Bwok Bwok.....

Best Dude & I now have chickens!

This girl in the photo is " Queenie". She is a Marin hen & is the " boss" of our flock.

We have 7 others.

Four of them are Cochin hens and one is a half-breed{ whom we call " Cher"}.

 

Queenie & " Hashtag" , our other Marin, are both molting. Yes, "Best Dude named one of our hens " Hashtag".}

 

The eggs that our girls produce are big, brown-shelled eggs. As of now, the girls have been low on their egg-production, but as we are new to chicken-farming we are not too disappointed.

 

 

 

A wee bit homesick{ or, "I hate August & September in Florida}

Sometimes one just needs to " gripe."

I'll commence with the good news: Best Dude has been slowly but surely building our chicken coop.  Here is a photo of the past few days' work on Project Bock Bock Bock Jack:

He added the walls & even windows. You cannot see it in the photo, but there is also a floor.  We have an old desk that will serve as our nest/roost area for the chickens.

In other news: I hate summers in Florida and I am so weary of this RAIN! Normally I am no fan of August & September{ Florida summers are hot, humid & LONG!} I grew up in the northeast, so when August of each year rolls around I am ready to don long pants & a light jacket. After nearly 15 years of living in Florida I am still not accustomed to these 7-month-long summers. People who live up North and think that living in the State of Perpetual Sunshine means 12 months of Beach Weather you are sadly mistaken.  It has been so rainy this summer that I never attained my customary Florida tan.  If it is not raining the humidity deems any sort of outdoor activity  as miserable.

 I am not the only one in our household who despises this weather.Our dog does not even enjoy his morning walks when the humidity is so high---and he REALLY hates walking in the torrential rain.

Summers in Florida are just too damn long. Autumn & Spring in Florida are way too damn short.  I miss my four seasons.

I am grateful that the coast has {thus far} avoided being hit by a " H-Storm". But , since my trip back to the Northern Appalachians, I've yearned for a reprieve from the rain, humidity and broiling temps And I shall admit it here: I miss my friends up North. As much as I try, I am not & probably never will be a true Floridian.  August & September are the two months out of the year that I really feel my  geographical " otherness" .

I miss hills, big shade trees that molt their leaves every autumn, cooler " football weather", snow, , watching EVERY Steeler football game on TV, and a host of other tidbits of life in Northern Appalachia. Yet I cannot deny that Northwest Florida is home now...and that I have carved out a good life for myself here.

It is not easy to bloom where I am planted. Deep within myself I know that I am meant to be here & I do not wish to mess up the equilibrium of my life as it is currently.

Neither Best Dude nor I play the lottery, but if I won said lottery I'd find us a small plane for frequent trips up North.

Amen.

Chicken Coop Progress

 Best Dude added some more to the chicken coop.

The roof is framed.

He plans to shingle the roof of the chicken house.

Bock Bock Bock , Jack

I know that the _Duck Dynasty_ reference did not register with people who do not follow the hit show on A & E. Best Dude & I are faithful " Quackers" and naturally I anticipate the new episode that will air on Wednesday.

Anyhow, Best Dude & I are planning to raise chickens{ hens, NOT roosters!!} Currently he is in the process of building a coop for the 6-8 hens whom we hope to add to our little homestead soon.

Here is the progress that he has made in the Building Of The Coop so far. These photos were taken with my Nikon and edited on the Toshiba laptop computer.

This is the wood that Brian got for the coop.

After must debate, we finally agreed on just where in the backyard that said coop will go. Since we opted for a permanent structure{ as opposed to the " chicken tractor" option"} we had to carefully choose the place where our chickens will roost.

 

 

This is the frame of the chicken house. Brian built these out of pressure-treated lumber.

 

 

 

 

 

' Burghing....on a summer's afternoon.

Two of my aunts and I took a short road trip from Hometown into Pittsburgh one day . We met Urbanne Cousin for lunch in the part of the city that was previously known as East Liberty. { now I've learned it goes by the trendier moniker of "Eastside".

O City Of Pittsburgh, please just leave well-enough alone! Its hard enough for me to get accustomed to the Penguins' home as " Mellon Arena" when all my life it has gone by the simpler name of " Pittsburgh Civic Arena".

