in clover: remembering Patsy

Last night, when Michael went out just after dark to shut the chicken coop, he found our Dominique hen, Patsy, dead in the nesting box.  We have no idea what happened.  Earlier in the day she seemed fine.  Michael and I worked in the garden in the afternoon and she was out and about as usual.  

Needless to say, we were all quite sad last night.  Circle of life and all....we get it...but this is our first experience of losing a chicken friend.

Dominiques are quite striking in appearance....their feathers are black and white and are irregularly striped or "barred."  They have a red comb.  They are calm and personable. 

This is my favorite photo of Patsy, the Dominique hen.  

Our Patsy was a good layer and we easily recognized her egg.  She laid the smallest egg of the bunch and hers were the nearest to pink in color.  When she began laying, I was quite concerned for her because the shells of her eggs were thinner and more brittle than the others and they were rough in texture, like sandpaper.  But, time went by and she seemed healthy and happy, so I quit worrying, mostly. 

We weren't really sure what to expect when we began our chicken keeping experience.  The work has been minimal, thanks to the deep litter method of hen house keeping.  (Here's a link to a short, informative article on the deep litter method.) I had no idea the chickens would be so entertaining or how much I would enjoy hearing them cluck to one another.  I had no idea the sense of life and energy they would bring to my garden. 

But what I was most completely unprepared for was the level of responsibility I feel for their well being.  It has at times made me quite anxious.  I've sat with this, asking myself why I feel more anxiety and fear for my hens than I do for my dog and my cats.  I think it's because hens are so completely vulnerable. 

Chickens have many predators to worry about.....racoons, foxes, hawks, dogs....and bless their hearts, they have no claws or teeth to use to defend themselves.  They can barely fly and while they are quite speedy when you are trying to catch them, they aren't speedy like a cat or a rabbit.  They can't see well in the dark so a night attack could result in the demise of an entire hen house!  More than once I have woken in the night, sat straight up in bed and shrieked loudly, worried that we forgot to secure the coop.

I am grateful that by all appearances, Patsy died peacefully.  

Patsy may or may not be in these photos taken when we went to visit our friend's chicks....we received six chickens from this group of chicks.  

 

A very young Patsy....trying out the roosting bar in her new home: 

 

 With a young friend, who charmed Patsy by feeding her blueberries....

And this is the last photo I took of Patsy...this summer, as she joined her friend Loretta Lynn in the hen favored left side nesting box: 

 
Last night, after I told little c that Patsy had died, she drew this photo and penned this little obituary.  June Carter is actually c's proclaimed "favorite hen" but maybe that made c feel a little guilty for having a favorite...who knows?  

Like little c, I am glad we have "pichers of her" to help us remember our friend, the little Dominique hen, Patsy Cline.  She was a good girl.  We will miss her.

 peace and all good, 

Lisa

in clover: a volunteer in the garden

Last spring, Michael and I added a long, narrow raised garden bed along the unused (and weedy) strip between our black top driveway and our neighbors privacy fence.  Michael picked up a truckload of compost from a reputable company and I looked forward to planting neat rows of tomatoes, cucumbers and squash in our newly claimed space.  When it arrived, it smelled terrible!  I called the company to be sure we had purchased seasoned compost and the woman on the other end of the phone assured me that we had.  I'm sure she believed it was ready but in reality, it was not. 

This is an excerpt from a blog post I wrote in June of last year:

 
... Unfortunately, in six weeks time there has been very little growth and blooms wither almost immediately, instead of setting fruit. I don't think we were intentionally given hot compost but I do think we got soil that was not ready for use.  Next time I will listen to my inner voice and trust my instincts.  

Now that the compost has had a year to cure, I have no qualms about planting in the raised beds this year.  But before I could make even a hurried trip to the gardening center to pick up tomatoes and cucs, I noticed something was all ready growing.  I was tempted to pluck out the "weed" but instead, I left it alone.  Before long I could see that this was not a weed.  Before long, the plant looked like this: 

I texted the photo to a knowledgeable veggie growing friend..."Is this a zucchini?"  I asked.  "Not sure.  Definitely some sort of squash" came the reply text.  

