Love & Luck

I moved to Portland and made the decision that I wanted to find my life partner and settle down. So I did. I told the universe what I wanted, and it responded. It took years of failed relationships and soul searching for me to finally get to this point–it wasn’t easy. Finding the right one is difficult–you have to love yourself completely, you have to be willing to take an honest look at yourself, and you have to be brave enough to take risks. On top of all this, you have to fall into a patch of really good luck.

Meet My Chickens

Chickens: 5 months old

Garden Flowers

My beautiful flowers that I planted by seed (gift from my mom, thanks Mom!) have bloomed!

What’s My Age Again?

Today was a random and amusing day.

While waiting at the bus stop downtown, a guy who had thrown his cigarette butt into the landscaped side of a Portland State building started a mini-brush fire. Well, it wasn’t really a fire–not yet anyway. It was more like a gentle smoldering that emitted a lot of smoke.

When I first arrived at the bus stop and noticed the smoke, I went over and tried to stamp it out with my feet. Then the guy who was apparently the cause of the incident, showed up and said, “Yah, don’t worry. I just talked to the firemen down the street. They are going to swing by with a bucket of water,” and then added nonchalantly, “hmm…looks like it could get serious.”

The culprit ended up boarding the number 12 bus with me, leaving behind his potential fire. When we drove by the fire station, I saw the firemen outside, enjoying the sunshine and washing their truck, apparently oblivious to the horrible potential danger down the street from them.

Later that day, Mike and I went to the opening of a new vegan BBQ restaurant. Well, it wasn’t really a restaurant, more like a few picnic tables and a huge grill set up in a once vacant plot of land on Alberta street. While we were gobbling down our  BBQ Tempeh, Spicy Soy Curls Pita Sandwich, and “Mac and No Cheese,” a gentleman came strolling down the street, loudly and proudly singing the lyrics to that classic song, “What’s My Age Again?,” by Blink 182. He had ear-buds in, so he apparently had no idea what he sounded like or how loudly he was singing. It was by far one of the most amusing and entertaining 30 seconds I have ever experienced.

After we got lost at The City of Books, we came home and clipped off the flight feathers of our pet chickens. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Portland???

Oh, and to top it off, I found this:

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Chickies Love Treats

Uh-oh…I have created some “treat” cracked-out chickies!

I Love Philip Glass

Everything must have an ending except for my love for you.

Chicks: Week 1

The little chickies are doing very well! We added the third and last one to the pack, a Buff Lace Polish hen who will look something like this when full grown:

We picked this breed because of how fancy and unusual it is. The original two chicks have grown so much in only a week. They are getting their wing feathers in and are loosing more and more down every day. They are going to outgrow the brooder very soon!

The Americana, the brown one with the larger eyes and the tiger pattern on its head, is named Clementine. She is the quiet and shy one of the bunch. She enjoys staring at the wall, being pecked by the others, and doing yoga stretches while pooping.

The Speckled, the other brown one with the single black stripe through its eye, is named Kiwi. She is the leader of the pack. She is active and likes digging holes in the pine shavings by kicking it everywhere. She also enjoys roosting on her post, pecking Clementine, and being followed by the others. She is also adventurous, as she has tried to fly out of the box on a few occasions.

The Polish, the tiny white one with the funny crown, is named Lady Macbeth or Little Miss Lady for short. She is the sweetheart baby of the group and constantly copies the other chicks. She is very vocal, and enjoys pecking at the walls.

Baby Chicks!

When I was a kid, I remember discovering that my neighbors down the street had a couple of chickens living in their backyard. I thought that was the coolest thing ever, and from that day on, dreamed of having pet chickens one day. Well, dreams come true in Portland, OR, where it has become the fashionable (and eco-conscious) thing to do–have 3 pet chickens kickin’ it in your backyard and garden.

Today we got two chicks, from a really awesome new store that just opened: Urban Farm. It is owned by a couple who loved their chickens so much they decided to open up a shop and spread their knowledge. They really know their stuff, and offer free workshops on chicken-raising.

We decided to get a Speckled Sussex, which is a very pretty variety.

And an Ameraucana, which lay “Easter Eggs” (green and blue).

We plan on getting one more chick, but we are going to wait for a specific bread which comes in next week.
The baby chicks will live indoors for the next two months, keeping warm under a heat lamp. Once they have all their feathers, they will be relocated outside to their new home. With three chickens, we should expect to have about 14 eggs a week. They begin to lay 5 months after they are born.

They are good friends already:

Here is a short video of the chicks, shortly after they arrived at their new home. Enjoy!