Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Archives for June 2014

chicken news & a scrappy craft

Fancy Louise, the little white hen with wonderful feathery feet, laid her first egg last week. It was perfect! And delicious, so thank-you-very-much-for-breakfast, Fancy Louise. Also last week, she developed a troubling independent streak. Once the easiest chicken on the farm to catch and cuddle, she is suddenly impossible to wrangle at bedtime. And if by chance she is in the coop yard when it’s time to close the door, then by gosh she bolts. She bolts heard! Head down, feathery butt shaking, beak forward. She makes a point to not be where she’s supposed to be. She relishes in disobedience, and it hurts my feelings. Egg-laying and independence-declaring. Are these things a coincidence? I think not. It’s okay, though, because of the free eggs.

In other poultry news, we have relocated Ethel the Las Vegas show girl to the chicken condominium. Pacino is dealing well with the move, though I have had to promise him regular face time. Ethel has a picturesque little white-feathered companion who so far has no name. Good thing, by the way, because this little hen might actually be a rooster. Feel free to brainstorm ideas for him.

Ethel, the Las Vegas showgirl. She answers to her name. xoxo
Ethel, the Las Vegas showgirl. She answers to her name. xoxo

 

If this clean, shapely little white creature were yours, what would you name him? Assuming it could also be a her?
If this clean, shapely little white creature were yours, what would you name him? Assuming it could also be a her?

 

Handsome cut windows in two sides of the condominium and covered them with chicken wire. I scraped the big, spacious box clean and added fresh shavings plus rose petals, wild flowers, and cedar limbs for fragrant nesting. I also tied up some scrappy tassels so the chickies have an interesting view.

coop tassels

 

They are so appreciative.
They are so appreciative.

 

Hopefully this coming week we will get to welcome Lucy to the flock, compliments of our friend, neighbor, and book club girl Seri. Lucy is more of a punk rocker than a Vegas entertainer, and she is awesome. You’ll see that for yourself soon.

The thing about chickens is how mission-oriented they are, despite their appearance of randomness. Their behavior is more predictable than you might think. So, keeping this in mind and knowing we have some sunset behavior to correct (Fancy Louise is not the only offender), Handsome and I are starting a new routine. We are ringing a bell every time we distribute snacks. It’s the Pavlovian thing, obviously.

coop close up

So wish us luck! And send cozy thoughts in Pacino’s general direction. He needs a baby to love. But don’t we all?

Signed,
Nesting in Oklahoma
XOXOXOXO

 

 

Answers to the Citizenship Test

Howdy! Do you remember back in April when I posted a sample citizenship test? It was 100 questions. Here’s a link to that post.

Tiny T remembers. (Name that meme!)

Tiny T says, "I pity the fool who takes his citizenship and liberty for granted!" Preach it, T. Preach it.
Tiny T says, “I pity the fool who takes his citizenship and liberty for granted!” Preach it, T. Preach it.

I’ll tell you who else remembers: Martie.

Hi Martie!

I owe a big, juicy apology to this dear reader. She is almost local to the farm, living in sort of nearby Guthrie, Oklahoma. Our great state’s original capitol! It’s a great little city. Guthrie boasts a beautiful main street filled with cool shops, delicious cafes, and trendy coffee houses. Their gorgeous, shaded Mineral Wells park hosts some of the nicest car shows and Zombie 5-Ks around. AND Guthrie is where my beekeepers’ club meets each month. Love it there!

Anyway, sweet Martie has been commenting here for a while and has asked me a couple of times if I would please post the 100 answers to that little citizenship test. Well I lost the answers. Okay? I just did. I forgot to save the answer page back in April and have been having a long, extended nervous breakdown over this ever since.

So. Very. Embarrassing.

Tonight I found them!!

So. Very. Exciting!! I really needed this win, you guys. And I am happy to be able to post them here for Martie especially. She’s such a sweet lady, and she calls her guy “Handsome” too. xoxo

If you haven’t already, why not grab some paper and gather your nearest and dearest to see how much each of you knows. Do not cheat by using the internet!! Again, the questions are right here. Then check you answers below.