A volunteer! 

In gardening and botanical terminology, a volunteer is a plant that grows on its own, rather than being deliberately planted by a farmer or gardener. Volunteers often grow from seeds that float in on the wind, are dropped by birds, or are inadvertently mixed into compost. Unlike weeds, which are unwanted plants, a volunteer may be encouraged once it appears, being watered, fertilized, or otherwise cared for. (Wikipedia).

I watched this squash vine grow and grow and grow with no attention from me...it's by far the largest and healthiest looking plant in my garden.  Today it looks like this: 

 
I never intended on growing a sprawling squash of any sort in the raised bed. It really needs somewhere to grow.  Yesterday I constructed a makeshift bamboo trellis.   The curly tendrils of the plant have all ready latched on to the bamboo overnight...

And this morning I was greeted by these gorgeous blooms...

I am still not sure what kind of squash this is...the most reliable way I can think of to know is to simply wait and see.  

In the early spring months, I begin planning my garden.  I start with pencil and paper.  I sketch diagrams and make lists. I consult experts. I make every effort to get the right plant in the right spot.  And I tend to choose plants I have grown before. Less room for error.  

I also tend to approach life in this same way.  Lots of planning and list making and sticking to what I know.   

Last weekend, I completed my second year of training as a spiritual director with Sycamore Spirituality Center.  By this time next year, I will "be" a spiritual director.  A few days ago someone asked me how I got started in spiritual direction.  It's a long and meandering story...full of unexpected turns and lots of synchronicity. 

At the time, I had plotted and planned to enter seminary.  I was ready to train for a new vocation and I definitely felt a call.  I didn't want to preach because public speaking of any sort made me sick to my stomach.  But I hoped I could serve a church in other ways...or hospital chaplain seemed like it would be a good fit. I was enjoying my volunteer work at UK Children's Hospital. 

I applied and was accepted and began breaking the news to friends and family.  But by the time I was actually ready to begin, I was no longer sure I was on the right path. Finally I confided in a friend who is also a minister.  I remember what I tearfully asked her.  "What else can I do?  If I know God is making a call on my life and I don't believe it includes the seminary path, what do I do? I really don't know.  Do other paths even exist???"  

She asked, "Have you considered spiritual direction?"  

My reaction to her words was pretty much the same as my reaction when I first discovered the mystery squash growing in the garden this spring.  

"What the hell is that?"    

A volunteer.  

A volunteer grows on it's own rather than being deliberately planted...often grows from seeds that float on the wind...

As I approach the end of my training, my questioning mind has bombarded me with questions about the future...will anyone consider spiritual direction to be "real" work?  Will anyone actually want me to be their spiritual director?  Will I work with directees one on one? Or will I do group work? Or both?  Where? And how will I get started?  Will I earn enough to help with Big C's college expenses? 

I've tried to tackle these questions with a pen and a notebook....I've consulted experts....sketched diagrams and made lists.  I've plotted and I've planned. 

But finally I've decided (for the moment, at least) that like the mystery squash in the garden,  I must simply wait and see what fruit this particular volunteer bears.  In the meanwhile I can only focus on tending the plant. 

Mother Earth News says this about volunteer plant, which the writer calls "a garden bonus" : 

Produce from volunteer plants is often bigger and tastier than are intentionally cultivated crops. After all, the plants have sprouted where they want to grow, as opposed to where you want them to. 

That gives me hope.  

Peace and all good, 

Lisa

 

in clover: egg-static

After getting off to a slow start (compared to some other chickens I happen to know), my hens are now regularly laying eggs! 

