It's winter funk. That's my only excuse for not blogging more often. Though it hasn't exactly been a harsh winter so far, so I don't have much to complain about. But it's still winter. Since the sun was shining brightly today, I spoke sternly to myself and decided to do some outdoor chores. Poop patrol is always at the top of the list, so I took care of that and raked up some old straw and other debris in the chicken run and hauled it to the compost pile. While I was out there I took some pictures of the 'chicks'.... ha! They are 21 weeks old today. I looked it up and found out they could start laying eggs any time now. So I wasn't too surprised when I saw Phoebe checking out the nest box.... She and Goldie hang out together most of the time...   Goldie is still so tiny compared to everyone else in the flock. A few weeks ago, I put this ... thing that was hanging around the place, [I have no idea what its original purpose was] into the chicken run because I thought they might like to get up off the damp ground once in a while... I wouldn't say it's wildly popular, but I have seen them use it from time to time. Anyway, when I finished playing in the chicken yard, I raked all the leaves and pine needles away from my rock balancing rock that Mr. P moved up onto the flat, away from the precarious edge of the ice pond. I now have a stable place to work from. I tried a few balances with my newly gathered rocks from the river.   I think I'm going to like working here. I miss the water element. It adds a nice atmosphere to the whole thing, but hey, I don't live right next to a creek... so I'll make do with what I have. Making do is one of my strongest life skills. :-)