I'm just sayin'....

Anyhow, we met Urbanne at her place of employment  & took a brief city walk to a very chic gourmet hamburger place known as BRGR. { Yes, I spelled that correctly: it is really BRGR}

 See? I told you it is really BRGR! 

We ate some tasty albeit expensive hamburgers and enjoyed some good conversation with Urbanne, whom I had not seen in two summers. She is ten years younger than me, but in many ways I look to her for inspiration. I only wish I possessed some of the chutzpah that my younger cousin shows.

I love Pittsburgh!

My Hometown

I concluded my trip with a visit to  Hometown, { western} Pa.

Usually this part of my trip is pleasant, but not traditionally " fun". My father's family have been hear since the 1800-something & most of them still live in that very county where our ancestors came to from Ireland.

There is not a lot to to in Hometown, PA. One of the traditions that is the most meaningful to me is the Supper At Grandma's House. My grandmother is an excellent cook & she makes a weekly meal for  the children & grandchildren. { not all of them show up, but there is always a crowd at the table.

Here is the set table before the meal.

 There is nothing as tasty as Pennsylvania sweet corn.

 Family members visting in Grandma's living room.

I also visited the campus Of Small Pennsylvania Public College, where my uncle teaches.

 This pretty bloom caught my attention as I walked aroudn the main part of campus.

 I miss the gently rolling Appalachian hills of western Pennsylvania

More Lake 2013 Photo Memories

It is pouring down rain this morning here in Florida. Best Dude & I hoped to go walk on the beach this morning, but it looks like we'll be housebound again today. I am weary of this wet, humid summer weather here on the Gulf Coast.  One of the best aspects of summers at the lake is how I can walk in the mornings & evenings wearing jeans & a t-shirt.

This is a fine-looking vintage Airstream camper that I saw during one of my walks at the Lake.

This is the dock where G and I tanned ourselves. It floats , but is easily accessible from the bank of the lake. I love the nautical look of the lifesaver ring.

 I cooled my tired feet off in the creek The creek was high & gently babbling & the water felt so good on my feet. When I was younger I spent much time in the creeks.

This creek is the same creek that ran near the house in Ohio where I lived. There was an empty lot behind the house that was used as a hideout among the neighborhood young people.

  I've always liked this little red footbridge near my favorite wading place at the Lake.

Some campers decorated the site with painted rocks.

The sunsets over the Lake are amazing.

G & S's Great Glamping Adventure, 2013

My best gal pal and I went " Glamping" at the Lake over the Fourth Of July. She rented one of the cabins at the Lake & we stayed down there for two nights. It was fun , and I am glad we had this quality time together.

Here is the exterior of our little cabin. Isn't it pretty?

 I took some photos of the interior after we settled in. I apologize for the mess. The cabin has a set of bunk beds, one queen-sized lower bunk & one upper bunk { on which I slept} that is a twin bed. It also had a futon that can sleep two more people. We did not have a kitchen { nor plumbing} in this cabin, but we DID enjoy electricity.

Our front porch boasted a rocking chair & a porch swing. Since the cabin has no water, I had to brush my teeth on the porch in the mornings & evenings. Thankfully the " facilities" were located within a very short walking distance from this cabin.

We ate a lot of traditional " camp food", but one lunch had us eating Ramen noodles out of microwavable pots ! {College flashback, anyone? }

 Although we tried to have a fire , the rain was a challenge. Our meager fire was fun, however & we burned several sheets of old newspapers in our fire-building attempt.

One the Fourth, G and I were treated to a motorboat ride around the Lake. We were fortunate enough to see a juvenile eagle{ no I could not get a photo of it--as it was too far in the sky}

It was a wonderful experience & one that I shall treasure forever.

One especially nice day at the Lake

My vacation to the mountains this year was GREAT!  { other than the hideous flight experience home, I have absolutely no complaints about my time up North.

One day in particular will stay with me for a long time. Best Dude & I hike out coastal paradise & it is wonderful in its own{ very flat} way. Since I grew up in the Appalachian woodlands, coastal hiking is inferior to hiking in the mountains.