 

june front planter

 

  1. Red, White, and Blue.
  2. 50
  3. White
  4. One for each state in the union
  5. 13
  6. Red and White
  7. They represent the original 13 states
  8. 50
  9. Independence Day
  10. July 4th
  11. England
  12. England
  13. George Washington
  14. Barack Obama
  15. Joe Biden
  16. The electoral college
  17. Vice-President
  18. Four years
  19. The supreme law of the land
  20. Yes
  21. Amendments
  22. 27
  23. 3
  24. Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary
  25. Congress
  26. Congress
  27. The Senate and the House of Representatives
  28. To make laws
  29. The people
  30. 100
  31. Dean Heller and Harry Reid
  32. 6 years
  33. 435
  34. 2 years
  35. The President, cabinet, and departments under the cabinet members
  36. The Supreme Court
  37. To interpret laws
  38. The Constitution
  39. The first 10 amendments of the Constitution
  40. Carson City
  41. Brian Sandoval
  42. Speaker of the House of Representatives
  43. John G. Roberts, Jr.
  44. Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, and Maryland
  45. Patrick Henry
  46. Germany, Italy, and Japan
  47. Alaska and Hawaii
  48. 2
  49. A civil rights leader
  50. Your County Commissioners
  51. Must be a natural born citizen of the United States; Must be at least 35 years old by the time he/she will serve; Must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years
  52. 2 from each state
  53. Appointed by the President
  54. 9
  55. For religious freedom
  56. Governor
  57. Mayor
  58. Thanksgiving
  59. Thomas Jefferson
  60. July 4, 1776
  61. That all men are created equal
  62. The Star-Spangled Banner
  63. Francis Scott Key
  64. The Bill of Rights
  65. 18
  66. The President
  67. The Supreme Court
  68. Abraham Lincoln
  69. Freed many slaves
  70. The Cabinet
  71. George Washington
  72. Form N-400, “Application to File Petition for Naturalization”
  73. The American Indians (Native Americans)
  74. The Mayflower
  75. Colonies
  76. Rights:
    1. The right of freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly and requesting change of government.
    2. The right to bear arms (the right to have weapons or own a gun, though subject to certain regulations).
    3. The government may not quarter, or house, soldiers in the people’s homes during peacetime without the people’s consent.
    4. The government may not search or take a person’s property without a warrant.
    5. A person may not be tried twice for the same crime and does not have to testify against him/herself.
    6. A person charged with a crime still has some rights, such as the right to a trial and to have a lawyer.
    7. The right to trial by jury in most cases.
    8. Protects people against excessive or unreasonable fines or cruel and unusual punishment.
    9. The people have rights other than those mentioned in the Constitution.
    10. Any power not given to the federal government by the Constitution is a power of either the states or the people.
  77. The Congress
  78. Republic
  79. Abraham Lincoln
  80. 1787
  81. The Bill of Rights
  82. The Constitution.
  83. In the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
  84. Everyone (citizens and non-citizens living in the U.S.)
  85. The Preamble
  86. Obtain federal government jobs; travel with a U.S. passport; petition for close relatives to come to the U.S. to live
  87. The right to vote
  88. The place where Congress meets
  89. The President’s official home
  90. Washington, D.C., (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.)
  91. The White House
  92. Freedom of: speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly, and, requesting change of the government
  93. The President
  94. George Washington
  95. November
  96. January
  97. There is no limit
  98. There is no limit
  99. Democratic and Republican
  100. 50

 

How’d you do? Tell me your score and I’ll tell you mine.

 

me and TT at little dizzys june 2014

Thanks again for introducing yourself and visiting us here, Martie! I’d love to know your citizenship test score.

Be more Organized Than Me, Friends.
Not That That is Much of a Challenge.
But I’m Working on It.
XOXOXOXO

plants, weak coffee, & copperheads

I am working on a garden update post, plus one about positive vibes and my Aha-Moment video, plus something for the moon followers among you, plus Tiny T updates, and other stuff. Lots of words!

For now, though… a photo I snapped tonight warrants some discussion. I hope you join the fun.

 

june coffeeplant

Okay.

The story is that this afternoon I went on a small shopping spree at a local nursery that was having a fantastic clearance sale. I drove right home, ate an avocado dipped in Dorito crumbs (shut up), and started planting. Usually when I buy lots of plants I get tired or have to go cook dinner or am simply paralyzed by the beauty and just stop about half way through. Sometimes a few plants get left on the sizzling concrete for a few days. Sometimes they get babied in the shade until I know what to do with them. But rarely never does every single plant get planted the same day it is purchased. It’s a terrible habit I’ve been trying to break.

Well…

Tonight I broke it!

Mostly.

That mosquito-repelling plant you see above was the only thing I didn’t tuck neatly into the earth tonight, post-spree. And I will tell you why.

It’s because of this milk can.

Sort of.

image (25)

This very cool old milk can sits against this very cool old door which adorns the brick smokehouse, which is really a garden shed for me. The door won’t stay shut on its own. Several days ago I lifted the rusted treasure to open the door, revealing a long, fat Copperhead snake coiled up beneath it, just waiting to murder me either with its venom or my own adrenaline.

That’s a longer story for another time, but suffice it to say that I will never step foot inside that shed again. And that shed is where my collection of terra-cotta pots is kept. Very neatly I might add.

