Holly and more

 After a trip to Wheatfield Nursery in Centre Hall, we planted 6 pots of switch grass: 4 with red/green leaves (Panicum virgatum 'Ruby Ribbons' #2 pot); 2 with green/blue leaves (Panicum virgatum 'Haense Hermes' in a #3 pot and 'Northwind' in #2 pot).  It took us 90 minutes to dig the holes in the ground--mostly driveway rocks and hard, compacted clay from construction.  We used pick axes and chipped out a layer of rock at a time. We mixed some sifted, rock free top soil with compost and used that mixture to plant the grass clumps.  It was a hard day's work, but the result along the patio rock wall is what we were hoping--an accent of the wall's curve.

The other plantings from yesterday, the 3 winterberry  (Ilex verticullata 'Raritan Chief' and 2 'Winter Red' all in #5 pots) and 2 clematis ('Multi Blue' and 'Henryi'--white) around the main entry are looking like they survived the transplant process.
Jennifer told us we didn't have nearly enough basil so we also planted a bunch of basil plants in the herb rock garden alongside the main entry. Next step if we can keep the chickens out of the basil beds: basil and garlic scape pesto for the freezer.
We have enjoyed to cool summer weather; we've been sleeping with the windows open and a blanket.  The blueberries aren't as happy.  So far we've had a handful.  Last June 28 blog entry showed a colander full.
Our Ameracaners are about 5 weeks old. They can now fly up to the roost bars but don't very often. I open the door to their tractor but they seem to prefer the security of home except after dinner when they venture across the trail in a mob.  The old girls dance right in and chow down on the starter crumbles, while the littlest girls cower in the far corner.  No one seems to miss the rooster. The black maran's back isn't as red as it was but she still doesn't have any feathers.
We found Colorado Potato beetle larvae on the plants today.  Bt works but so does popping them between thumb and finger; they spray red though, so point your hand carefully.
The 2 chestnuts that we planted in 2007 are growing well.  One is 15' tall and 2" dbi; the other about 2/3 that.  We cleared out competing red maples and some aspen to help the taller one along;  the other is north of the coop and is shaded by big oaks.  It isn't crowded so there not much we can do to prod its growth.

Reading Hybrid ** Brian O'Grady. Story had potential if it had been written by Stephen King.  Terrorists engineer a virus and attempt to release it in the US.   Victims become violent but some people survive and are able to reach into people's minds and control them.  The book needs some editing work to be more than moderately readable.  I think that's a problem with many of the kindle freebies.

Blueberries picked in about 45 minutes this morning.  Scrumptious!

Doug recommended putting a wood block above the Builders Mission lights that will be installed under the catwalk and in the master bedroom hall.  The 10 inch square lights do not have a top and because they will be placed on 8 inch wide beams, the lights will overhang the beams and their wiring and insulation will show, as it does on the one light that has been installed. Doug checked with Dwayne and he said it would be OK to make a mounting block that was about 10.25 inches square and that would act as a top for the lights.

Scott was concerned about the right color of caulk that will be used around the edge of the hearth, so he made a pallet of possible choices.  We will probably go with the lightest color as it will blend in better with the wood.  We are constantly amazed at the creativity in problem solving that all the members of this team deliver:  the pallette, above, to show is the caulk choices is just one example. The extra board to make the stairs pass inspection, below, is another.

The stairs now have gap fillers of 1x1 oak strips under the front of the treads to make the gap a legal 4 inches.  Now we have a reverse Oreo cookie staircase.
We have several holes in the floor for the registers that distribute the heating or cooling from the heat pump and a couple of larger holes for grills that will return air to the heat pump.  Paul ordered maple drop in registers and steel scroll work for the grills.

 
The clear glass makes for much better views out of the windows.  The crew took the protective film off today.  We need sunglasses.

We have 5 more pieces of yard art but they'll have to acclimate in the chicken tractor for a few weeks.  They are 4 month old maran pullets.  One is a cuckoo, kind of speckled white and black similar to a barred rock; 3 are copper and will have copper hackles, and 1 is blue.  All are expected to lay dark brown, almost mahogany, eggs. Joe the breeder says they are not aggressive, hardy, and good layers.

Fruit of the Barony

Paul picked over a quart of hybrid blueberries for breakfast.   The chickens picked their own and didn't share.  The dogs pick their own black raspberries and don't share either.  Gambol has taught Buddy this trick.
After our walk and fruit feast when we were all good and tired, Buddy and Paul sat on the tree stump in front of the chickens while Gambol and I treat the chickens with liver cookies.  Buddy works very hard to ignore the birds. 
This morning on our walk up the hill a bird flew silently about 2 feet over my head.  Perhaps it was a small owl; it was so fast I couldn't identify it, although Buddy knew it was a bird.  No bears today.

