Random Things

First up Wanda the turkey has five babies.  She takes them all over the yard.  I was in the garden over the weekend when she came by with them.  I had to get a picture through the fence as she does not like for anyone to get close to them.  She generally has two body guards (the male turkeys) escorting her and the chicks. 

I have been working on the garden and have a goal of spending at least an hour each day out there.  W helped me move around a few things so I have plenty to keep me busy this week.  I have planted all of the tomatoes and just need to fill a bed for the peppers.  I am thinking of using one of the temporary beds for flowers.

I have several crochet projects in progress.  I am finishing up a custom order today and hope to finish another this week.  I have a couple of projects of my own to do for gifts/donation.  Then I will be starting on a special project to donate.  If you would like to keep up with what I am doing, follow me on my Facebook page or on Instagram (@chickaddesigns).  

I am working on Swagbucks again.  My goal is to earn enough gift cards to buy a new Cricut.  I did pick up one that cuts larger stuff which I have been using for projects.  I want to get one that will connect to the internet so I can do more personalized items.  Swagbucks is a good thing to work on while I am crocheting.

Weekend Book Reviews

Kappy King and the Pie Kaper by Amy Lillard is the third book in the Amish Mystery series.  Everyone is shocked when the bishop's wife Alma has an accident that puts her in a coma.  People begin to question if her pie making skills and the upcoming pie contest are the motives behind the attack.  Kappy and her outcast friend Edie are on the case.  I have to admit this is one of my favorite cozy mystery series.  I adore Kappy, Edie, and Jimmy - the three main characters of the book.  The book has plenty of suspense and is well written.  I look forward to many, many more books in this series.

The thirteenth book in the Crochet Mysteries series by Betty Hechtman is Hooks can be Deceiving.  A craft channel is planning to tape an episode of a new crochet themed show at the bookstore where the Tarzana hookers meet.  The show is off to a rocky start when it becomes apparent that the host cannot crochet.  Molly, employee at the bookstore and member of the crochet group, has to put that problem to the side when a new member of the group is killed.  Now that I crochet I appreciated the crochet themed mystery, but it is an enjoyable book for any cozy mystery fan. 

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Baby Chicks, Bunny Rabbits, and a Guard Cat

One of our bantams was sitting on eggs in a pen - a rarity as they usually just show up with chicks out of the blue.  These are already in a secure area and mama hen is very protective.

We have baby turkeys which like more heat than most chicks.  They need to be separated from any chickens while they are young.

Finally we have regular chicken chicks.  These are mostly silver lace wyndott chicks.  

We are moving some other chicks to the juvenile pen (on the dirt with more room but small wire to keep them enclosed and other things out).  This bunch will be moving to a bigger brooder with more room later today. 

The incubator still has peafowl eggs.  Hopefully by this time next week I will be sharing pictures of some pea chicks.

The bunny rabbits love fresh herbs and vegetables, but they are always most happy when I refill their bowl of pellets each afternoon.  

Thea continues to keep watch over the chicken and rabbit houses.  I have noticed a decrease in mice with her on the job.  People are always amazed to learn that she is very protective of the other animals especially baby chicks.  

Weekend Book Reviews

Influenza by Jeremy Brown commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 1918 flu pandemic and the advances (or lack of) in the past 100 years.  I am fascinated by the 1918 flu, but this book would appeal to almost anyone.  It flows well and provides plenty of information without being too technical.  I especially enjoyed the chapter on current medicines used to treat the flu and how the government is working to prevent a repeat of the 1918 pandemic.  Both left me without much hope that current medicine has advanced faster than the flu virus.  This is easily one of the best books on influenza that I have read.

The fourth book in the Wedding Planner Mystery series by Stephanie Blackmoore is Gown with the Wind.  Mallory says she is fine with handling the wedding arrangements for her ex-fiance Keith and his new bride Becca.  When Becca and another bride get into a fight over a Scarlett O'Hara wedding gown, Mallory starts to regret her decision.  Things go from bad to worse when the second bride is found dead in Becca's swimming pool.  This is a fun, light series and checks off all of the cozy mystery boxes.  I look forward to more in the series.

Steamed Open by Barbara Ross is the seventh book in the Maine Clambake Mystery series.  Summer has arrived, and that means Julia and her family are busy with the clambakes for tourists.  When the heir of the town's mansion and public beach access puts up a gate blocking access, everyone is in an uproar.  Unfortunately one person is angrier than the others when the heir becomes a murder victim.  I love the setting and descriptions.  I was not even discouraged when I figured out the mystery early on.  I did find Julia's boyfriend to be extremely tiring.  I hope his character "grows up" before the next book. 

