Category Archives: Pets and Animals

Gardening in Greeley Colorado

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free-seeds
Our Seed starter setup

It is the start of the gardening season here in Colorado.  All the local stores start to stock seeds, compost, potting soil, pots, shovels, gloves and all the related items a person might need to grow some food or do some landscaping.  Cassie was lucky enough to score some free seeds at a local gardening workshop.  More seeds than we could possibly use.

We are going to plant a variety of peppers, tomatoes, melons, lettuce, strawberries and some flowers.

I got an early start last weekend but maybe I wore myself down to much.  I was sick the previous week and recently I’ve  had a fever of 102 for the last few days.    It really sucked, mainly kind of a chest cold.  It put me down for the count  and all I could do was sleep and try to keep warm.  Luckily today I am feeling better and I decided to resume light garden work and it was a beautiful day.

We’ve decided to move the chicken from the greenhouse (which was a temporary location) into a home built chicken coup that I am making so she wont eat all the seedlings.   More on the coop in coming days.

When I was expanding our vegetable garden I moved some rocks and landscaping fabric.  I found a whole lot of bindweed.  This stuff lives under any condition imaginable.  Its been under wraps for over 3 years and was just continuing to grow.   Why can’t food to grow this easily?

bindweed
Bindweed

Noodles?  No…Bindweed!

We bought some compost a week ago to amend the soil in our vegetable garden.  It was $1 a bag which I didn’t think was too bad.  But it is cow poop, so I dont think they could charge too much.  Their marketing spin on it was “Steer Manure”.   Makes it sound better.
garden-expansion
Chicken bug buffet

It is also time to cleanout the greenhouse where the chickens have been fertilizing all winter long.  We use an old cat feeder for the chicken food and Cassie’s mom Charlotte was kind enough to give us a chicken water dish.  She actually just happened upon it beside a trash can  one day while she was watching the chickens for us when we were in Puerto Rico! That is just plain lucky.
greenhouse-cleanup
Chickens old house

Due to the chicken needing to be restricted from growing plants we also have to build a section of fence.  We were finding parts today and some of them wouldn’t fit in the Honda so they went ON the Honda.

gate-on-car
Strapped to the roof

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Egg production in full effect

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The chicken knew spring was coming weeks before the time change.  All of a sudden she started popping out an egg a day again.  I think the amount of light that they get helps them start egg production.  Since the sun is up longer now, she is an egg laying machine.

Chicken eggs

Chicken eggs

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Blue Mustang of Death: Welcome to Colorado

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“Stare into my fiery eyes as I rear up on my hind legs and stomp you”, IT said. That’s what I first thought of when I saw IT:  The Blue Mustang of Death at Denver International Airport or DIA, now also known as Death Is Approaching.  Or maybe IT was just saying “Welcome to Colorado”.  We may never know.

When we came back from Puerto Rico, we noticed this big blue horse with red glowing eyes as we drove back home. A group of people have petitioned to have it taken down because some travelers are the anxious type, and like football fans, have their own superstitions. Especially when a neurotic and superstitious Denver Broncos fan also happens to be an anxious traveler. Is that a bronco or a…a… mustang?!!

It definitely is creepy, but cool in its own way. Without the glowing eyes, I don’t think it would have the kind of effect it has on people. Actually, it does kind of looks like the bronco at Mile High Stadium, only bigger and bluer, kinda like how Paul Bunyon liked his oxen.

bronco
Bronco Sculpture at Mile High Stadium `and`

blue mustang at DIA
Blue Mustang of Death at DIA

mustang-DIA Close up
Mustang Death Gaze

It also makes you wonder, what IS the difference between a mustang and a bronco*? Well, I have provided you that very answer in photo form. You can also check out a Puerto Rican bronco.

mustang-car
A Mustang `and`

old-bronco-car
A Bronco

But seriously -ok, not really seriously- but really, it seems like everyone has an opinion on this Blue Mustang near DIA. Apparently because the artist/sculptor was killed while making the beast, many believe it to be cursed. It also has another scary quality:  anatomical correctness. Have you ever seen a male horse’s anatomy? How about 5 times larger? On its hind legs? You get the picture.

The glowing blue monster has also brought out the aliens according to our local UFO abductees/conspiracy theorists. According to them, the Blue Mustang is the base for an underground alien city beneath DIA where strange creatures like Freemasons congregate.  For more on this, tune into AM radio at 3:33am on a Wednesday night or, read the New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/arts/design/02hors.html

*When I looked up the difference between a mustang horse and a bronco horse, there really isn’t much of a difference. They are both North American feral horses often of Arabian descent.

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RIP Black Chicken

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As you may remember, we were worried about the black chicken before we left for Puerto Rico. She was not moving much, wasn’t eating, and had some problems “going to the bathroom”. We thought she might be egg bound, but weren’t sure. Before we left she was walking around again, but her tail feathers were down. While we were gone in Puerto Rico my mom came over and fed the chickens and Kitty. She said the black one was walking around and greeted her at the greenhouse. Well, when we got back, she was laying on her side with her feet sticking out to the other side and her eyes were all glazed over. When we would pet her or pick her up, she would awaken, but wouldn’t move or sit on her feet. I had a feeling that if she wouldn’t even sit on her feet anymore she was probably on her last leg so to speak.

Black and white chickens
The Black Chicken in Happier Days

This morning Britton went out to feed them and she was stiff and dead. It feels silly to mourn a chicken, but we feel bad that we couldn’t do anything to save her. At least she didn’t die while Mom was watching them…she waited until we got back to pass away. Well Black Chicken AKA Pepper we’ll miss you, you were a nice chicken and we wish you well on your way to wherever chickens go when they die.

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