Sunday, May 29, 2011

Thursday, May 26, 2011

S-curvey

The thing that shocked me about this was the unevenness of my pelvis. I was also shocked to see that my entire spine is curved. Pretty insane, eh?

Monday, May 16, 2011

Chicken Coop

We've had to face a lot of changes with our move to Madison. It was hard to leave the PA farm house behind. But we're determined to maintain some of our old hobbies. This chicken coop is the product of my springtime "nesting" phase with Baby X. Started with an old dog house and got to work in the basement while it was still wintery outside. Much of the material was salvaged from scraps in the basement. Asa played with Matchbox cars and learned about some basic shop tools. Finally got the thing painted and fenced over the weekend while Ezra was home to keep Asa away from wet paint and the staple gun. Can't wait to pick up some chickens with Asa this week. I can tell he's excited too. He already knows how to open the door to the coop and fits easily inside the run.


Can't wait to put some hens in there! We're allowed five in Madison, but I think we'll just get four.



The base provides some shady space for the ladies and is the right height for hay bale insulation in the winter.



Two laying boxes on either side and handles for moving the coop around the yard.



A little flair for the rear air vent.



The rubber strips will keep rain from dripping in where the laying box doors are attached.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

E-pain is my name

These are some excerpts from a journal I've been keeping about my back pain. Please humor me and frown pityingly at your computer screen as you glance over these. This is my life every-friggin-day for as long as I can remember.

Red=Intense
Orange=Moderate / Base level pain
Green=Tingly







I went to see a specialist yesterday. He hasn't told me anything yet that I haven't already known, but we're going to proceed with some potentially beneficial tests and treatments.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

More plantings

Cut back euonymous from railing so we can work on the rust. Purchased trellises to support new plant growth and cover cement.


New barren strawberry plants (diagonal) to supplement established plant that is starting to spread (left).


Oakleaf hydrangea.


More barren strawberry and relocated St. Johnswort.


New blueberries and creeping phlox--an attempt to fix erosion problem in this corner.


Driveway. Previously planted phlox in the foreground.


Speedwell (left side, planted uphill from blueberries).


Azaleas in bloom.