Strange sights and a li'l bike ride

We had some very odd sightings on our way home today. As we were leaving my office we saw a man standing in front of the Fairmont Olympic hotel with the brightest, most day-glow, neon pink and purple hair. That wasn't the odd thing...you see that every other block...but he was dressed in a dark blue polo shirt tucked into lighter washed jeans with a belt, looking decidedly boring except for the hair. It just didn't mesh and created a little cognitive dissonance.

Seconds later and just a block away, we were stopped at a light and this guy crossed in front of us wearing a champagne colored satin suit. Like he had taken a set of satin sheets and had the pants and jacket made. Here's how our conversation went:

E: Do you see that?
A: Um, yeah, hard to miss. Who wears something like that?!
E: He looks like he's Russian.
A: Really, I don't think he looks like he's in a hurry.
(cue the laugh track)

Just before leaving town we also saw a guy wearing a puffy vest that was probably made in 1980...and in fact judging from the way it fit this guy, he might have owned it back then when he was 9.

Later, while merging onto I-405, a car illegally passed everyone on the shoulder. That wasn't odd. What was odd was that the driver had his left foot hanging out of the window. In thinking about this, he just had to want to look like a rebel...because that just could NOT be comfortable. I don't care how flexible you are.

The whole commute left us both wondering if there was a full moon or something...and wishing that I'd brought a camera.

I went on a little bike ride once we got home. My wonderful husband ran to the store and made fantastic spaghetti bolongese while I was out and about. If you haven't tried Barilla Plus pasta...you must, it's so yummy and made with a blended legume flour so it has a good amount of protein and whole grains!

I rode for 45 min, covered just over 12 miles with ample hills. Which means I need to ride more hills, because I was definitely in single-digits on the way up most of them. I went back out in the car to take some photos, though they don't do the hills justice.

Here's my warm up, It's a mile of gradual up.

Here's one of those that just doesn't look as big as it really is. Roller-coaster-y.

Here's my hill home. Again, does not look as steep as it really is.

This is my "crash" hill. I rode it today for the 3rd time since my accident 3 years ago. Of course, I rode it a lot slower than I did way back then.

This is on my route home, it's so strange. It's a huge pink stucco house in Renton. For those of you who have never been to Renton, this might not seem odd, but believe me, it is pretty out of place.

I have been very lucky to live in some of the most picturesque and beautiful places, between Alaska and Washington, and there are many times I'm reminded of this fact. Sometimes it amazes me to think that we are just over 20 minutes (on a good traffic day) from Seattle. Very pastoral. I've never lived in the country, not really, but maybe I'm a country-girl at heart, because riding through these areas makes me want to look into finding an acreage, moving the coop and buying some llamas or sheep.

And that brings me to 11:15...time for beddey-bye.

And Chick makes 4

We have a new addition to our little flock. A friend of mine was trying her hand at chicken-keeping this summer as well...in fact, her boyfriend picked up Phoebe for me when he got her 2 chicks (Chick and Egg). Unfortunately, Egg turned out to be a rooster. Bad news when you're living in a residential area...and you want eggs...not more chicks. So, after a lot of trying to figure out what to do with Egg (including posting a Craigslist ad and planning a possible drive-by chicken drop at the Country Village in Bothell), she was able to find someone to take Egg. Since chickens are social animals, Chick has come to live with our 3 girls.

The introduction has not been without some turmoil. Since Mrs. Dashwood, Lady Catherine and Phoebe had established a "pecking order" (yes folks, this is where we get the term) adding another contender threw everything up in the air. After a few hours together, it was clear we were going to have to put some separation between them so that they could get used to the idea. Phoebe was the worst offender, pecking at poor Chick and running and jumping on her. Chick had some battle wounds, so we partitioned the coop for her with her own food and water for a couple of days. When they are out in the yard, they seem to do better. Chick is able to run away if need be. They're still not as integrated as they will be eventually, but the war seems to have ceased.

The only problem we're dealing with now is that Phoebe and Chick look very similar...Chick is smaller, for now. We might have to give one of them a little bracelette or something. :)

Welcome to the family, Chick!

Mel the chicken-sitter

Mel, the world's best dog, is also a fantastic chicken-sitter. We have no worries leaving the chickens out in the yard when Mel is patrolling the fence line. He keeps the cats and crows away from the chickens and their food. His mere canine presence does the trick. He's got his summertime outdoor routine that he sticks to religiously. Ten to 20 minutes in the sun followed by 10 - 20 minutes in the shade, repeat as necessary.

It's a dogs life. Mel had his yearly checkup at the vet this weekend. In addition to several vaccines, he had his senior blood panel done. The blood panel shows that everything looks good, so this 12-year old dog will, hopefully, have many more years with us. :)

My very second blog post ever.

Saturday morning started bright and early with DH resuming work on the coop. You've never seen a motivated man until he's trying to get chickens out of his garage. The majority of the coop framing had been built last weekend, but there was a good deal left to do. DH did an awesome job with internet-purchased plans that were a little lacking in detail. It was definitely a learning experience for him.

DH and his tools

The old home - what started as a roomy home for the chicks rapidly became cramped quarters

The new home - this should provide them with plenty of room, it's designed to hold 5 chickens, so 3 should have quite a bit of wing room

The ladies running around the yard - they have been getting a bit more comfortable roaming around, nibbling weeds and catching bugs

The new coop in it's permanent location, behind St. Francis

DH finishing the roofing - the "sleeping area" is on the right side, you can see the egg door (in the not-too-distant future our little ladies will be providing us with very yummy eggs), on the left is the main access door to the coop

Melvin, world's best dog...though he's been going through some selective hearing lately

Here's our St. Francis statue and just to the right is where Charcoal is buried. Charcoal was my little kitty buddy for 20 years, we lost her about a month ago after a tragic run-in with the neighbor's dog.

This is our Mary statue in the front yard, when we get the rest of the yard under control, I'll plant some nice flowers around her

My very first blog post ever.

Well, here I go, dipping my pinkie toe into the ocean that is blogging. This isn't meant to be anything deep or really meaningful, but there is some measure of responsibility that comes with publishing your thoughts, words and deeds for the world...which is probably why I've never ventured out before. Mainly, I'm tired of emailing pictures to myself or others...so this is meant to eliminate some of the "update" emails. Because...I'm lazy. We have 3 chickens and an orange dog. Here's a look at our little menagerie.

Phoebe B. Bebe
(red sex-link...that's a Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock mix)
Lady Catherine de Bird
(some kind of mix between an Ameracauna and maybe a Brahma)
Mrs. Dashwood
(some kind of mix between an Ameracauna and maybe a Brahma)
Phoebe hitching a ride with Melvin (Mel to his friends, of which he has many)