August 11th

 

So, we have the Romans to thank for August.

I wonder if they'd agree to take the blame 

for the incessant heat while we're at it?

So. Incredibly. Hot.

There's a report out that shows where

we should keep the thermostat

during these days of sweltering heat.

Are they crazy?

I'm sure they don't live in Louisiana!

That's a big N.O.

Here's what my thermostat is on...

If you can't read that,

it says 68 degrees!

And...

the fan is on.

I don't deal well with heat.

I get cranky and sweaty.

It's not a pretty sight.

I get that there's Global Warming, but

it feels like we're reversing to 300

million years ago to the Carboniferous period

when the average temperature of the Earth

was in the 80's.

"It's hot", is just not descriptive enough.

"It's hotter than the hinges on the gates of Hell!"

"Hotter than a hooker's doorknob on payday!"

"It's so hot, hot water comes outta both faucets!"

I consulted my friendly Thesaurus....

there were 26 words to describe heat.

All of which made me hotter just reading them.

So, 

we try to keep our hens cool.

There's a fan under our patio that

we keep on to help them cool off.

We put ice cubes in their water daily.

We give them refrigerated fruit or cabbage

to munch on, along with plenty 

of shade to relax in.

Hopefully it works.

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They are more active in the early morning

and late afternoon.

Then by 6:30 or so they'll make their

way to the coop to settle in for the night.

Lucy, scoping out the grass for tasty bugs.

Ethel, eyeballing me while I take a picture.

Hazel, the velcro hen.

She'll follow us all over the yard.

Nugget, with a beak full of leftover

grits. I gave them a treat this morning.

She's also molting.

You can see the feather loss on her

neck and chest.

I was outside early this morning to

water the plants and to (hopefully)

harvest whatever was ripe enough to pick.

Hazel was right beside me the whole time.

Here, she's digging out something that

had the misfortune to let her see it.

Morning snacks!

The rest of my entourage.

Tomatoes and Marigolds.

Portulaca's in the Pepper plants.

Magic Carpet Thyme.

Did you know that you can use thyme

as a ground cover?

It will spread and stay low to the ground.

Plus, it smells great if you step on it!

The only thing is that St. Augustine grass 

will choke it out, so we stopped doing that.

Purple Basil, Sage and Cuban Oregano.

That's Lil' Desi, Big Desi died in a freeze.

Sweet Basil also known as Italian Basil.

I use this guy all the time in cooking,

sandwiches and salads.

I make a really good pesto

with basil, olive oil and pecans.

I guess it's a southern twist on pesto.

My poor Greek Oregano.

Hazel has taken to parking her

feathered butt in the pot.

I shoo her, but she keeps coming back.

This is 2 days worth.

Cucumbers, Japanese eggplants,

Banana Peppers, Green Bell Peppers,

and Scotch Bonnet Peppers.

(Those are really hot! I grow them for

our grandson. I make refrigerator pickles

for him. He loves them!)

2 eggs. These are Hazels' light blue ones.

*************************

Speaking of eggs....

Chicken 101

Here's the skinny on backyard hen's eggs.

Eggs can be kept, unwashed and un-refrigerated,

on the counter anywhere from 6 weeks to 2 months.

The cooler the room, the longer they'll keep.

To extend the life of the egg, rotate them daily.

Just turn 'em over.

The reason for this is nature gave eggs 

a "bloom" on them for protection.

Once that is washed off, they must

be refrigerated.

Did you know that free range eggs

or backyard eggs are lower in cholesterol 

and fat and higher in beta carotene

(they are really a deep orange),

omega-3's and Vitamins A, D, and E?

This was found in a study funded by Mother

Earth News and done at Cal State

in 2007.

Store bought eggs are layed

by stressed hens.

By that I mean, they are confined to 

very small cage spaces, have their beaks 

clipped, and fed food that is processed

into pellets. 

They are starved for periods of time to 

artificially induce molting.

The reason for this is that hens don't lay

when they are molting.

All fowl molt yearly, but the times may

be different for each individual bird.

 During the molt, their reproductive

organs go into a stasis situation.

Breeders do this with a group of hens,

then rely on the others to keep laying.

They rotate the molt cycles to

never be without some of their hens laying.

This is why the stress hormones show up in those eggs.

Yes, there has been issues with

salmonella in eggs, back yard and

store bought.

The reason?

They are in a dirty area.

Chickens poop everywhere!

even in their coop boxes where

they lay their eggs.

So, what to do?

Clean it out!

It makes great fertilizer.

Put new bedding in the coop boxes.

Muck out the coop.

We use lime and diatomaceous

earth to keep bugs out and the coop

clean between mucking.

Yeah, it's work, but we don't mind.

(Except when it's freaking hot outside!)

So,

when we collect the girls eggs,

I always thank them for their

gifts. 

They surely are good!

**********************

Stay safe and cool!

💚