A Close Knit Flock

I'm a knitter....a knitter that keeps chickens...a chicken keeper that knits chickens that look like her real chickens.

Yep, I just knitted my chickens...and it was fun.

Poultry Palace Flock—The Knitted Version

Queenie (Golden Laced Wyandotte)

Princess (Rhode Island Red)

Duchess (Barred Plymouth Rock)

The pattern for these adorable hens is from World of Knitted Toys by Kath Dalmeny.

My project notes are on Ravelry.

Egg Totals for February and March

It's a well known fact that we spoil our chickens, but they are spoiling us, too...with eggs. They have become eggceptional layers. We're keeping records of egg production for the flock and for each hen individually. I plan to post the monthly totals here.

Queenie was the only hen to lay eggs in February. Her first egg came on February 26. She laid a total of three eggs that month.

Our Golden Laced Wyandotte, Queen of Eggland

For the month of March, which has 31 days, she laid 29 eggs.

Our Rhode Island Red, Princess Lay-a

Princess laid her first egg on March 1. She's been a champ from the start, laying 30 eggs in 31 days.

Our Barred Plymouth Rock, Duchess of Yolk

Duchess didn't lay her first egg until March 11. In the 21 days of March that she was producing eggs, she laid 18.

In summary...

February — 3 eggs
Queenie (3)

March — 77 eggs
Queenie (29), Princess (30), Duchess (18)

Year to Date (through March) — 80 eggs

See, I told you we're being spoiled!

Home Away From Home

The weather was perfect this weekend. We arrived at the trailer on Thursday evening and spent all day Friday playing outside. My cold was finally improved enough that I could go out in the boat. We fished our favorite spot on the diversion channel of the Colorado River and by lunchtime we each had two beautiful speckled trout to brag about.

After lunch I worked in Happy Camper Butterfly Garden while John fished from the riverbank. There were a few weeds to pull, but the main thing was to trim back the lantana and the Mexican sage which can quickly outgrow this small space. Sometimes I think I should have named this garden The Beast.

The yarrow is in full bloom and so pretty that it deserves a closer look.

In this shot of the garden you can see that the milkweed is mostly stripped bare. Monarch activity has been very good this year. We found many empty chrysalis shells around the area and even a few small caterpillars munching away on the remaining milkweed leaves.

A female Monarch butterfly showed up while I was watering the plants. She went to work immediately laying her eggs.

And all the while John was reeling in fish from the river—two big redfish and a large trout. Well, that was all I could take. I had to join him.

This photo (taken one morning a couple of weeks ago) shows where I stood when I caught the best trout of the day—only steps away from our trailer.

And when I returned to the garden...

madame butterfly was still on focused on her mission.

What a blessing to call Matagorda our weekend home!

Count on It

If you're going to let your chickens roam freely in the backyard then you should count on a few things.

You can count on your chickens wallowing out a hole somewhere for a dust bath.

You can count on that spot being right where you wish it wasn't.

You can count on your chickens getting in your vegetable garden and eating something you were hoping to harvest for yourself (so far it's only been the kale).

You can count on your chickens dropping off little...ahem...presents for you on the back porch that you won't be fond of opening (not pictured for obvious reasons).

You can count on having to rake up the mulch that the chickens scratch out of the flower beds.

You can count on your chickens coming right behind you and scratching out that mulch you just raked up.

Oh, yes you can!

And most importantly, you can count on your chickens giving you so much joy that you none of the above matters...not one little bit.

Texas Roadside Garden

Some of the best gardens, in my opinion, are the wild ones—the ones that grow along the Texas roadsides in the spring.

We drove down Old Gulf Road in Matagorda last Saturday to see what was blooming.

There were patches of yellow coreopsis

and stands of peachy-pink Indian paintbrush

— the typical color of Indian paintbrush in Matagorda—

and sweet blue flowers that I think are called blue-eyed grass.

The wildflowers flowed along the roadside like a little stream and I stopped many times to take pictures.

I found a lone yellow coneflower growing among a patch of pink evening primrose

and a pretty lantana that was nearly as tall as the fence post.

One of my favorites, thistle, was just starting to bloom.

There were other flowers too—like winecup, Indian blanket, spiderwort (blue flower above), and more—making it a good year for this Texas roadside garden.

Hens of Discerning Taste

Here chick-chick-chick, here chickies, I've got a treat for you all!

Princess: For me?

Queenie: Not just you. For us. Last one there is a rotten egg.

Duchess: She said they're frozen blueberries to cool us off. They look weird, you try them.

Princess: Okay, I'll take the first bite. I'm not chicken.
Duchess: Well, technically...

Princess: Nope, don't like them. You can have them all.
Duchess: If you don't like them, I'm not going to like them.

Queenie: Come on girls...they're really not too bad...if you let them thaw a little...and then stand really far away from the plate...and then stretch you neck out really far like this...and then take a teeny tiny bite.

Princess: Hey, lady, don't you have anything better...like some bugs or something? You know the ones—those June bugs in the bottle. The ones that man handpicked under the glow of the porch light the other night.

Duchess: My favorite!
Princess: Now this is more like it!
Queenie: Leave some for me!

Poultry Palace and Gardens—Where Hens Live Like Royalty...

Myriad Botanical Gardens

We visited Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City last Friday with the kids. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day!

A view of Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory (arched glass building) at Myriad Botanical Gardens.

There are gardens to explore outdoors, but we headed straight for the conservatory due to a chill in the air and the fact that I was suffering from a cold and a very bad case of laryngitis.

Along the way, we walked by flowerbeds filled to the brim with tulips, pansies, and daffodils.

Once inside Crystal Bridge Conservatory, we were surrounded by huge tropical plants and wrapped in a warm blanket of humidity.

I took a couple of pictures of some of the pretty blooms...

 but forgot to read the signs to find out what they are called. I blame my cold for that.

We really enjoyed seeing the Zebra Longwing butterflies that flitted about the conservatory. They were the most active in the upper levels where it was the warmest.

John found one that was freshly emerged from its chrysalis just outside the conservatory entrance door. He has a good eye. I would have walked right past it.

I was drawn to the pretty orchids that were displayed in the big circular window that overlooks the gardens and the city.

There were a few critters on display as well. John is showing Myles the Veiled Chameleon. I think Myles would like to have one of his very own. Future gift from Geep and Birdie??? Just kidding, parents.

I remembered to read the marker for this flower. It's the bloom of the shaving brush tree. Perfectly named.

By this time we were at the tip top of the conservatory. Here's a shot looking down through the tropical foliage at the tiered waterfall.

As we exited the building I had everyone pose for a parting shot among the flowers. We all enjoyed our time together at Myriad Gardens.