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Hiding

I am not hiding although it does feel like that at times.  I have been busy with crochet projects and orders which is a blessing.  I have also been busy getting the yard and garden in shape which almost seems hopeless.  I am seeing improvements in some areas.  One area of the yard has to be left untouched for now.  Can you see why?

Let me zoom in a bit more for you.

A little closer?

This is our turkey Wanda who is sitting on seven eggs.  She had a much larger nest outside of the fence.  W upset her my picking up the eggs as her nest spot was not safe.  Those eggs went into the incubator.

Wanda moved inside the fence and started a new nest.  We are anxiously awaiting the hatching of her eggs. Until then the area where she is needs to remain as it is so her hiding spot is safe.

Weekend Book Reviews

Bamboozled by Barbara Barrett is the second book in the Mah Jongg Mystery series.  This book is a bit deeper than the usual cozy mystery series.  The main characters are dealing with serious issues.  I did not read the first book in this series but did not feel lost when reading this book.  The four women who are amateur sleuths who also play mah jongg.  When a member of the mah jongg group is accused of murdering her boss, she begs the ladies to help clear her name.  This is a more sophisticated cozy style mystery with serious planning of the investigation and the other things going on in the characters' lives.  If you are looking for a cozy series with a bit more depth, this is the one for you!

The fourth book in J.C. Eaton's Sophie Kimball Mystery series is Botched 4 Murder.  Sophie once again gets pulled into the spectacle that is her mother's retirement community.  A board member who wants to get rid of the community's golf courses and replace them eco-friendly parks is causing chaos and turns up dead.  Not surprisingly this causes even more chaos in the community.  This is a fun, light cozy mystery.  I love the characters and can easily picture any of them in real life.  The book is a wonderful escape and a good addition to the series.

Batter Off Dead by Maymee Bell is part of the Southern Cake Baker Mystery series.  Sophia, owner of For Goodness Cakes, has picked up two catering jobs in her hometown of Rumford, Kentucky.  First up is the library fundraiser where wealthy citizen Ray Peel backs out of funding the upgrades to the town library.  Ray is soon found dead, and the suspect list is long.  This is a charming southern themed mystery.  I was thrilled to find several recipes at the end since descriptions of these desserts had my mouth watering throughout the book.  The relationship between Sophia and her sheriff boyfriend seems to waffle back and forth so I am curious to see how this plays out in future books.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Rainy Days & Ramblings

If the saying April Showers Bring May Flowers is true, my flowers should be beautiful next month.  We have been getting a decent rain every other day.  It means the weeds have been really growing while the grass not so much.  Unfortunately the days it does not rain are days we do not have time to mow.  Hopefully later this week we can get to it.

The rain has been good for the potatoes.  W was able to get out with the tiller late one evening and till in between the rows to keep the weeds down.

Toby and I ran out quickly yesterday before the rain moved in and finished filling one of my tractor tire raised beds.  I quickly planted popcorn and flower seeds in one of them.  It started to drizzle as I was covering everything up.  We ran to put a tarp over our chick brooder and got inside just before the bottom fell out.  The rain should be good for the newly planted seeds.  I am still waiting to see sprouts from the seeds I sowed last week.  

Normally I wait until Good Friday to do much planting.  We have highs in the 80s forecasted for the next 10 days which gets me really close to Good Friday.  I decided to be a risk taker and start planting.

Back to Basics

I had good intentions of this last week, but I was in a mad dash trying to get stuff made to set up at the farmer's market.  I looked at the calendar and realized this was my only shot at selling my crochet items at this farmer's market for at least a couple of months.  Business was on the slow side due to the threat of rain.  I still sold enough items to keep me encouraged. 

I did learn that baby shoes are the hot item.  Every pair I made was quickly snapped up.  I have purchased a few more patterns from Etsy and will be working hard on baby shoes for the next outdoor market sale.  

W and I need a cleaning schedule so I am pulling an old copy of one that I used.  It has daily chores plus a revolving set of deep cleaning chores. I used to do this myself when he was at work.  Now that we are both working from home I find doing the deeper cleaning to be a challenge.  We are going to try this for the remainder of April and see how it works.

I do have a goal for this month.  My one and only goal is to get the garden cleaned up and planted.  It is a mass of weeds and clutter for the most part.  I have been cleaning/prepping/planting one bed at a time.  I really want to have this done before the pecan trees bloom as I am allergic to the pollen.  I will share a before picture later in the week once the rain moves out.  Damp/wet weeds look worse than regular weeds.  

Hopefully things will go mostly as planned.  Time will tell....