h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh, look, school starts on the 3rd. What do you think the odds are that I'll get caught up on any of these projects?

1. Flat Abby blog.
Well, since I've not updated the blog with ANY of the photos we've gotten, not even the very first set, I think it's safe to say that this is the most behind. Theoretically, it should just be a matter of sitting down with the scanner and the album, but I've not yet started... And more pics should be coming in eventually, so the longer I wait, the more I'll have to do.

2. Venerable Researchers interviews.
I'd had a good routine going, and, as I'd feared, fireworks season messed up my rhythm. I did get one in after fireworks season was over, but the weekend keeps sneaking up on me. This is really pathetic, as, not only is everything I need (barring some of the links that are wants, not strictly needs) sitting in my h2g2 email folder, but I'm sure Bea wouldn't mind getting my stuff earlier in the week. Or is mags my editor? I know it's not Dmitri... It's been so long, I can't remember

3. Laundry folding.
I'm fairly on top of washing and drying, but...

4. Not-a-greenhouse conversion to chicken coop.
This is actually going fairly well, considering I insisted on cutting the rotten bits out of boards and reusing them--and I kept finding more rotten bits as I went along. Also considering that the circular saw scares me, so I've been using a hand saw instead. Tom did insist on making some cuts for me, though, so I can't say that everything's hand-sawn--and the drill doesn't scare me, so all the screws have been put in with that. Otherwise, I'd be looking at a finish date of somewhere between next year and never, instead of the end of the month, if not sooner. I'd say this project is one of the more legitimate reason the other stuff has been languishing the last couple of weeks. Of course, all the other projects were dead in the water long before the conversion was started (in some cases, they were dead in the water before Tom and I even discussed maybe getting chickens)

Tell me again why you are thinking about raising chickens? If you can't find the time to retool the not-a-greenhouse, how will you find the time to keep the chicks fed, watered, cleaned-up, and protected against predators? I can't claim to have experience in raising chickens, but I'm betting that the demands of doing it can be pretty stressful.

Are you going to be working in a classroom this year?

Apparently chicken rentals is a thing now. http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/09/01/local-farmer-renting-chickens-for-the-summer/

Do these rented chickens have to cross any roads?

Hey, that's kind of like Netflix for cats

Yeah, it is! We'll get you a subscription, Dewey

Hell yeah But don't get me the streamin' option. Them virtual chikkins bout as much use as a litter box with no litter. I want the real thing!

Once I get everything set up, the actual chicken care will be much easier and less time consuming. Plus I can have the girls help--not too comfortable with a 10 and 4-year-old doing construction While I've never had before, I have been doing a *lot* of research, and of course I've taken care of other animals. This conversion is my first construction project, and I've had to do some do-overs when what I thought was a great idea either turned out to not be, or to just plain not work.

Having the girls help is great idea!

You might need this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An0mFZ3enhM

We had chickens when I was a kid, as did my grandparents. I remember having to gather eggs. But the only ones I've had as an adult were 3 little bantams that Frank got as chicks when we lived in Tyler, TX. Let's see, that would have been mid-1970s. He took them as partial down payment on something or other he was selling. We wound up with two roosters and a hen. Gorgeous little things. Spoiled them, so they were really just pets.