I moved the chicks to their big house today. When I came home last night I could smell them all the way upstairs in the house. It was time to get them outside. Kathy helped me clean up the mess they made and carry them down to the big house. I still have cleaning to do in the furnace room and then need to put everything back in it’s place but am making progress. It has been a big job to get that room cleaned up.
When I went down to check on the girls this afternoon they seem to be settling into their new digs. Several had found the roosting bars and were enjoying sitting on them. I hooked the heat lamp up for night time to make sure they stay warm enough at night. They have plenty of room to get away from the heat lamp if they get too hot with it on. I will keep them inside the coop for several days and then let them go outside during the day. I’ll have to set timers to make sure I remember to go down to let them in and out. Once it stays warm enough at night I can leave their door open at night but it needs to be 70 or over at night before I can do that.
I need to drive around to the back of my house and load up all the trash bags of used wood shavings. I think I will dump them on my recycling pile as I don’t have room in my trash can for them. I also have things to take down to the barn to store until the next time I get chicks. I think next time I will get chicks in the hot summer time so I can start them in the big house to begin with. Lots less mess that way.
I found a dead mouse – yuck! I got brave and managed to get it in the trash bag with the help of the dust pan. When I was fixing the big house for the chicks a mouse dropped out of the sliding door that closes up the little door the chicks use to go in and out of the coop. Enough with mice today!
I am a bit tired today. I probably should have taken a rest day and moved the chicks tomorrow but it was time for them to go out. I will enjoy my house more if I don’t smell them inside. I may finish up the job tomorrow but we will see how I do today. I took a rest and will try to get some more done today.
I have two problems to solve. I went out and looked at the painting on the deck Kathy and I had done before I left for Vegas. The paint is failing already – even on the new boards that had never been painted before. Not sure if it just needs a second coat or if I got the wrong type of paint. I will have to figure that out before I bother painting any more. No use painting if it isn’t going to work.
The second issue is in the furnace room. There is a floor drain in there and wood shavings got down the drain. Not sure how many but I know some did. Not sure what I need to do to make sure the shavings go on down and don’t plug up the drain.
I’m sure when I am not so tired I will figure out a solution to both of those issues. I’m a bit fried today and my brain is not functioning at 100% right now.
Tomorrow I need to call John Deere and find out when they are returning my mower. It is time to do my first mow of the season. I also need to call my plumber and order a new kitchen faucet and have them check to make sure I didn’t get a water leak in the barn over the winter. I like being able to use the bathroom in the barn during mowing season but don’t want to turn the water on in the barn until I know for sure I don’t have a broken pipe.
I got another bill from my divorce attorney that I wasn’t expecting. I had forgotten she had to register a quit claim deed on the rental properties. That finally got done and she billed me for the time it took to do that. Trusting this will be the last and final bill from her.
I hope the run of bills I have been racking up is coming to a close. They seem to come in bunches and this bunch has been a big one. Yikes! I am overdue for a couple months of no unexpected bills.
Luckily I don’t have anything on my calendar until Thursday this week so I can take a couple of days and get all the way home and get caught up. I don’t think I have to go get groceries for a couple of days so I can stay home all day tomorrow. I will finish up the furnace room project and get the basement cleaned from the chick mess.
I have two guests coming the last week in April and will need to clean my whole house between now and then. It will give me a good reason to clean which I have needed to get me started. The two guys are coming in so they can play in the disc golf tournament. Both have stayed with me before and are like friends to me. It will be fun to have them here and visit with them.
It felt good to come home with a little bit of gas still in my tank. I was pleased that I was able to stay somewhat full during the trip. It makes me feel more comfortable about my upcoming trip to Europe in September. This trip had several opportunities for me to practice some different techniques I have learned and I was pleased that I was able to use them successfully for me. Self development is a life-long process and I am pleased to learn new tricks.
Grateful the chicks are in their big house tonight, grateful for Kathy’s help in helping me move them there, and grateful for life lessons.