Puzzle's New Flock

Backyard Poultry

Chicken Rainbow

Here is Puzzle's new, beautiful flock, including Rhode Island Reds, Brown Leghorns, Araucanas, and Buff Orpingtons. You might wonder what happened, they were all so peacefully walking around in the last picture. Well, as soon as we dumped the wood shavings out of Puzzle's carrying box, all the hens ran over and began fighting over them!! I don't know if it was the scratch or wood shavings they were after (chickens do eat wood chips, you know). They were all such beautiful and friendly hens. Their owner is a farmer, and lets them free-range in a movable pen during the summer. We had actually visited his farm and bought seed garlic from him several years back, so it was wonderful to know Puzzle was going to a good home!

Well, Puzzle, What Do You Say?

A New Home

Backyard Poultry

How Do You Like It, Puzzle?

 The 20-minute drive to our the farm seemed to take forever. All I could do was keep wondering what Puzzle's new life was going to be like. Well, there was no reason to worry! As you can see in the picture, our farmer friend had a wonderful full-size greenhouse and a beautiful flock of 30-some hens. Compared to the snowy, cold day outside, stepping into this greenhouse seemed like the land of luxury! We lugged in the rooster in the cardboard box and opened it up; Puzzle came strutting right out, not phased a bit by the new surroundings. Surveying its new flock, the rooster right away began to announce to them, "I'm the new boss here!"

All Boxed Up

Backyard Poultry

Into the Moving Van

Well, putting an ornery rooster in a box is much easier said than done. As we found out, it's actually more a delicate balance between coaxing and shoving! Here you can see how we accomplished it: one person shook a cup of scratch in a little window cut in the box side, while the other stood ready to shut the door on the opposite side as soon as Puzzle entered. See the really thick gloves we're wearing? It actually worked pretty well.
At the time it seemed very sad to see Puzzle go! Only one chicken got to witness it: did you spot Pepper in the nest box?

All Boxed Up

Can you guess who's in here? See those air holes we carefully cut all around the bottom? Wait a minute . . . that was supposed to be the top . . . I think somebody wasn't paying attention! During the drive there, the woodchips gradually filtered out of those holes, all over the floor of our van. The rooster's constant scratching for the scratch we'd put in didn't help anything!

"Puzzling" Problem

Backyard Poultry

Puzzle's Last Day in the Coop

 And now, back to our chicken story. The problems with Puzzle kept increasing; each day he seemed to grow bigger and bossier, as the house appeared to get smaller. And each day the snow kept the hens shut indoors with the giant rooster. The chicken saddles helped immensely with the problem of lost feathers during mating activities. But, interestingly enough, the saddles seemed to make Puzzle feel all the more frustrated and 'cooped up.' I could tell the rooster wanted to be out on the pasture protecting his hens from predators, crowing at the sunrise, and just strutting his stuff. A 4x8 coop wasn't the place to do that. I was finally ready to part with Puzzle, provided we could find a good home for him. And we did! The pieces all fell into place to give him to a friend who lived not 20 minutes away, and had a much larger flock and chicken coop. It was a wonderful answer! Now, just one question: how do you transport a huge bossy rooster that bites?

Snowy Marbled Cake

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Chewy Delight

Well, all this trecking around is making me hungry, how about you? Try out this delicious cake to top off any dinner! The marbled chocolate and white batter has a simply wonderful texture, and the sugar-free icing tops it all off with perfection.

To start, combine:

2 c. coarsely sifted oat-rice flour                        1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon                    1/4 t. nutmeg                 1/4 t. salt

Melt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to combine:

1/2 c. raw honey                1/2 c. canola oil                  2 T. butter

In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs well. Add 1/2 t. vanilla, and almost all of the honey mixture, leaving 2 T. in the saucepan. Then beat this egg mixture into the flour combination. Did you get all that?

Last step: add to the saucepan of honey/oil mixture and stir:

5 t. unsweetened cocoa powder                 2 T. water

Now for the fun part! Pour half of the cake batter into a buttered glass pan (9x9 or 7x12 is great). Stir another quarter of the batter (half of what's left) into the pan of cocoa and drizzle over the pan of batter. Finally, pour the rest of the white batter on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until cake is almost set and browned on top. Cool and remove from pan.

Enjoy a piece of warm cake topped with whipped cream or cream cheese frosting. To make your own sugar-free whipped cream, beat 1/2 c. of cold whipping cream with a handmixer. After about 30 seconds, add 1 t. vanilla and 1/4 c. honey (or to suit your liking). Here's a cake you can feel good about eating!
I will also take the opportunity to say Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother! If it were possible to send an e-cake, I would be the first--I'm sending this one to her!!



Lego City

Ohio History

The Western Front

Did you ever wonder what a town would look like that was built entirely of Legos? Take a look at these pictures! We saw half a dozen of these amazing miniature Lego dioramas. The one above is a western fort encircled by a little train (I don't think it was running though!). What other buildings can you see? Below is a carnival scene--I think that ferris wheel is so cute! Please don't ask me exactly why that boat is in the harbor . . . The other scene I liked was a tiny medieval-style castle.

But there was plenty for little hands to do as well as see! In nearby Lego Land, bins filled with thousands of Lego blocks invited young hands to experiment, build, and try new ideas. I had never seen so many Legos before at one time. It was a really neat idea!

Can you spot the flower bed that spells LEGO?

 

Discover the Animals

Ohio History

Here Kitty-Kitty-Kitty

 Another must-see at Boonshoft is the completely-indoor Discovery Zoo. Over one hundred animals and insects call it home--from otters and porcupines to ducks and turtles. Above is the little bobcat, named Madison according to the website. He looked a little lonely in his big pen! The meerkats were also curious little creatures, looking like a cross between a prairie dog and a groundhog. They scampered back and forth in their rocky pen, cocked their little heads at us, and chewed on carrots in their food bowl.

The Beiser Discovery Center is another place to spot animals, namely, Rajeev, a 16-foot-long Burmese python! I can't say we spent long in that room! Finally, at the Tidal Pool, children can touch starfish and seashells on a simulated sandy beach shoreline. There were some beautiful specimens in that exhibit. It really felt like an indoor zoo!

Crystal Rocks

Ohio History

An Unusual Specimen

What does this unique object look like? I know I immediately think of a ham hock. If you tried to eat it, however, you would be biting into agate rock! This is just one of the beautiful rocks on display on the second-floor exhibit of Boonshoft Museum. Below is a piece of gypsum, which is covered in large white crystal. I got a really sharp picture, didn't I? That's not easy in museums!

Frosty Icicles?

In the next room was the Splash! exhibit. It explained everything you could want to know about our water cycles, waste management, and water usage, as well as detailed information about Montgomery County's water systems. Of course, the best part was posing behind large cut-outs and becoming a plumber, scientist, or engineer!