My friend CK, who is a botanist & a professor at a midsized university in the Southeast, came to the Lake to spend the day with me. Now it isn't unusual for some of my good friends to come visit with me when I'm at the Lake, but CK and I had not seen each other in person for 16 years!

Yup, we hadn't seen each other in person for  16 year yet we maintained our friendship. That fact in itself is , in my opinion, pretty darn awesome.

Anyhow, we spent a lot of time walking. CK, being a botanist, examined & identified many different plants we saw on our hikes.

This is a " Shag Bark Hickory" tree. Note the unusual bark. Don't ask me to recall the scientific names of any of the flora we saw on our hikes: I'm not *that*much into plants!

This is the view of the path up the hillside that we took. the " head" of this particular trail is located right behind " Granny's" house. I've walked this trail several times before, but had not done so in YEARS until this summer. Last year I got hurt whilst hiking solo , so I shall ALWAYS take another hiker with me on my excursions.

 This is known as a  Resurrection Fern. I think it is pretty, growing out of a seemingly barren rocky hillside.

Here is the phoebe bird nest that we found above the front door on Granny's porch. We could not tell if the nest had eggs or not, so we did not touch it.

Later that day, we took a pontoon boat ride around to the other end of the Lake.  I LOVE the view of the mountains surrounding the lake valley & captured several images with my Nikon camera.

There is a huge maple tree towards which I have always felt an affinity located in the park. When I came early to work there during summers of high school and my First College, I would often bring a book & sit under this tree reading until my shift started.  I found out later that the tree is a Black Maple tree, identified by its seed pods.

It is true that I belong on the Northern Gulf Coast of Florida now, but a part of my essence shall remain Appalachian.

Snapshots via my Ipod

I have a new IPod Touch 5 { the best boyfriend in the world bought it for me as my birthday gift} Anyhow, one of the coolest features of the IPod is its mobile camera.

Recently I've discovered Instagram & I am TOTALLY addicted to posting photos of mundane slices of life. {If you want, follow me on Instagram at :Springermamma12.}

Anyhow, here is a photo that I took today of our dog, Seamus.

I also have an app for the Ipod that allows me to make photo collages. Here is an example of some of the work I've done with that feature. This image is the " profile photo" for my parish's Facebook page.

Photo Shoot: First Presbyterian Church, Milton, FL

Yesterday I attended a seminar at First Presbyterian Church in Milton , Florida. The " church ladies " were gracious enough to open the doors of their lovely historic nave & sanctuary so that I{ a fan of old buildings in general & old church buildings in particular} could look inside.


Here are some photos of the exterior of the church. I particularly love the rustic, untreated wooden doors.

Here are some of the better photos of the interior of the historic church. I highlighted the stained-glass windowpanes & minimized the " background" of the windows in order to make the colors of the

glass " pop".

I played around with my editing software for these next photos. Some photographers I know are not fans of using black & white for portraiture, but I am of the opinion that " less{ color} is more" for some photos. The photo of the baptismal font is probably my favorite from this photo shoot: as I LOVE the contradiction between the dark wooden bowl base & the clear glass flask of water.

Today's " Wisdom" Meme

Today I found a great " meme" on a friend's Pinterest page.

Here it is:

Omigosh, this is TOTALLY describing me.  As a person with autism, my " social skills" are not " up to par" with my peers' , but I  CAN carry on a deep conversation with one person. Crowds  " unhinge" me I feel literally lost  among all of the human voices bombarding my brain. After a few minutes in a crowded room, all the voices tend to blend together into a humming noise which I can best describe as a hive full of bees.

I am NOT good with crowds & I HATE " small talk" .  People tell me that all I need to do to make " small talk" is *ask someone about him/herself*Sometimes I do this, and I feel " smothered" by the chatter of the person with whom I am making small talk. yet on the other hand, if I  share an interest with someone, the dreaded small talk becomes a real conversation & I do much better with social situations.

It is true that I express my thoughts better in writing than verbally. One of the reasons that I started blogging is that I literally feel " tongue tied" when I attempt to express my ideas.

Another coping mechanism-turned hobby I've picked up over the years is photography. I've discovered that I cope with large crowds MUCH better if I carry around a camera.

We introverts are not asocial....we are selectively social.