Patsy Cline, our Dominique

The Brown Leghorn lays white eggs.  The Dominique, Silver Laced Wyandotte and Rhode Island Red all lay light brown eggs.  The Americauna (nicknamed an "Easter Egger") lays GREEN eggs and the Welsummer contributes a lovely, rich dark brown egg with...(be still, my heart)....SPECKLES.




June Carter's first egg...hard to tell but it is definitely green!

It took a little time to get the nesting boxes just right for the girls.  At first they preferred to squeeze under the very short ladder that leads to the aviary for laying their eggs rather than using the nice, cozy and EASILY ACCESSIBLE nesting boxes Michael carefully constructed for them.

My chicken keeping neighbor suggested that I put a cardboard box in each of the nesting boxes so that the girls would feel more enclosed and secure.  When Michael brought home a bushel of cucumbers from our farmer's market for pickle making, we realized the boxes would fit just right so we gave it a go.  Another friend brought us a grocery sack of hay to line the boxes and the very next day we found six eggs (from six hens) laid neatly right where we had hoped.

Hallelujah! 

No more climbing into the coop on my hands and knees to hunt for eggs hidden under the ladder. 

Here are some shots of our first eggs.  I can't even begin to tell you how exciting it was to find them. 

Did you know that you do not need to have a rooster to get eggs?  You DO need to have a rooster to have fertilized eggs.  

Chickens lay about an egg a day except in the winter when egg production drops significantly.  Some commercial egg operations keep lights on in the coops in the winter to trick the girls into laying more eggs but the fact is a chicken will only lay so many eggs in a lifetime and once she's laid them, she's done.  Tricking your girls into laying more in the winter just wears them out early.  

One of our chicken keeping goals was to have a "zero waste" yard and so far, so good!  We live in a neighborhood full of large, old oak trees.  Leaves in the fall are abundant, to say the least!  Last fall, we saved a number of bags of oak leaves and that is what we have used (shredded) as the bedding in our coop.  When we mow our lawn we either mulch the clippings back onto the lawn or we bag the clippings and feed them to the chickens.  They LOVE grass clippings. 

We were all ready composting leaves and kitchen scraps but I have never composted weeds.  I did not want weed seeds in my compost.  Now I feed all the weeds to the chickens.  The greens are very good for them and they must taste great because they go crazy when they see me coming with a bucketful. 

When we remove soiled bedding from the coop or aviary we put it straight into the composter and then in a few weeks time it is ready to be added to the vegetable and flower garden.  We feed the chickens most of our kitchen scraps but what they don't care for goes into the composter.  It decomposes much more quickly now...the chicken poo really keeps the composter hot.

So there you have it...we have no yard waste anymore and the "waste" the chickens create is a much better fertilizer than any chemical fertilizer we could buy.   All of that plus fresh eggs and a whole lot of entertainment.  

What more could you want?

in clover: plan b

This photo of our raised veggie bed was taken in mid May.  In late April, Mike picked up a load of 50-50 topsoil / organic compost from a local place.  Meanwhile, Central Kentucky experienced the wettest April on record.  When Mike loaded the soil into the new raised beds, it smelled to high heaven.  I was really concerned and even gave the folks a call.  I was afraid we had received uncomposted horse manure and I wasn't sure I should plant.  Horse manure is excellent for a garden but it must be well composted.  I was assured that there was no manure in our compost and it was ready to plant. 

Here it is as of yesterday.  Unfortunately, in six weeks time there has been very little growth and blooms wither almost immediately, instead of setting fruit. I don't think we were intentionally given hot compost but I do think we got soil that was not ready for use.  Next time I will listen to my inner voice and trust my instincts.

When I brought my plants home from Wilson's Nursery in mid May, they were healthy and beautiful and the smell had subsided from the bed. I remember thinking that maybe it had just been too wet. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.  I got the plants in the ground the same afternoon.  I noticed the soil had quite a bit of clay clods and a hardpack had formed on the top.  I stripped off the hardpack and watered everything really well. 

This photo is of a tomato plant I planted in my own compost (taken today).