So…

The mosquito-repelling plant  had to go un-potted tonight.

Except…

I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving just one new plant undone, so I grabbed this empty coffee can which is normally used to scoop out grain for the horses, llamas, and buff.

Except…

Who the heck purchased this nonsense?

Certainly not me. I buy Folger’s coffee, sure, but never AND I MEAN NEVER that mild stuff. Not even medium roast. You might as well drink green tea.

Some people might say that I add too much cream to my coffee, but it absolutely must start off as the darkest, richest, thickest coffee available for $7 per large can.

So…

The only new garden purchase not in the ground tonight is sitting, instead, in a mysterious plastic tub while poisonous snakes are hiding just downhill, keeping me away from my flower pots like dragons guarding a princess. This will not do, friends.

Something has to change.

Send terra cotta if you can.
XOXOXO

useful decay & carpe diem

The kale, spinach, and snow peas are spent. Totally spent. Burned, bloated, skeletized, and gone to seed. And it all happened right around the Summer Solstice, which pleases me to my bones. It’s fitting that springtime vegetables should bow out just as the hottest season takes center stage.

So yesterday I ripped them out of the soft, silky earth and heaped all the faded green, leafy remains into a large hay bucket (also green). One raised bed plus half of another are now ready to be re-imagined. Redesigned. Repurposed. This kind of opportunity is always equals parts thrilling and intimidating to me.

 

dead kale etc late june 2014

 

Mostly, it makes me sad, this passage of time and loss of gorgeous food. Time slips away too easily these days. And so many resources are wasted.

What do we have to show for most of our days? For what lasting treasure do we redeem these hours, days, weeks? Months and years?

I want it to count. Really count.

At least with these spent vegetables, I have the sweet consolation that our chickens will eat it all greedily. And they certainly did, yesterday evening at sunset. They dove into the heaps of wilted greens and tore it all apart, clucking and dancing and zeroing in on stowaway bugs I hadn’t even noticed.

It’s Monday morning now, and once again Oklahoma has opened her eyes to a soaking rainstorm. Every lawn is emerald green and every lake is rising steadily. We all get a fresh new week with a clean slate! It’s like a tiny little New Year’s Day, opening to us all the possibilities of accomplishment, relief, satisfaction, and dreams come true. Plus, thanks to the rain, we don’t have to water anything.

Whatever your goals, I wish you abundant energy and meaningful inspiration to work toward them. Whatever your heart’s desire, I wish you unexpected miracles and little, encouraging doses of the bigger things yet to come. Live in the light of possibility this week. Stay vigilant so that your hours and days are traded for good things. Amazing things. Your life is so valuable, and it passes by so quickly.

“The flower that you hold in your hands was born today and already it is as old as you are.”
~Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943
XOXOXOXO

 

 

Focus

Is it really Friday already? Finally? Both words feel right.

We walked outside just after 6  to a.m. to one of the most breathtaking skies in recent memory. Gentle overnight thunderstorms were moving east just as the sun was rising, and it lent to the horizon a luscious creaminess, a blend of mimosa and ocean colors. And it was all glowing, pulsing with light. So pretty.

I read this quote earlier in the week and it keeps ringing in my head. Maybe you’ll groove it too:

It’s not so much how busy you are but why you are busy. The honey bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted. ~Molly F. O’Connor

What do you think about this? Does it strike a nerve for you?

I’ve made improvements over the years but still have days where I act busier than I really am, not to mention too many work days and evenings that I fill at least part way with unimportant things. These mistakes always lead to a frenzied, useless mood, which bleeds into a chaotic atmosphere for my loved ones, which makes me feel defeated. And for what? A pointless illusion.

busy bees

Our new bees are doing so well.  I am hopeful that both hives are robust and productive and that I have a little more knowledge to work them this year. They certainly are helping the herbs and vegetables. Everything is pollinated and flourishing beyond my wildest expectations. (Of course the Gulf Coast weather we’ve been enjoying doesn’t hurt.)

herbs sunlit fluff

I am so much happier on days when I work like the gentle honey bee. Steadily active, focused, almost hypnotized by the task at hand. And it’s all about plans and choices.

Focus.

(just focus)

That’s all I have this morning. Just a quick Friday encouragement for you to abandon the need to act busy and just throw yourself fully into worthwhile things. Slow down and focus your vision and your energy. Be strategic and un-distracted so you can enjoy the satisfaction of time well spent, of your wildly valuable life redeemed for something beautiful and meaningful, a useful and glittering day, whatever that means to you.

“If you love life, don’t waste time.
For time is what life is made up of.”
~Bruce Lee
XOXOXOXO