A Rural Journal for another edition of R5F.

1.  DH and I have been working our way back into shape.  He has just started riding again, and we both are lifting weights regularly.  I hope to start riding again soon. (I actually got out Wed for 16 miles!)

2.  I had no idea that chickens grew so fast!

3.  I hate it when the insurance deductibles reset in January.

4.  The neighborhood pair of geese finally brought out their goslings out for a swim.

5.  Our storm shelter installation is finally scheduled.  We only have to wait until the 26th.

A new slow feed record!

Ranger is a dog who loves his kibble!  And anyone else's kibble he can steal too!  As such, he tends to wolf his food down, typically consuming it all in about 20 seconds.

While at the local big box pet store today, I spotted a complex slow feed bowl.  I couldn't resist trying it out on him.

All I can say is, it WORKS!   It took him 5 minutes, 55 seconds to eat his regular portion tonight!  Now as long as he doesn't figure out how to dump the bowl over, I think we have solved his gulping down his kibble.

Random 5 Friday 4/8/16

As Nancy was kind enough to restart R5F a week our do ago, I'm going to make an effort to post to it.

1.  We have chickens now.  A small backyard flock, all newly hatched from the farm and ranch store.  Included are 2 guineas (hopefully both hens...) and 5 pullets, 2 black sex links, 2 production Rhode island reds, and a mystery chick.  The plan is to add a few more chicks, if they get in the breed I want.

2.  My DH ordered a new tool to help build his wood pile empire.  A Fiskars X27 splitting axe.  He also ordered a set of the Fiskars ratcheting loping shears that I have wanted since last fall.

3.  There seem to be a lot more annoying insects out here, than back in the Metromess.  I think we need a bug zapper...I'd hang it on the side of the shop, and draw the bugs over by the chicken coop!

4.  We finally got our septic/plumbing issues sorted out.  Had to pump the whole tank out.  We didn't fill it--we've only been here a month!

5.  One of these days, I will be back on the bike I hope.  I still need to get either one of them prepped and cleaned to ride.  It's only been since early November... Maybe I will do that today.  

Chickens!

We have chickens!  Yep, today I made our first foray into chickens.  I got some baby chicks at the local farm store.  Right now they're small enough to live in a Rubbermaid tub with a heat lamp, while we finish building the coop.

We got two guinea fowl, 2 Black sex links, 2 production Reds, and one mystery chick.

Hopefully we will see them start laying (except for the guineas) in October.

Random 5 Friday

Joining in on the fun with Nancy at www.aruraljournal.blogspot.com for random 5 Friday.

1. Waking up on April Fool's day with a backed up sewer line is NO joke...

2.  I was hoping to go look at a friend's chicken coop today, but the sewage issue is going to cancel that plan.

3.  We still cannot find a table and chairs for the breakfast nook.  This is frustrating...

4.  I love out here in our new place.  I hope the plumbing problem will be short lived...we've never lived on a septic system before, but we are trying to do everything right.

5.  DH is talking about building our chicken coop this weekend. Yay!