And this is a tomato plant planted at the same time, in the topsoil/compost blend I purchased locally. 

I knew it was the soil that was the problem because I planted directly in the ground last summer in this same location and despite the severe drought and my sporadic watering,  I still got a good harvest.  I needed a rescue plan...it was time for PLAN B.

With the growth of two trees which were saplings when we moved here, much of the sunny spaces in our back garden are now shady spaces.  I had to get creative.  In the end, I removed one each of the acorn and zucchini squash plants, three tomatoes, and three peppers and put them here, on the edge of the perennial bed. I'm calling this the "potager." 

In the raised bed, I removed the rest of the plants and dug nice sized planting holes which I filled with organic top soil Mike purchased in a hurry from Home Depot.  (Remember...this is a rescue plan!) 

 My neighbor told me that the problem with "hot" compost is that it leaches the water from the soil.  He thinks my rescue plan might work and advised me to overwater.  So that's what I am doing.  Only time will tell. 

This is gardening.  There are no guarantees.  Things change...a tree matures and a sun garden becomes a shade garden.  Or an ice storm takes down a tree and a shade garden becomes a sun garden.  Some years we get drought, some years we get flood.  Some years we get both. Sometimes, we get hot compost.  It's just how it is. That's gardening.  That's life.  We need to find a way to get ok with a Plan B. If we want to feel peaceful, that is. 

Sometimes Plan B can turn out to be what some people call a "blessing in disguise."  I really love the new potager.  That area of my  garden needed something and I didn't know what.  I've tried different things but who knew tomatoes and peppers would be just the ticket! And the zuchinni that I was going to try to grow vertical (which apparently is not easy) now has plenty of room to spread out...both in the potager and in the raised bed.  And I've learned a lot about the science of soil which will make me a better gardener. 

I may have a diminished and / or late harverst this year but I feel confident I WILL have a harvest.

Elsewhere around the garden, things are going really well. While I was rummaging in the shed, I found this old french faucet I forgot I had.

The basil I started from seed and transplanted to a tub in the perennial bed is doing great.  That's purple spider wort behind it.  I pulled that out a few years ago because it drove me crazy.  It was always flopping over.  But a sprig of it remained and it is quite large again.  But now, the tub holds it upright.  Everyone is happy.   

 

The coneflowers are ready to bloom...

There are a few tomatoes on the vine....

Little c and I planted these begonias in a vintage French wire egg basket for our outdoor dining table.  She brought them home from church on Mother's Day. 

The ross moss is my favorite in the window boxes this year.  So lovely.



And there is even more basil in a pot by the French aviary, a nice sunny spot.  I really love basil.  Just have to keep it out of pecking distance.  Chickens love basil too.  

How is your garden growing?  Am I the only one on Plan B? 

 







in clover: a good egg

I buy fresh eggs from a friend I met at Sycamore Spirituality Center. She's the cutest young farmer you ever did see.



Yesterday for lunch Michael fixed himself an egg sandwich. I was bending his ear about this blog, of all things. In the midst of my rant, I stopped dead in my tracks to stare at the pretty, pretty eggshell he was ready to crumble into the compost pail. "Is the INSIDE of that egg shell BLUE?" I asked. I took the shell from him before he could answer. "It IS blue! And look at the outside!!!" The outer shell was a pale mocha covered in tiny dark brown speckles. This was indeed a GOOD EGG. And a beautiful one. It was way too pretty to throw away so I propped the two halves on the kitchen windowsill. Thank you for the lovely egg, R.

I hope one of my chickens will lay speckled eggs. I've read that it is a possibility but only time will tell. My hens are quite young, about 8 weeks old, and they will not start laying until around 20 weeks. This morning I was reading a favorite blog, Urban Gardens, and I saw a photo of a gardener with a young Dominique hen and I thought to myself, "How about that? I know what kind of chicken that is!" She looked just like my Dominique hen named Patsy Cline.