Blueberries

We picked over 2 quarts from our 6 bushes today. And, we harvested our first red tomato, bell and sweet banana peppers too.

Chicks don't like doves

The Baron made a dove call; the chicks scooped as much sawdust over their heads as they could, hunkered down as if they were hidden and stayed absolutely motionless until I put my hand in with blueberries. An amazing instinct.

2 weeks old today

The chicks have several new toys and tricks. We propped a stick up to the upper perches; less than 1 minute after the door was closed one chick had climbed to be the Queen on her top post. She was rewarded with a blueberry or two.
Last night they really seemed intent on taking dust baths, so tonight I screened a pile of dirt and poured it in. The pile started out to be about 12" in diameter and 5 or 6" high. First they pecked at the little dirt balls but once the girls got naked in their bath it flattened out quickly. They can still scratch around and find plenty of dust. When they went back in the tub for the night, not one scratching sawdust flinging mess occurred. Perhaps the water dish will stay cleaner if they take earthdust baths instead of sawdust baths.

Some of them have black spots in their fuzz that looks wet, but I think it's real feathers. Their tails are much more pronounced and they can really fly. When I'm trying to put them away for the night into their tub (which will only fit them all for a little while longer) a couple insist on flying up to watch from the tub handles. The first half are easy to catch with a "Here girls" but the last half learn quickly and aren't snookered by a green pepper seed or a blueberry on the finger. I had to sweep the last 3 to me with a perch stick tonight. However, they do leap into the Baron's hand to be released in the morning.

They are already great buggers. I had some mosquitoes and a couple of little flies pecked from my wrist tonight. Grasshoppers or moths are special treats; as soon as we call "here girls" and they get a view, we are mobbed. They'll try to catch flies on their own, but just can't move fast enough yet. However, the girls know the difference between good meat and bad, at least when the bad meat is a bee.
Another interesting action that must be inate is their reaction to shadows overhead. Planes and birds both send the flock under the tarp. Could be a hawk or an owl, I guess.

Traveling chicks

We went to a Pennsylvania Forest Stewards training weekend and didn't have a chick sitter so we piled all the girls into their Rubbermaid tub and off we went to Towanda/Wyomissing/Sugar Run. If they'd been older than 1.5 weeks, or if the temp had been in the 80s at night, or if I'd asked someone to chick sit, they wouldn't have been traveling girls. They stayed in the car or in the shade and drank bottled water. Usually I came back to a chick sitting above the crowd on top of the feed jar, casually surveying her realm. She didn't especially like being dumped off.
All worked out well, but when I tossed them in their tractor today, they ran around, flapped their wings and chirped for joy. They flapped and stretched, and ran all over the place. I put 2 round sticks on the first red brace. They seemed to enjoy racing up the stick or hopping over it. They can walk on the red braces like balance beams and easily fly over them too. We fed them blueberries and called "Here girls" as we poked a berry through the net. I think it's more the fingers through the net that gets them excited than the "here girls".
A couple have discovered how to use the small-mammal drinking bottle. They stick their beaks right up the tube, pushing the ball aside and letting the water drip down their throats. I painted the tube-end with nail polish to help catch their attention. The bottle would have made life much easier in the car but they hadn't figured it out yet. Of course, once one learns something the rest bombard her for lessons. We caught a couple of nice soft grasshoppers: chaos reigned. The chicklet that caught the grasshopper ran all over the tractor, showing off or maybe trying to keep her catch. Everyone else tore after her to grab it away, stepping on sisters, flapping over crowds to catch up, or simply to see what the ruckus is all about. The poor grasshopper changed beaks 4 or more times on a typical race, much the worse for wear.
When I called them, "Hey, girls" to go in for the night, some actually came to me. When I put the first several back in their overnight tub they immediately scratched the dust all over themselves, dust bath-like. We're using the water bottle hanging from the side now instead of the water dish. One daring chick preferred not to be caught. She stayed just out of fingers' reach, crying loudly for her sisters. I finally lured her in with a blueberry. I wonder if Tyson or the Colonel know this trick.



While we were gone something big and/or persistent ate and/or dragged away all the bones from all 4 of the carcasses we had at the bait shoppe by the Toy Shed. The last groundhog should have been nicely cooked and easily tracked by nose by now, but it was nowhere to be found. Even the bones of the older kills were gone. The game camera shot this coyote on Friday and several raccoons and lots of crows and vultures on Saturday and Sunday morning. Persistence is the name I guess.

While surveying for gypsy moth egg cases along the eastern Lower Jennifer Trail, we flushed 3 ruffed grouse. As usual, we were as startled by their noise as they were by ours.